Thanksgiving is fast approaching. Traditions are a big part of the holiday. Who can forget to watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Or watch football games? What about food?
My family is from West Virginia on the Ohio River. Of course, turkey is the star, followed by bread dressing—half of it with oysters. Let's list the menu:
turkey
bread dressing—half with oysters
mashed potatoes
gravy
sweet potatoes with pineapple and melted marshmallows on top
cranberry sauce
succotash—creamed
tray of carrot sticks, celery, olives, pickles
pumpkin pie—Grandpa Hyland's recipe
mincemeat pie—Grandma Hyland's raisin kind
Grandma Phillips added candied yams and real home-canned meat mincemeat pie. And, of course,we had two Thanksgiving dinners—one at noon and one in the evening. Stuffed!
After moving to the deep South, we noticed different traditions. Here's a typical menu:
turkey, and some add ham
cornbread dressing (sometimes oysters are included)
asparagus casserole replaces succotash
cranberry sauce or a cranberry jello salad
the universal green bean casserole—served North or South
ambrosia
sweet potatoes with brown sugar and pecans
pecan pie
pumpkin pie
What are your traditions? Would you like to have all your traditional food but don't want to cook all day, or you don't have room in your kitchen, let alone your oven?
Call Adaire Chef Services at 678-445-6275. Let us cook Thanksgiving dinner, and we'll deliver it to your door within a 30 mile radius from our Adaire kitchen.
Herb of the Month: Sage
Sage is a perennial that is a pale dusty green-gray that has a “Thanksgiving” flavor. It tastes so good in stuffing—use it sparingly—it's strong. It's very easy to grow either in the ground or in a pot. If the plant leaves get wooly after 3 or 4 years, start some new plants. If you can't use it all in its fresh form, dry it to use later.
