Thanksgiving is upon the US. Recalling the shared meal of people hundreds of years ago, marking the gratitude of people transcending cultural as well as personal differences. The traditional meal often reflects regional as well as cultural backgrounds. A roasted, fried, or manipulated in some other way turkey is often considered crucial, although hams, chickens and occasionally monstrous creations (I'm looking at you, turducken), have become far more commonplace.
This year, since my family is all over the country (and indeed the world, if you count the family I've adopted in my lifetime), I will be spending a bit of time with friends on Turkey Day while my husband works. However, we will be celebrating the day of thanks. Just not on Thursday.
Friday has become our thanksgiving. Our menu is an exciting one - chicken andouille sausage, chicken breasts and some shrimp come together with humble spices and rice to create the exciting as well as unusual Cajun Paella. Our delicious dessert will be dutch peach pie, courtesy of the outstanding peaches my parents raised and sent to me, ready to be pied.
Since I've had a few minutes to consider traditions I've been lucky enough to be party to, when celebrating Thanksgiving, I thought I would mention some of them.
1. Junk In The Trunk - Inside the fowl of your choice, often a package of gooey bits (once thawed) hang out waiting for your attention. I've seen many choices with these pieces. Pate, served on the side... the most oft-seen incarnation is gravy-seasoner. I often wondered what my mother was doing, boiling these things in a gigantic pot the entire time the turkey was cooking. I now understand the need for stock in making gravy enough to satisfy all the potato-turkey-stuffing demands of a hungry crowd, in addition to whatever *else* your assembled masses will want to coat in the well-made tasty treat. Still, a turkey neck bubbling away on a kitchen range makes me raise an eyebrow. Can't help it.
2. Cranberry-less cranberry sauce? - The battle raged in my family. cranberry sauce with or WITHOUT the cranberry pieces? I've heard debate and discussions aplenty. Compromises like homemade cranberry chutney and a cranberry-less holiday have always made me chuckle. My mother's approach of including both always made me giggle. At least no one complained that their contingent was left out. I also think Mom wanted to make sure she didn't run out of the red-gooey stuff before her open-faced turkey sandwich lust had been sated. My family is one turkey-loving group.
3. Dessert - Ah, sacred territory. What tasty after-dinner treat will make an appearance here? Icebox cookies (which make me lose my mind), pumpkin pie (breakfast of champions), pecan pie (dinner for the next week) or the fabled, legendary Lawrence 7 pound cheesecake?! Just when you get excited, Mom pulls a 180 and does the chocolate covered pretezels/ fruit early. Obviously, I've gone far afield this year with my peach play, but my refusal to allow Tom The Turkey into my oven is probably causing a lot more head-scratching than my dessert choices.
4. Side Dishes - The most varied choices I have ever seen are in the accompanying foods. Green bean casserole was never something I was familiar with when I was a kid. Candied yams, or sweet potatoes, was a demand of my sister's that I could never comprehend. My Theme this year was inspired by the year I spent with the Davila family at their thanksgiving table, a varied array of traditional American expectations and delicious additions including Victor's classic paella (I have been searching for that dish's equal and have yet to find it).
So in short, there will be no waddle in the house this week. There will be much giving of thanks, as there always is here, and we'll do it over Cajun Paella and Dutch Peach Pie. My hope is that this week of celebration has everything to do with remembering the ones we love.
