When I was a lad in North Dakota, Thanksgiving was a true feast day.
A huge turkey was acquired from a farmer, killed and plucked and I remember Dad singeing it with a rolled up burning newspaper to get rid of pin feathers, then putting it in a big roasting pan and tossing it in the oven for what seemed like days.
The house would fill with the aroma of turkey and all the sides that Mom would create.
When it was time to eat we all gathered around the table and Dad would carve the bird right in front of us, filling each of a stack of plates and passing them around the table so we could "load up" on the mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes or yams, dressing (or in those days "stuffing), green bean casserole, cranberries, rolls and butter, and whatever other wonders had appeared from the kitchen.
Later there was pumpkin pie and whipped cream (not the stuff from a can).
I couldn't find it but somewhere I have a photo of one of those memorable occasions.
It was a great day.
But I was just thinking how much simpler it would have been if I had grown up in Hawaii instead of North Dakota.
Ha! Good one! I, too, remember my mother (hated to cook) rise at 4am to get some monster bird in the oven so we could eat by 1pm. Good china, polished silver, favorite side dishes, pumpkin and apple pie. Times have changed! As you know, we are having pot roast from the Insta Pot and an apple pie from Costco!
ReplyDeleteLOL....You brought back some old memories of Thanksgiving when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you and Judy. Hope she's doing better every day!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you and Judy. Hope she's feeling less pain every day!
ReplyDeleteHA!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you.
Lol those are brilliant memories and I could smell the turkey and the side dishes! I'm wishing you all the best and aloha from spam land
ReplyDeleteI remember those kind of moments with Grandma-great aunts, cousins and a mix of aromas that was magical. As for the Hawaiian turkey-Ha--Slainte'
ReplyDeleteLove the Spam turkey.
ReplyDeleteMy mum went all out at Thanksgiving and Christmas with a turkey dinner and so many different veggies. Those were the days.
Spam Turkey! I love it! And so much less fuss, no cooking, no major cleaning up. Although your childhood family dinners do sound terrific.
ReplyDeleteYour description of the meal sounds very much like we had in rural Sask. We were the farmer so we had our own turkey. Mom was the best cook in the world so it was a great feast.
ReplyDeleteI love that Spam turkey! And I hope you both had a wonderful day. ❤️
ReplyDeleteWas that picture necessary????!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, these bloggers who post spam. 😎
ReplyDeleteEwww, spam! I remember my parents getting up very early to put the turkey in and can visualize my dad carving it in the kitchen. I used to steal some pieces of it while he was doing so!
ReplyDeleteOur Thanksgiving was probably the only time we'd have turkey. Mom preferred a beef roast at Christmas.
ReplyDelete