Spam & Cranberries

It's that time again. The day set aside to give thanks for all we have and then eat all we can before we plunge onto the nearest couch or bed or floor to crash. There is nothing better than a good nap after an overload of tryptophan. Did you know that shrimp, fish, and beef tenderloin have just as much of this amino acid than turkey? The difference is that we actually eat so much turkey on Thanksgiving that the effect of tryptophan is extreme. The average nutritional requirement for the "average" adult is 3-4 oz. of meat per meal. An average person can consume up to 16 ounces, yes ONE POUND of turkey for Thanksgiving! So the turkey-tryptophan-good nap link makes sense. Aside from turkey, there are so many side dishes out there that people prepare. We have tried a few and mainly stick to the traditional foods. At least our traditional foods that we are used to having at our family's meal.

Our family tradition when I was younger was for my Dad to cook the turkey. When he passed away, my sister took on the duty of stuffing and cooking it. Not until just a few years ago was the tradition passed on to me. My sister and brother-in-law's home has been the place that our family flocks to (pun intended) for our feast for many years now. We fill up on cornbread dressing, rice dressing, green bean casserole, candied yams, homemade macaroni, cranberry sauce, and assorted desserts. Of course, we have to include bread and especially an ice cold Coke for my honey.

We've tried to create recipes we've seen on the Food Network or received from family or friends and they don't seem to last on our menu. We've tried homemade cranberry sauce most recently. I have to admit it was OK, but I really, really like the Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce the best. I've tried the whole berry, but there is just something about it that I just love. The funny thing is that my Mom is the one in charge of bringing it. We like it cold so it ends up in the fridge and we forget about it until we are almost done. I think we've had the same sauce for years. Oh well. I'm sure it does not expire! All you have to do is open the can, stab the bottom to cut a slit with a sharp knife, give a slam on your fancy dish, and BA-BAM, cranberry sauce. Slice it up and you're done. If you remember it's in the fridge.

One of our long time traditions is using my grandmother's recipe for Homemade Macaroni and Cheese. The bad thing is no one ever wrote it down. We know the basic ingredients, but never really got it exactly right. One year, which I shouldn't mention, we tried the "new" shredded Velveeta (since cutting it in cubes is hard work). Yikes! It didn't melt right and it wasn't good. But we smiled and ate it cause my Mom cooked it that year. That is the year we starting assigning her bread, drinks, or paper plates. Just to be safe.

I have had my share of disappointing accidents. Like the time I took my sweet potato casserole that I worked hours on out of the oven, placed it on a cold burner on our stove, and POW! The glass dish exploded in pieces!! From now on, it is Bruce's Yams in a can and marshmallows. If you don't like it, don't eat it. There were a few hits and misses that went along with our years of celebration, but above all we were spending time together as a family so it was not a big deal.

Spending time with our family is what it is all about. We miss those who have gone before us so much so we don't take the time we have together for granted. We try and make every gathering a Thanksgiving Day for us, but I think ours is special because we've made our own traditions in our generation that hopefully our children will carry on. We hope that this Thanksgiving holiday is a good one for all of you, but I know it is a difficult time for some. My prayers are with all of you that you try and celebrate Thanksgiving throughout the year.

Random Thanksgiving Fact:

Part of the reason that Swanson started creating T.V. Dinners in 1953 was because they needed to find something to do with 260 tons of frozen turkeys that were left over from Thanksgiving. Poo yie yie that's a lot of turkeys!!