Thanksgiving on the Homestead

Tomorrow we will have a national day of thanksgiving and celebrate it with lots of food.  Do people really understand the reason for this holiday?  Yes, we've all heard the stories of the pilgrims and the Indians and the first feast, but now it seems that most just want turkey and goodies and football.

At our house, we have the feast but we also have a tradition of prayer and verbal thanking God for our blessings.  We go around the table and each person says at least one reason that they are thankful this year.  It can be a riot with the little guys, but the older ones seem to take it seriously.  And as much as I hated being put on the spot with this tradition when I was younger, it is the one thing I remember and carried into my married life besides the pre-dawn turkey baking wake up call.

So tomorrow, when the feasting is beginning, take a moment and recall all that you are thankful for.  Imagine that tomorrow you might wake up with only the things you thanked God for today. 

Menu:

Roasted turkey: I slather mine in butter by placing it under the skin and inside the cavities.  I usually throw an onion and garlic in there, too.  I'm not really one for stuffing, and only one of my kids likes it, so we are Stove Top Mix people.

Mashed potatoes and gravy: I hate making gravy so I will take the drippings from the turkey and use a gravy mix.  Look ma, no lumps!  I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes, but I think all I have are russets.

Yam Casserole with Marshmallows: I just found this recipe and thought it looked so yummy!  We are going to try it, since everyone in my family just decided that they actually like yams.

Green Bean Casserole: the good old fried onion topped kind.  Yums.

For dessert we will feature homemade cherry cheesecake and double layer pumpkin pie.  I'm looking forward to that last one!