Oops, I forgot my blog date yesterday. But I beg
to be excused because it was Thanksgiving Day, and the only item on most
agendas was FOOD. Yes, something to eat to celebrate one of our most cherished
holidays in the United States.
The menu is similar for most of us, but I am
curious as to what other ethnic groups might prepare and share with family and
friends. Don’t we live in a kind of bubble? I live in Central Texas, and I can
assure you, most prepared the traditional meal.
But many are Hispanic, a group that blends in
easily with the general population—in many cases, they were and are the general
population and were here first. I know…from a lifetime in Texas…that they do
love tamales.
And to make this traditional Thanksgiving meal, it requires all
hands on deck. In fact, they make a party of it. The process is complicated and
tedious, and I wonder how many follow the tried and true way, or they take the
shortcuts offered by supermarkets..easily prepared masa, corn husks ready to
buy in a plastic bag, etc. At the supermarket Wednesday, we tried a sample…a
whole tamale in the corn husk. Pretty good!
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I will never forget President Gerald Ford touring Texas--for the first time in his life--and being offered a tamale...since he'd never eaten one. Sure, he said, took one and tried to bite into it--without removing the corn husk. This was caught on camera and the photographer titled it "One Tough Tamale." The man never lived that down. |
I’d love to hear about your traditional dinner.
Now…on to Black Friday!
Celia Yeary…
Romance, and a little bit of Texas
Thanksgiving dinner can be exhausting. Yes, it IS fun with the family altogether, laughing, sharing stories...and then there is often the drama from one of the family members, but the sum total is exhaustion.
ReplyDeleteNow this idea you present of something simple and wonderful to eat like tamales, well count me in. I could get on board with a Mexican meal for certain.
I hate I missed President Ford biting into the tamale without taking off the corn husk first. I kinda miss him. Everything seemed peaceful then. People had manners and apologized if they said or did something unkind--but that's just me and my memories of that time.
My niece made a huge Thanksgiving dinner this year--the kind that makes you wish you'd used some discretion in what and how much you ate. But we all had fun and enjoyed the day without any drama and that, for me, made it an enjoyable day.
Thanks for the peep into the past, Celia.
I agree that I wish for a gentler time when men were gentlemen and kinder to others.
DeleteYes, it's fun and good for our souls to get together with family, eat, catch up on news, and relive old stories--if the group doesn't stir up much rancor. I miss my family..my parents are gone, and I don't see my sisters much at all. We do talk on birthdays, if we remember, and I love to hear all about their families.
And so, now, onward to Christmas!
I received my Advent booklet in the mail this week from the Presbyterian Theological College. I'm waiting for the 27th--first day of Advent.
Take care--love and blessings, Celia
We had the usual traditional TG fare, Celia. Turkey, dressing, ham, cranberry salad, green beans, candied sweet potatoes, rolls, lemon and pecan pies, etc. Only this year, Bob bought the turkey and ham at a local Bar-B-Q restaurant. But we did celebrate TG Eve at the best pizza parlor in town. My M-I-L used to make the most delicious tamales. It was a winter ritual. I hope everyone enjoys the remainder of the holiday weekend.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the menu! Sounds like the perfect American thanksgiving dinner. More and more people and groups are ordering their turkey--completely cooked and ready to slice--from local barbecue places. I think these are learning it's a good money maker.
DeleteI probably would love your lemon pie.
This afternoon, I'm making a pecan pie for just the two of us..pecan pie--a "gotta have" tradition in this household, even though it's a day late.
Love you and now, on to Christmas.
Our Thanksgiving is the traditional. I especially love making the stuffing as it was my Father's favorite part of the meal. I can see his smile as he would help me make it.I think that will always be my favorite part of the meal forever.
ReplyDeleteLoved hearing about the tamales. They are quite good!
Stuffing...or dressing...can be made so many different ways. My mother made cornbread stuffing, which was all of our favorite. Funny, how ten women can make a pan of stuffing, and every pan will look and taste different.
DeleteThanks so much for commenting....are you ready to lead us off with our Christmas posts? I will make every effort to promote each blog everywhere I can. If you have a giveaway, I can put that in the announcement.
Take care.
Our traditional Thanksgiving is Turkey, cheese potatoes, mash potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green beans and yams. This year my mother made the yams with an apple topping. I really liked it. Much better than the melted marshmallow that we've always had. And of course, the pies. Pumpkin, boysenberry from Knott's Berry Farm, chocolate cheese cake and this year a New York style cheese cake with a lemon zing to it. My sister and her husband are now vegans and they added some new dishes to our holiday that are sure to be part of the traditions to come. :) Even some Vegan desserts that were pretty tasty. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds good, especially all those pies! Like you, melted marshmallows on top of sweet potatoes does not appeal to me. I've eaten a sweet potato casserole with a crunchy caramel top which is very good. I love the sound of those cheesecakes! Thanks for your menu, and yes, I know you said yams, but I say sweet potatoes...
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