WILLARD started going out to everyone’s email boxes today; it takes two days for the whole list to go, and even though you might have just read yourself practically silly, you know there could be a surprise for you here, and of course, there is! ♥ But perhaps we need a little mood music? Here’s a song to dance you down the page; great soundtrack from the movie French Kiss . . .
This is a photo of my heart-shaped Lemon Pepper Tea Biscuits, just out of the oven, still warm, ready for someone to slather them with butter and Cranberry-Orange Marmalade. They are one of the recipes featured in a new cookbook I’m very excited about — it’s from Where Women Cook Magazine, and it’s called CELEBRATE!
I am one of the twenty-eight women featured in this book; honored to be included with such luminaries of the food world as Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman), Angie Dudley (Bakerella) and Molly Wizenberg (Orangette). One of the special things about this book, besides the obvious, is that each woman is pictured doing her thing in her own kitchen; there are tons of wonderful photographs, sixty recipes, and lots of tips for celebrating life, with cooking as the magical ingredient. My chapter is called “Kitchen Table Tea.” The kind of everyday celebration we have in the kitchen with our girlfriends. ♥ Each contributor chose a different theme to focus on.
(Do I like tea, really, or is it just the dishes? That’s the question!) Anyway, I have the first copy (still warm off the press) of CELEBRATIONS that was sent to me here on the island. I’m going to sign it and send it to one of YOU as a Thanksgiving present! Just leave a comment at the bottom of this post, and on Friday we’ll let the RNG (Random Number Generator) pull a name out of our hat and see in what corner of the world this book ends up. But for all of you, my girlfriends, scroll to the bottom of this post, and I’ll give you the recipe for the Lemon Pepper Tea Biscuits. ♫ Do I love you, Oh yes I love you . . . ♪
For me, the Thanksgiving countdown has begun . . . I started making my shopping list this morning . . .
Taking center stage is my grandma’s stuffing, which requires real bread that has to be air-dried for three days. Two days won’t do it. Don’t even think about putting it in the oven to dry. Those are the rules. So, I need to be ready. My ironing board does double duty as drying rack for the bread, spread out on cookie sheets in the pantry.
Plus, right now is gravy-making time; I need it for dinner, but I also need it for leftovers, so I start early and make extra. I learned to make gravy when I was very young, but still tweak it a little bit every year; a little of this a little of that; vermouth? Red wine? Plain this year? Joe always has his family’s 2¢ to add to the pot; sometimes requiring a restraining hand on his pouring arm. Shall we have sage? A teeny bit of cloves perhaps? Perfect gravy is the mark of distinction in our family — no one can describe exactly what makes it perfect, but we sure know it when we taste it!
I’m already done making the butters:
One for each biscuit plate (the baking powder kind). Yum.
I use leaves for place cards at Thanksgiving (as long as there isn’t snow on them!). I made these from rhododendron leaves, which are the perfect size, especially if you have a “Marjorie” coming to dinner, because her whole name fits on one! Plus they’re smooth and flat and don’t break too easily. I pick the leaves the day before and keep them in the fridge so they stay fresh, then write the names on as big as possible with a correction pen (after first practicing on a paper towel!).
OK, so would you like to go to the grocery store with us? This was yesterday!
We’re almost there, I kept thinking the leaf would jump off, but apparently it really wanted to get to the supermarket parking lot, and wasn’t going to give up until we were there!
OK, that’s enough of that. It’s been a red letter week for me, a feature in a new book, and another really nice article in the winter issue of Cape Cod Home Magazine. ♥ You guys must be spreading the word, something crazy is going on; so much to be grateful for. Plus, we have best friends coming from England next week! And to top it off, I already figured out what I’m giving you for Christmas! And I’m excited because I think you’ll like it!
So I am off to the City (that’s Domesticity City of course); I’m taking the day off to play with my house, nurk around in the guest room, organize the pantry, play ball with the new Kitty, hug Girl, kiss Joe, watch old movies, nap, and so on. But before I go, I want to give you that recipe and remind you to leave a comment to enter the drawing for the book — tell us the strangest, most quirky, or favorite thing you ever had at Thanksgiving — for me it’s always the same, Rainbow Jell-O, not very strange, but definitely quirky, and also a favorite. How about you?
LEMON PEPPER TEA BISCUITS
If you want your biscuits to be heart–shaped you will need a miniature muffin pan with hearts! I have this cast-iron one and I love it. This easy quick recipe makes one dozen delectable biscuits.
- 1-3oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 c. butter, softened
- grated zest of one lemon
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 1 c. self-rising flour, sifted
- 1/3 c. either chopped dried cranberries or currants
- coarsely ground black pepper
- sanding sugar (opt.)
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a deep, medium-sized bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and zest with mixer on med speed until smooth. Scrape down bowl. Stir in sour cream. 
Gradually beat in flour until well blended. Stir in cranberries or currants. Put a heaping tsp. of dough into each cup of an ungreased miniature muffin pan, filling the space completely and leveling the surface of the dough. Grind pepper over the top. Sprinkle with sanding sugar (if desired). Bake for 15 min. or until light brown. Pop out muffins into a basket lined with a tea towel; cover to keep warm. ♥
Guess what? A foghorn is blowing, I can hear it sounding out up from the water. Later gators. ♥ have a wonderful day! xoxo
(ooooops! Meant to post this here and not in “What’s In Your Kitchen”! Sorry!)
Wow, this is my first time commenting on one of your posts, so I’m actually feeling a little shy knowing that Susan and others will be reading it. But anyhow, I just wanted to share the “oddest” or “quirkiest” thing I’ve had at Thanksgiving dinner and that is: sauerkraut.
Yep, out of a jar (no caraway seeds thankyouverymuch), heated up sauerkraut on its own in a dish. It is my husband’s tradition though it turns out to be because of me. (I would have never thought to have sauerkraut on Thanksgiving, though I am nearly 1/2 German.)
You see, my husband and I dated in college for almost three years. We talked about marriage back then but he realized that he just wasn’t ready (and he was right 🙂 ) so we broke it off–a very sad time. Naturally, our time together had left its marks on both of us. For example, he realized that he loved sauerkraut, though we had argued more than once about sauerkraut’s merits back then. Turns out, he has eaten few Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners without sauerkraut since our last holiday season together in college–he insists upon its presence at the table.
This came as a shock to me when we got back together as I well remembered his sour face whenever that “sauerkraut” word was brought up. He confessed it was stupid pride that kept him from admitting that by the time we’d broken up, he realized it wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, it was quite tasty. In fact, he *had* to have it every Thanksgiving and Christmas. He said it was his way of remembering the good taste of an old friend. Yes, it’s odd. But now we have our own silly little tradition and I am looking forward to our first married Thanksgiving and Christmas (with sauerkraut on the table), nearly 20 years after we parted ways years ago.
Happy Holidays!
Jennifer
Amazing! Wonderful story! Happy Thanksgiving Jennifer!
Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! I told hubby about your “pig candy” recipe from Christmas “Heart of the Home” cookbook and that just may be our next tradition.
🙂 Now it will always be pig candy!!
What a wonderful story Jennifer, thanks for sharing! I’m so happy you found each other again. Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy that kraut together as man and wife 🙂
xoxo
We shall! Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!
Best Thanksgiving meal of all times??
It was just me and my son; everyone was GONE and we were home alone. No sister; no parents; no one — just us…
So we loaded up and drove to the local movie theatre for a full day of horror movies! Our Thanksgiving meal consisted of Sugar Babies, Popcorn (lots with butter), and a huge Cherry Cola! We still laugh about it over ten years later! Yummers!
Great memory!
Thank you Susan. My 9 year old daughter and I love and enjoy your blog and books. It is definitely an experience. We check everyday for new and fun updates. We love it all, the journeys, the food, the songs and your beautiful home. You’ve inspired us to decorate our spare room and make it our own Peter Rabbit room.
I’ve always felt that it isn’t the work or the things that you have that make life rewarding it’s the experience and memories that you create and share. Thank you for creating some of the sweetest experiences that my daughter and I enjoy creating with you books and blog.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love Arlinda
Very sweet!
Green bean casserole. Need I say more?
The Celebrate Cookbook looks like a winner! I love how you are so generous and send out so many gifts to your readers.
Least I can do.
The quirkiest thing I ever had for Thanksgiving: The year that I became the official “Cooker of Thanksgiving dinner” was such an honer because I come from a family of great cooks! I was so happy to be in charge that I wanted to resort my independence and “Do my own thing” but I didn’t want to waver too much because you can’t mess with perfection! About that time (20 years or so ago) New varieties of colored veggies were coming out and I decided we would make Purple Mashed Potatoes from purple potatoes! My Gramma seemed displeased! Peeled and cooked the potatoes and to my surprise they turned out GREY! I had made such a big deal about my Purple Mashed Potatoes that I resorted to using purple food coloring! They never looked the way I envisioned! Oh well they tasted good!
Yes, they definitely do taste good!
Strangest thing I’ve ever had on Thanksgiving is a pb&j sandwich. We missed dinner with our family because my husband was sick with the flu. We had our own mini-Thanksgiving the next week.
Thanks for your blog Susan, it’s my favorite one to visit (I go to it every day).
Thank you Gail!
Love, love your blog. There can never be enough gravy. It seems no matter how much I make there is never enough. We like it on everything. Fill your plate with food and cover with gravy. Oh, you must have lots of rolls to dip in the gravy. This is the one day of the year I throw caution to the wind and eat to my heart is content.
My most strange Thanksgiving was several years ago. My husband has to work every Thanksgiving so it’s usually just myself and my children and grandchildren. However, this year it was just my daughter and her son. We decided to go to a movie and eat in town. Well the movie did not start until much later than we expected so decided to eat. The only thing open was Sonic drive-in. We had hamburgers and fries and went home and watched TV. It was a very quite and relaxing day. I did miss having all my family with me.
It can be strange, but that’s part of it I think, happens to all of us, and somehow it helps to make the other times even more wonderful!
Love this time of year.Now that the grandaughters have their own apartments and homes, I turned them onto Susan Branch and they are hooked.I wait everyday for the Blog,and your name in my e-mail box.Can’t wait for the new book.Hope your Holiday is as wonderful as mine will be.
Thank you Florence!!
Susan you make my day, I ordered the heart biscuit pan and will soon be making my 4 daughter in laws tea biscuits, love-love having daughter in laws as have raised 6 boys, 7 if you count their father, I never had the girls to share kitchen with!! They all got their KitchenAid mixer from me for a shower gift and just love sharing recipes and house decor ideas; and I have you to thank for alot of what we share. Tks, Peggy
You really do have to count the father! Thank you Peggy!
Hi Susan! I don’t have a quirky turkey day memory however I do have one to share that invloves my ex-mother-in-law! First, I loved her to pieces, I say loved because she died from breast cancer several years ago and I have not been married to her son for over 20 years. Let’s begin, she was not a good cook but she gave it her best. Her Thanksgiving tradition (not by choice) was to burn the homemade rolls. Never failed, Nanny (her mom) would make the most amazing Parker House rolls from scratch and year after year they were placed in the oven and forgotten … and burned. At the time she lived in the high California desert and it commonly snows there on Thanksgiving, yep the doors and windows would fly open to let the smoky, smelly air out and the freezing cold in! Yikes, it was a crazy time. Along with burnt rolls we had thin, runny, bland gravey, horrible loose cornbread dressing and water based mashed potatoes! Yes, I said water. She would pull the boiled potatoes from the pot, add some of the same water back into the potatoes and mash them with salt, pepper and some butter. They ran together with the cornbread dressing. It was aweful, just aweful. But you know what? I would give anything for another aweful Thanksgiving meal if I could spend it with her just one more time. She could have used one of your wonderful cookbooks … perhaps I’ll take one to heaven with me when I go. Blessings
🙂 Great story and full of love!
Oh gosh, my strangest Thanksgiving was waaaay back when I was still a newlywed. My hubby had been away working in Aruba for three months, and I wasn’t expecting him home for Thanksgiving. I resigned myself to a fun Thanksgiving with just my family, but he surprised me by coming home on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving! He’s a sweetie, but he doesn’t really like Turkey (imagine that!) and didn’t want a ham or any traditional holiday meal…he wanted Spaghetti and meat sauce! He just l.o.v.e.s Italian food and missed it so much while he was away, that he was going through spaghetti withdrawal!! So that was the year we had spaghetti for Thanksgiving. And I was so happy to have him there – kissy kissy tee hee.
You make my day with your blog and Willard. It transports me on a mini vacation, away from West Texas, back to fall and crisp days. And I LOVE your new kitty! Black & White cats are so intelligent. Keep writing, do not know what we would do without you.
The cookbook looks so fun and exciting! Congratulations!
I grew up having traditional Thanksgiving dinners and since I’ve been cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my own family for 17 years, I pretty much stick to the tried and true traditions; however, my hunny’s parents have chicken n’ dumplings as their Thanksgiving meal (no turkey) which is usually the day before or after Thanksgiving Day – and we usually get to enjoy that meal with them!
Love- Love- LOVE seeing your photos. They are always so cozy and just feel like home.
I love reading your blog! I never know what to expect! You come up with the most fun and interesting ideas! It’s like reading illustrated letters from a dear old friend! (A lot like your Willards, but more inter-active) I got a kick out of how you lay out slices of bread on your ironing board! the leaf hitching a ride on your windshield to the grocery store was cute. Thanks for sharing your recipes! They always look so yummy. I love your tea things, too! I enjoy tea and love the sound of tea cups tinkling on saucers. It’s seems reminiscent of a more elegant, slower-paced life. Anway, I guess I’m rambling a bit here. Our Thanksgivings have grown over the ear as our extended family has grow. Our niece usually hosts it and her youngest son’s girlfriend Philippino mother brings the most unusual Philippino appetizers and veggies to share. I can’t even begin to pronounce them let alone spell them, but they are always delicious!
Ooops! I really should have proof-read my comment before posting it! Please pardon all the miss-spelled words!
Fast fingers!
Fun to have something completely different! We have a lot in common Laura!
Ha! After reading all the funny and charming posts above, I forgot what I was supposed to post about! Ahh well, best wishes for a blessed Thanksgiving!
They are wonderful aren’t they! I’m just sitting here laughing!
Good Morning Susan,
Every time I see a picture of those pink dishes I am reminded of my mother. One of my childhood memories is of my parents drinking their coffee in the morning and reading the newspaper. I soon figured out that coffee drinking and newspaper reading were activities that defined adulthood. My parents had cup and saucers that did not match, I really do not remember what my father’s looked like, but my dear sweet mom’s cup and saucer were the pink ones you so often feature on your blog and when I see them I am transported back in time.
Keep doing what you so graciously and thoughtfully do,
Sharleen
Thanks for that nice memory!
I received your first cookbook from a friend of mine from San Francisco many years ago – I absolutely love your work, blog, ideas, etc. and am a huge fan. My quirkiest Thanksgiving memory is from last year. Our oldest son was newly vegan and besides fixing the traditional meal for my husband and youngest son, tried to fix some vegan dishes as well for him. I make homemade noodles (recipe from mother-in -law) with beef broth and a special batch without eggs and milk cooked in veggie broth for our son. I also made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (vegan) from a recipe on line which were great – much better than the noodles! Now, our son has moved to San Francisco to live and won’t be with us this year for the holidays. Makes me sad, but glad for the memories. Seems like it’s all come full circle! I think I have all of your books, so would love to add this new one to my collection!
I was so excited to see you have a new post…makes me giddy 🙂 What a wonderful book you are giving away! I LOVE the Where Women Cook Magazine…somehow I missed the one for September/October/November 🙁
Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time to celebrate all you are thankful for…so glad it hasn’t become commercialized like all of the other Holidays…and your placecard holders are so sweet ♥ Makes me wish we were having Thanksgiving at our H♥ME.
Thanks for sharing the recipe for the biscuits…I swear I can taste them…YUM!
xoxo
Kim
Thanks Kim!
Hi Susan! I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that cookbook!!! Love Ree, and you …my two favorite bloggers!… our “strangest” Thanksgiving food may be pickled okra or a few years ago my husband requested Succatash, since of course the pilgrams and indians ate it.. LOL.. when I started looking for recipes, there were so many that I just went simple…lima beans and corn with some butter and a splash of half & half.. LOVE!.. My mom and I have met to divide up the cooking and we are luckily having Thanksgiving at our home this year as my husband is on-call from work and can’t leave the premises (boo!) and my youngest son will be home as he is a band director in Fort Worth, TX (YEAH!!!).. so the best things will be here… family and food to share! Thanks for all you do!! Have a wonderful holiday!
Joe makes that lima bean, corn, butter and half and half, and you are right! Yum!
Being a G.R.I.T.S. (girl raised in the South), I do cornbread dressing, but I let it dry out, too (but not for three days – ha!). Leftovers is one of the best parts of Thanksgiving, after family, of course.
I also second the dear one above who loves tea, dishes, teapots, and friends! Would love, love, love the book!
Oh my! So much to be thankful for just in this little bit of Susan BranchLand! Thank you for the pictures and videos and Willards and dishes and recipes and wonderful quotes and cookbooks and lots of ideas from so many people all around our wonderful planet. But most of all thank you for sharing so much of yourself with all of us. I always feel like I am on one of your evening strolls, peeping in your windows and being warmed by the love eminating into the world. You make it such a better place. Thank you.
As to our quirky dish, it is a super simple item, but it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it…dates stuffed with peanut butter and rolled in sugar…YUM!! When I was little, this was my first responsibility in helping prepare the feast. And 50+ years later I’m still doing it. Can’t wait for the next peep inside your windows. And I hope that random number generator is kind to me. 🙂 Have a blessed day.
The dates sound amazing!
The recipe sounds DELIGHTFUL! I may make them this weekend. I have a great quirky one for you. These MUST be present for Thanksgiving; if it isn’t the whole family would cry! Pretty simple: Dates filled with peanut butter. Not really a recipe, but…..take a pitted date, slice down 1 side with a sharp knife. take a nice dollop of creamy peanut butter (with another knife….dates are sticky!) and kind of scrunch it a bit, but just a little. Then, roll in granulated sugar. Repeat. I usually end up making about 2 containters of dates, because we are a bit ‘piggish’ about them. Hope you try them, and then love them! Jody
a big “piggish” — you said that very daintily :-).
I try not to spoil my appetite for dinner by eating too many! 🙂
I Love the tea set.
I loved listening to La Mer as I read your as-usual-delightful blog!!
I think I like the dishes/cups for tea more than I like the tea! I have always loved the idea of tea and I really do try to like it!!
Congratulations on being in the CELEBRATE book, and your cute-as-a bug self on the cover, no less!! They were smart to do that!!
xxooxx
Now I’m really not so sure about THAT!! 🙂 Thank you Mary!
We do Thanksgiving with traditional English foods passed down through the family: roasted potatoes & yams, steamed brussel sprouts, creamed corn, and of course the turkey and stuffing all drizzled with gravy. I’m salivating just thinking about it! Dessert is always pumpkin pie with real whipped cream and sips of Tia Maria. But my all time favorite part, the part that truly means Thanksgiving to my tastebuds, is the box of after dinner mints my Grandma brings along with her every year – the perfect blend of mint and chocolate, with a glass of milk makes me smile every time 🙂
Mmmmm, all sounds delicious!
I don’t know if this falls in the strange category or masochistic, but I remember that for many years my mother’s Thanksgiving dinner began with Italian antipasto, lasagna, meatballs and Italian sausages and her own homemade sauce. Then out came the Thanksgiving turkey with ALL the trimmings and desserts. Of course when it was time for the turkey no one was hungry. Duh. My mom cooked every bit of all this food (and it was delicious) by herself and you’d think she was cooking for an army when it was just the five of us and my grandparents. Since my sisters and I were little we didn’t offer very much in the way of help. Every year she did this enormous amount of cooking and every year no one wanted to eat turkey and every year she got mad (that’s the masochistic part). Anyways she finally smartened up and announced one year that she was done! From now on Thanksgiving would be Turkey and Christmas would be Italian. I think our whole family was relieved.
I would so love a copy of this cookbook. You and Ree are my favorite cooks! I love both your recipes!!
Thanks!
Thanks Jonnie . . . When I see your name I think about Robin Hood. 🙂
Well, this isn’t very strange but we love Pumpkin Cheese Cake. Yummmy! I really enjoy your blog and your books. You always seem to have so much fun! Good for you!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Jo
I would love to receive the new cookbook! I just joined a girls dinner club and realized that I’ve been outdone! I need some fab, yummy, gourmet recipes to impress! Hope I win!
What a fabulous looking cook book!!!! Adore your lemon pepper tea biscuits!!! 🙂
What a nice thing for you to do. You are always giving. Hope you and yours have a wonderfull Thanksgiving and don’t eat too much turkey. Leave room for dessert.
I always love the desserts the next morning for breakfast! 🙂
Thank you for another wonderful opportunity to win a prize. This is fun, and I am always so delighted for the lucky person who wins, whomever she/he may be. You are very generous. I will definitely be buying the new cookbook, Celebrate. Your blogs, Willards, and website are all so much fun. I forward them to many people, and then they sign up, too. Thank you also for the music to listen to as we read. That makes it all the more delightful!
Glad you are enjoying it! I love it too.
The strangest thing my husband INSISTS on having every year for Thanksgiving is seafood stuffing with shrimp, crawfish and octopus. He grew up in New Orleans and says Thanksgiving is not Thanksgiving without it so I oblige!:)
That’s how it is, everyone needs a little bit of their childhood to make Thanksgiving complete!
How fun would this cookbook be?! So enjoy your posts, takes me to a different place… including the music you so often include. Thank you 🙂
My grandmother’s cranberry relish…a mixture of cranberries, oranges, black cherry and orange jello and pecans. I loved this so much when I was young, and she wouldn’t give anyone the recipe. She would make me a jar of the “makings”, and I would eat it without adding the jello! She always made it in a angelfood cake pan, and it was always difficult to get out. (How hot should the water be?…) Long after she had passed, I realized that we didn’t really care about the presentation, so put it in a bowl! Everybody laughed, because no one else had thought of it either. Just one of the family traditions….
Thank you for your wonderful posts, your gorgeous drawings…I’ve been a fan for years. When I read your post on Gladys Taber, I knew we were kindred souls. I found Gladys’ books at the library in my mid twenties and was hooked. I now have my favorite books of hers in my personal library. Thank you again for the beauty you bring to my (and everyones) daily life.
Dear Susan…Happy, Happy Thanksgiving to you all…the weather there, from the looks of your little videos(thank you for those!), looks beautiful! Do you usually get much snow? Well, I don’t think I really have a “quirky” thing on our menu, but how we love and look forward to all the traditional foods that are so special! This year however, our sister and brother-in-law from over by Seattle will be joining us and they are bringing a precooked smoked turkey. It sounds interesting, but I also plan to do the normal nicely sagey seasoned roast turkey as well! There will be a bunch of us so the extra meat will be nice. We all will share in the cooking and that is fun too. I like the looks of the Cape Cod magazine, thanks for sharing about it. Congratulations on all your new articles and stories! I look forward to seeing them!! Susan , this year I am thankful for all your inspiration and sharing, a true light in our often dark and serious world. You are truly the “cheerer-upper” of all of us girlfriends, when we need it . God Bless you and yours! Love, Donna
We need each other!
Susan,
I get so excited when I see there has been a new post! I always sit back and take my time reading it. Don’t want it to end too soon. Now the strangest thing I have ever had for Thanksgiving has to be the year my sister-in-law brought cactus. Seeing as I am from North Carolina cactus is not something you find around here on a regular basis and not something we are use to. I am not even sure where she found it but that is what she brought and if you could have seen the looks on my kids face you would have died laughing. Of course we all tried it being the polite people we are and were surprised that it was not bad but really didn’t have a lot of flavor to it. To this day we still talk about it. And please don’t get me wrong I love my sister-in-law she just wanted to try something new that year and now we can all say we have had cactus!
Can’t wait until my Willard arrives!!!
Cindy
Well, a couple of years ago, my DH decided that we weren’t going to have a traditional Thanksgiving. He had decided that we were going to do a surf and turf thing and we argued, but since it was only going to be the 2 of us for that year, I relented and we had steak and crab cakes and deep fried shrimp. Bottom line ….. felt like I had completely missed Thanksgiving! And I will NEVER not have turkey and dressing on Thanksgiving ever again.
All you have to do is miss it once! 🙂
The best thing I ever had at Thanksgiving was my grandmother’s stuffing. She is gone now, but every time I cut into a fresh bunch of celery, the aroma takes me back to very early mornings in her kitchen preparing chopped celery and onion for her stuffing. Great memories.
I just love reading this blog and the comments from the home-loving gals out there! Since your Christmas book came out I have made your stuffing and gravy. Had a few raised eyebrows when I squeezed the bread in hot water the first time but everyone’s a believer now.
Our most different TG was the year my husband and I went to NYC for the Macy’s parade. (We don’t have children.) We also saw the Nutcracker and Radio City Music Hall Show. Drank hot chocolate at The Plaza, etc. Our Thanksgiving dinner was the traditional fare at the restaurant in Rockefeller Center. The restaurant looks out on the skating rink and we are in many pictures of little skaters with Santa toasting the day with our wine. It was great fun but we still like being with family best!!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!
Aren’t we a riot! I am just sitting here laughing! Not over “pregnant with twins and presented with raccoon for dinner!!!” 🙂
LOVE NY at the holidays!
The most memorable thing I have faced on a Thanksgiving table was raccoon. My husband’s family are hunters and eat what they hunt. They’re lovely, lovely people, but I am just not a game person. Fortunately (for me)I was pregnant with twins and could (rudely) ask that it be removed from my sight. No, I didn’t ask, I pretty much demanded. There was turkey, too, and all the trimmings. The raccoon was an additional meat that everyone else was enthusiastic about.
I’m not a raccoon person, I know this about me now! LOL!!
I really was rude, but I suppose I knew that only one of us could stay at the table –I didn’t have morning sickness with that pregnancy, it was morning, noon, and night and lasted the whole 9 months–and I thought it should be me. (Everyone assured me it tasted “just like beef.” Ha. As if I would fall for that.)
Really!! 🙂
This is so hilarious…I died laughing!!!! Hahahahahahaha
Living in Canada, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada. The U.S. Thanksgiving begins the Christmas season at our house. I usually take the Friday after US Thanksgiving off and make Turkey Chowder. It smells so good as it cooks away and I clean the house and decorate for Christmas. We are truly blessed. Happy Thanksgiving, Susan, Joe, Girl Kitty and Jack as well as all the girlfriends.
I should have said, we celebrated Thanksgiving in October.
I never considered it strange, but maybe some people do. I love sauerkraut at Thanksgiving, it just sets everything off. As long as I have mashed potatoes to mix the sauerkraut with!
Strangest thing ever at Thanksgiving dinner: grape salad (grapes, mayo and marshmallows)
Quirkiest thing ever: Our family Thanksgiving night dinner : toasted white bread, slices of turkey from the bird, cream cheese on both sides of toast, and sliced ( yes, sliced) olives. Sprinkle with salt and pepper….mmmmmm
Favorite Thanksgiving Food: my grandmother’s cornbread dressing and chocolate cream pie
We’ve always gone to my folks house for Thanksgiving, but since my last parent passed away this Spring, we’ll be doing something a little different. My mom was German, so we’ll be going to a local German restaurant and my husband and daughter will probably have schnitzel, and as a vegetarian, I’ll pig out on all the sides! Dessert may well be strudel or plum kuchen! My mother would most certainly approve!
Lemon-Pepper ANYthing is one of my very favorite tastebud pleasers — and the book looks like such great fun and of course your chapter will be the best one. But that pantry is what caught MY eyes — well, the pantry and all the pink and white dishes and — well, everything else. I very nearly have the Thursday menu nailed down — hubby asked for ham this year so ham it is and the next item added was Susan B’s (that’s YOU, you know) Corn Pudding which has become our favorite thing — I sometimes make it just to have it on hand for light lunch all on its own or for yummy warm breakfast feasting and always with maple syrup, of course.
Well — Thanksgiving quirkyness? Second grade — tonsils just out and home for Thanksgiving — Daddy had gone hunting for the meat that year and he was feeling pretty sad that I wasn’t up to eating much — so he came and sat next to me and coaxed me to just taste one of his offerings — the choice was groundhog or pheasant. while I HAVE had groundhog — that time I opted for a very tiny bit of the pheasant which I loved, of course. Growing up with a hunter — rabbit and squirrel were frequent offerings on our table, also — I MISS those a lot sometimes.
My dad was a deer hunter, so we had a bit of that ourselves; deer jerky was something he loved to make.
I LOVE YOUR BLOG! Just had to get that off my chest first. You make your gravy in advance?? What a clever idea! hmmmmm – might have to try that. I’m responsible for the turkey this year – any thoughts on brining? Oh I wish I had a quirky Thanksgiving dish story to share, but I don’t (sigh). I tend to be the Thanksgiving pie lady usually (I love all pies). For instance, one year I made a nice simple apple pie, plus a bourbon walnut (instead of pecan – yummy) and a double chocolate cheesecake. I mean, I know that’s not very Thanksgiving-like, but chocolate is always a good choice, right?? That’s about as crazy as we get at my house. And now, after reading many of the comments on your blog, I wanna try my hand at sculpting a butter turkey! Too fun. Love you, love the look of that cookbook, LOVE teapots! 😉 (still looking for my very own banana dish…)
Me too, that butter duck got to me!
I love all that you do. Would buy more but no credit cards in my wallet so I wait to find your things in the gift stores. I like so many of your ideas. The leaves with names written in white are spectacular. I will use some of your ideas this Thanksgiving. Keep tacking on the music selections. They are right up my alley. Please consider me for the giveaway. I should love to have that book. I have the word Celebration all over my house and I do try to celebrate each day.
Susan I do resonate in what you said: Do I love tea or is it the dishes? I think it is both and the idea that one is supposed to take time to ‘sit a spell’ with one’s friends over tea and conversation…yes, friendly backporch chitchat, n’es-ce pas?
To win Where Women Cook Celebrate would give one that same experience, although, by oneself but then that is not a negative…one needs to sit in one’s favorite chair and know how to be still and know God as He is the one who knows all our needs…and that is why He made Sunday a day of rest…time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life and tea with friends or alone with a treasured magazine or book or just listening to the birds talking to one another …they make one smile!
Truly it would be a simple pleasure to win book and to have it signed … by one of the Women Who Cook, well that is truly a memory to be treasured.
Bless you,
~Sylvia Faye
I just love reading your blog!! and Willard too of course!! Just recieved your book of Days from amazon. I connot wait to start writing in it. Over the course of two weeks we have added 2 new babies to the family (a nephew and a great-nephew) So it will be off to a wonderful start!!!! Have a wonderful day!!
Congratulations!!
My Thanksgiving as a young girl was all of our relatives to meet at Grandma’s house and everyone would make the big Thanksgiving feast together. It was never prepared and then bring it to Grandma’s house, we all pitched in and made everything together as one big family. Everyone would hold hands at the table and we each got to say what we were thankful for and then said a common prayer together. Those memories I will cherish forever. And everyone also pitched in to clean up because I was a piano player since very young and my Uncle Pete couldn’t wait until everything was cleaned up so that we could go downstairs and I would play piano while he sang.
Thank you, Susan, for your warming blogs. I look forward to reading them and it just gives me a warm, cozy feeling. ♥
The strange thing that I have ever cooked for Thanksgiving is the packet of giblets which I forgot to take out of the turkey before I stuffed it. My daughter roasted her first turkey last year and followed my recipe to a “T”… she called me in a panic, but I was able to reassure her that her turkey was safe to eat and her company would never know. And I confessed that I had done the same thing many years before. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I did it too! How come they don’t teach us that in school?
Happy Thanksgiving! My favorite thing for Thanksgiving is Sweet Potato Balls. You just need canned sweet potatoes, mashed, large mashmallows and corn flakes. Using the mashed sweet potatoes form a ball around each marshmallow and roll in corn flakes. Heat in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through.
I can’t wait to make and eat these.
Hope Jack and Girl Kitty are doing purrrrrfect!
Love “Le Mer” – perfect song to read your blog to…
Let’s see…
Strange: hard tack. Not strange to those whose tradition it was, but to those of us who were not used to hard-as-rack biscuits!
Quirky: CAN-berry sauce, sliced perfectly using the can rings as a guide – wouldn’t be Thanksgiving for my brother if it wasn’t on the table.
Favorite: Butternut squash soup…Mmmm… I could do without everything else EXCEPT this!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family!
Kristina
I love the idea of the Celebrate Cookbook. How exciting for you to be included. Thanks for such a wonderful blog. I always look forward to it!!! I so enjoyed the past snail mail “Willards”.
My Mother would just love a signed copy of Where Women Cook – Celebrate! I bought her the first magazine that came out – was it last year? Anyway, she has been a big fan of yours for many, many years, and now I am a huge fan, as well. I work at a little shop in Texas called Bradbury Lane, where we carry your books. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you Laurie, Hi to your mom!
OMG … I am a tea person through and through and can’t wait to read your chapter in this book! I wrote to you years ago about the fact that you need to write a tea book, and you replied with a letter that I still cherish. This year I will host our 20th Annual Tea Party that I started when my daughter was 3. We have it on the lawn of our Victorian home in historic Prescott AZ, where we will be for Thanksgiving. It doesn’t get any better than that! Congrats on your book and Happy Thanksgiving …
It wouldn’t take but about an hour and a half for me to join you there 🙂 Love Prescott. Sooo, I am invited, right? 🙂
Nothing too weird to report here….but, allow me to tell you about the time when I messed up the pie crust. I was very young and not skilled in the culinary arts like I am now at 62. I frantically searched my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and discovered a pie recipe with a graham cracker crust and a light mousse-like pumpkin filling. It was perfect, and I still make it occasionally even though I have mastered pie crusts. Happy Turkey Day, Susan!
Dear Susan – I’m so thankful you share your life with us. What a joy to read your blog every day. You brighten my life!!!!
Thanksgiving always reminds me of my grandmother, Muzz, and her recipe for what we called “the Christmas pudding”. It bakes all day in a slow oven with broken common crackers, skim milk, molasses, and lots of fun seasonings. We had it with hard sauce (homemade whipped cream made with confectioner’s sugar rather than plain sugar). I loved it. I still love it. It reminds me of a bread pudding only a whole lot better. It is hard to find common crackers anymore and no one in my family cares for it.
I still make it when I can and am reminded of what it was like to be a little girl in my family….. You are such a blessing. Thanks for all you do. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.
Lucky me to receive Willard and a blog post from you, both in the same day!! Gosh, I loved reading both. You are just wonderful!!
Hmm…strangest thing we ever had at Thanksgiving? Last year I made some sweet & sour green beans, which, with any other dinner, are fabulous, but with the TG meal? Not so much, lol!
Your gravy talk reminds me of the one year I forgot to make gravy. I KNOW, right? We had gotten a smoked turkey (already cooked) and so I did not bake one in the oven like usual, and did not have the “drippings” to make any gravy. Well, we all sit down to eat and someone says “please pass the gravy”, I calmly say “there’s no gravy” and my whole family, in unison, said “NO GRAVY!!! WHAT??????????????”. When they got over the initial shock of the situation, we all had a good laugh. And we still laugh about “that year that Mom didn’t make the gravy”….but you can be darn sure I haven’t forgotten about it
again 😉
(we still get the smoked turkeys, but I buy turkey stock and make the gravy with that, lol)
Thank you, Susan, first of all for Kevin Kline’s lovely rendition of “La Mer”—French Kiss is one of our all-time favorite movies, and I think it might be time to watch it again! As for Thanksgiving food memories: when I was quite small, our family tradition was to go “over the river and through the woods” to my Great-Aunt Ruth’s house, both sets of grandparents having moved far away to California and Florida, respectively. Aunt Ruth always served Brussels sprouts, which NO one in my immediate family liked and which my mother would never dream of serving to anyone. It became kind of a family joke, when we’d ask what was for dinner: Brussels Sprouts, would be the answer, and we’d all howl in dismay, knowing full well that our mother was only teasing. It wasn’t till years later, when having Thanksgiving dinner at my husband’s parents’ home and where Brussels sprouts were always part of the traditional turkey-stuffing-gravy-two kinds of potatoes-cranberry sauce-homemade bread-two kinds of Jello (one rainbow!)-pumpkin AND pecan pie-meal—–that I learned to actually like, if not love, Brussels sprouts. This will be our third Thanksgiving without my beloved mother-in-law, but I know I will always think of her when eating (the formerly dreaded) Brussels sprouts. Thanks, Mom, for Brussels sprouts and so much more. 🙂
Just lovely!
I loved this story so much!
Happy My Day Off This Week! It started with Willard and now this blog posting ~ can’t get much better – well, unless the mail man delivers a package from you with Where Women Cook Celebrate in it! Talk about a Thanksgiving memory!
My best Thanksgiving memories are the ones are when I was little and still had grandparents to spend the day with, and pulling the wishbone with my brother. Since my Maud cooked, it was up to the rest to clear the table and wash dishes. That meant you also got extra dessert 🙂
Whoever is the lucky person to have their name drawn to receive your gift will certainly have a nice new memory to add this year.
Thanks for sharing your recipes. My husband appreciates it, too!
Sherry B.
Sherry, you just made me think of something…when I was growing up, everyone of us kids (there were 7 of us) hoped we’d get a chance at breaking the wishbone. One year, I was lucky enough to be have a turn. Grandma always washed and dried the bone before we could have the official “pull”. I was sitting on my grandpa’s lap and lamenting how I NEVER got the long side…poor me. Grandpa whispered in my ear “The secret is to just hold on. Let the other person pull.” It worked! I will never forget that and it was at least 45 years ago! Thanks for opening up the “memory vault”, Sherry. I can actually hear Grandpa’s voice in my head and see his smile on my heart.
That book would look darling next to my other cookbooks. Many of course are yours, filled with whimsical charm and much heart. Love love love what your doing! My two year daughter Gianna begs to look at The Autumn Book, your loved by all ages:)
So sweet! Love that!
The first year my daughter had Thanksgiving at her new in-laws, (in laws not being the “home cooked meal” types, ) put the frozen turkey (yes, I don’t mean frozen THAWED turkey- I mean FROZEN) I mean the frozen turkey THAT WAS put in the the oven, didn’t cook in time for dinner, so father in law put it out on the grill. It was quite the adventure for my daughter!! They ended up carving off the edible and appreciating momma more! I loved it!!
Is Celebrations your “tea” book that I have been looking forward to ever since “Autumn” came out?!
I have been using your Autumn and Christmas books to get ready for my FIRST Thanksgiving turkey this year! I am anxious about the cleaving (I plan to brine and butterfly), but my husband has promised to wield the knife.
Thanks for your lovely work! 🙂
No, that’s still coming! 🙂
I’m between a rock and a hard spot — do I leave a note now or go read Willard and return to the note later?! What a beautiful drive to your local grocery store. I’m so thankful it was a leaf stuck to your windshield and not a bug!! Looking forward to the new cookbook!! Its on the top of my wish list! More later — on to Willard! xoxo The count down to Thanksgiving is ON!
it is easier to get into the holiday spirit with your cheerful blog entries! I love the molded butters – what a sweet touch to the bread plate. Thanks for all the wonderful updates! and congratulations on the book – it looks wonderful!
I think the quirkiest item I ever made for Thanksgiving Dinner was as a supposed appetizer. I was in High School and was sure my culinary skills honed from my Home Ec. class would just shine like a beacon..especially when I found this wonderful recipe for a cheese ball shaped like a pinecone studded with almonds!! WOW! Everyone will love that(or so I thought..). I bought the wedges of cheese, nuts etc. and proceeded to grate, scrape my knuckles and mix & form that rascal into a good sized pinecone (as I recall, it ended up looking like a cross between the pinecone that ate Philly and a prickly football) but I had worked like a mad hatter and created it..I didn’t read the part where it said if you made it ahead, to tightly wrap it in plastic wrap..(besides, we were an aluminum foil family..) and even with being in the fridge,it got so hard that the poor little almonds started to pop out of their spots. Come Thanksgiving Day, no one would touch it..(not even me) with the exception of my Mom. She hacked off a piece and spread it on the fancy crackers I had surrounded the “sculpture” with, and pronounced it delicious..even though I’m sure she had to wash it down with more than one glass of Iced Coffee. She praised my endeavors to the moon and I never gave up trying something new after that. I’d be thrilled to try some on the offerings in this new cookbook. And this Thanksgiving, let’s all remember, it’s not what is served on your table..but who you share your meal with that is important. Love and Hugs, Nancy Narma
The strangest thing for me was my first Thanksgiving in Hawaii with my boyfriend’s (now husband) family. They weren’t strange just the turkey was strange. I was homesick for Seattle and my mother’s home cooked meal. Where as this turkey was cooked in an “imu” which is an oven in the ground made of hot coals, special leaves and spices. It was very good just different from the traditional meal I was used to having. I soon learned to enjoy cooking and eating food from a different culture. However we do eat the traditional Thanksgiving meal and after 41 yrs. my husband still loves it. We have had many good times laughing about my first Hawaiian Thanksgiving. Wishing everyone a wonderful time with family and friends this Thanksgiving!
Loved this story!
The Celebrations Cookbook looks wonderful! I will keep my fingers crossed!
And for the strangest thing ever at a Thanksgiving table. Well, that would have to be “Mud-Bug Stew”. Sounds awful dosen’t it?????? One Thanksgiving when some co-workers and friends could not go home for Thanksgiving….( we all worked the day after)….I held the “You’ve got a home for Thanksgiving” dinner. Everyone was asked to bring a traditional or family favorite dish and the story of why it was a favorite.
And you guessed it…….my friend from New Orleans brought “Mud-Bug Stew” ….a dish that was a Thanksgiving side dish and tradition in her family. The name alone was daunting. No one wanted to even guess what the contents were…….but, a few of us brave souls….tried it and it was really good. Turns out Mud-Bugs are crawfish…..which look like small beady eyed lobsters…and they are a favorite amongst the Louisiana natives…….!
Probably not a dish the Pilgrims would have tried…..but an adventure to say the least. And a Thanksgiving dish that will never be forgotten!
So cute that leave on your car window..a bit dangerous too..I would look all the time were the leaf is….
LOVED you name leaves such a great idea!
Here in the Netherlands we don’t do Thanksgiving dinners..at least not that I know off……love the fact that the pictures from the book are taken in the kitchens from each one…LOVE TEA!(only drink tea and water)
Haha! I think Joe was concentrating on the road while Susan took the video, lol! It was so funny to watch those videos, bet that little leaf didn’t know the audience he’d have on the ride to the grocery store 😉
So cheery! Pearls are so appropriate for tea!
Julia Child would think so, too!
What a thrill to see you on the cover of that book, Susan! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
What a wonderful idea for a give-away, too. Thanks for making it possible to own for one lucky commenter. ~~insert crossed fingers~~
One of my funniest/favorite memories of Thanksgiving is putting black olives on every finger & eating them, one by one. We never had black olives except on holidays & I can’t believe my Mom let us “play” with our food like that, but we did & we thought it was such fun.
Also, getting to watch the parades on TV while she puttered around in the kitchen, with those wonderful smells wafting our way. Special times & special memories…thanks for jogging our minds & letting us share them with you.
fondly,
Rettabug
I have to stop replying because we have about 200 comments waiting, but it’s hard! Am loving the comments!
my favorite food on Thanksgiving is the leftover turkey sandwich. It is filled with turkey, filling, cranberry sauce, and mayo.
Watching the Macy’s Parade on TV and football later on with my family is also on the favorite’s list.
Being Thankful that we all have you in our lives to make us happy, and our homes filled with love. Happy Thanksgiving!
How exciting to have a new book out! I am sure your part is the most exciting!
Love all your preparations for Thanksgiving, Hugs, Dannelle
Our strangest Thanksgiving table item was the avocado jello salad my Mom use to make. I haven’t thought about it in years! It sounds strange and looked kind of a anemic, pale ,army green, but it was actually pretty tasty and we are from California after all!
Those biscuits look different and delicious. I make lemon scones for my family that are very biscuit like, they are delicious with raspberry jam! Yum! Happy Thanksgiving, Susan!
As far as strange and quirky food, I cannot think of anything too rare BUT, there is a nice little story from a few years ago, may 10. We were having our usual Thanksgiving with cousins with a crowd of possibly 20. The turkey was well on its way when our god daughter “flipped the switch'” on the self cleaning oven…you know, the handle that you slide from left to right!! We were torn…laugh, cry, operate! The stove was pretty much taken apart so the oven door could be opened when it cooled off from 5,000º +. Eventually we had Thanksgiving dinner. Memorable, though.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving~
Rosemary
LOL!!!
Nothing strange to eat, no one would allow us to change a thing. As long as I can remember Thanksgiving Dinner has been the same menu. The people at the table change, age, are missed, new additions, friends and family. Sometimes the “family” can be strange…:) does that count?
I would love love love to have the cookbook….but if I don’t get it this time, I will when I can buy it for myself.
Susan, Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for your blog and Willard and Joe and of course Kitty and Girl….xo
You too Sue!
Love the book – love the idea of the book! Funniest Thanksgiving was many, many years ago my then sister-in-law, first turkey with new family forgot to take out the stuffing bag! Oops…but out it came and all was tasty.
Would be so incredibly blessed to win this charming & delightful book.
Look at you front and center! I recognized Pioneer Woman right away, too. What a great book this must be. So happy for you!
We have had some lovely Thanksgivings at The Arizona Inn here in Tucson. It is the first place I tasted a pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkin instead of canned. Yum! It is fun to go out but cooking at home is best.
We have had some lovely Thanksgivings at The Arizona Inn here in Tucson. It is the first place I tasted a pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkin instead of canned. Yum! It is fun to go out but cooking at home is best.
The strangest Thanksgiving was when my Mom tried a time-saving trick of cooking the turkey a couple of days ahead of time, carving it and then warming it back up on Thanksgiving Day. It turned into TURKEY JERKY!
Dry & horrible! We all teased her about it for the rest of her life, and she laughed along too! I sure miss her.
One of my childhood memories of my paternal Grandma is her being at our house for the holidays and making one of my dad’s childhood favorites – Pickled Pig’s Feet! Oh how the 4 of us loved to gag and snicker over the jar of disgusting delicacies! I really did not believe that they were from a pig until I was older and my mom said “oh yes, they were” Thank goodness my mom put the cabosh on that family tradition and only allowed it under duress whrn my sweet grandma was in town. My own kids never believed this story – oh for a photo!
Hope you and Joe and Rachel and Paul and all your lovelies from the Island have a wonderful Holiday week!
XO, Sue
I have searched my brain for anything strange or quirky at Thanksgiving and I can’t find anything (how boring!) I also don’t have one favorite thing. What I love is the succulent combination of juicy turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, moist stuffing and tart cranberry sauce. In fact, I don’t know why I don’t have this meal other times during the year!
Thanks for your blog – I am thoroughly enjoying it.
I’m always so excited when I see a new post to Willard or your blog. I make myself a cup of tea and sit down to read and enjoy!
About 20 years ago, my then 7 year old neice decided to make a little something to bring to our Thanksgiving dinner. She called her creation Spam Surprise: a concoction of Spam, mayonnaise, broccoli and oreo cookies! We all made a point to make room on our plates for it, and complimented her on her “cooking” abilities. She is now a lovely young woman who grew up to be a fantastic cook!
A little encouragement goes a long way! 🙂
The strangest thing we have for Thanksgiving is sauerkraut, although I don’t think it’s strange since I’ve had it all my life. People make fun all the time when they hear that we have sauerkraut for Thanksgiving. Actually, the making fun part started when I got married, as my husband’s family had never heard of that before. I’m from Baltimore, Maryland and have German descendants so that must have something to do with the serving of sauerkraut.
We also have what we affectionately call ‘whiskey pie’ which is basically just pumpkin pie with vanilla instead of the traditional spices and a shot of rum and whiskey with ground nutmeg on top. We joke that my great-grandmother put rum and whiskey in the pie and then in herself! 🙂
Also, my grandfather grew up on a farm in Virginia, where they had dressing cakes for Thanksgiving, which we still have every year. It’s basically very dry biscuits (kind of like your stuffing method, Susan, only with biscuits instead of bread), crumbled and then held together with broth and eggs, with baking powder, salt, pepper and celery seed added. Shape into cakes, top with bits of butter and bake. I’ve never seen these before in my travels but we love them and it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without them!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Susan!
This might be stretttttcccching the category slightly, but the strangest thing I ever had for Thanksgiving was turkey. After it had been dumped in the trash. Too long of a story to tell, but suffice it to say, my Joe and I wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole. Luckily, this happened at my mom’s so there was more than enough other foot to eat. P.S. We never told anyone who ate the turkey what transpired before we sat down to eat!
Hi Susan! I always have room for one more cookbook!!! The strangest thing I ever had at Thanksgiving??? When I was 21 I went to Florida with my girlfriends and we discovered Hurricanes (the drink). For Thanksgiving that year I decided to introduce them to my mom. We finished all the baking and cooking (complete with our Hungarian kiflis) and then I made up some Hurricanes. That was all we remember of our Thanksgiving that year! There was a lot of laughing and giggling going on by both my mom and I and my Dad just kept giving us “those glances” during the meal. My mom is going to be 92 in January and we still laugh about our most memorable Thanksgiving! God bless you and your family with a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving! pattyO
LOL! Too funny. Most memorable Thanksgiving, you can’t remember!
Me again – my Willard must be in the seconding mailing – siiiigh. Oh well, back to Thanksgiving! (food always makes me smile!) My cowboy always chuckles that I write out the menu, grocery list,plan the table setting, etc. ITS ALWAYS THE SAME! We may add dishes, but we never leave any out (explains why we fill both refrigerators full of left overs!) Favorite dish of all? Without any hesitation, the dressing! My grandpa, an Englishman, was a cook in WWI and cooked all the meals but his Thanksgiving dinners were the best. While everyone else had cold turkey sandwiches I would make a dressing sandwich! Who counted carbs way back then?! Question for you Susan: Do you make your own cranberry sauce or buy the canned? Thanks and have a wonderful day!
Your blog posts always make me want to put on an apron and cook! My little Thanksgiving quirk is to have the canned cranberry sauce, decanted with a delicious slurp onto the serving plate, and sliced. I love it….I don’t know why!
I still like it too, we always had it that was when I was a kid, can rings and all!
i love your blog susan…..i always make a different vegetable and stuffing for thanksgiving every year…. i like to offer a variety of dishes for my family.
squeeze the kitties for me.. just so cute.
I’m on the sofa, I lit a candle, the kitten just walked past it and LIT HIS TAIL ON FIRE. I’m not kidding, and he never even knew it. It doesn’t smell that good in here right now!!
Oh NO!! Thank heavens you were there to put his tail out!!
I know, I looked up, and the end of his tail had a flame on it! I just reached out and grabbed it, and he acted like nothing happened! Nut!
OHNO!!! Jack, you’re not supposed to be a “Jack-o-Lantern” you know!!
Good save Susan!
Crazy mixed up cat!
Wouldn’t it be funny if you lived in my old house on Willow Place? I just re-visited Lafayette in September while on vacation from this horrid heat in Texas. Hi Christine!
Hello Susan! I am truly in the process of just beginning to create my own Thanksgiving traditions. Thanksgiving Dinner has always been hosted by other relatives, but I am excited to start having my own, so it is great fun. Some things will be borrowed from my childhood and some will be brand new – my very own! Thank you for always sharing such lovely and inspiring posts. You are a treasure!
XO Helena
I’m excited for you Helena!
Would love , love, love, love, love, love, love, etc. , etc. to have a copy – but a copy with your signature – now that would be priceless!!!!! Have a great Thanksgiving!
That looks like a terrific book. How exciting to be a part of it.
My grandmother used to make a blueberry jello dish. For topping she mixed 1/2 cool whip and 1/2 mayonnaise. Once you scooped the topping off the rest was okay. Not something I would make today. Though it does make for a good memory.
I just love the magazine Where Women Cook. Loved your pages. I guess the Thanksgiving I remember most is before I was married I was working as a nurse, and had to work. My family lived about 5 hours away so I went to the store and bought a turkey pot pie. I guess I was happy then but to think of spending Thanksgiving alone now would be sad. Happy Day!
Hi Susan, we are back from a wonderful holiday in California & now trying to settle back into routine. Sadly we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK, but I do have a lot to be thankful for & I truly am. I shall be seeing 3 of my gorgeous grandchildren the weekend after Thanksgiving when I go to visit them in Cambridge, England.
Thank you for the opportunity to win this book. I’d certainly love to have it.
We are just turning our thoughts to Christmas – we used to have a houseful for a number of years – only a few of us now, but all welcome. One year I’d love to have lasagne (it’s my favourite food), but I guess we’ll be sticking with turkey.
Happy Thanksgiving to you & all your readers.
I’m the youngest of seven and, even though I’m 46 years old I’m STILL the baby. I’m the only child out of the seven that doesn’t live within 1/2 mile of my Mom’s house where we all STILL congregate for Thanksgiving. Going home for Thanksgiving is a tradition for us that’s filled with laughter, always a new face or two and love. I love to cook and always like to bring something a little different as my dish to pass. But, at the end of the day the dish is sure to be empty and our hearts (and belly) are full.
My sister is still the baby too, our little girl. With 8 yeqr old twin boys!
Dear Susan!
Congratulation.
I love cookbook.
I am from Polen and i want that too.
Bede bardzo szczesliwa jesli uda mi sie wygrac.
Pozdrawiam serdecznie!
Iza
xoxo Iza!