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
Congratulations on being in the cookbook! I have been loving your work (?) for years. I question that word because it doesn’t seem as though it is work for you. You share so much with your readers through your art, your words, a bit of nostalgia, and plain old just sharing your soul. It is truly evident. I wish you many, many more wonderful chapters in your life and thank you for including me and the rest of your followers in them. Have a truly blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas season. ~Elizabeth
Thank you Elizabeth, so nice to hear from you!
Love this post and all your Thanksgiving preparations. I bought new dishes in jewel colors for our Thanksgiving this year – with salad plates painted with leaves and pumpkins as accents. Can’t wait to use them! Probably the most “quirky” part of our Thanksgiving used to be the green jello with pecans and cherries in it that my Mom made. We don’t have it anymore because no one really liked it!
The dishes sound wonderful!
I love the “Where Women Create and Cook” magazines!
Congratulations on the cookbook feature (and cover!)…I have over 300 cookbooks, but yours are my absolute favorites, so I think I need to purchase this one too, hehe…
The strangest Thanksgiving meal was the very first one I ever cooked for my husband (then live-in boyfriend). I was 19. I bought one of those self basting turkeys and diligently followed the instructions to remove the bag (singular) from the cavity (singular) of the turkey. (I emphasize the word “singular” in my defense.) So per the instructions, I did just that, closed the oven door and didn’t look again until several hours had passed. At which point I discovered a perfectly golden brown turkey with a rather large, melty, plastic bubble protruding from it’s back end, filled with all the icky turkey parts.
We called for Chinese take out, and I’ve never lived it down.
My cooking skills having improved considerably since, we now laugh about it. And the episode serves as a reminder that if everything always went as planned, there would never be any great stories to tell later. 🙂
Wishing you and Joe a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!
♥ Carolee
🙂 Thank you Carolee!!! Cute story!
Carolee , I did the same exact thing…..but truth be known this was not my first turkey either. This particular year, I thought I had all of them out, but somehow it was stuck way up in there I just didn’t feel it. Couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t producing any drippings….because they were blocked from coming out. But here the butcher used paper, & after I discovered it, all went according to plan. But the whole family was here to witness it. So every year when I have it, 2 things, I practically use a flash lite to make sure I have everything, & I hear at least once if we’re having it with or without the bag. lol
What a wonderful book!! And just in time for the holidays!!
We are having lunch at home this year, instead of at extended family’s house. Just my husband, our 3 sons (our oldest home from college), and myself. I am excited about a quiet, sweet dinner. Well, as quiet as possible with 3 boys!!
Love the butter ~ too cute!
Blessings,
Robin
Yippee! And drawing ~ what a treat! Our strangest family addition – now, now, don’t choke, you being from MA and all…. but know that I’m originally a Southern girl with no cranberry bogs around AT ALL, but our strangest Thanksgiving addition, but certainly has to be “cranberries in the shape of a can”. I myself, never partook of “cranberries in the shape of a can” but it was a must-have for my sister and brother! No cutting it, or making it presentable for presentation, must retain it’s shape of a can.
Thank you!
Squeezes,
Christy Craig
Christy lol we do the same thing when we serve cranberries on an ordinary dinner night…..fun is watching the cranberries jiggle. Thanksgiving I do make them from scratch.
Cynthia –
I’m glad our family weren’t the only ones with somewhat off descriptions for our foods. And yes, now that I have moved to Massachusetts there is nary a cranberry in the shape of a can to be seen. The in-laws wouldn’t know what to make of it! It’s all from scratch (the best way!)
Cheers!
Hmmmmmm…….. The quirkiest thing we have had at Thanksgiving is our Friend Eric! LOL! Ok, I know you meant food 🙂 This was actually hard to figure out. I would say, as boring as it sounds, appetizers of celery filled with cream cheese and topped with an olive. It is actually quite good. Now for this year we are trying your rainbow jello recipe so I guess we can add that to the list of quirkey 🙂 I am really excited to try it!
Hahaha! Love that!
I buy my gravy at a local market because it is always a sure thing…. but you know what….I think I will give it a go this year ( and of course buy a back up supply) as am inspired by the bread slices on the ironing board and the butter pats…
I was flabbergasted at the amount of bread drying for your dressing…best picture of the blog was the one of the tea service – so inviting…thanks, yes I will come to tea!
Thanksgiving is alwasy so predictable. Not this year…replacing roast turkey with roast pork!
Happy Turkey Day – Gobble, Gobble or is it Oink, Oink
forgive me, but didn’t you mean “roast po-ack”?
🙂 I’m sure she did!!
Happy Thanksgiving !!
I love your blog. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia or in England, which is where I lived for most of my life, though I was born in Burma – no Thanksgiving celebrations there either.
TinaD
Well, I just found the perfect gift for my sister and best friend who both have January birthdays! Thanks for posting, Susan.
(Of course, if I win your signed copy, that will be MY birthday gift on December 28!)
Janet
Wow, this is awesome – I have the exact same heartshaped muffin pan! Those biscuits do sound delicious. The oddest thing we have ever had . . . . hmmmmm. Well, we have had deep-fried turkey – delicious. We have had jalapeno-cranberry relish – delicious. And, most every year, Mom fixes corn and oysters – yech! Other than that, just the usual culprits. Such a lovely giveaway – pick me, won’t you? LOL Much love – Raquel
Like the jalpeno cranberry relish, sounds good!
We have so much to be thankful for.
One of the most odd experiences I have had at Thanksgiving was when we were having dinner with friends and everyone kept talking about someone named Harvey. Near the end of dinner one of the smaller children said with a tear in the corner of her eye, “Harvey was such a good bird, but I don’t think he is thankful for Thanksgiving!” That’s when I realized Harvey was the turkey we were eating which the kids had raised. That was it for me. I was done eating, but the adults just had a good laugh and went on with the meal. Guess I didn’t want to eat food that had been named.
I adore a good tea!! And my birthday is Nov. 28th (I was born on Thanksgiving) so I hope the Random Picker picks me!
My favorite turkey recipe is from a friend and involves brining the turkey. He is from a cold rural climate, as the recipe includes instructions like “take a clean garbage can, put turkey and brine inside, put on your front porch for 2 days.” I use my fridge and a heavy duty plastic bucket and the turkey is just as delicious.
Growing up in Oklahoma, I believe every home on the block served lime green Jello with pineapple and cream cheese. I still have the recipe in my recipe box that my dear Mother wrote out for me in 1962, the year I was married. Secretly, I still love that dish. Happy thanksgiving and enjoy your guests from England.
Thanks Linda!
Love hearing about your Thanksgiving prep. I am just starting as well. We always have Plum Pudding with Hungie Gungie sauce. I dont know where the name came from for the sauce but my Gommie made the pudding in a old worn out pan that she to fill the holes with tin foil. Then my Mom made it now I do. The pudding is good but the sauce is the best ! I make two and save one for Christmas! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
What a nice way to begin my day – reading your thoughts and listening to a romantic song. I feel so positive and mellow. For years, my mother and I have talked about writing a book titled “It Always Happens at Thanksgiving”. It would include all the crazy stories from our family’s Thanksgiving’s: such as when we were traveling to a mountain cabin and our cars became separated and spent the entire trip stopping at exits trying to find each other; or the time we went to Williamsburg and the car broke down, I forgot to bring our season passes, lost the replacements, it rained records amounts & lost my dad in the crowds or the time the turkey did a gymnastic flip coming out of the oven and an entire pan of broth went into my mother-in-law’s new kitchen carpet, or the time my dad locked the door at a cabin and my husband & I were locked outside with a bear, the two trips we were caught in blizzards … you get the idea. My dad is gone now, but every Thanksgiving I laugh and cry over all the funny memories. Thanksgiving was always our family’s favorite because besides the love and good food, we always seemed to have an adventure. The best thing was that with all of these disasters, no one was ever upset – it was always just another funny chapter to add to our book.
I do think you might have a book there!! 🙂
One time after reading an article about Thanksgiving traditions, I copied a family’s idea to have a “Russian” dinner on Thanksgiving Eve. The idea is to “rush-in” and sample each one of the desserts that will be served the next day–nothing else is served. Ugh!! Not only did I have to rush through the preparation to get every dessert done, but most of us were so urpy from drowning ourselves in goo and sugar and sweets that we didn’t have much gusto for the big meal the next day!!
That’s so funny!
Thanks for all of the eye candy. “Tea” looks like a dream, so lovely and inviting. Because we live so far from family and we hold out for the possibility of Christmas together, Thanksgiving has become a very quiet day for myself and my husband. Can’t think of a quirky food we have had, but we always HAVE to have Pumpkin Bread! And enough turkey for leftover sandwiches, which is why just the two of us need a 14 lb turkey!! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. It doesn’t look like you’ll run out of stuffing! Thanks for the chance to own the book.
Our most remembered story of Thanksgiving that we rehash EVERY year (much to the distress of my daughter) is the year she made the pumpkin pies for our gathering and completely forgot to add SUGAR to the pie mix. We all tried to eat it until my 6 year old grandson commented, “I really don’t like this pie.” It was then that we all agreed something was NOT right with the pies. Since then, her pies are delicious….with all ingredients added.
Poor thing! Been there, done that!
A couple years ago I made Brussel sprouts with bacon…the adults loved them, but I felt like a mean auntie when the kids were all asked to try one…and by asked, I mean told. Lol. Oh the crying. Ha. They all survived and got pie 😉
This year I’m just hoping my 2nd son is born…I’m due this Friday but we shall see!
Oh Boy, that’s your Thanksgiving best thing! xoxo Congratulations Jamie!
I can’t believe that we are almost reaching Turkey Day! At our home, we will be 4 this year. My husband, Joe, our son Jon, my friend, Lorraine and of course me. Last but not least my kitty will share some turkey too! Our son, Tom, is pursuing his masters degree at Oregon State U, and our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren will be at their paternal grandma’s and grandpa’s. However, we will all be together in the spirit of love. It will be a day to sit back and thank God that we live in a country where we can set aside a day to be surrounded by love weather near or far. On that note, I would like to thank your for your lovely blog. I look forward to reading it each day! Happy Thanksgiving.
Congratulations on being selected for inclusion in such a wonderful-sounding cookbook! I’ve bought Susan Branch “stickers” for scrapbooking for many years. Recently, I picked up a copy of “Where Women Create.” I had no idea there was soooooo much more to Susan Branch! Thank you for taking time to blog. It’s a heart-warming treat to read your posts.
Ooh! The book looks like fun!
We are celebrating Thanksgiving with the family this year at my sister in laws house. It will be fun and noisy as ten of us crowd around her table. We have much to be grateful for this year, we are eagerly waiting for the arrival of our first grandchild. He should be here in time for Christmas, what better gift is there?
Happy Thanksgiving!
Congratulations!!!
My favorite dish is the scalloped oysters. Not quirky but for some reason it’s the only time of year I make them. Then again, that’s probably what keeps them special. Congrats on the book and thanks for offering one up to your girlfriends. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.
Nurk around. I love it!!! I am going to nurk around my library today! Thank you Susan, for your wonderful blog!
Being a Polish Italian family, besides the Turkey, pie, stuffing, and so on, there is pasta, cannoli, kolacky, sometimes polish sausage. Being family we are all use to it, but when friends come its fun to see the looks on their faces. Congrads on the new book, love the magazines.
Hello Susan. I just love your blog, books, Willard, magazine articles, fabric, I just LOVE everything Susan Branch!! When we were growing up, my mother (not a cook) always served canned candied yams. No one ate them. For the first few years of my marriage I always served them too and again no one ate them. Now, no canned yams grace our table! Instead I make butternut squash 2 ways – mashed and then roasted with sweet onions and herbes de Provence. Everyone eats them! Even my husband who doesn’t normally eat squash. I so love Thanksgiving, I have so much to be thankful for. And it’s a time when the focus is a family meal. My married kids come as does my former husband and his wife. Every year, every holiday. That way no one has to rush thru a visit at one place to scurry to another. We all get along, laugh, eat, play and sometimes we’ve broken into song at the table. Not because anyone has a great voice but because the joy just bubble out. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Sounds so wonderful!
I would looooove being able to add something new to our Thanksgiving menu, but my sons and husband love everything to stay the same…don’t change a thing! Can you imagine??? Green Jell-O would be a welcome “strange” thing!! One year the mashed potatoes had little lumps…does that count as strange??? LOL!
No, more like normal! 🙂
My mom changed things up at Thanksgiving one year and we were all furious with her. I think the ritual of it means as much as the actual menu. Adding something wouldn’t be as bad as leaving something out, though, I wouldn’t think.
I think you can do that!!!
Thanksgiving is and always has been my favorite holiday. I love the traditions, the way my kitchen smells, the groaning people with full, happy tummys after dinner. It’s a wonderful holiday, full of abundance and thankfulness and I can’t wait for this year!
Congrats on the cookbook – very exciting! And, thanks for reminding me to get my bread drying!!! I’m hosting Thanksgiving on Sunday so I need to get that started today.
Comfort food at this time of year..a feast for the senses. Yum!Yum!
Our family has a very strange tradition in that all the children play a game of “clipping”. Many of the adults join in as the 4 days of family togetherness brings lots of laughter. In clipping the object is to attach or “clip” an unsuspecting victim with a clothespin somewhere on there person (usually on the back tail of a shirt, apron, etc). The rules state you can NOT at any time tell another person they have been ‘clipped”. … Which makes for some painful ‘sit downs” with no less than 10-20 clothespins clipped to your backside. It is especially fun when the “Clipped” forget to check their person for stray clothespins as they leave for a shopping trip or a short jaunt to the local 7/11 for milk. Imagine seeing someone walking around with numerous clothespins attached to their backside???
The game even continues throughout the year to see who can win the “best clipped” prize. Brides, pastors, actors in local theater, teachers, even Santa have been victims of random “clippings”…all of which make for great stories around the Thanksgiving dinner table! it is 4 days of hilarious fun! Oh, one time, one of my children stealthily clipped a shopper exiting a crowded elevator on Black Friday at the local Mall. We were all in stitches watching that poor shopper walk off with a clothepin dangling from her Blouse!! Can you imagine her surprise when she discovers the clothespin??? LOL!!! Allow your imagination to take over with all the possibilities of Random Clippings and you can get a feel for how much fun our family has during the Holidays!!
Blessings
Gmama Jane
Love it!!!
Oh joy !!! I think I told you earlier, we make my moms dressing, and it must be laid out too (no oven!) it a
Ways takes up so much room, either on the table or counter; the ironing board is a grand idea !!!!! (its up anyways :))
Blessings!!!
I love cookbooks and new recipes! So glad to have another to scoop up!
Wonderful to hear about the cookbook! They will make great gifts for Christmas.
My most favorite Thanksgiving dish is the onions in wine my husband makes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking–yummy!
And I am SO jealous I had to be off-Cape this week. Loved your pictures of going to the grocery store. Heading back down tomorrow nite and can’t wait!
Anything from that book is heaven! Welcome home!
Susan,
My favorite Thanksgiving food is the dressing balls my mother would make each year. They were from a recipe in an old Betty Crocker cookbook, and it simply was a dressing recipe (dried bread and cornbread, onion, celery, butter, etc.) that was compacted into baseball size balls (or a little smaller) and placed in a buttered pan and baked: crusty in places and moist inside–Yummy with great gravy! I liked the dressing and gravy better than the turkey, and the leftovers (if there were any) were the best.
Someone here mentioned putting them into cupcake pans! Sounds so good!
Congratulations on your book and all the exciting things that have been happening in your life! Loved riding to the store with you! LOL Although I now always make my own cranberry relish, I have many fond memories of being given the important job on Thanksgiving Day of slicing the jiggly can of jellied cranberry sauce. My mother had a special plate just for that sauce, and I had to arrange the slices just to fit. The real trick was to get a slice from the plate without smushing it! Thanksgiving has to be my very favorite holiday; I love everything about the meal, and to be able to enjoy it with those I love most in the world fills my heart to overflowing. Wishing you a blessed holiday in your beautiful corner of our great land!
Thank you Evelyn!
I love that sweet little kitty. I have a tuxedo cat and he has delighted us for 12 years now.
You can hear a foghorn? Love it! Enjoyed your blog so much, and loved hitchin’ with the leaf for the ride to the grocery store (should have had my list ready). I can hardly wait to get the new book with YOU in it, congratulations to you – but I might wait a few more days just in case RNG picks me! You’re so sweet to think of us! Thank you! This year will probably be our strangest Thanksgiving. The daughter who ususally hosts, is going to India to visit our granddaughter who is there for a semester of college, & working with women & children. Her husband & son going camping with our other daughter & family at Mendocino. Because of some “issues” we’re unable to join them. EGADS I’m going to have to do the meal for 3 of us! We’re used to turkey plates, about 40 people, scrumptious potluck dishes, and going round the table (while the meal cools, with that many people) and saying thanks! I think I’ll have some fun & make your Grandma’s dressing (I need to hit the antique stores to get a “new” ironing board though) & some of your other dishes in your “Autumn” book! The place cards won’t take long – ha – I’ll need to use camellia leaves! Yum, the heart biscuits will have to be baked soon though, I keep thinking about the combo of pepper & cranberry, & cranberry orange marmalade!! I’ve enjoyed all the comments from the GFs! Looking forward to visiting with Willard.
That happened to me one time, I put my grandma’s stuffing in a chicken, and then had all the other trimmings. Leftovers are so important!!
Left overs, (or as my GF says, “Planned Overs”) ooh yeah!♥
A must have.;-)
Gobble, Gobble, Girlfriends All!
One year, I told all my guests they were each getting a “bird” of their very own. Of course, they were quite impressed with this; they thought, however, that I meant capons, or small ducks. So, in grand ceremonial fashion, I bring out, presented on my best turkey platter, 12 small, solid chocolate turkeys! Everyone had a full laugh on those teeny turkeys!
Wishing everyone a very wonderful Thanksgiving, and calm and peaceful days following!
I think my sweet sister already ordered this book for me for Christmas, I just have that feeling….but I would love to win it and give it to her!
I already told you about my dad’s strange jello, nothing can top it for craziness at the holiday table-lime jello with green olives, celery, and peas, topped with Miracle Whip. Is there a prize for the most unusual jello recipe???
Should be, I think the green olives and peas make you the winner!
I believe this would be the perfect accompaniment to Gala’s raccoon…LOL!!!!!!
LOL ! Perfect! Now that would be a Thanksgiving to remember!
I look forward to a new SB book on the shelf! Either a prize or a purchase…haha.
Our strangest Thanksgiving tradition is our family fruit salad. I always thought it was normal until I took it to my in-laws the first time, and found out that every family doesn’t have the same kind! Apples, oranges, grapes, celery, mini marshmallows (and sometimes chopped pecans) and mayonnaise mixed with a little sugar. I remember many Thanksgiving mornings with my grandma, watching the parade and chopping fruit for the salad. The only change I allow (my mom wanted to add new items over the years! gasp! No Way!) is now we used canned oranges, cause I really don’t like cutting up real ones… The holidays are never the same without it! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Susan, thanks so much for brightening my days— reading your blog is like having a long visit with a treasured friend! Our Thanksgivings are pretty traditional, except that now the kids cook! Oh, there is something quirky — they insist on watching the movie “Elf” in the afternoon to kick off the Christmas season.
The cookbook sounds great! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I love the idea of going outside and taking a picture of those you love gathered around the table inside. Then coming in and smelling all the good smells. I’m going to try that. Jack is so special, reminds me of Hercule Poirot.
When I was growing up, we had Thanksgiving dinner that night on “The Farm,” which was a real farm where my maternal grandparents, Papa Orr & Mama Orr, lived. A favorite dish, with an unusual name, was “Ram-Roly.” Papa Orr called it that, but we don’t know why. It was strawberry Jell-0, fruit cocktail, chopped apples, banana slices, pecans, and mini-marshmallows.
My grandma was born in Iowa and was Florence Orr.
Congratulations on the wonderful book. I love getting up early before the kids and savoring the quiet moments. Getting up, sharing the morning with you starts my day off with such a happy peace. My Thanksgiving prep has also begun. I do not have amazing Thanksgiving recipes from generations past because my Mom is Australian, but I’ve lived here is the great USA my whole life. I love creating my own collection that I can pass down to my children and create the memories that come along with great recipes. As a young adult I went to a Thanksgiving dinner rich with old recipes from generations past only to find quirky dishes I never had…quirky to me at least:). Things like green bean casserole, jello salad, sweet meat pie, chocolate pudding pie with a traditional flour pie crust. I love traditional Thanksgiving complete with homemade everything, Frank Sinatra, and I have to throw in a little Josh Groban into the mix….His voice…his music….perfection. This morning my kids asked me why I wake up so happy and I couldn’t resist….I had to quote you by saying that I wake up with my tail wagging! My son said…”Well Mom, that sounds like something you need to have checked.”:) Happy Thanksgiving to you Susan, Joe, Girl kitty and Jack. You feel like family and that fills my heart.
LOL! He’s probably right for both of us!
I never understood “Green Jello Salad” with nuts and marshmallows and fruit and various other mystery items. For some (two people) in my family its not a holiday without it, so its always present anyway sitting there on the table in the same dish. It just sits there……. I always find holiday preparations kind of fun, not stressful. I like the hustle and bustle and all the anticipation in the air. Congratulations on being part of this new book! Have fun preparing for Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
The book looks fabulous! We are going into NYC to be with my daughter this Thanksgiving, so I’m not cooking. Will definitely miss the left-overs!
Simply cannot believe that Thanksgiving is next week! It is my all time fav holiday… love the family gathering, traditions, food, fall colors and LEFTOVERS!
We always have dinner at my house around 2pm… 20-22# turkey, Mom’s recipe for stuffing (using “day old” bread), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, cranberry relish (same recipe noted in Willard), gravy and rolls. Pumpkin pie and cheesecake for dessert. Menu does NOT change… there may be an “international incident”! Everyone brings take home containers for the leftovers and I make turkey soup for Sunday dinner. What’s not to love about Thanksgiving?! We usually play board games and watch Nat’l Lampoons Christmas Vacation in the evening. Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours!
Oooh! That is something to celebrate, Susan Branch and others in a Celebrate cook book! How wonderful! Your biscuits and butter pats are beautiful! Recipe sounds great! Want Want Want your gravy recipe! Maybe it’s in one of your books I acquired this summer?
Thanksgiving quirks? My strangest was a couple of years ago I invited my cousin and friend, who was in town visiting and the friend didn’t eat turkey! So, I made beef stew! On Thanksgiving??? AND, something happened that they weren’t able to come, and there I was with stew! I love stew but not for Thanksgiving! Oh well, our one Son was planning on staying, and other Son and family ended up staying, so all turned out just fine! a little quirky, but that is what creates memories right???
Love the ride down your streets with the leaf!!!
xoxoxo
The gravy recipe is in my Christmas book and also Autumn. Thanks Jeannie!
Love your decor for Thanksgiving.. I love that you mold your butter! I did that once for Easter and my family passed the tray around and NOBODY would eat it as it was too “pretty” to eat… I took them home and had them with my tea! Cracked me up seeing yours… Maybe I will make them again for just hubby and me….
I would love to have the new cookbook. I have a collection of many of yours. Oh, how I envy your talent to draw!
Loved your “hitch hiking” leaf friend! I’m assuming Joe was driving while you filmed!! Please tell me that was true.
The Thanksgiving item I always thought was quirky was my Grandmother’s Indian Meal Pudding. I’m not sure I even tasted it (I was a “quirky” eater as a child) but everyone else raved about it. I was all into the pumpkin pie and didn’t want to waste any tummy space on pudding.
I looked long and hard at your leafy place markers, trying to see “Kathy” written
on one. Wouldn’t that be a joyous Thanksgiving gift!!!
Oh yes, he was definitely driving!! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your “being” with all of us here in cyberspace. You are the modern day Gladys Taber, enriching our lives by sharing yours! In case no one mentioned it, I think you should alter your new kitty’s name to be spelled “Jacques” because he has a little French mustache. Technically though, this is translated to James, not Jack – oh well!
Showers of Blessings, Terri
Thank you Terri!
November is always a little bittersweet for me. My mother’s birthday and my parent’s wedding anniversary are right before Thanksgiving. Mom’s been gone 24 years but I still miss her every day…especially this time of year. But I am so blessed, to still have my 83 yr old father here! That’s what I try to remember and be thankful for.
Wishing you the very best Nancy!
Hi Susan, A Happy thanksgiving to you and Joe and your little kitties! Thankyou for your wonderful posts, as I so look forward to them. I so love that pink china of yours….so pretty! I’ve been collecting pieces myself and although nothing matches it still looks nice. I think that the oddest thing i’ve had for Thanksgiving is this strange marshmallow fruit cocktail coconut mixture that my mother in law always made, I think its called Ambrosia, but the first time I had it I thought it to be very strange with turkey, needless to say it doesn’t make my thanksgiving day meal. I do make a wonderful cranberry jello mold which is more to my liking because it contains the whole cranberries and its great even to eat on its own as a dessert. Thanks too for the recipe I think I’ll try it this year! Have a wonderful day and thanks again for your generosity!
Happy Thanksgiving Suzanne!
The strangest thing we ever had for Thanksgiving was the first Thanksgiving after our Mom died. We four sisters, all with families of our own, couldn’t bear to cook a turkey (it was always Mom’s favorite meal to fix). So we decided we would just fix macaroni and cheese. We still all got together and somehow it WAS Thanksgiving as we celebrated it together and also remembered other Thanksgivings.
That’s so nice, comfort food comes in so handy.
I love, love, love all you do. You make my day, & have for years. I do what you do. I’m a quilter & have been for 35 years. Have used your fabric in many projects. Thank you for everything. 🙂
Thank you Penny!
It is always a treat to open my mail to find your creative letters to all of us!
This year we will be in NYC visiting our son and daughter(in love) for Thanksgiving. We’ll be taking in all the sights…watching the parade from their terrace rooftop, going to the Rockettes Christmas show, ice skating @ Rock Center and window shopping on 5th avenue. We’re having Thanksgiving dinner in their apt. and the kitchen is tiny but the wonderful aroma of everything baking will be the same as always and we’ll get to be close to the ones we love!
Over the river and through the woods…Happy Thanksgiving in your little corner of the world!
Our Thanksgiving dinners were always pretty traditional growing up, but sometimes Watergate Salad would make an appearance. Have you tried it? It’s pistachio instant pudding mix, cool whip, crushed pineapple, and marshmallows. It does look a bit quirky with the pale green color but is so refreshing and tasty 🙂 Congratulations on the new cookbook! It looks fantastic!
I received my Willard this morning! I just bought some tiny cutters in fall shapes to use on my Thanksgiving pies! I can hardly wait to use them! Congrats on being in what looks like a fantastic book! Also, thanks for all the updates…I look forward to them!
I can’t wait to see the cookbook ! I hope they included some of your wonderful little illustrations too. One of our very favorite Thanksgivings was when the 4 oldest children were small. My husband was assigned to a military base and was on a “temporary tour of duty” out of state. Not having much money, and certainly no relatives within driving distance, we decided to have a Thanksgiving feast of our favorite things – things each child would think was a treat and be really thankful for instead of the traditional meal. We had: “chips and dip” (usually only served on very special party occasions), “gingerale with a cherry in it” (so special that way!), macaroni and cheese (from the youngest) and cupcakes (which we at least decorated for Thanksgiving). Well, the children and I had a blast! We all remember it. We watched a Disney movie, had our Feast, were truly thankful for such special treats as well as for each other (and saved alot of time/money). Strange but true.
Wonderful!
Good morning, Susan. I’m looking out on a snowy Montnana landscape and delighting in receiving your latest Willard’s letter as well as checking in to your blogsite. Thank you for the beautiful introduction to the holiday season. Thanks for all you do to brighten our lives, especially as winter begins to settle in.
Must be beautiful!
Congratulations, Susan, on your publication in the cookbook!! I’d love to own a copy! And thanks so much for the tea biscuit recipe…we’ll have to try it out in my kitchen!
Something quirky? I can’t remember anything out of the ordinary at Thanksgiving other than my first year of marriage many moons ago when I cooked the bag of giblets inside the turkey…but doesn’t everyone do that at least once??!! 🙂 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Susan! We’re invited out this year…should be fun!
I used to think I was the only one! Makes me feel so much better!!
Congratulations, Susan, on your publication in the cookbook!! I’d love to own a copy! And thanks so much for the tea biscuit recipe…we’ll have to try it out in my kitchen! Something quirky? I can’t remember anything out of the ordinary at Thanksgiving other than my first year of marriage many moons ago when I cooked the bag of giblets inside the turkey…but doesn’t everyone do that at least once??!! 🙂 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Susan! We’re invited out this year…should be fun!
It is always a treat to open my mail to find your creative letters to all of us!
This year we will be in NYC visiting our son and daughter(in love) for Thanksgiving. We’ll be taking in all the sights…watching the parade from their terrace rooftop, going to the Rockettes Christmas show, ice skating @ Rock Center and window shopping on 5th avenue. We’re having Thanksgiving dinner in their apt. and the kitchen is tiny but the wonderful aroma of everything baking will be the same as always and we’ll get to be close to the ones we love!
Over the river and through the woods…Happy Thanksgiving in your little corner of the world!
Lucky! I love NY during the holidays!
At the top of my list for GETTING INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT –
is your blog, your books, and your website!! AND it’s been like that for years! Thank you so much for being who you are and doing what you do!
Thank you so much Barbara, for being here!
I am new to your blog and wonder where I’ve been that I’ve not known about it before a couple months or so ago. I love reading it and enjoyed “our trip to the grocery store.” The Thanksgiving I will always remember was back in the late 50’s when we had guests. After dinner we went to see “It’s a Mad Mad World”. We all laughed so hard that our very full tummies hurt.
My blog only went up in June! So you are really part of the founding mothers 🙂
This funny story happened at our house. We were just one plate short, so I gave my son-in-law the platter that matched perfectly but was LARGER. He noticed it’s size and swapped it with my husband’s plate, who didn’t notice until AFTER dinner. My husband, Jeff, commented on how full he felt and that he only had one plate of food. That’s when we pointed out that his plate was not the average size!
The next year, I found on Craig’s List, 4 more place settings of my original set!!!
We still laugh about the platter full of food Jeff ate!
Happy Thanksgiving Susan and girlfriends! Those muffins look amazing and I am so ready to gobble some turkey too!
Love the newest Willard! A special start to my day. I knew baby Jack was talented! I give him a perfect 10 for that dismount! 🙂
Yes the gold medal for sure!
It already exciting enough that you’re in a new book (Congrats!), but that picture of baby Jack with the book in the new Willard is beyond cute!
Thank you Lesliebee, I had fun with that!!!
Hello Susan! When I first became a vegetarian over 15 years ago, I prepared a Tofurky for Thanksgiving dinner. I was so proud of myself. I prepared it exactly as directed on the box, and even had my family take pictures of me with it when it was finished cooking in the oven. I was so proud of my little Tofurky! When I sat down to dinner with my family and finally tasted it, I didn’t like it at all! My family and I laughed and laughed all day long, and we still laugh about it every Thanksgiving. My family did enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that year with turkey and the trimmings, as they do every year. I now prepare pumpkin soup, chestnut stuffing, homemade cranberry compote with grapes for Thanksgiving each year to add to my mother’s turkey dinner. And instead of Tofurky, I enjoy a vegetarian chicken pattie which is much more appetizing! Have a great day, Susan!
That sounds just wonderful . . .!
Hi Ho Thanksgiving is a very favorite and you just made it warmer and even more special. I love all you do and wish I could have such elegant penmanship. Love it.
Have a Happy – Happy Turkey, Glenda
Thanks for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Just ordered the Cape Cod magazine from you. We vacation in Nantucket every year so I can’t wait to see how they do Christmas and read about YOU, of course. I love every and all food served (by me!) at Thanksgiving.
Our hands-down-favorite thing on our Thanksgiving plate is Nana’s gravy. She never uses a recipe, but grins from ear to ear as she tosses in a little of this and that and whatever is within reach, and it is always heavenly! Also, I LOVE your apron in the above picture, and your pearls~ I think I will henceforth always wear pearls when playing in the kitchen 🙂
xoxox!
I have to start by saying how much I love you and your blog! My family has such a fun time at Thanksgiving and there’s always great home cooked food and loud laughter. The Thanksgiving I remember most is when my mom decided to make oyster stuffing and as several of us took bites of it we almost broke our teeth, because there were little pearls in the oysters. We all laughed until we were crying. My mom laughed along with us. Happy Thanksgiving to you and Joe!!!
That sounds wonderful except for the broken teeth part!!! I would love to find a pearl in an oyster!
Hi Susan,
I am trying your muffin recipe today and even have a heart shaped pan. Baking is my passion so I have a lot of fun shaped muffin pans.
For Thanksgiving we always have Grandma’s Jello side dish. She would combine either cherry or strawberry jello and whipped cream. Light, airy and yummy. Oh yes, there was always fruit coctail mixed in.
I asked the family what they wanted to do for Thanksgiving this year…you know, just in case someone wanted to eat at a restaurant. They were aghast that I would even think such a thing. So it is the tried and true recipes for all. Our son is in the military so won’t be celebrating with us. Luckily, he has a large group of friends that gather together. They are going to deep fry a turkey. I told him to be careful and send photos. He didn’t appreciate the be careful part but said he would definately send photos. It is hard to stop being a Mom!
We are so blessed to live in a land that sets aside a day to be thankful and we do have so much to be thankful for.
We send you and yours best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.
Until next time,
Pam
So Much!!!
Hmmm………….so many quirky things to choose from. I think the funniest was the year my Mom baked a pumpkin pie and forgot to add sugar!! My great-uncle Jack was the first to taste the pie and he made the strangest face but said “oh, this is good pie!” When my mother tried it, she spit it out and we all laughed so hard we cried when we remembered Uncle Jack’s face!!! One of many great memories of family dinners around the Thanksgiving table.
Joan B
Very cute!
Congratulations on the beautiful new book! You ARE an extraordinary woman and you bring so much more light and love — plus wonderful food — to so many of us “out here.” I appreciate you asking about past Thanksgiving dinners, since no one around here is too interested in my stories about such things. When my husband and I first moved to Florida I was trying so hard to learn to cook. His dad was coming down from Chicago for a traditional feast. John knew how to roast the turkey, but he cooked the giblets in the microwave and I didn’t know to tell him not to. The resulting explosion — and the mess — is still one of his dad’s favorite holiday stories. I hadn’t learned to cook any of the traditional side dishes and instead made all the Italian recipes I had been trying — corn risotto, Caprese salad (in late Nov.!), sausage and pasta casserole. They made for a colorful table but a disappointed father-in-law. (I still thought it was delicious — that Bon Appetit corn risotto is one of my all-time favorites!) We’re more traditional now, 20 years later, but I still have a fondness for that first Thanksgiving, and I thank you for asking about it.
— Mary Weir
P.S. Forgot to mention in my last post that our older son’s name is Jack so I think it’s a wonderful name for a beloved family member. I hope the two felines are getting along all right.
They are holding their own. So far so good. Loved your first Thanksgiving!
Our son who moved to San Francisco the end of July is Vegan, so last year at Thanksgiving, I fixed the traditional turkey dinner and added special vegan dishes (that I learned just for him!). I received my first Susan Branch cookbook years ago from a girlfriend who lived in San Francisco at the time. I feel like I’ve come full circle and love all your work! I would love to add the new cookbook to my collection!
Now on our way to our winter home in Florida. We are taking the long way around to visit friends in the Dallas/Ft Worth area…we are there now….I slept in today…I needed a ‘pj day’!! I, again, want to tell you how grateful I am to have found you. You are a very bright spot in my days 🙂 My husband’s mother gave me her recipe for ‘pheasant under glass’ as they are from North Dakota and pheasant is plentiful. So I usually have turkey and pheasant for Thanksgiving. My husband goes back there every fall to hunt with his friends. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
What a generous gift! Your willingness to allow us into your home, your life is a gift in itself. I don’t know too many “famous” folks who would do that!
Thank you.
I don’t really think of myself as that! I’m just part of us.
For years my husband and I have had a tradition called ‘breaking the bread.’ And its when we’d break up the bread early in the morning of Thanksgiving Day to get the stuffing ready. One of my daughters told me recently that us making the stuffing is one of her fondest memories. She’d wake up to the delicious smells of onion and celery frying and the sage. Oh yum it sounds so good right this minute. But one year my husband decided that he should season the stuffing. And before I knew it he had dumped an ENTIRE bottle of garlic powder into it and had mixed it. I had a fit but he said it would be ‘great.’ Just wait and see. Yeh right. At the table when everyone had had a bite he was the ONLY one who would eat it. He said it was the best dressing yet as we all gagged our bites down. He is now forbidden to season the dressing. lol. It is one of many delightful memories we have of Thanksgiving.
I know just what you are saying, do not come near my stuffing!!! LOL!
Everyone decided to drink the creamy raspberry jello mold that didn’t jell! no one wanted to hurt my feelings as the entire thing splatted onto the prepared tray.
I’d love to peruse the cookbook! Your lemon-pepper biscuits are a unique must-try, and I LOVE the leaf place tag idea!
Susan,
Your blog is such a bright spot in my days (as well as many others obviously!). It radiates home and warmth and family and friends and love and brings a smile to my face. Thank you for sharing your life with us!
Congratulations on the book. It looks absolutely wonderful.
Something interesting about our Thanksgiving menu is that I never liked stuffing and never made it until I had my mother in law’s. That changed everything. Now I always double or triple her recipe for stuffing so that there’s plenty for dinner but also for leftovers. My husband and grown kids never like other variations of it either. When my children were growing up if we went to another home for Thanksgiving they would always ask on the drive home “what was wrong with the stuffing?”
Happy Thanksgiving to you.
Much warmth, Sara
Hahaha! Cute, Sara!
I just finished reading Willard and was so delighted to see the Brian Andreas quote you closed with! I have a few of his prints up around the house, and that quote is on one of them — lots of love from our house to yours this beautiful season!
To you too Amy!
Looks like a wonderful and interesting cookbook. Thanks for the chance to win one!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I have been inspired reading your post and looking forward to “the best dinner” of the year! I have to say it isn’t just one dish that is a favorite, it is the whole dinner, everything has to be on the plate! It ends up being so much food but it wouldn’t be right to leave anything out- every dish needs to make an appearance! That’s tradition for you! All of the kids have their part that they cook for the meal! First off the turkey with your stuffing, tried others & they are just not right! Your recipe is our favorite! Lisa’s sweet potatoes, Uncle Bertie rolls, my husband’s green beans with secret sauce (scandalous family story that makes them great), mashed potatoes & gravy and Kay’s cranberry orange relish plus the canned cranberries for my hubby! It all has to be on the plate along with a glass of Martinelli’s sparkling cider. Then on to the pumpkin pie the boys have made & apple pie the girls made & Gayle’s pecan pie that I will make. The other tradition is to go hunt out the apples in our orchard early in the morning to make our pie. Alot of food to make in one day! I have to say we never eat dinner before 6:00 pm because we do it all in one day. Waaay to much food but ooh are we looking forward to it plus the leftovers! They are all recipes that have been gathered to keep our loved ones near! Yummmy!
Thanks for the tips for making the gravy ahead of time and I WILL remember to take my bread out earlier, you are right, one day is not soon enough and the oven just doesn’t cut it, which is what I usually have to resort to working with but not this year! New tradition: start a little earlier! My daughter is coming home from her first year on the east coast & has texted me since October so excited about this meal! You have just made my day reading your blog!! Thanks again for sharing with your girlfriends!!
Oh my grandma would be so happy, and surprised to be hearing that you are eating and loving, her mom’s dressing! Love that! Your Thanksgiving plans sound wonderful!
oops sorry so long! I’m just so inspired!
A lime jello square (with chopped celery) on a leaf of iceberg lettuce with an icing of miracle whip was big time fancy in the late-60’s – at least for my grandma it was. Now, I am the maker of my Mom’s Innie or Outie Dressing (you know some you stuff in the turkey and what doesn’t fit you cook out of the turkey; and yes, when filling plates we ask “innie or outie or both?”). I like both covered with Turkey Gravy Sauce.
LOL! I mix them, so they get all over each other, the crunch of one, the moistness of the other!
Happy Gobbler, Susan! I am excited for turkey day-having kids home, familiar Thanksgiving smells, football on tv (and maybe in the back yard!). I think the quirkiest thingI have done on Thanksgiving is- I decided one year to mix things up. I am notorious for wanting to “do something a little different”. So, we had a mexican themed dinner. My family couldn’t believe what I had done! I figured “we all love mexican food”, so how could this be wrong? Let me say, it was ranked right along side with the “is that one of your creations?” comments. So, I promised from here on in, turkey only. Thanks for all you do. Have a blessed holiday. Sincerely, Denise
Oh, I am so glad I made this giveaway in time. I always miss them. I am so excited for you… that you have your work in this new book. I love your work as well, as most of the others have proclaimed. I have mentioned before that your work is a breath of fresh air to me. You remind me of things back home, always including ideas that I can utilize in building new traditions for me and my family. I can come to your blog or just view the Willards, or put up one of your wallpapers on my computer and just smile and have a moment of beauty-enjoyment, even in the midst of daily challenges. Thank you for sharing your art, your quotes, and just everything. Blessings this Thanksgiving!! And… Here is to hoping… 🙂
celita in Italy
So very sweet Celita! Thank you for being here!
P.S… Today I made Bread Pudding… one of the comfort foods that reminds me of my Abuela, my grandmother who passed away 11 years ago this month. I am grateful to be able to share such a simple memory with my own children. That is what you do for us… You inspire us to use what we have to enchant the senses of our family so that in years to come they will always remember, just by sight, sound, taste, feel, smell, something special that symbolizes the love I have for them. You give us ideas ever cheery and lovely, and for that, I thank you…
Yes, always remember, roots as deep as the sky.
My family just laughs at my many mismatched teacups & old china plates. I just love my cup of tea in the morning that my sweet husband makes for me. Every time I go antique shopping with my friend, Kim, my hubby calls out as I leave, “Please no more dishes!.” He knows I bring one home every time. I just love teacups, old china, small crystal dessert cups. Susan you are my “old friend that I’ve never met.” Congratulations on your Cookbook segment!
A girl after my own heart!
This really isn’t an unusual thing to eat on Thanksgiving, but every year my husband and I grind cranberries and orange peel and add it to lemon jello to make a cranberry salad my Mother always made at Thanksgiving…this year will be especially bittersweet for us because my 88 year old Mother has had a very difficult fall…I am so thankful for her…
I’m so sorry! Sending love xoxo
I just loved *Thankful Willard*!! And I am SO happy you have a blog now:))) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I needed one, and so happy I tried it!
Ooo, that looks like a wonderful cookbook! I especially love cookbooks that have plenty of color photos. 🙂
Your leaf placecards are adorable! This year we are going to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving, but I’ll have to keep those in mind for next year.