So yes, not only did we have a THANKSGIVING DINNER yesterday with friends at their home (she's american, he's a brit), but we also were invited to a THANKSGIVING (belated) shabbat dinner tonight at friends of my 'laws (in-laws in translation). It was nice eating some of the old favorites......Turkey, stuffing, CRANBERRY SAUCE (my favorite), sweet potato casserole made by moi (soooo easy, maybe I'll post the recipe?), some roasted veggies, and of course Pumpkin (ok squash) Pie, Pecan Pie, and whipped cream! yummmmmmy......... tonight actually, there was a slight variation on the menu.........she served coleslaw (?) and instead of any stuffing, she made a nice wild rice/mushroom dish. Interesting how different people have different "MUST HAVES" for the same holiday.
We had friends back in Florida whose Thanksgiving menu consisted of many of the favorites mentioned above, PLUS..........macaroni and cheese! (no, they didn't keep kosher, nor are they jewish), and something else I remember was this dessert concoction that they used to serve that was some sort of layered thing with vanilla pudding, bananas, and 'Nilla Wafers......anyone know this dish??? It was delish delish!
So when I was growing up, way down south in the 'burbs of New Orleans, or what used to be the 'burbs of New Orleans, we also had some different dishes on our Thanksgiving table. We did not have a kosher kitchen; we never had any pork products, but seafood was allowed, go figure? Anyway, my mom used to make this TO DIE FOR stuffing for the turkey that had Oysters in it.........in N'awlins, people called that "Oyster Dressing", and wow, it was good! I also remember how we always had pumpkin pie, made from the JackO'lantern from Halloween, and when each person's pie was served on their plate, mom would also put ON TOP OF THE PIECE, not next to it, your COOL WHIP! This leads me to a funny family story................
I must have been about 8 or 9, which made my older brother about 11 or 12. We were all in the dining room on Thanksgiving, stuffed like the turkey had been, and sitting down to the GRAND FINALE, mom's homemade Pumpkin Pie!!!! Anyway, my brother was sitting next to my Dad, and he had asked (or convinced) my mom to give him a HUGE plop of cool whip. My dad's of course wasn't much smaller, but what? My dad said that there was something wrong with the cool whip! He took a small taste, made a face, then smelled his. He told my mom that he thought the cool whip had gone sour, and asked my brother to smell his.......................hee hee...........as my brother bent over the HUGE plop of cool whip on his plate, my Dad pushed his face into it!!!!!! hee hehe heehe It makes me laugh even to this day, and I smile as I remember my dad this way, laughing and joking, and wiping his eyes from truly laughing so hard!! It's amazing how certain foods bring back certain memories of people in our lives, and people who are no longer with us. I'm really THANKFUL that we have such fun memories of my dad, times that we laughed so hard together. But really, I can do without eating any more turkey for a while.....a long while!
So tell me, what sort of funky foods did you eat at your THANKSGIVING TABLES???
gobble, gobble.
