Preparing for a Day of Thanks

Ever since moving so far away from our family, Thanksgiving has been a day of pining for home. We are not usually able to make the long drive back and so have had the opportunity to create our own Thanksgiving here. Some years we have been alone, together. Other years we have enjoyed the generous hospitality of friends and acquaintances. My favorite years are spent, however, at home with warmth of friends around us. This Thanksgiving will be one of those favored celebrations; my dear friend and her lovely family will make the short drive to spend the holiday with us.

Before the meal, there will be the usual bustling in the kitchen and around the grill. The children (all ten of them) will, no doubt, be running about clinging to each moment of the blissful reunion. There will be Thanksgiving music (yes, The Professor has an album for every occasion), timers chirping, steam and smoke rising, giggling and tattle taling, candles burning, and a choir of chatter. And we will be thankful for it all.

Now for the tentatively official menu. Appetizers will be strewn on relish trays, olive bowls, and crystal candy dishes. These will be the no prep type of appetizers to keep hunger at bay while the turkey demands just a few minutes longer over the smoldering coals and smoky mesquite.

The turkey preparations begin the night before as the 18 pound bird is soaked in a salty, chilled brine. Thursday, assuming there is not too strong of wind and the temperatures don't make an unexpected dive, we place the bird on the grill over hot coals and The Professor will do what he does to create a smoked ambience within. The final result, God willing, is a deep mahogany colored, crispy skinned bird with a juicy, smoky-flavored meat. Gorgeous and delectable.

Each year we vary the dressing (baked on the side, not stuffed) and this year we are going to try a Toasted Cornbread-Pecan Stuffing. Wednesday I will put the children to work shelling the fresh pecans our neighbor brought over this week. There will be no shortage of vegetables, including my favorite, Mapled Brussels Sprouts. Steamed sprouts in a dripping glaze of Wisconsin maple syrup we bought at the syrup farm and honey mustard. We will prepare Christopher Kimball's Mashed Sweet Potatoes, which, of course, turn out incredibly smooth and tasty every time, thanks to his tireless hours of testing in America's Test Kitchen. Our guest has suggested that she would like prepare her mild and tender Butternut Squash Pie for the dinner as well. And, lastly, since Thanksgiving is a harvest dinner, we will pluck some of the young greens from the garden and throw in some sliced fall tomatoes I picked up at the Farmer's Market and perhaps some of those chopped up pecans to present an Autumn Green Salad.

We will round the meal off with some homemade Cranberry Sauce, probably just the reliable package recipe, though we have used minted or orange variations in the past. There will be, of course, a basket full of Bakery Dinner Rolls of different shapes and textures to complete the dinner menu.

Dessert, if anyone still has space-and they always do-, will be the Traditional Pumpkin Pie, a sticky sweet Pecan Pie (there are those pecans again!), and a new addition, a Wensleydale Apple Cake (that is, an apple cake with a layer of Wensleydale cheese topped by a layer of apple slices) all offered with fresh whipped cream and a scoop of (if I can find it) Cinnamon Ice Cream.

The final menu decisions that remain are in regards to beverages: yes, plenty of wine and hot cider, maybe slushes, and if it is cool enough later in the evening, hot chocolate (both children's and adult versions). There is also still a lingering question about the inclusion of a soup starter course. I am toying with the idea of starting with a Curried Carrot Soup or a Pumpkin Soup. But then, perhaps I'll keep things simpler and leave that out.

The children will prepare themselves this week by learning some hymns and songs and poems of Thanksgiving. Perhaps after dinner, we can even gather around the piano for some old fashioned fun singing and performing. When all of these warm hearts, spicy aromas, savory flavors, and joyful sounds unite it will be a true feast of gratitude.

Benedic Domine nos

et haec tua dona

quae de tua largitate

sumus sumpturi

per Christum Dominum notrum

Amen.