Thanksgiving Menu

I suspect life might be a bit busy for the next couple days, cooking, having company, and eating !

Our Thanksgiving menu doesn't vary much from year to year. Actually I think I have eaten the same foods all my life and my mother did too, and no doubt my grandmother had much the same menu most of her life.

We have turkey, which is not one of my favorite foods to be honest.

Potato stuffing made with Bell seasoning

Butternut squash

Sweet potatoes with apples ( I use my apple pie filling that I can each year)

Mashed potatoes with gravy

Green bean casserole, yes, I know that's not very gourmet, but my children love it, I do too actually.

We have cranberry sauce, pickles, dinner rolls, apple cider to drink and of course pies.

This year we will have Apple pie, pumpkin pie, chocolate cream pie (sugar free) butterscotch cream pie and coconut cream pie. We are all great pie fans. I might even make a blueberry pie if I have time. This should guarantee that each child gets a pie to take home. If I have time I will make some Indian pudding to be enjoyed with vanilla ice cream.

I will start my cooking tomorrow. Makes it easier to do some things the day before. We are expecting some cold temperatures which makes it seem more like Thanksgiving to me.

I grew up in the town of Medford, Massachusetts. The very town where the song,

"A Boys Thanksgiving" or better known as "Over the River and Through the Woods" was written by Lydia Maria Child in 1844. Her grandfathers house still stands today on South Street in Medford, right near the Mystic River. We never seemed to have enough snow to go by sleigh any place on Thanksgiving when I was a child, but it did snow many times in my childhood on that day, just not enough to go by sleigh !

Here is the song to sing for a fine Thanksgiving Day...

Over the river, and through the wood,

To Grandfather's house we go;

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh

Through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river, and through the wood -

Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes and bites the nose

As over the ground we go.
Over the river, and through the wood,

To have a first-rate play.

Hear the bells ring, "Ting-a-ling-ding",

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!
Over the river, and through the wood

Trot fast, my dapple-gray!

Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound,

For this is Thanksgiving Day.
Over the river, and through the wood -

And straight through the barnyard gate,

We seem to go extremely slow,

It is so hard to wait!
Over the river, and through the wood -

Now Grandmother's cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun!

Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!