Happy Thanksgiving, friends. I know this year’s holiday isn’t the one we all wanted or planned for, but it’s the one we have. And that leads me to the next two lessons I’ve learned in 2020. First, things can’t stay the same forever even as much as we want them to. Even in “normal” years, … Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving
Tag: Thanksgiving
Thankfully Thankful
In years past, starting on the first day of November, my social media feed would be overflowing with thankfulness posts. Honestly, it got on my last natural nerve. Most of it seemed like so much “humble bragging” — an excuse to tell people just how wonderful your life is (or how wonderful you want it … Continue reading Thankfully Thankful
Leftovers: The Best Part of Thanksgiving
You’ve planned and shopped for weeks to get ready for Thanksgiving. You’ve cooked for two days, maybe even three. You’ve polished Granny’s Grand Baroque silver, gotten out the good china — the bone with the gold band not the pink flowers because that’s too summery, ironed the napkins into perfect rectangles, and arranged the flowers … Continue reading Leftovers: The Best Part of Thanksgiving
Pecan Pie
We are a house divided. And it doesn’t have anything to do with football. It does have everything to do with a nut. That’s right. A nut. You see my Georgia-born boo says “PEE-can” and I of Alabama birth say “puh-KAHN.” Now admittedly this is not a subject that comes up for disagreement every day. … Continue reading Pecan Pie
Sweet Potato Pie
The influence of African-Americans on Southern food cannot be ignored. From greens to okra to ham hocks and more, many of my favorite dishes originated from a culture that is not my own. And Thanksgiving always features something that is extremely prominent in traditional African-American food — the sweet potato. I love sweet potatoes. You … Continue reading Sweet Potato Pie
Dressing vs. Stuffing
It’s time we had a little talk about the semantics of “dressing” versus “stuffing.” Where I come from, south Alabama, we are die-hard dressing people. In fact, I don’t know that I’ve ever heard any of my brethren or sistren from south of the Mason-Dixon line refer to the most beloved of all Thanksgiving sides … Continue reading Dressing vs. Stuffing
Ada’s Rice Dressing
In the mid 1890s, my great grandfather, Andrew Joseph Rowell, Jr., was a young man in need of gainful employ. He had heard that there were jobs at a logging camp in Chicora, Miss., which was not too far away. Joby, as he was known to his family, traveled up there to sign on and … Continue reading Ada’s Rice Dressing
Talkin’ Turkey
I can take a hint. That’s why when Daddy mailed me the recipe for his foolproof Thanksgiving turkey, I figured the baton had been passed and I was doing the cooking this year. The last time I cooked a turkey was about twelve years ago. I found myself trying to fish a sack of hot … Continue reading Talkin’ Turkey
I’m so hungry my stomach thinks my throat’s been cut
The big day is here. A time to gather with family and friends, break bread together, and count our many blessings. And maybe learn a few new sayings. Here’s how my Thanksgiving Day will probably go — idiom by idiom. When I cook, like this year, I have to get up before the chickens, which … Continue reading I’m so hungry my stomach thinks my throat’s been cut
Busy as a one-armed paper hanger
Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Christmas is hot on its heels. There is only one word to describe this time of year and that word is “busy.” Now you can be just plain old busy, which will barely warrant a sympathetic nod from your friends, or you can be: Busy as a bee! The doctor in Citronelle … Continue reading Busy as a one-armed paper hanger