Thanksgiving in the Fifties--Mother's Way

We basically had the same thing every year. Here's Mother's menu:

The biggest turkey she could afford: She used every tiny smidgen of that turkey before the week was out--maybe longer. To roast, she removed the packet of giblets from the inside the turkey. (If you don't know what giblets are, don't ask.) She rubbed the entire turkey--inside and out--with oil and began the slow-roasting-basting process that took a long time--a few hours.

CORNBREAD DRESSING

Stuffing, which we called "dressing." Using coarsely ground cornmeal, she made cornbread and cooked it in a cast iron skillet. That was the best cornbread in the world. It was dense with a crusty bottom. When cool, she crumbled it into a big metal mixing bowl. She added broth from the turkey, chopped onion and celery, chopped hard-boiled eggs, raw eggs, sage and all that good stuff, and stirred. It was sort of soupy but baked in a big oblong pan--lots of delicious dressing!

HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE

Cranberry sauce. She bought packages of raw cranberries, washed them, added sugar, and cooked until they popped, let them simmer until the juice turned syrupy, then cooled. The mixture jelled, and oh, how wonderful that was.

Giblet gravy. I told you not to ask, but it's the heart, liver, and gizzard. She chopped it all up, added milk and butter, salt and pepper, and cooked until it was a little thick. This was the one thing I did not eat. I tried to scoop just the gravy part, leaving those little chopped bits of...stuff..in the bowl. Daddy, though, absolutely loved it.

GLAZED SWEET POTATOES

Sweet potatoes. She bought raw sweet potatoes, peeled them and cut in 1/2 inch thick rounds, placed them in a 9 x 13 baking dish with the bottom covered in melted butter, and sprinkled brown sugar and pecans over them. Baked slowly until they almost candied. Sooooo good.

Mashed potatoes. Why did we need these? I don't know, but she made wonderful mashed potatoes--no lumps. Remember how butter makes everything taste extra good? Well, she used loads of butter.

Brown gravy. This came from the "leavings" in the bottom of the turkey pan, and it made wonderful, thick, rich brown gravy. My favorite.

Green Beans. These were canned by her own hands, just plain old boiled green beans. Why did they taste so good?

FIVE-CUP FRUIT SALAD

Five Cup Fruit Salad. The salad became the standard in the 50s at every holiday table. One cup each of: Mandarin oranges, pineapple tidbits, miniature marshmallows, sour cream, and coconut. Yummm.

Homemade whole what rolls. She made the rolls dark, heavy, rich, crunchy on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside. Loved those.

PECAN PIE

Pecan Pie. There is no better dessert than pecan pie. I will make one tomorrow, but mine is a little different from Mother's. Although hers was fantastic, I still like mine better. I like whipped cream on top, but Mother served it plain.

Pumpkin Pie. Here's where Mother and I differed also. Her pumpkin pie was made with condensed milk, pumpkin, and eggs. Mine--made with pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and a cup of hot water. Hers was dark and thin, but very good in its own way. Mine is thicker, somewhat fluffier, and lighter in color. But I could never duplicate her homemade crust. I finally resorted to Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts. Trust me, they are good.
Whatever you have for Thanksgiving dinner, just remember how blessed we are. It's very simple.

Love and Blessings to All- Celia