Thanksgiving Past

Its nearly Thanksgiving and once again as I get ready to prepare my portion of the numerous meals I will be attending over the next few days, my mind always travels back to the food served at my Mammy's house at Thanksgiving. There are a few items I miss dearly every year because they just aren't made or served at other family gatherings. And there are a few items that are served and always take me back and I can remember just the person who brought it when I was growing up.

This post is going to be my attempt at preserving my memory of my childhood (think pre-teen) Thanksgivings. The morning would be early. Dad and I would get up and bottle feed any calves he may of had at the house. Then we would head to "the mountain" where he owned land and kept his cattle herd. We may have needed to put out hay depending on the weather or just drive through and do a head count and check on any new or expectant mothers. Then I would be dropped off to the busy scene taking place at my Mammy's (his mom), while he would go about tending to any other chores.

As I've written before, before age 12, I spent every other weekend with my Mammy. I was dropped off Friday night and would stay all day Saturday and then would be taken back early Sunday morning for church and would stay for lunch and a few hours afterwards. When I would walk in her door it was often pretty quiet. You might hear the radio coming from the kitchen or the hiss and bobble of her pressure cooker, and maybe, just maybe, her singing along with that radio when you first came in. But on Thanksgiving there was much more noise going on. The TV would be on getting ready for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, younger kids would be scattered, and Mammy, Aunt Cathy and Aunt Jeannie would be busy bees in the kitchen. The house was WARM and overtaken with smells of food. So much food.

There were 9 grandkids when I was growing up: Mitch, Amie, Jennifer, Me, Jeff, Jeremy, Mandi, April and Matt.  And in my mind we were "grouped" like this. Mitch was the oldest and separated from any other boys by at least 7 years. He was usually with his Dad or Bampy doing chores. Then there was "the girls" Amie, Jen, and myself who would help out setting the table, fixing glasses, things like these. Then there were "the boys" Jeff and Jeremy (brothers) who were often hunting with their Dad, Uncle Tom. Then there were the young ones - Mandi, April and Matty Pat, playing and occupying themselves in the back part of the house. [This is how I remember it-- Of course things change as we age and start having jobs, and boyfriends and girlfriends. But this is my default memory - probably late 80's early 90's]

When you entered Mammy's house you were in her 'dining room' where she had her large oval table often covered in a white lace table cloth. She had a china cabinet that housed her special dishes. I'm trying to get a picture from Aunt Jeannie, of the pattern. Until then, I think these are what they looked like. Johnson Brother's Heritage Hall Collection.

I was close in the image above. Here are the pictures sent by Aunt Jeannie


These dishes were only used on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was also able to find this add in the 1982 Sears and Roebuck Spring Catalog:





 She also had a special silverware set we used on these holidays. They were kept in the original wooden box similar to the one pictured below:

And we used red drinking glasses like these (red was one of her favorite colors - her carpet was also red).



Then the long buffet tables were brought out (sometimes set up in the middle of the living room -- sometimes in the dining room against the sliding glass door). They were draped with a flat sheet that had a pretty pattern and is where the grandchildren sat. There were usually 18-20 of us total. We required lots of room.

Now for the meal and who I remember making it. I hope someone corrects me if I'm wrong. Some I am dead certain of - others not so much:

The Turkey and Ham - Mammy, Cathy, or Jeannie. It seems like Cathy made at least one of them (I think the Ham) it may have changed from year to year.

Then there was giblet gravy, and glaze for the ham (Aunt Jeannie made the glaze - and is hand down one of the things I miss every year - I've asked for her recipe and am patiently waiting..... I know it had pineapple juice, brown sugar, and mustard -- I was right minus one thing. Vinegar. And just like many of us she doesn't measure she just mixes and tastes til it's just right ). I'm not sure who made the gravy.

The dressing - Mammy or Cathy(?) -- I hope someone chimes in and helps me out here. Then there was the typical stuff-- we had mashed potatoes, corn (mixed cans of regular corn and creamed corn), green beans (not the casserole). Rolls (sometimes homemade - most often just the brown and serve rolls)

Then there was Aunt Lynn's Sweet Potato Casserole (another favorite):

Mix together:

• 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 egg; slightly beaten

• 1/2 stick butter; soft

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 tsp vanilla

Topping: Melt one stick butter. Add one cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup chopped pecans. Mix together and sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake in 350° oven for 30- 35 minutes.

[Now whenever my brother-in-law's parent's join us at the Drake Thanksgiving, his mom Joyce makes this and hers is nearly the same thing -- if not exactly.] 

There was always a pickle tray with both black and green olives (Jenny loved the black olives and would put them on her fingers.), sweet and baby dills, sometimes mammy's mock apple rings, and there were always pickled beets (another favorite of mine).

Below is a recipe I have used from a cookbook Mammy gave me one year or Christmas.





Then there was Mammy's stuffed celery sticks. Man I loved those. I've never had them anywhere other than her house except for two maybe three occasions where Dawna made them for me. They're a unique item and are nearly impossible to find a recipe that mimics hers online. I've never felt like many would enjoy them or be adventurous enough to try them to find out so I haven't ever made them myself to take places. But this year I am taking them and one other Mammy item - for the sheer reason that I'm nostalgic and get a terrible "homesick" feeling every year around this time. If nobody likes them but me - that's okay. Because I love them.

Now this recipe may or may not be hers - it is the best I have come up with:

Mammy's Stuffed Celery

• 4 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese

• 5 Tbsp mayo (heaping)

• 1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix together and stuff into cleaned prepared 3" lengths of celery.

Then there were her Ham and Cream Cheese Pickle Wraps

All she did to make those was take a slice of wafer meat (ham) and add a bit of cream cheese down the center. She then would place a pickle spear on top and roll. Voila!

And funny enough while scrolling through my Facebook feed the other day, a souped up version of her little appetizer came up. I plan on trying the new version this year simply because I made a batch of jalapeno jelly and need ways to use it. Here it is from Better Homes & Gardens.





And then finally there was dessert. I will never be able to list all the desserts. I'm sure I will forget some. I know we had pecan, pumpkin, and chocolate pies, banana pudding, a jello salad (with marshmallows and nuts, maybe cottage cheese). Mammy LOVED that kind of salad. Here is my maternal great grandmother Bondell's recipe in her own handwriting on the back of an envelope:

Below is a recipe Mammy circled in one of her old cook books she gave me. She may have used this one:



I think Amie would make a chocolate cake, and sometimes made an apple pie. I think there was cherry as well and a cheese cake too. But my all time favorite was Grandma Nall's mincemeat pie. I think she and I were the only one's that liked it. But I'm glad she brought it because it was great. That pie filling was one of the first things I made when I started canning.

Pear Mincemeat
by Willie Nall (pg 31 of "Cook Book; Favorite Recipes From Our Best Cooks")
Fun Fact: This is a pie filling - a dessert. Because of the name 'mincemeat' the people who put the cook book together placed it under the heading: Main dishes - Egg, Casserole, Cheese, Pasta. Since I'm the only one in my family who cares for this, and while I'm not above doing so, I don't usually make entire pies just for myself; I have used it as an add-in to a warm bowl of oatmeal or on my pancakes.

7lbs pears, cut up, not peeled
1 orange, not peeled, cut up
2 lemons, not peeled, cut up
2lb raisins, 1/2 ground, 1/2 whole
5 c. sugar
3/4 c. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
2 lb oleo (this must be a typo - I think it should read 2 Tbsp)
Cook 30 minutes and seal in hot jars.

I have two jars left from that batch and guess what... I'm making this - even if I have to eat the entire thing myself.

This is the best I can do at recreating the memories that flood back to me this time of year. In raising my kids it sometimes seems like we haven't really had much in the way of tradition when it comes to Thanksgiving. They aren't all 3 at the same place at the same time year after year. But maybe they will remember it differently. I have asked them to list their favorite food items and who makes them in hopes that they can get the recipes for when they become older and make Thanksgiving their own.


Hashbrown Casserole, Broccoli and Cheese Casserole and Sister Schubert's Parker Rolls from Nanny Nay Nay's,  Buttermilk Pie from Grandma Reba, Aunt Lisa's cream corn, Nan's leftover turkey salad for sandwiches, Nan's coleslaw, Grandma Marilyn's Possom Pie and Minnie's Oreo Pie.

This is all they could come up with in the hussle and bussle of getting ready before school while their mom peppers them with questions about things they don't really care about or understand in the moment. We have recipes for several of the items but if you made the list and haven't already hand written them, I would appreciate that. I think Grandma Reba's Buttermilk Pie is the only one I have that's hand written.

Do you have any favorite recipes that are unique only to your family? If so, I encourage you to snag up those recipes from those who make them, if they're willing to share, because some day you will want to recreate memories and serve certain foods and you will really wish you had that recipe.

Until next time,
Becky