Giving Thanks
I love the afterglow of a good Thanksgiving, when thoughts of a scrumptious meal and decadent desserts linger on the palate…when you still feel the embrace of loved ones long after you’ve flown home. Memories sparkle brightly this time of year.
Thanksgiving has always been laden with memories for me. I think of my mom making her mashed potatoes, frothy drinks being whirred up in the Vitamix, my grandmother coming over with her stuffed turkey…and my sister and I helping however we could.
Many years have passed since my sister and I got to be in the kitchen with our mom and grandma, but we carry cherished traditions forward, letting those notes from the past harmonize with new memories. The blending of the song is important, I think, and this year, we did just that.
We made our mom’s mashed potatoes and our grandma’s stuffing—the sweet song of remembrance playing softly in the background. We also tried our hand at a new dessert, a French silk pie, which was an immediate hit.
We made parmesan roasted broccoli and a shaved brussels sprouts salad with apples and candied nuts. My sister made an herbed turkey with a gravy that was mouth-wateringly good, and a ginger cranberry sauce that tempered the berries’ tart pucker with a kiss of sweetness and heat. She also baked her signature apple pie that (no hyperbole here) is the stuff of legend. My sisters-in-law made airy popovers with cherry cranberry butter that were as delicious as they sound.
We threaded traditions into new moments, and the result was a vibrant Thanksgiving gathering. New memories were minted, ones that hold the sweetness of many yesterdays, the joyousness of the day, and the hope for countless happy tomorrows.
I hope your Thanksgiving was spent with loved ones. If the day held meaningful reflection for you, I hope it landed in just the right way. As I sit here in the afterglow of Thanksgiving, I’m feeling the best kind of full. A long weekend fat with laughter and cooking and delicious food and more laughter…a trip fat with memories…these are the moments that connect us, that act as a springboard for future memory-making. And for that, I’m truly grateful.