Friday, November 17, 2006

Thanksgiving D'ruthers

Less than a week to go. So what are your Thanksgiving preferences? Feel free to play along, even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving.

1. Stuffing or Dressing?
I'm a dressing girl, myself. That's just the way we do it in the South. Good ol' cornbread dressing, baked outside the turkey, using the giblets and juices. Stuffing (cooked inside the bird) is just yukky to me.

2. "We Gather Together" or "Over the River and Through the Woods"?
Hmm. Tough one. I love 'em both. I'll go with "We Gather Together," if a gun's put to my head. I know all the words. Still, a rousing chorus of "Over the River" is so festive!

3. Pumpkin Pie or Apple Pie (for Thanksgiving, I'm talkin' here)
I'll take two slices of pumpkin and one of apple, please.

4. Pilgrims or Indians?
Well, seems to me all the good food came from the Indians, right? Turkey, corn, and so forth. But I love those swell Pilgrim hats, too. I'm going with the Indians, though. They seemed more fun-loving.

5. Underdog Balloon or Kermit the Frog Balloon (Macy's Thanksgiving Parade)?
Speed of lightning, roar of thunder - Underdog! (Love ya', Kermie, but the Underdog balloon is tops with me.)

6. Football or Shopping?
Neither. I prefer eating leftovers and watching Miracle on 34th Street in my 'jammies.

7. Midday Thanksgiving Meal or Evening Thanksgiving Meal?
Midday. If you don't eat until evening, you don't get the mid-evening leftovers craze. (see above)

8. Hot Cider or Cold Cider?
Hot (for the holidays). Cold in the summertime.

9. Homemade Cranberry Sauce/Relish or Canned Cranberry Sauce?
Homemade. With orange peel and pecans and other goodies.

10. Turkey Carved at Table or Turkey Carved Ahead of Time?
Carved ahead of time. Carving at the table would take too long and be too messy. (And I couldn't pick at the warm turkey before everyone else gets at it.)

Your turn.

5 comments:

Elsie said...

1. Stuffing -- bread and sausage. Looks gross, tastes great! We always have to cook some outside of the bird, but the "inside stuffing" (as we call it) is preferred. I've always wanted to try cornbread dressing though.

2. "Over the River." Sorry, but "We Gather Together" isn't as lively, especially at church with organ, it drones on and on.

3. Apple. But this year I'm making Cranberry Walnut Cheese Cake! I'll save you a piece.

4. Indians. For all your reasons.

5. Underdog, my childhood superhero! Kermit's just too young (showing my age again).

6. Football, but only if a friend's kid is playing in the big local high school game! And those are always in the morning, so I'll join you watching Miracle.

7. Midday -- your reasons again.

8. Neither. Hot chocolate with fluff and, since it IS Thanksgiving after all, some whipped cream too!

9. Homemade. But I've never seen it with pecans. Orange, yes, but pecans? Must make for an interesting texture. Maybe later you could post a recipe?

10. So sorry, Mary. But the turkey MUST be carved at the table. Mom always made the best looking turkeys (could be on a magazine cover). And then there's the annual photo taken of the table and all its bounty. Then there's the removal of the stuffing (you'd love that!). Finally, the slicing. No need to worry about it taking too long, it gives you time to get all the other things onto your plate first!

And here's one for you, mashed or roasted? Mashed is the only way to go. It's the one thing that everyone in my family agrees on (besides the carving of the turkey!), but I have friends who insist that roasted is the only way to go. What do they do with the gravy?

Anonymous said...

I'm not going to do the entire thing, but wanted to vote on a couple of the more important issues of the day:

1. Cornbread dressing as you describe it, with sage of course. This is the way God intended it. Not with squash or oysters or bread and sausage (sorry Elsie).

3. Coconut cake

6. Football. All day. No matter who is playing. And nibbling on leftovers, especially turkey sandwiches (white meat only, thank you) with lots of mayo.

9. Fresh crushed cranberries with whatever else goes in them.

Mary, I know you did not contrive the original meme, but you also recognize that it omits mention of a couple of ubiquitous Thanksgiving dishes (in the South at least). Sweet potato casserple with chopped pecans and slightly melted and browned marshmellows on top, and the one that I always wonder about how it came to be traditional - the french cut green bean casserol with mushroom soup and the canned onion ring thingies on top. I will eat both of these dishes, but only after the turkey and dressing and cranberry sauce and coconut cake are depleted.

MaryB said...

Elsie, you need to round up a few more non-Southerners to comment on Thanksgiving traditions, otherwise, you'll be outnumbered 'round here!

I've enjoyed talking with the folks in my office about all of their Thanksgiving traditions - ranging from Italian, Chinese, Dominican (Republic, not the monk-kind). I'm the only cornbread stuffing person around!

Bro - like you keep your fingers outta the warm turkey! Sure! ;-) Rule of thumb (or "fingers") - "S/he who carves gets first pick."

Winston, actually this isn't a meme, just something I made up. Sorry I couldn't include everything - gotta save something for next year's blog, right?

BTW - Garth and Claire are bringing the sweet 'tater souffle. Can't have Thanksgiving without it.

Elsie said...

I'm hoping that Peter will stop in and side with me, Mary. He may be living in LaLa Land, but he's still a New Englander, through and through. Bread and sausage, and the entire bird making it to the table. I've got to stick with it, it's the only way to go!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!

jomoore said...

None of this means much to me - but I have heard of Kermit!