Thanksgiving Dinner 2006

Dedicated to Dean, Anne, and Rachel

I stopped going “home” for holidays while I was still in University. My parents divorced in the summer of 1980, and that Christmas it became clear that my “childhood home” simply didn't exist. Unlike some university students, I did not find my old room kept shrine-like for my return: the house had moved on, and it was patently time for me to move on, too. The following Christmas I remember spending Christmas eve watching Kramer vs. Kramer at the moviedome, and eating Christmas dinner as guest of my boyfriend's mother. After graduation, I resolved the problem by cooking holiday dinners myself and sharing them with other young singles in similar family circumstances. I created Christmas Dinner 1984 folloowing the third of those dinners, which I dedicated to my dinner guests of the evening

After I married, we carried on the Christmas dinners – we had always held them on a later day within the Twelve Days to allow guests to fulfill family obligations and command performances – but fell into the habit of having Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws. This year, Dean's parents' travel schedule didn't allow his mother to cook a large dinner, and in a fit of generosity or lunacy, I volunteered to cook. So, for Anne and Rachel who will someday be inheriting the role of cook and chatelaine in this household or in some other, I offer this collection of recipes.

Pumpkin Soup

Biscuits

Roast Turkey

Onion Stuffing

Turkey Gravy

Yorkshire Pudding

Grilled Peppers and Zuchinni

Sweet Potato Casserole

Mashed Potatos

Spinach Salad

Carrot-Raisin Salad

Pumpkin Pie

Apple Pie

Bread Pudding

Lemon Slice

Blond Brownies