Thanksgiving At The Childrens Table

Jeremy and cousin Jenny at the Thanksgiving Children's Table

Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go, INDEED! This will be my second Thanksgiving of being the Grandmother and I am looking forward to cooking up a feast for my children, friends and grandchildren. I can't wait to put a turkey leg on my little Noahie's plate and tell him it's a big chicken! He just loves chicken legs!

If you can't smell my cooking from the driveway then I'm doing something wrong. As soon as your company steps out of their cars they should be met with the savory aroma of roasting turkey and sage dressing followed close by the sweet smells of pumpkin pie and other delicious desserts. Your family deserves nothing less.

This Thanksgiving carries a lot more stress and worry with concerns for our jobs, health care and the wars we have found ourselves in for much too long. Our military forces are far from their homes and loved ones this Thanksgiving and we need to think of them and their families as the Holidays approach.

With all this I can't help but go back to a simpler Thanksgiving when I was a young mother and my children were very small. My mother would spend the night the night before and she and I would bake pumpkin pies deep into the night. That was when the whole family (sisters, brothers, and mates plus all our children)would come together for one BIG Thanksgiving. No matter how much work it was I really miss those days. On Thanksgiving morning I would get up at 4 AM and make coffee and get the turkey ready for the oven. It's a strange feeling when you are giving a 20 pound turkey a bath in the kitchen sink and know that millions of women and some men are doing the same thing. I've often thought it would be the perfect time for every cook to offer up a prayer for all God's people in unison.

When the turkey was almost done my family and friends would start to arrive, filling my little house with laughter and children's voices. Momma would make her famous corn pone for the dressing and she always let me have a small one with a generous dab of real butter. Man that was good! Family that spent the night would be mingling with coffee in hand and sampling this and that to make sure I added enough sage or salt. I always seemed to be able to move around my small kitchen with one or two children draped around my leg. The anticipation of the wonderful meal and the excitement of other kids to play with always made my children hyper.

I always took great pains with the "children's table". I wanted it to be a place just for them to enjoy the company of their cousins and to afford the adults a chance to enjoy adult company. As I listened to the adult talk at our table my eyes and ears followed what was going on at the "Children's table". The expressions and conversations at their table was so wonderful to watch. Talking to each other in ways only children can understand. They were having so much fun it made you want to pull up one of those small little chairs and join them!

Now my children are the adults with children of their own and I will be setting the "children's table" once again. Once again I will envy the captivating conversations that will be held at that small table. A table set for Noah and Cannon Joe and a (for now) empty high chair that waits for my third grandchild due in May.

May this Thanksgiving find us all giving Thanks to our Lord and the guidance we need from him during these trying times. May he bless your home with his love and may your house be filled with delicious food, family and friends to share it all with........ Aunt Onie

Here is my secret recipe for Cornbread Dressing:
Take Turkey giblets, wash thoroughly and put in a pot of water. Chop up at least 4 stalks of celery and one onion and drop into water. Add salt, pepper and boil on medium heat till tender and done. Chop up giblets and set aside. Fry up corn pone or corn bread and set aside to cool. Take a box of dressing mix and add to your giblet water and bring to a second boil and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Empty pot in a large cooking dish adding crumbled up corn pone, one slice of bread, crumbled and one egg. Stirring thoroughly. Add plenty of sage, salt and pepper. Bake in oven at 325 till golden brown. Right before serving ladle dressing with turkey broth to keep delicious and moist. No one likes dry dressing. Enjoy!!!