Page 32 - November Banner 2018_Neat

Page 32 November 2018
Grateful Anyway
This column is for the November
issue, so it should be about
Thanksgiving and/or being grateful
for what we have. In truth, I’m
writing this in early October and
Thanksgiving is just a blip on my
radar at this point.
I’m in the middle of getting
things ready for Randy’s and my
24 wedding anniversary (October
th
15), and I’m hoping the weather
will cooperate enough for us to get
away for overnight or at least for
a day trip. I’ve bought a couple of
things for Randy and I got him a
nice card, but remembering where
I’ve put them is something else
entirely, and I fear that the hunt
will involve me cleaning up my
studio.
Writing this column, I know
Catoctin Colorfest is coming up
and the town is busting loose, so I
need to be aware that I can’t come
and go as usual for the next few
days.
I’m planning a Halloween
get-together for my cousins and
extended family, and we’re also
preparing for trick or treat. Trick
or treat would be a no-brainer for
most people, but we have between
300-400 little goblins that descend
upon us each year and that takes
a lot of candy, not to mention that
we try to do some yard decorating
and that Randy wears a costume
while he passes out treats and takes
abuse from the little darlings.
It’s been a crazy week, and I
haven’t had much time to get things
done at home. Mom, Randy, and I
have all had doctor’s appointments
this week. I also made a pilgrimage
to a new dentist because I will
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most likely need a root canal. The
exterminator was here on Tuesday
and the air conditioner repairman
came on Wednesday. In between all
of this, there was work, the yard
guy was here, and I took Mom to
Walmart. If the mailman is Randy’s
nemesis, Walmart is mine.
Maybe that’s why I was thrown
for a loop when I ordered a
Southwest salad at the McDonald’s
in Brunswick and was given a
spoon for eating it. Seriously? The
store was out of knives and forks.
The kid at the cash register couldn’t
think to tell me that when I ordered
my salad? Needless to say, this
didn’t end well and I can’t go back
to that McDonald’s.
Sensing that I was gearing up for
a meltdown, Randy thought he’d
distract me with an episode of the
Halloween Baking Championship
on the Food Network. I love
those shows. One of this season’s
contestants is a young man with
a lovely Carribbean accent. As
we watched this guy bake, Randy
looked over at me and said, “Well,
that makes no sense at all.”
I asked what he meant, and
he said that he’d been sure this
particular contestant was from
Jamaica. I still didn’t understand
what he was getting at, so he
explained. “The guy just said, ‘We
don’t do dat in Ireland.’”
The guy actually said, “We don’t
do that on our island.” And this
is how we watch television at our
house. One of us interprets for the
other, and we take turns doing it.
Now, I wouldn’t want you
to think that I’m not even
contemplating Thanksgiving. I have
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given it some thought. In fact, I
posed a question to my Facebook
friends and asked them to tell
me their preferred way to cook
a turkey. More than one person
responded that they prefer their
turkey to be cooked by someone
else. A few offered up smoking as a
method of choice, but most people
told me that they’ll do a turkey the
traditional way by roasting it in
the oven with something stuffed in
the cavity. A lot of us do a covered
roaster method to make broth for
use in gravy and dressing.
I also asked people to name their
favorite Thanksgiving side dish.
A surprising number of people
said sweet potatoes. I like sweet
potatoes done many different ways,
but my favorite way is mashed up
in a casserole with a crunchy, sweet
pecan topping. Randy prefers them
on someone else’s plate, but he’ll
eat them if I go to the trouble of
making them. The sweet potato
casserole I like best takes two days
to make from scratch, or I can buy
a very similar one for $3.49 at Aldi.
It fits perfectly in my fancy white
casserole dish, and no one knows
the difference.
We had a debate over the
difference between dressing and
stuffing. Dressing wins out at our
house. I don’t stuff my turkey.
Randy and I like dressing with lots
of celery and onions. If you’re in
a pinch and can’t make your own,
Mountain Gate has a delicious
stuffing/dressing.
Also, I can’t stress enough
that a fresh turkey tastes best.
For us, part of the tradition of
Thanksgiving is standing in line on
the Wednesday before the holiday
at Hillside Turkey Farms to pick
up our fresh bird. I have nothing
against a frozen turkey. I’ve cooked
my share of them, but once a year I
like to go for broke.
No matter what your food
preferences are or how frantic or
unsettling your lives have been
recently, I hope you’ll join me in
taking a few minutes to realize that
we all have things for which we are
grateful. For me, it’s family, friends,
and all of you who read my words
each month.
Happy Thanksgiving!
P.S. Thank you, Barb, for the
delicious banana crème pie!