here are the top 5 foods most likely to be found at one of my family gatherings:
- green bean casserole. i don't know why, but my dad's wife believes this to be one of my favorite foods. i think it is because i had never had it before they got married, and i commented that i liked it. now i am in too deep. (as you might guess, she does not read my blog)
- jello, cool whip and fruit. the only component of the infamous jello salad that i actually like is the fruit. i usually take some to be polite and then spread it around my plate. although i did have a particularly tasty version this past sunday at brian and my godson's baptism. it had a bottom layer of pretzels. what a surprise of salty goodness!-white zinfandel. for the last few years brian and i have been hosting thanksgiving. the first year i went to the trouble of selecting wines for each course with the help of L.R. at piazza discepoli. i ended up drinking the whole bottle of geil riesling myself and beth and i split the bottle of dashe zinfandel a couple days later with leftover cranberry upside down cake. so, white zin it is. my grandpa is so cute about it, i can't help but drink a glass when he buys it.
-sweet potatoes with marshmellows. my mom once told me it was a national law that everyone has to eat sweet potatoes on thanksgiving. she's such a liar.
-hamburger buns. whether paired with burgers in the summer or ham and turkey at christmas, they are the universal constant on the family buffet table, napkin-lined basket and all.
i can also say these dishes are served with a side of sacrifice, concession-making, and grins with bearing it. that's what family is all about.
what are your family's staples?
2 comments:
When I attend family reunions there is normally very little that I can eat (except what I bring - which no one else will touch for fear of eating something healthy), but these are the items you would be sure to see in the giant spread:
1. Chicken & Dumplings
2. several potato salads - my cousin Sharon's is the best
3. green beans slow-cooked with ham
4. corn bread - my Mom's Mexican-style cornbread with jalapenos is the best
5. soup beans
6. several slaws - the family favorite (not mine) is the one made with bacon grease. Ewww.
On Thanksgiving, nearly everything prepared came directly from our garden:
1. canned green beans (no ham!) from the garden
2. mashed potatoes (also from the garden)
3. vegetarian stuffing for me, stuffing balls made with sausage and cranberries for everyone else
4. glazed sweet potatoes (also from the garden) - if you ever have the chance to try my Mom's sweet potatoes, which she does not sully with marshmallow, you would realize how good sweet potatoes can be
5. creamed corn which was picked from our garden at the height of sweetness, cut from the cob and frozen within an hour of being picked. It is heaven on earth. Seriously - there is no better creamed corn than this!!!
6. several desserts including zucchini bread, pumpkin roll, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, lemon pie, cranberry cobbler, blackberry cobbler, frozen fruit salad, strawberry ice cream made with frozen berries from the garden, etc etc. I swear my Mom makes at least two full dessert dishes per attendee.
veggie-
i'm totally coming to your house for thanksgiving. my family can fend for themselves :)
everything sounds amazing
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