Turkey Day 2009

Thanksgiving Day 2009 was spent at my grandmom’s house this year, a tradition that has been a part of my family for as long as I can remember. This year, the day was spent hanging out with family, eating ridiculous amounts of food, and shooting clay pigeons. Each year has been a little different but the location and menu always is constant. Being from the south, we have a typical southern thanksgiving menu.

Turkey, of course, is the center of the meal even though it is far from my favorite. Thanksgiving is one of the few meals where the protein is not my favorite, many of the side items take center stage on my plate. Sweet potato casserole and dressing take the leading roles with green beans and potato salad playing fabulous supporting actors.

Our sweet potato casserole is different than what many people think of when they think of sweet potato casserole. We forgo the overly sweet marsh mellow topping for a crispy, buttery, brown sugar and pecan crust. The sweet potatoes themselves are creamy and rich but not overly sweet. This casserole could be a dessert but it happily takes a seat between the dressing and the cranberry sauce.

Then there is our dressing, which is not, I repeat NOT stuffing. Dressing is a lovely blend of bread products, onion, and turkey stock that creates quite possibly the greatest starch known to man. Unlike stuffing, dressing is not an overly spiced soppy mess but a nice, mellow concoction that tastes like what it should, bread.

I love Thanksgiving, the food and the time with family. I especially like spending it at my grandmom’s. Which leads me to my next post topic. Until next time, enjoy these pictures of food and family from our trip.