I have rich memories of Kentucky Thanksgivings at my granny’s house. She’d cook for days beforehand, hardly taking her apron off till she went to bed. One magical happening was going onto the back porch and opening what she called the back closet. There, on many shelves where it was cool and fragrant, rested all the holiday dishes waiting to be carried to the dining room table. On the lowest shelf was my favorite dessert in the whole world – a made-from-scratch, four layer German Chocolate Cake. I’ve never tasted anything like it since. Granny lived to be nearly 100 and my debut novel, The Frontiersman’s Daughter, was dedicated to her. I think if she’d lived to see it (she went home a year earlier), she’d have made me another cake to celebrate.
Now I have my own kitchen but alas, no back closet. I still tie my aprons on like she did and make some of the same dishes. Sadly, she left no recipes as they were all in her head. But she seems especially close in spirit at Thanksgiving and I’m very grateful for her Godly presence and all that home cooking.
Here’s our menu this year:
Roast Turkey
Cracker Barrel Stuffing
Sweet Potato Casserole
Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes and Gravy/Green Beans
Broccoli Bacon Salad
Brussel Sprout Sauté
Orange Cranberry Sauce
Deviled Eggs
Rolls
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Pumpkin Pie
And a favorite German Chocolate Cake recipe.
Wishing you overflowing hearts and not just tables this Thanksgiving!