Friday, November 19, 2010

Thanksgiving Past...

It is time for Flashback Friday once again. You know that time when we try to search our brain and remember things from long ago. If you would like to join in click on the button above or stop by and see Linda from Mocha With Linda to get the complete prompt.

This week we are remembering Thanksgiving Pasts – who would of thunk it? So off we go to the memory bank…

Thanksgiving was always a big deal in our family when I was growing up. If I remember right we usually ate at my Aunt Mildred’s and Uncle Colie’s. That was one of my mom’s two sisters that lived in Illinois also. They had a big house with a big basement that had an extra kitchen in it. There were booths to sit at just like a restaurant and then a pool table, card table and all kinds of toys for us kids to be entertained. We always had fun getting together with cousins.

I was in my early teens when that quit happening, you know at that age that you don’t pay any attention to your surroundings especially if it is family. But looking back I do remember something about my aunt putting the turkey in the oven and it did something to her back. Actually her back was already in bad shape, she just had not realized it. Several years later it was determined she had cancer.

I know that my mom and her other sister always brought all kinds of side dishes and goodies. I remember mom made loaves of yeast bread, oh that was so good, and the smell! I still have not run across her recipe, my luck she probably had it in her head. I also remember fruit salad that she made; basically it was fruit cocktail, marshmallows and coconut. I hated that stuff, but somebody must have liked it cause it was always gone. She also made a fruit cocktail cake, I ran across her recipe the other day, I may get brave and try it. Lol. I am sure mom made other things, just not sure what she made. I was never in the kitchen, when I tried to help I was always told maybe next time and next time never came.

And of course we had the usual Thanksgiving spread, Turkey, Mashed Taters and gravy, a vegetable or two, coleslaw, bread along with all the pies and baked goods. My Aunt Mildred was the pie maker… oh my gosh! She could of opened up her own bakery.

After we no longer went to her house, mom would fix Thanksgiving Dinner at home. And it was always good. Mom was a good cook. It was just a lot more fun with the big family.

Next week I will talk about Thanksgiving Dinners after I married. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.  We are having our dinner tomorrow, wish you were here!

until next time... nel

4 comments:

  1. Fun memories. That basement sounds like lots of fun for all the cousins!

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  2. Neat that you had a family that got together like this for the holidays! Your aunt/uncle's house sounded neat with the booths and the big size basement! I can't imagine having an extra kitchen down there, must have been neat!

    I think a lot of moms and grandmoms of that generation had recipes in their head, LOL. I remember my mom saying her mom would make bread and what not without measuring anything out, they just knew how much of this and that to throw together to make delicious things :)

    hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow!

    betty

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  3. I'm trying to write down my moms recipes. She has most of hers on paper but the ones that were her own mother's are mostly in her head.

    Happy Thanksgivng!

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  4. Hi Nel ~~ Thank you for sharing your early Thanksgivings. I am thinking that now you should be liking that fruit salad.

    It's strange how our tastes change. My grandmother made the best scalloped oyster dish. I've liked oysters ever since.
    ..

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