November, 2007
I love Thanksgiving. I love the fact that it's all about family and food and feeling grateful for the gifts life has given us.
Yes, I know that sounds sappy but what can I say? The holidays make me sentimental. I mean, why else would I make buttered
parsnips every fourth Thursday in November.
What's that? You're not quite sure what parsnips are. Well, you're not alone. Here in the U.S. we pretty much only see parsnips
tucked away in a bag of soup vegetables, tucked between a limp carrot and some disheveled celery greens. Parsnips are beige root
vegetables that look like fat carrots in need of color and, for me, they are the centerpiece of my Thanksgiving table.
This is what happens when one of your grandmothers is an Englishwoman born-and-bred. My Grandma El emigrated to this country when
she was nineteen years old. By the time I arrived on the scene, she had been living here for thirty-one years but her heart still
beat for Queen and Country. Grandma El could whip up a Thanksgiving feast that was second to none even though it wasn't one of
"her" holidays . . . as she told us every single Thanksgiving when we sat down at the table. But that table was a thing of
beauty: roast turkey, mashed potatoes, turnips, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, creamed onions, cranberry sauce, gravy,
her special stuffing, flaky biscuits dripping with sweet butter, and parsnips.
Grandma El left us in 1989 but her parsnips hold pride of place on our Thanksgiving table every year. Parsnips for Grandma El . . .
creamed onions for Daddy . . . my mother's peppery, delicious turnips - who knew cooking was the secret to keeping your best
memories alive.
I wish you a holiday season filled with love and joy and an abundance of all things wonderful
- Kali's fab pumpkin cheesecake recipe
- What would November be without a contest?
- Grandma's super simple, super wonderful stuffing recipe
And thank you for being there.
Archived letters:
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
