Saturday, November 22, 2008

Thanksgiving, as I know it, is ruined

Well. Not MY Thanksgiving...but everything I ever thought about Thanksgiving.

You see, I've ALWAYS loved my Mom's stuffing recipe. Its moist and flavorful and light and fluffy and just PERFECT. Since we've been going to Matt's family's for Thanksgiving for so many years, I've really missed having Mom's stuffing - and because they're big fans of cornbread dressing (and I'm not), it just doesn't feel like the Thanksgiving I know and love.

This year, as I mentioned, I'm hosting the big day for the first time, and so I'm pulling together lots of new recipes, hoping to find a few to start traditions of our own. The stuffing recipe I plan to make actually combines cornbread AND French bread, so I thought that perhaps it would be the best of both worlds. I started feeling a little nervous about trying something new though, because as we all know, stuffing is a BIG part of the Thanksgiving tradition, so I called my mom and asked, in a panic, for her recipe, so that perhaps I can just have something familiar and not find myself having a nervous breakdown, curled up in a corner of the kitchen, rocking back and forth, worried about ruining Thanksgiving. Mom said. . .

"well I don't really have a recipe. Its really easy though, just add pineapple chunks and walnuts to your boxes of Stove Top"



(I sat in stunned silence...)



what? ADD to the Stove Top? What do you mean, you used Stove Top all these years?

Memories of Thanksgivings past crumbled at my feet. My Mom, who in my eyes was always the best cook EVER, used boxed stuffing. It was all an illusion. Smoke and Mirrors. Pineapple and Walnuts. Carefully disguised (and boxes covertly thrown away) BOXED STUFFING.

Of course, I don't think less of it - I still love it and now that I know the secret, I can make Mom's stuffing anytime I want, but I would be lying if I wasn't totally stunned.

What Thanksgiving "secrets" do YOU have in your family?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

LMAO!! Too funny!

I'm using The Pioneer Woman's recipes for some stuff too. I LOVE her! Her lasagna and cinnamon rolls are fantastic. I make the cinnamon rolls every once in a blue moon and take them to neighbors. They all request them now at parties.

Back to Thanksgiving...I just went to Williams Sonoma today and bought brining bags and the brine. I'm also making my Gumma's sweet potato casserole (the ONLY way I'll eat sweet potatoes!), my aunt's strawberry pretzel salad, PW's rolls and mashed potatoes (but I'm not peeling the potatoes), and the green bean casserole from those weird onion things (my sister's request). OH, I also bought a frozen apple pie (I'll be the only one who eats it), and I'll make boxed brownies (Damon's request) and Rocky Road Fudge Bars (yum!).

All that for 4 people!

Unknown said...

Oh yeah, I'll be using Stove Top too!

Bridgette said...

LOL! Oh no....it's the taste that counts, right?