[Peachie]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

Speaking of Thanksgiving, who remembers the celebrations of old at their grandmother's homes????????? Back then it was a true feast, with course after course.........rather than just plopped on the table family style.

I'm recalling my dad's Italian side of the family.........everyone went to Grandma's house which was NOT big.....her kitchen was teeny tiny, but somehow they created magic in that little kitchen.

The dining room table was set with plates on top of plates on top of plates, etc. As each course was served and finished, that top plate would be removed back to the kitchen.......( oh, and NO dishwasher )

It wasn't just turkey..........and the "sides" that go with the bird, like stuffing or dressing (whatever you prefer to call it).......but the Italians served antipasto and then lasagna before the bird.......and salad last.
But lots of veggies too. I do not remember pies.........but I do remember lots of rich pastries...........but this was the 1950's.

Anyone remember that era???????????

I used to have a funny comical Italian "menu" of exactly what was consumed at an Italian's family table for the holidays, from soup to nuts and everything in between.......polished off with that yellow liquor, whose name escapes me right now.

I still don't know how they did it in those modest tiny kitchens with hardly any countertops....and certainly not granite or stainless steel décor.

But it was all done with LOVE.....by all the daughters and aunts, etc.

Senior, I remember Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's house but it was far more memorable when my mother took over hosting Thanksgiving for our family.

It's a shame not many of the younger generation step up to host this wonderful day for their families. I remember all the baking and preparation the day before and as a young girl being able to help with the simpler tasks such as vacuuming, dusting and then setting the table with the fine china, crystal and carefully fold napkins.

We would awaken in our beds in the early morning hours and smell the wonder aroma of roasting turkey and dressing. The meal to follow was sumptuous and leftovers would slowly disappear over the next 3 days; then we were back to our everyday conservative meals.

The Thanksgiving Day menu always included: turkey, dressing (with raisins), gravy, hot rolls with real butter, mashed potatoes, baked sweet potato casserole, two of our very favorite salads, cranberries, pumpkin pie and home made whip cream. Oh, I almost forgot the relish tray (remember those) that included creamed herring. Nothing on the menu was out of the ordinary but it was all made from scratch including bread diced and dried early for the dressing.

There was fresh whole milk on the table straight from the milk cooler in the milk-house attached to the barn and you had to shake the pitcher before pouring a glass. The shaking was to mix in the thick layer of cream on the top of the milk and our attempt at homogenization.

It was a wonderfully pure family day with no fanatical planning to dash out to buy more stuff for ourselves or our family that night or early the next morning which we didn't need, simply because the glutted Christmas holiday season was being kicked off early.