So, This Is Thanksgiving

Americans love their holidays, and none is more "American" than Thanksgiving. In the year1621, after surviving a brutal year colonizing the new world, pilgrims invited the native americans to join them in a feast of harvest bounty. After 400 years, the origins of the first Thanksgiving no longer matter to most folks. Now, the holiday is just about family and food. 

So, here is a typical Thanksgiving feast, courtesy of my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law.

First, the good china is brought out, and the table is decorated....

Next, every available burner is put to use on the stove. The oven is filled  early in the morning with a turkey. When the turkey is done, rolls, sweet potatoes and dressing have to cook....they are the last things to get done.

Here, there are potatoes boiling for mashed potatoes, fresh green beans are cooking, and a creamy mushroom sauce is simmering.

There are usually so many dishes and desserts that there is hardly enough space to even set them all out in one spot. This is the small table in the breakfast nook. There are four pies, a cake, and cole slaw, along with the uncooked sweet potato casserole and the rolls, all crowded together.

When the turkey comes out of the oven, it has to sit and breath for just a bit before it is carved for the table. I am not sure, but I think this turkey is about a 18 to 20 pound bird.

I am not sure why, but only the men carve the bird....which is fine with me. The women usually start the meal in the wee hours of the morning, so by the time the turkey comes out of the oven, they are glad for any help they can get.

Here is the result of a whole day in the kitchen....

clockwise starting at noon:  green bean casserole with mushroom sauce, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, cauliflower and cheese sauce, and cornbread dressing.

There is no way to eat all the food that has been prepared, so the host family has left-overs for several days.  Yummy!

This is basically all Thanksgiving is about...

There are still some people who remember that the purpose of this holiday is to thank God for his care and his provisions, and I am one of those folks, but when you get right down to it, there is no arguing that most people just focus on the food.

So, I want to take a moment and thank God for all he has blessed my family with. We appreciate all his care, the health he has given us, the family and friends that surround us, and the blessing of living in a beautiful land....
Happy Thanksgiving!

Pecan Pie...A Thanksgiving Tradition

Although Thanksgiving is a singularly American holiday, let us all give thanks for the good things God has blessed us with. I am thankful for the simple things....our home, our jobs, food on the table, and most of all, our family. 

Unlike some holidays, Thanksgiving does not rely on glitter and gifts. It is just a time for family to gather around the dinner table. The family cooks fix fabulous meals that are almost identical every year. At our house, we have turkey roasted in the oven, mashed potatoes and giblet gravy, cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping, rice and broccoli casserole, homemade dinner rolls, and pecan pie. 

This year, the pecans came from our own trees. We harvested them as they fell, then Richard shelled them.

Here is Joe, our grandson, learning how to make a pecan pie.

I make my pie crust from scratch. That means I do not use a mix, and I do not measure exact amounts. I put some flour in a bowl, then cut in some Crisco until the texture looks about right. I add about 1/2 teaspoon salt for each pie crust, and several tablespoons of icy water. I mix it all until it forms a ball of dough.

After lightly wetting the tabletop, I put down a sheet of wax paper, which will not move around if the table is damp. Then, I sprinkle flour on the wax paper and put the dough ball on the paper. Joe and I each had a rolling pin, and we took turns rubbing flour on our rolling pin, then rolling the dough. After we rolled it out a little larger than our pie plate, we cut the dough into a circle and put it into the plate.

Next, we pinched the edges of the dough to form the top crust. Joe wasn't quite sure how to pinch the dough, though. Next year, I am sure he will do better. Before adding the pie filling, I take a fork and poke holes in the pie crust so it does not bubble up in humps as it bakes.

There are lots of recipes for pecan pie. Mine is pretty simple.

1 cup Karo syrup      1 cup white sugar     3 tablespoons brown sugar   1/3 cup butter
3 eggs                         1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the ingredients. Then line the bottom of the pie shell with about 1 cup of pecans. They will rise to the top as the pie bakes.

Pour the filling over the pecans. Place the pie on a cookie sheet to catch any spills as it  bakes and cover the edge of the pie with foil so the crust does not get too dark. Bake the pie at 350 degrees for somewhere between 50 and 75 minutes. You will just have to look at the pie and see if it is too jiggly when you shake it. It can jiggle a little bit, but not too much. It will continue to set as it cools.

Joe was very proud of his first pecan pie. I will treasure the memory of teaching him how to bake a pie, and I hope he will always remember cooking in his grandma's kitchen.

That is what Thanksgiving is all about....family and love, for which I am very thankful.

Hiram Wilson Pottery...a Guadalupe County Treasure

Just a few miles southeast of Seguin off Farm Road 466, in the small community of Capote,  you can drive past one of the greatest archeological treasures of Guadalupe county. For there you will find the remains of the Hiram Wilson pottery.

Hiram, and his brothers Andrew and James, were  the slaves of Prebyterian minister John McKamie Wilson before the Civil War. They learned how to make pottery from the rich Guadalupe clay from Reverend Wilson, and after the war, they established their own pottery.
This was one of the first business owned and run by freed slaves in Texas.

While browsing boothes at the Pecan Fest trade days, I came across several tables filled with old pots, including at least one Hiram Wilson and Company pot.

The Wilson brothers began their business in 1869. The Wison pots were utilitarian service pieces made of a salt glazed stoneware. They are highly coveted by collectors. Here is an example of the brother's work, with their company name stamped near the rim.

Scattered Showers and a Showy Sunset

Big, white, fluffly clouds backlit by the setting sun are just the precursor to....

Rain....falling over the fields and roads in scattered showers, while the sun sets in a fiery display of color.

Monarch Madness

This has been a great week for butterfly lovers. I have spent several days visiting Walnut Springs Park just because the butterflies are out in force. From experience, I can tell you that it is possible to go for long periods of time and not see hardly any butterflies at all. Then, BAM! Something happens and the butterflies are everywhere. 

Most of the butterflies I spotted in the last couple of days are the showy orange Monarchs. There were also a few Pipevine Swallowtails, which never sat still long enough for me to get a good shot....their wings flutter so fast. So, today, I present the Monarch. I hope you enjoy!