The holidays arrived in a flurry and passed in a blur. This year I appreciated the gift everyone
seemed to be ready to bestow…time together.
We made gingerbread houses, ribbon Christmas trees, and did a cutesy-pootsey
painted sign project that was more fun than I had expected. I had less to put away this year and more to
think about.
One thing that didn’t change is the regularly scheduled
feast/gorge. Every year at Thanksgiving
and Christmas all of us contributing females get together and swear we are not
going to make as much food. Every year we
say the same thing: too much food! too
many leftovers! this is the year we’re going to keep it to a minimum. You know, the annual little white holiday lie. In reality each of us continues to make her “regulars”
and add a new dish to try every single year….it never fails.
Other dishes may come and go, but there are two staples to every holiday table in our family. I make those, and I consider my contributions to be a non-religious communion of sorts because they are lovingly done
in remembrance.
Must number one:
I make Katie’s oyster dressing, a delicious
concoct of onion, celery, bread cubes oysters and spices that has graced our
holiday tables since our courtship.
Katie, my mother in law, always had every available surface covered with
slices of bread for two days before Thanksgiving and Christmas. From this caloric clutter she created her
dressing, and everyone in the family loved it.
After we married, I spent holiday eves watching her make the stuff. Her “dash of this, dob of that, and do this till
it feels right” instructions mystified me as I took notes. When I finally tried to fly solo there were
several years my husband suffered through my inexperienced interpretation of that
recipe. There were times the sage turned
the dressing a color of green only rivaled by the Christmas tree, while others
were an almost tasteless clump of soupy bread.
But Larry hung in there with me, and my persistence paid off. I have mastered Katie’s oyster dressing, I
know she’d be proud of me. Each year, as
I put things together, I remember her working on this in her tiny kitchen. It was a no-frills operation with no counter
space, and I marvel at the variety of delicious dishes she turned out. I make oyster dressing every year to honor
this special woman.
My second must-have contribution: Mom’s pumpkin
cake. This cake has been a part of our
holiday celebrations for almost as many years as the dressing, but I only took
it on a few years ago when mom wasn’t able to make it any longer. For a couple of years I made the cake under her direction then,when
we lost her four years ago, it became mine to do alone. It is made from her handwritten recipe, delivered to the feast in the cake dish she always
used that was taped to “keep it from sliding around in the car”. Again, as I put ingredients into my Kitchen Aid
mixer and pop it into one of my ovens, I marvel at how much mom did with so
little equipment and space to work with.
She always delivered the cake and untaped the lid saying, “I’m not sure
it’s any good. I think I’ve forgot how
to cook.” Everyone knew that was the
prompt to stick a finger in the icing and exclaim it was the best ever. I make the pumpkin cake in memory of my mom
and all the family holiday memories that go with it.
Holidays always bring back memories with no shortage of anecdotes to share. I’m grateful for the time our crew
spent together this year, and I hope your season was as busy remembering and creating new
stories as ours.
Let's get on with that Happy New Year
Life
is Good