Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

My dad loved to cook and his favorite time of year was Thanksgiving. He made such a big deal about cooking the turkey. The night before he would make lots of cornbread and he would cut up onions, celery, green peppers and garlic for the dressing. He would put the turkey giblets and livers in a pan of water with onions and cook them till they were done. Then he would chop them up and put half of it in the cornbread along with the onions, celery, green peppers and garlic, next came the seasonings. You really had to watch him here because he would get a little carried away with the pepper. Ohhh..he had such a good time preparing the dressing. It went into the refrigerator for the overnight chill. The next morning he would get up early and stuff the turkey. He would clean out the turkey cavity and sprinkle salt inside. The dressing went in next and then he would close the openings with string and tie the legs closed. He would spread oil all over the outside of the turkey and then cover it with a tent made from aluminum foil. He made sure that the foil was crimped tightly around the edges of the pan. He would have the oven pre-heating to 500 degrees. The turkey went in and cooked for 30 minutes on 500 degrees and then he would turn it down to 325 degrees for the remainder of the cooking time. When the turkey was almost done he would take the foil off and baste the turkey and let it brown. He would take it out of the oven and let it sit till ready to eat. The meat would be falling off the bones and was the most tender turkey you would ever eat…Oh, I can taste it now.

Once my mother died, twenty years ago, dad would come over to my house and spend the night. He would bring all of his supplies and all the things he would need for his cooking. We stayed up late preparing the dressing. Dad never missed his chance to “do his turkey”. The year before he died he came over, with his oxygen tank in tow, he sat on a stool in the kitchen cutting his onions, celery, green pepper and garlic. I was right there handing him what he needed to prepare his dressing. It took him a little longer to do, but he did it anyway. He wanted to, it was his job. I do all the turkey fixings now. Dad did a good job teaching by example. The turkey is just as good but somehow it was better when dad did it. I sure do miss my dad.

I need to keep my eye out for a turkey about 22 to 24 lbs. We usually have about 20 family and friends over for dinner. Everyone brings a dish and we have a real feast. It’s a lot of work but well worth it. I am very thankful for all my blessings.

What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions?
One of my favorite things to do is to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade on TV, in the morning, after stuffing the turkey. I love parades. Nothing like a great marching band and watching children in coats, hats and gloves having a great time.

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