The Farmhouse Kitchen: Don't Forget Thanksgiving Pie

It seems we all love traditions. Especially when it comes to food.

There was a Thanksgiving that I absolutely blew out of the water, and I lived to tell about it, although I still can’t live it down.

My oldest daughter got engaged in the fall of that year some time ago, and because it fell very close to Turkey Day, she requested that we have a pre-Thanksgiving dinner for us and for her betrothed. His mama wanted him home on THE day, and I didn’t blame her. I wanted my baby home, too. But in planning this special meal, I missed the memo that ALL the classics and ALL the favorites were the only things we could have. She wanted to show off our family traditions to her hubby-to-be.

Well, I spent a few days planning and cooking, and threw in beautiful foods that I won’t even mention here because they went over like a lead balloon. They were gorgeous, flavorful, and ever so gourmet, but let’s just say the residents of my little funny farm were not amused.

You’d have thought I’d single-handedly sunk the Titanic and then went out and kicked puppies.

It was hilarious. My future son-in-law was a gracious guest who thought my daughter was just the least little bit unhinged. The look on her face as she kept opening the oven and glancing in the refrigerator thinking she’d just overlooked where the real food was, is one of my favorite holiday memories. It was almost like she believed I’d hidden the macaroni and cheese and had somehow misplaced the squash casserole.

So, after dinner, she and my youngest daughter made a list of ALL the things for Thanksgiving that I was allowed to cook — those things, and nothing else. She had input from my boys, and even hit up my hubby for his favorites. They posted the list on my refrigerator. I had been told. I have abided by the rules ever since. And, despite myself, I created an unforgettable memory.

Traditions. We love them. So, let’s hear it for that Thursday in November when we gather, indulge, and focus on all the things we have to be thankful for. May your day be filled with pies and cakes galore; and may your Thanksgiving be a blessed and memorable one.

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