Thanksgiving starts the Holiday season for me. I so look forward to this time of year because I get to spend time with family, sharing meals and memories. The last couple of years Donna and I have hosted the thanksgiving dinner for her family and our children and grandchildren. I believe that everybody had a good time this year at our dinner.
Sadly so much of my family has passed and I miss the opportunity to share those memories that are uniquely ours. My mother, father and two older brothers are no longer with us. But I still have the memories that we shared. One of those memories is of my mother collecting all of the left over turkey, gleaning every morsel of meat from the skeletal carcass to make turkey gravy. I am not sure if this tradition was born from the necessity to make the most of every scrap of food because she had a limited budget or if she really liked the gravy. I know I liked it!
We had left over turkey from our dinner so I decided to make this to honor my mothers memory. No recipe, just my memory from watching her craft her gravy. I made a simple butter and flour rue, added milk, salt, pepper and let it simmer until it was the thickness I like and then added the turkey to warm. I served it on a potato cake, made from left over mashed potatoes with egg added, and a slice of bread. Simple peasant type fare. My gravy was thicker than I remember my Mom's but it is the way I like it. It truly tasted good and so reminded me of Mom.
My father rarely cooked but when he did, it was always a big production. Pots and pans everywhere. He seemed to run from the stove to the sink to the refrigerator as if he was running a race or was the only sous-chef in the very busiest restaurant. It was almost comical or cartoonish. But his food was always good. One thing he used to make as a late night treat for himself was simply bread and milk. He would rip up a couple slices of bread, stuff it in a glass, add a liberal amount of sugar and pour milk over it. When we were young my brothers and I would ocassionally have this too. For my turkey gravy lunch I decided to do the same for my dessert.
This leftover lunch brought back so many great family memories. I felt a closeness to my folks that I cannot explain. The smell of the food, the picture of them in the kitchen and dining room all seemed to comfort me. Mom and Dad, as a famous performer from your era said, "Thanks for the Memories".
Sadly so much of my family has passed and I miss the opportunity to share those memories that are uniquely ours. My mother, father and two older brothers are no longer with us. But I still have the memories that we shared. One of those memories is of my mother collecting all of the left over turkey, gleaning every morsel of meat from the skeletal carcass to make turkey gravy. I am not sure if this tradition was born from the necessity to make the most of every scrap of food because she had a limited budget or if she really liked the gravy. I know I liked it!We had left over turkey from our dinner so I decided to make this to honor my mothers memory. No recipe, just my memory from watching her craft her gravy. I made a simple butter and flour rue, added milk, salt, pepper and let it simmer until it was the thickness I like and then added the turkey to warm. I served it on a potato cake, made from left over mashed potatoes with egg added, and a slice of bread. Simple peasant type fare. My gravy was thicker than I remember my Mom's but it is the way I like it. It truly tasted good and so reminded me of Mom.
My father rarely cooked but when he did, it was always a big production. Pots and pans everywhere. He seemed to run from the stove to the sink to the refrigerator as if he was running a race or was the only sous-chef in the very busiest restaurant. It was almost comical or cartoonish. But his food was always good. One thing he used to make as a late night treat for himself was simply bread and milk. He would rip up a couple slices of bread, stuff it in a glass, add a liberal amount of sugar and pour milk over it. When we were young my brothers and I would ocassionally have this too. For my turkey gravy lunch I decided to do the same for my dessert.This leftover lunch brought back so many great family memories. I felt a closeness to my folks that I cannot explain. The smell of the food, the picture of them in the kitchen and dining room all seemed to comfort me. Mom and Dad, as a famous performer from your era said, "Thanks for the Memories".
This is a beautiful tribute to wonderful parents! I truly enjoyed reading...although I'm not sure if I'm ready for milk and bread ;)
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