Thanksgiving in Texas

I grew up in a family with a mom and grandmas who were fantastic cooks. When I was a kid, we always were surrounded by family--aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents-- at Thanksgiving. The women all worked in the kitchen, while the men watched football and joked around as the kids ran around my grandma's house. Of course there was a kids' table and a grown up's table, where we ate an afternoon feast of all the food you could eat and lots of homemade pies for dessert.

Afterward, my parents expected us to help clean up the kitchen and assist with hand-washing and drying Grandma's dishes (we never used paper plate or plastic silverware. Later we would piece on leftovers then pile in the living room for a family movie night while my grandpa and the occasional uncle conked out, snoring in an easy chair.

Now, with a husband and three kids of my own, I miss the family gathering that Thanksgiving brought during my childhood since I live far away from my family. My kids do not have the luxury of hanging out with their cousins at Thanksgiving. Sadly, I did not get the "cooking" gene. Anyone who knows me will know that I HATE to cook and avoid it at all costs. As every Thanksgiving approaches, I dread having to cook a huge feast like my grandma and mom did. It just intimidates me! On years when I volunteer to do it (if we are not invited anywhere), my husband won't let me cook since he knows it stresses me out too much and ruins the day for everyone. Instead, he would sometimes scrape some money together and taken us out to a Thanksgiving buffet.

Since my husband and I have very little family in Texas, we have begun to realize just how lonely the holidays can be without extended family. Our first year here, we had a Thanksgiving ham since we did not want to waste a big Turkey on our small family and were on a law school budget. My kids say that year was a "boring Thanksgiving" with just our family.

Over the years, however, many friends have taken us in. Our second year in Texas, we had Thanksgiving with my sister, Melissa and her in-laws and our friends, the Bassetts. Besides the normal Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings, my brother-in-law made mussels one year which added a coastal touch. A few years later, we spent another Thanksgiving with them in College Station where my sister and her husband live. We all squeezed into a cozy apartment of a friend of theirs for another scrumptious meal. I will never forget how my son, who was five at the time, came dressed in his Native American headband and vest that he made in school. My kids sang songs and then my eldest daughter gave them a concert on her violin. What fun memories!

This year as well as another year, we spent Thanksgiving with our good friends, the Huebers, who made the best turkey cooked in a pillow-case doused in butter and had many Southern side-dishes, such as creamed corn, cornbread stuffing, and green bean casserole flavored with bacon. YUM!

At Thanksgiving, I am especially grateful for all those who have taken in a lady who hates to cook and her family. Eventually, I will be brave enough to host my own Thanksgiving and take in holiday orphans, just like us.