Laughter in the Kitchen :: simple thanksgiving

At Thanksgiving, “there are no presents to buy, no lights to put up, no eggs to hide.  It’s simply a time to laugh in the kitchen.” You’ll love Ronne’s memory of her mom in the kitchen. Welcome to 31 days of simple thanksgiving …

Maybe it’s because my mother promptly went into labor after serving what she said was the ‘best fried chicken dinner ever’ to friends and family, or because special meals served on her lovely, ‘formal dining room’ china always meant there would be extra folks sitting with us at the table (we called them ‘strays’), but Thanksgiving has always been in my blood. The season, the sharing, the table filled with good food and amazing grace make it my absolute favorite holiday.

My earliest memories of mom are in the kitchen, her hips swaying to the tunes of Sergio Mendez or Herb Alpert as she stirred whatever goodness was in the simmering pots. That kitchen offered safe haven in the midst of a troubled marriage, and the food that came out of it had the power to brighten even the darkest day. Christmas always made her long for her tiny hometown of Lynch Station, Virginia, and for snuggling up by the wood-burning stove in the home her dad had built. And Easter was for picnics and park visits, cleaning up messy chocolate-covered faces and chasing after little brightly colored baby chicks purchased from dime-stores. But Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving was her favorite time of the year.

Because for mom, Thanksgiving meant nothing but love. There were no presents to buy, no lights to put up, no eggs to hide.  It was simply a time to laugh in the kitchen while making sweet potato pie. It was rising early to put the turkey in the oven, letting the kids smash up the cornbread to make some of the best dressing ever, and staying up late to tenderly hand-wash that china. It was making a mad dash to retrieve the cranberry sauce from the fridge midway through the meal, and making sure those ‘strays’ at the table knew they could stay as long as they liked. It was memory-filled conversations that lasted long after the meal was finished.

This year, our table will be decorated with mom’s china. Her sweet potato pie will be served, and that cornbread dressing will be the star of the meal. I may even purchase a can of cranberry sauce (rather than make my own special recipe), just so there can be a mad dash. I’ll be sharing her recipes with you soon. But today, it’s all about simple thanks for a mom who showed me the beauty of Thanksgiving.

How do you remember your mom in the kitchen?

join us for 31 days of simple thanksgiving

{written by ronne}