Faithful Food: A Study in Frenzi and Grace

A STUDY IN FRENZY & GRACE

By: Kim Long, DRE

ONE WOULD THINK that with a name like Thanksgiving that the ensuing day and meal would be oh I don’t know relaxing, gratitude inducing, and holistic. Mass in the early morning so as our priest said on Thanksgiving day the ladies can get home and “ see to the lunch”, a few televised parades, football, and the attractiveness of a menu which seldom changes.

As I think back to my childhood memories of Thanksgiving dinners I am reminded of the scripture verse that says when I was a child I thought as a child. Certainly all my siblings and I wanted to see were the sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top had been removed from the broiler just before they were browned beyond felicity, never giving a moment’s thought to all the effort, planning, and budgeting that went into providing a real feast for us. We stuffed our faces and were expelled from the house to go outside and play. My sister and I were grateful we were not deemed mature enough to help with the washing of the good china my grandmother set the table with. We stuffed dried and crunchy leaves down one another’s shirts, rested on our backs comparing shapes we saw in the clouds, and were filled with the wonder of a basically ordinary childhood.

Today I am the grandmother. I am also absolutely certain that I do not possess the calm and efficient demeanor and seamless productivity of my grandmother, mother, and aunt. In my experience there are two ways to approach this culinary High Holy Day.

One way is to plan ahead/do ahead/freeze ahead. This was a method first offered to me in the cookbook entitled appropriately enough “Happy Holidays from the Diva of Do Ahead: A Year of Feasts to Celebrate with Family and Friends” written by Dianne Phillips. I tend to read cookbooks the way I read novels - front to back with lots of underlines. This book was no exception. With timelines, shopping lists, and menus she was the model of efficiency but I could not embrace her entire plan, instead opting to

bake the cornbread early and freeze it. The other effort I made at planning was a to do list which was revised each morning ad nauseum.

Two tricks I learned from my aunt were to set the table ahead of time and cover it with a clean sheet to keep dust from spoiling it. Along with that she pulled all her serving dishes and wrote the food they would hold on sticky notes. It works well and saves time when the moment is at hand.

Other than these few time saving measures, I prefer to live on the edge, employing method number two which is to set my clock for 4 am (a time I find it particularly difficult to be thankful for much of anything except coffee...yes coffeestrong, hot, and delicious) and get cooking. Everything seems to be going according to plan so I can cover the pots on the stove and dash off to Mass (this is one Mass I try to always attend....it does help me balance the self generated madness of this cooking marathon). Later at home I vault through the door, my purse and missal to one side and the car keys flung in the opposite direction the smell of the food fills me completely and I drift for a few seconds down the road of time into my grandmother’s own kitchen. Snapping back to reality I finish up my preparations just in time... always just in time.

This year, one of the readings for Mass on Thanksgiving Day is from Sirach and it is a beautiful reminder that we are in God’s care. Here is part of it, “And now bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb and fashions them according to his will!”

THANKSGIVING LESSONS I HAVE LEARNED

1. There is much more happening than cooking, we are recreating a feeling, a time, a place. It is liturgical in nature; recognize that and pray for those present as well as the stranger.

2. Let your guests know what time dinner will be served...and stick to it. Unless someone calls or texts with a legitimate reason, eat on time. That will save you much frustration.

3. If you haven’t been in fairly close contact with extended family and they will be sharing this meal at your table please make an effort to ask their input in the preparation and pull them into the dinner table conversation. They will appreciate feeling included. ”

4. Don’t be shy about being vocal for blessings and things for which you are grateful. We go around the table at every family dinner sharing the best and worst thing about our day, but on this day we say what we are most thankful for.

5. Invite your adult children to bring some contribution- for my married sons I ask them to bring a casserole or dish they enjoy, for my single ones a bag of ice or a gallon or two of tea or sodas.

6. Don’t rush the dessert...let your meal settle, clear the table (asking for help) and put on the kettle for coffee or tea. This is after all not a day to hurry.

7. Weather permitting; take a walk with the little ones. Leaves and pinecones become rare treasures when blown by the November wind. Help them carry their treasures back home as gifts for their parents.

8. If everyone can’t be present, text a group photo to them or call putting everyone on speaker letting them know they are missed.

9. Donate to your church’s food pantry...even in my most frugal years I found it possible.

10. Finally...relax. The meal has been enjoyed and the blessing made for another year. Thanks be to God.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

This is an old standard in many families. Here is my family’s take on this seasonal favorite.

6-8 Servings

Wash, wrap in aluminum foil and place on a cookie sheet four to six large sweet potatoes.

Bake at 375 until tender. Remove from oven, let cool, and peel each potato.

In a food processor or with a stand mixer take potatoes, ½ to ¾ cup brown sugar or powdered sugar depending on your taste. Add 1 stick of butter, melted Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon cloves, ½ teaspoon nutmeg Blend well. Add a small can of Pet Milk and continue mixing. Turn into a buttered casserole dish. Top with marshmallows and bake until completely warmed. Run under the broiler of your oven to brown the marshmallows. Serve piping hot and be prepared to be thanked by all the young ones as well as the young at heart! It is sweet and served only once a year but it is some kinda good!