The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window

For whom are you grateful?

November 25, 2008

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. I sat there in the kitchen next to the radio reading up on tips for thawing turkeys. It's probably only right that I let you in on one of my secrets: I've never before cooked a turkey. Nope. I've made turkey breasts and whole chickens and grouse and quail and pheasant before, but never a turkey. I was, frankly, hoping to skip a generation, that my kids would be old enough to pick up the ball once my mother got tired, but it was not to be. At approximately 4:15 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, I purchased a 22.5 lb turkey, frozen solid, biggest one I could find, to prepare for a small gathering of family and friends at the Sundberg table on Thanksgiving Day.

So I read through the instructions I printed after I Googled "How to Cook a Turkey" and I thought it would all be fine until I read that the bird must thaw 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 4 lbs. Which means I'm cutting it close. I may have to do the soak-it-in-the-sink thing, drain the water every 30 minutes, that whole deal. Thank the Lord for mothers. Even I, at my age, have called upon my mother, who plans to arrive early on Thanksgiving to make certain that I, in my inexperience, have all the answers I need to bring that bird to its proper glory.

Think of it, people. Where would you be if it weren't for your mother, your father, your Aunt Anndee, your Grandma LaRae, or whomever it was who raised you up? For whom are you grateful in this week of giving thanks? And for what? This big ol' turkey has got me going, alright. Got me thinkin' of all the ways I've been blessed. I could never name 'em all in an hour or even a day, and those blessings keep on coming, like paychecks and rain.

Try one of these to serve alongside pie for a lighter dessert on Thanksgiving Day.

5 Cup Fruit Salad

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup coconut

1 cup mini marshmallows

Mix. Chill. Serve.

Pistachio Dessert

8 oz container of Cool Whip

1 small pkg pistachio pudding mix

1 can crushed pineapple