Chow down

I know it's supposed to have something to do with the Pilgrims and all that stuff, but when it comes right down to it, it's about family and food and gratitude for both.

This whole blog is really a tribute to family, so let's get down to the food part.

Yeah, there's turkey, but the real stars of the meal for me are the cranberries, shown here in their natural state (no, Laurie, not jellied and cylindrical with the markings of the tin can still pressed into the blob) in a bog on Cape Cod.

When I lived on the Cape, I loved the cranberry bogs, and watching the harvesting of the plump, sour, red berries was fascinating. Sure, it takes a lot of sugar to make them edible, but it's all worth it. What's a hunk of turkey breast without a spoonful of whole-berry cranberry sauce?

And then there's this:
Last year, we actually had Thanksgiving dinner without the pumpkin pie! Everyone thought someone else was bringing the pie. So we have the pumpkin, another unsung round thing from the fruit and vegetable group. And add to that the New England must-have -- turnips. It wasn't until I married George that the turnip tradition began.

What's your favorite part of the Thanksgiving feast? The one thing that fills your heart with gratitude? I've known people who had to have creamed onions (What's that all about, anyway?) and green bean casserole and oysters in their stuffing.

For me, it's all about the cranberries and the pumpkin pie.