When I was in high school my mom was into painting ceramics. Every few months she would bring home a new piece and we would ooo and ahh over it, and most of the time it would go in a closet to not be seen again. Most of the pieces were painted and fired for pure decorative use, but in some cases she would go the extra mile and use a food safe glaze so we could use them for serving. And like the decorative pieces most serving pieces were used a couple of times to never really be seen again.
Due to Covid-19 we will not be spending time with either my mom’s family or with Matt’s, and so for the last week or so I have been planning all the family favorites for a very small family gathering with just Dad. Although the oven went out last week after our Sunday supper, the repair guy was able to get it fixed this morning in time for me to prep all the starchy goodness that you need an oven for to prep for Thanksgiving. Something about this year made me long for things from the past that would make our dinner seem a bit more traditional.
This week while planning for a possible stovetop only meal, I got to thinking about a set of ceramic pumpkins my mom had made that we had used a couple of times for our big family farm Thanksgivings. Complete with the special food safe glaze, I knew that there was a small one that would be perfect for cranberry sauce. (Michael requested real cranberry sauce from fresh berries –sigh.) So the hunt began for the perfect dish for a brand new recipe. I talked to Dad to see if he knew where they were and if could he find them. I knew I saw them and packed them for their move to Kingsport two years ago, but with Mom’s passing I really didn’t know if we could find them, especially on short notice. I was delightfully surprised when Dad called this morning to say he had found them in some of Mom’s craft things. Not where we thought they might be but the set nonetheless complete with 8 napkin holders hiding in the largest, a piece that he suggested would be perfect for rolls. (Ahem, I had not planned for rolls due to said oven issues, but thankfully I keep frozen dough in the freezer, just in case.) Somehow those pieces that had not been used in years made it feel like this year would be ok. Different, but ok.
Sometimes life doesn’t work out quite like we wish, and we end up making new memories and new traditions to go with the expected and known standards. While this isn’t the Thanksgiving any of us had hoped or planned for, next year we will look back and there will be silver linings that we can all be thankful for and feel blessed having experienced. Having Mom’s pumpkin set out this year will help bring a little of her to the table and will help me remember the Thanksgivings of my youth. I hope that each of you has a wonderful and blessed holiday, and you find the new traditions that come from 2020 to be a way to remember how we each persevered this year. I will leave you with what I hope is a new tradition in our house: Michael’s Covid-19 Cranberry Sauce!
1 12oz pack of fresh cranberries, 1 cup of orange juice, 1 cup of sugar, zest from 1 large orange (Approx. 2 tsp.), a pinch of salt, a pinch of cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp vanilla. In a small sauce pan combine all but vanilla and heat on medium high until berries burst, turn to low and stir for approximately 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla and continue to heat for 1 more minute. Remove from heat, cool and place in fridge until ready. Can be made up to 3 days before serving. (Truth be told this is the first time I have made this dish. I tinkered with one I found online with ingredients I thought Michael would eat, so fingers crossed this is a good addition to the family line up. It did taste really good when in put it in the fridge to cool. )
In service from our table to yours, Cecile
