HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2020

Link | | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Like most of you, Thanksgiving for us looks very different this year — Mr. G and I will prepare a feast for two as we stay close to our phones to see faces from far away. Though less than ideal, we have learned that love can be conveyed and community built through our mobile devices while we wait for this scary time to pass.

ABOUT THE FOOD…

There is so much about this holiday we can’t control but I CAN control the food! Sooooo, to add additional comfort to the day, we are going full-on family traditional. Our menu:

TURKEY

For the first time, I bought a bone-in turkey breast. We love turkey and as I look at the size, I’m thinking we might not have the leftovers we want.


DRESSING THE MOM WAY

Most everyone in our family says “Dressing the Mom Way” is their favorite. My recipe is a combination of what I learned from my mom and my mother in law. Actually, my daughter and son have now surpassed me in their cooking abilities!! They are both fantastic and creative cooks! I’m wondering do you call it dressing or stuffing?

I especially love this picture of hands – me and my son stirring up the dressing a couple of years ago! 🥰

CHRISTMAS CRAN

A combination of cranberries, apples, and nuts. Trust me it is yummy. (Recipe here.)

NOODLES

Yes, noodles. (An Indiana thing – to put noodles on your mashed potatoes.)

OVERNIGHT SALAD

My most requested side when we have Thanksgiving with friends. It is a very simple overnight salad: Iceberg lettuce, Cauliflower, Red onion in layers. The next layer is a dressing of mayo (Hellman’s always), Parmesan cheese, sugar, salt and pepper. The very top layer is crispy bacon pieces.

MASHED POTATOES

We will be using Bob Evans mashed potatoes. They are really almost as good as homemade.

GRAVY

(Homemade with broth, butter, flour & spices.)

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

I did a survey on Instagram asking who was a fan of the much-debated Green Bean Casserole.

Love it or hate it, the green bean casserole has quite the history…

This mixture of canned soup, green beans and fried onions has graced holiday tables since the 1950s.

Campbell’s estimates 40% of the Cream of Mushroom soup sold in the US goes into making green bean casserole.

For more history on green bean casserole, read on here.

HILLIGOSS ROLLS

For those not local  —  Hilligoss is our favorite small family-owned, local bakery. They make thousands of Parker House rolls for the holidays. The best!!!! We call every November 1 to place our order. They bake a limited supply – so pre-order is necessary!

Mr. G with the score! (Yes, he wore a mask but took it off briefly for a quick pic.) Some for now and some for the freezer!

PUMPKIN PIE

Because it is Mr. G’s favorite. Me … I prefer Apple Pie.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU!

Yes, it’s 2020 and even though we won’t have a full table this year and our hearts are tender…  our hearts are also full of love for family and friends. We are grateful for you!

We pray for the day we can gather together again! It will take many, many gatherings before this hole in my heart is filled up and I vow to NEVER EVER take gathering with my loves for granted!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻

This Thanksgiving and every Thanksgiving we give thanks and put our trust in the One that sustains us in all times – good and bad. He never changes.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34

Wishing you love, good health, and all your yummy favorites!

🦃 🥘🍲🥧🥗  😘

11 thoughts on “HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2020”

  1. Hi Teresa, I loved today’s words. You are always so eloquent. Thanks for carrying on during our strange year and we hope to get together again soon with families and friends near and far. Ryan and I send love to you and Mr. G for a Happy Thanksgiving.

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  2. I’m sure you will enjoy your small feast! It’s so interesting to hear how traditions can vary in different parts of the USA. We will have our daughter and her husband who just moved to CA from Memphis in July, and giving thanks for our new granddaughter in Chicago. Hoping to FaceTime with their family tomorrow too! His love endures forever!!!

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  4. Happy thanksgiving! This holiday looks about the same for me, I usually celebrate with the family I live with anyway- stay safe and lovely blog you have 🙂

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  6. I enjoyed your Thanksgiving blog, and thank you for the recipes. We have baked sweet potatoes with our Thanksgiving meal and pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and sweet potato pie for our dessert. Sometimes, apple pie. My son set up a Zoom visit on our computers, and that was just wonderful to see and visit with each over the computer. We even played a fun game on Zoom. The lovely cards we received, texts, and phone calls made the day even more special. And we remembered to write in our Gratitude Journals how grateful we are. Weather was just gorgeous, and lots of beautiful roses still in bloom with their vivid colors. (Friday, November 27, 2020)

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