Adventures in Cranberry Sauce

If I took the time to figure out the statistics, I would guarantee most of my time has been spent in a kitchen.

I grew up in a family of comedic cooks, one of the best being my Grandma Bateman. I have heard from many people who knew my grandmother that I am, without a shadow of a doubt, “Dot’s granddaughter.” My grandmother was a wiz in the kitchen. She could cook and bake and made most dishes from scratch. She was independent, stubborn, charmingly witty, and not afraid to speak her mind. I’m not sure what they mean by “Dot’s granddaughter.” Oh, did I mention she was also sarcastic? *Winks* She even had silver streaks in her hair and oddly placed dimples in her cheeks, and after realizing she is where I got mine from, I no longer dislike my dimples.

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of cooks meant that Thanksgiving was a big deal! I remember spending many Wednesdays before Thanksgiving in the kitchen. Usually with my mom. We would take the homemade bread she made earlier in the week and tear it up to leave it to grow stale overnight for stuffing, and we baked multiple pies and homemade biscuits.

Thursday morning rolled around, and I could be found in front of the television, awaiting my favorite parade! I still love the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!! It’s one of my all-time favorite things! I look forward to it all year long, ensuring I am up and coffee is ready to go, so I don’t miss a second of my beloved parade. I become a little girl all over again every Thanksgiving morning! My all-time favorite Christmas commercial always premiers during the parade, too!

My grandmother always had a decorative tablescape. It didn’t matter if it was a big Thanksgiving dinner with a table surrounded by family or just her and another person sharing sandwiches on paper plates; she still decorated the table, and I always aspired to be that kind of woman. The type of woman who takes the time to decorate the table. A way of saying, “Regardless of who is around my dinner table or what we eat, I appreciate you enough to decorate the table for you.” It’s one of those rare thoughtful things most people don’t stop to think about, but my sleuth eyes always paid close attention.

The one Thanksgiving staple I always found both humorous and so much like my grandmother was her “fancy” cranberry sauce. Earlier, I mentioned how my grandmother was a kitchen wiz, and Dot’s granddaughter is no different. If I ever want to impress you with my cooking skills, I will make you spaghetti and meatballs, and everything on your plate will be made entirely from scratch, including the pasta. Understandably, when I say “fancy,” you think I mean homemade, but that, my friend, is where you are mistaken.

My grandma had this white serving platter with pink and yellow tea roses (I LOVE tea roses) and gold trim. She would decorate the platter with lettuce, rosemary sprigs, or fruit. On the center of this beautifully decorated platter sat a blob of jellied cranberry sauce, still in the shape of the can. It always made me laugh that my grandmother put forth all this effort to decorate a platter that just holds a mold in the form of a can. I made such a fuss over this that it no longer felt like Thanksgiving without the decorated platter. My mom continued the tradition after my grandmother died, and now that my mom is no longer living, I continue the tradition, and I always will.

It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving for many people without the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and it definitely wouldn’t be Thanksgiving for me without it, or the decorated platter of jellied cranberry sauce.

Do you have any Thanksgiving Traditions? Are you a homemade or jellied cranberry sauce person?

Love & life lessons,

Kristian