H and I are baking apple and pumpkin pies today. My mom showed my how to make the pastry crust when I was little - no measurements. H's favorite food in the whole world is pumpkin pie. I bake it three times a year - his birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We have close to 5 inches of snow and it is still coming down.

AM

H's favorite food in the whole world is pumpkin pie. I bake it three times a year - his birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Need I ask the obvious question?

And what question would that be?

We're doing Thanksgiving at my youngest son's new home and I don't have to cook the turkey! Yay!! I'm bringing Deviled Eggs, Green Bean Casserole, Cranberry Sauce and Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes. Can't wait!

When I was a boy, our traditional Thanksgiving meal meant going to the cafeteria! Always enjoyed it, and nobody had to make anything. And there was no cleanup!!! I could have turkey if I wanted -- or ham, fish, chicken fried steak, chicken and dumplings ...

My mind is boggling, Prisca, at the thought of a pie without any ingredients. How do you make a pecanless pie? Just the crust?

Traditional roasted turkey tomorrow at the family get together. When I return home on Saturday, I'll deep fry a couple of birds to have as snacks for the next month.

MY mind is boggling over how she's going to top the smorgasbord markos had when he was growing up!

That sounds like Luby's. We order our giblet gravy and dressing every year from Luby's. It's insane how quickly they sell out and you have to get there before God even gets up to get it!

Luby's and the Cowboys. Two traditions we always keep on Thanksgiving.

In those days Luby's had competition from other cafeterias as well. I have Thanksgiving memories from all three of what used to be the big chains here, including Luby's.

Watching cafeterias die out the last few years has been pretty emotional for me. Last time we ate at one was the night Prisca went into labor with our twins, if I remember right. That cafeteria is closed now.

Shoot, and many of the people I used to eat there with have passed away.

Stop, you're making me sad!

I guess I can't complain about these places dying out if I don't eat there any more.

I didn't eat it all at one meal, silly!

She's melting a stick and a half of butter to make me a pecan pie right now, actually.

Wait, she seems to be tasting that butter herself. I'm not sure she's gonna share!

I still remember the Thanksgivings when I was a kid in WI - sometimes a light snowfall early on Thanksgiving morning, but ALWAYS the Packers/Lions football game before the dinner, . Back in the late 50's and early 60's that was the only game played. I clearly remember Thanksgiving 1962, the 10 - 0 Packers were defeated by Detroit, and except for my mom, we were all terriby depressed! And guess what, talk about karma, Green Bay is 10 - 0 this year and play the Lions tomorrow! This year the meal tradition sort of ends tho - unfortunately Char will not be here and this is our first Thanksviving since 1969 not together. My son and his girlfriend will be here and he wanted the salmon loaf that I sometimes make. So, am up now doing some dicing and preparation. There will be stuffing and gravy to go with the salmon loaf tho - a simpler variety - Stove Top out of the box, but am going to add diced sausage, mushrooms, onion, celery, etc. and bake in the oven for abit after cooking on the stove. There will be cranberry sauce, green beans and walnuts, and pumpkin pie and ice cream tho.

The last few years on Christmas eve I've made shrimp scampi with roasted asparagus, and that has become a tradition here now. This kind of began back around Christmas 1974 when Char and I were on a camping trip to Disney World, ended up in Macon, GA on the way there on the second night out, and just happened on a restaurant that was still open late on Christmas Eve, and we had the best shrimp scampi dinners ever.

Tom

Tom, are you still a fan? If so, good for you!

Would you do me a favor, and post the recipe for your salmon loaf to the "What's For Dinner" thread? I'd like to try it, all the more knowing it came from you.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your family.

You mean it was a cafeteria and you didn't have a little bit of everything? I don't think I could have resisted!

Not when you pay for each entree!

I haven't actually made it yet, but we'll see how it tastes:
Faux Pecan Pie

No smorgasbord beats my pecan pie You should've seen him melt at the first bite!