The Elegance of Gratitude Celebrating Family & Friends, With Flavor and Tradition
appear on the table or the day just doesn’t feel complete. What are yours? Do you lean toward the classics like turkey and mashed potatoes, or is your family known for one special dish that makes your anksgiving unique? For me, I could never skip a bowl of homemade mashed potatoes, u y and rich with just the right amount of butter. Green bean casserole is another that always nds its way into the oven, bubbling under its golden crust of fried onions. I adore stung too, the more herbs the better. And I can’t imagine the holiday without a bright cranberry and orange sauce to cut through all that richness. Of course, homemade gravy ties it all together, ladled generously over just about everything on my plate. is past year, the ight from Palm Beach was short, but stepping into Ohio’s late November air always felt like entering another world. e cold, always sharp sliced through my soul, and the sky heavily settled into the heavy gray of early winter. e last leaves clung to the red maples that lined my mother’s street, their nal burst of color uttering down to the ground in slow spirals. A narrow creek ran behind the houses on her side of the road, carrying leaves along its banks, while snow urries dri ed across the air, teasing of the season to come. Deer wandered through the neighborhood, quiet and unhurried, foraging for what little the ground still o ered. By the time I reached the wide driveway of the house, the lights on the porch glowed through the cold and smoke curled from the chimney.
Hosting anksgiving is one of those experiences that is equal parts joy and chaos, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Every year, I nd myself wondering how others celebrate. Do you host the big meal at your home, with the table stretched to its limit to t everyone in? Or do you pack up the car, maybe even board a plane, to spend the holiday with family or friends somewhere else? Does travel play a role in your tradition, or do you get to stay close to home and let everyone come to you? I love hearing how di erent families shape the day in their own way, yet at its’ heart, anksgiving is always about coming together.
And then of course there is the food. Everyone has their favorites, those dishes that simply must
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Coastal Pearl Living - Gratitude
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