Today I cooked something very traditional

Today,I put a 12lb turkey in the oven. Yes,I know its not Nov. but the turkey was onsale at Easter,and since its one of those cook a long time once,have many leftovers kind of item,I baked it today. My guys,husband and 2 sons, dont know it yet,but we're going ot be eating that turkey in various form all weekend. Tonight the big bird,really not that big,more like the size of a big ole hen, was roasted in the oven. I picked up some McCormick marinade season packs onsale this week. Since there is cilantro coming up very well in my new herb bed,that used to be a flower bed, I decided to go with a zippy kid of flavor theme for it. I mixed the Mojito/Lime marinade pack with some olive oil,a few extra dashes of salt,and a few splashes of cider vinegar.I snipped a handful of cilantro,and me and the bird went into business. I washed and dried him in the sink,then put him in my normal size roasting pan. I undid the breask skin,and slathered him up with the wet seasoning mix,on top of that,I added the fresh cilantro.Into his cavities,dont forget the neck, I chunked a vidalia onion,and some cilantro. I inverted him for the first hour of cooking. As the bird was finishing, I had to figure out quick what to fix with him.
hmmm, what goes good with turkey? Duh,Dressin. and NO,its NOT stuffing. i had a day old loaf of french bread from the bread rack at Kroger, opend up 2 boxes of cornbread stove top,and had my bread for dressing.
I pause to say that dressing is NOT intimidating. I've been the one for the past several years making it at my Memaws grand ThanksGiving dinner and no one has commented on how it does not taste like Sue's. The traditional way is with fresh and stale cornbread,homemade buiscuits,broth richly made from the innards of the turkey,herbs,and celery and onion.
Tonight that was not the case. I didnt have any cornbread,stale or otherwise on hand,nor did I have any buiscuits made from scratch. So I,like my foremothers,improvised! I heated some margerine,yes the dreaded M word,Im on a budget,so what can I say,I didnt use butter tonight. Oh well. I chopped up 3 stalks of celery,yes,organic,and yet another vidalia was chopped. I sweated my veggies. In the mean time,I started up some quick broth. I heated about 4 or 5 cups of water into which 2 large knorr chicken bullion cubes were added,some salt,and some poultry seasoning,and a dash of RUBBED,NEVER the other kind,of SAGE. I let it boil full on a few minutes,then turned it down,to give the illusion of depth. I got Josh to cut up the loaf of french bread,no,its not the least bit French.I added the cornbread crumbs into the bread,and gave it a shake. Then went in the broth. Whoops! I forgot to add the sage first. I thought I made a critical error.I added the sage,then the onions and celery that sweated very nicely in Granny's skillet. then went in the eggs,fresh from our friends KY farm! since the breads soaked up all the broth very fast,I added some milk to the eggs.shhh....don't tell my Memaw that! Into a 9x13 pan went the dressing.
I realized too late in the game I didn't have any cranberry sauce. So I opend up a jar of home canned apple butter,threw in a handful of frozen raspberries,a dollop of Nathan's brand spicy mustard,and a squirt of horseradish sauce. My kids loved it!
My family,my guys,as call them very much enjoyed my spin and twist on an otherwise borning kind of meat. turkey is one of my favorite meats b/c its so versitle,and cheap. Well,cheap at certian times of the year. I've been conciously watching more and more when certian items are onsale at steep discounts. Thanksgiving gets you turkey at .37c a lb. So this past year,I bought 3.and we zipped through them. Mainly b/c we like to have company. I wont say entertain,but Josh does at times break out the guitar. Anyway, You make cringe when a friend tells you we're having roast turkey for supper when you come over. That is,unless your friend is ME. Not to brag,but I can bake a bird,ANY bird. I think youre born having that ability.There are things I can't cook well,however,like bacon. Simple yes,easy for me,NO.I make it half raw on one end and burnt on the other.every time! So Josh brings home the bacon AND cooks it!
My Memaw is the one who taught me how to make dressing. I make mine like hers. My Mama's is great,but I like Memaws way better.{no offence Mom,and Maw,whom she learned from}. Im sure manya pan of onions and celery and oil of some sort has been cooked in my iron skillett,and tonight was no exception. What I highly doubt however,is that accompanying the dressing was a mojito lime turkey.

My own part of family history

On Sunday,May 15,2011 I was given a rich gift. No,its not money,or worth anything of value to anyone but me. My Stepmother and Memaw passed on an iron skillet that was my great grandmother,Granny's, to me. The skillet is round,black,and well seasoned with love,great care,and has been used to feed at least now 4 generations of my family. My Daddy had it when he passed away in December of 2010. My Memaw wanted me to have it,so I too could continue the almost 80 years of usage out of it,and someday,maybe,pass it along to my children,or a grandchild. Those days,I pray,are in the far future.
I asked my Memaw,{paternal grandmother} why me? I come from a huge clan of Aunts,Uncle's,and cousins of various degree's. She simply told me that my Granny loved to cook for her large family, She loves to cook for hers,Daddy loved to cook for his,and I love to cook for my own family. The families have changed in size,the world around this black hardend skillett has changed,but it has remained the same. A constant,if you will,in an ever changing and evloving socitey. The life my Granny had may seem very different than the one I do. But I dont think so. She married,had children,loved her children,grandchildren,greats like me,and beyond,until her death. Her world outside her kitchen was different than the one I see. But the fundamentals are the same. Love,nurture,creativity,and food. All that is a constant too. I love my family and feed them daily,just as she did,and the generations before me. I dont know where my Granny got this skillet or if it was her only one. But to me that does not matter. What matters is NOW,its MY turn to pass the love of a well seasoned life along to my own small family. Using the same method she did,and my Memaw,Dad and Mom,and now me,food. But its oh so much more than food,its life lessons that I hope to pass on to my kids,and lessons ,I've yet to learn.
This simple gift,this skillet has a story to tell,and I intend to write mine and maybe my Granny's and Memaw's as well. Time seasons people,and skitllets too. Im wondering what it will teach me. No,its not the only one I use either. My Memaw bought me a set at the local Fred's store that I have had to season and reseason my self. But this one,this rare find in a family of so many,can teach me things,and maybe my kids,if im willing to listen and learn.
I cant wait to see where it takes me.