C: Must Denigrate!

I feel very much like I am in a countdown to Thanksgiving. It is Sunday evening, and I have three full days of work at the office ahead of me. But the turkey is in the fridge, thawing, and the ham is down at MIL's because my refrigerator is bursting at the seams. There is an undercurrent of bustle that is surpassed only by that before Christmas...soon on the heels of this bustle! No wonder I'm exhausted by New Year's.

This year my mother will spend Wednesday night with me, as will my niece Ellie and any other nieces who want to join in. We will spend Wednesday evening baking pies and getting everything ready for the "real" cooking on Thursday morning.

We will, of course have pumpkin pie (obligatory)and Ellie and I have a new dessert recipe to try out--may be reporting to you all on that outcome. Though I like that whole-berry-orange fancy cranberry sauce, my entire family insists on the jellied sauce as well.

My mother's specialty is cornbread dressing to go with the turkey. Ummmmm. She makes the best. Cornbread plus some canned biscuits, chicken broth, celery and onions and seasonings (salt, pepper, sage)and an egg or two.

We make a huge pan, because this stuff is absolutely divine left over. In fact, I think the best part of Thanksgiving may be the leftovers. This dressing is so good that my brother has been known to slice it cold out of the fridge and put it between two slices of bread for a "dressing sandwich!"

And this year we will, once again, hear from Mom how the dressing is not quite right. Nevermind that it is the best stuff you could ever hope to find. Invariably, one of us will say, "Mom, this dressing is soooo good!" She will reply something like, "Why, thank you! But I do believe it is a bit dry this year." Other excuses we have heard: "Too much sage." "Too salty," "Not enough sage." The question this year is not "Will she denigrate?" Rather, it is "What reason will she give this year for proclaiming her dressing not quite up to snuff?"

My Aunt Nita does the same thing. "Aunt Nita, these are the best chicken and dumplings!" Aunt Nita: "I think the dumplings may be too 'doughy,' don't you?"

These two women are wonderful cooks and, surely, they know it! But their comments are not quite false modesty. I don't really sense any manipulation in them. I've thought about it and decided it's manners, pure and simple. I think it is the Southern way, as these two sisters are decidedly Southern Belles. One must slightly denigrate one's accomplishments...

But, denigrated or not, be assured that my household will have some of the best cornbread dressing in the land, for it is being made by the master! I can only hope the same blessing finds its way to you!

Happy Thanksgiving! We all have much to be thankful for. C.