Happy Thanksgiving - What's for Dinner?



My Sister Rhonda, "Ma-main-na",
& Me in the 60s

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. I am cooking a Thanksgiving feast for my family and a few friends. I am very excited because my sister, Rhonda, is here visiting us from Cleveland, Ohio.
In the Thomas household, we have established a tradition of sharing what we are thankful for before we eat. We go around the table allowing each person to testify of God's goodness. Isn't that what Thanksgiving about---celebrating God's goodness. I have so much to be grateful for. Salvation, My husband and family, my church family, sanity of mind, decent health, and more.

I'm also thankful that I have memories. Each Thanksgiving, my grandmother, Momma Anna (we called her Ma-main-na because as kids, we couldn't speak well. LOL)  prepared gumbo, meats, vegetables and delectable desserts for our Thanksgiving family gatherings. How I remember eating those hot buttered rolls. back then, cooks did not measure the ingredients.

During Ma-main-na's life, I was too young and/or not interested in kitchen activity. I wish she would have penned her fabulous recipes. All of her treasured recipes are lost, never again to be duplicated. However, this has inspired me to begin writing down some of my recipes so that I can pass along my culinary skills to my children and generations to come.

Ma-main-na proved to be the thread that held the family together. After her death, much of our family scattered and.or lost touch. Her sister, "Aunt Lillian" carried the tradition of hosting the Thanksgiving Family Gathering. for the few who remained in contact.



My Grandmother's sisters Lillian & Alma sitting.
My cousin Paulette standing. All are deceased.
Circa Late  70s

My 2010 menu (stay tuned for links to recipes and pics):
Meats: Ham, Baked Turkey (injected with Cajun Seasoning)
Sides: Green Beans, Seafood Pie, Stuffed Peppers, Macaroni & Cheese, Candied Yams, Cornbread dressing & gravy
Bread: Dinner Rolls
Dessert: Chess Pie, Sweet Potato Pie

My Thanksgiving plate---I couldn't eat it all

What’s for Dinner?

Last Thursday I cooked up a batch of the chinese dish, Mandarin Chicken. Judging from the cleaned after dinner plates, I’d have to say, my family absolutely enjoyed this meal. This time I didn’t add the carrots. Why you may wonder---I simply didn’t have any on hand. I’m one of those cooks that sometimes get a sudden craving for a dish only to discover I don’t have all of the ingredients. I work with what I got! A word of advice---it's better with the carrots.

My sister, who arrived from Ohio this past Saturday, discovered leftover Mandarin Chicken in the refrigerator. She said my dish was quite delicious.

You can find the recipe by clicking on the link: MANDARIN CHICKEN

 

Breaded Pork Chops



Orage Bell, circa 1986

 Working at Coca-Cola privied me to the world and teachings of Mr. Orage Bell. Bell was an older gentleman and  fellow Lab Tech who took me under his wings. Not only did he teach me job skills, but also life skills. Over a 2 year period, Bell generously shared insightful wisdom in the areas of, lab test, job production tips, money management, male/female relationship, buying the right car, as well as the history and other facts relating to the Masons. Oh yes, Mr. Bell was a proud Mason. More importantly, Bell could cook! He was my mentor who was  a huge influence on my life during that time. It was at Coca-Cola that I "grew up". I greatly benefited from his insightful wisdom. His love for cooking and sharing became the catalyst that helped me to become a much sought out caterer and a great cook for my family .

Me, hard at work & looking very surprised.

We were working the night shift when Bell brought mouth watering pork chops. The chops were so good that I went home and slapped my momma and my daddy. Well, maybe not, but I did prepare the pork chops for my parents. Back then, I lacked culinary skills, however, this dish became a highly requested meat for me to prepare. It took a long time for me to reveal the "secret ingredient" that caused those chops to taste so goo-googily-good. Thanks Mr. Bell for sharing the secret with me.

BBQ Shrimp

I love shrimp and this has got to be one of my all time favorite appetizers. Did I mention I LOVE shrimp. Yummy! Interesting enough, this dish is not prepared on a grill, nor does it utilize barbecue sauce. So why call it barbecue shrimp? I haven't a clue!

The dish is a great finger food, but have plenty napkins on hand. Peeling them can be messy. This is a very easy dish to prepare for small parties and get togethers. Your guest will be delighted. Cor the recipe click here: BBQ Shrimp  . Did I tell you I LOVE shrimp!

Potato Au Gratin 2

It's 3 am! I can't sleep. Decided to update with some pics and recipes that I have been accumulating. Let's see how long it takes me to go back to sleep. LOL!

First up is a Potato Au Gratin dish I cooked a few weeks ago. For a meat, I served up Camille's BBQ Battered Chicken Nuggets.

AuGratin Potatoes

BBQ Battered Chicken Nuggets