"It's not about the Turkey"

Want to cause just a little more anxiety than usual this Thanksgiving? Well here's a recipe (no pun intended) for success. Suggest to the one who slaves over the stove for two days prior to the big event that " let's have something different for dinner this year, how about a duck or a goose or maybe even a couple of those stuffed quail that you can find at a specialty store". Or if you haven't received that "glare" yet, try this........"I think I am going to deep-fry the turkey this year".Hey, there is nothing better than roast turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, green beans....etc. I love my turkey, especially the next day, the next night, the day after that and maybe even a third day. But it's not about the turkey that makes Thanksgiving a tradition. It's the meal itself and the people gathered at the table to enjoy the year's bounty.

Being the traditionalist that I am, I know the meaning of Thanksgiving. It's one of the few days in the year that we actually take a little break and give thanks for everything we have. But unfortunately it is also commemorates the day before the big sales at all of the department stores. It's the day we get to watch the Cowboys play on a Thursday. It's the day that we bring out the good china, the day all of the grandkids come over and get their sticky little hands all over the coffee table and bang on the piano endlessly.

One of the best Thanksgivings I ever experienced was when the "Williams" clan, my wife's side of the family, decided to spend the Thanksgiving weekend camping in East Texas. Although late November can sometimes be quite chilly, we decided we would break from tradition and celebrate, kind of like the Pilgrims did, although they really didn't have Coleman stoves and down-filled sleeping bags ....but you get the picture.

So here we were nestled in Tyler State Park on Wednesday night reliving memories of past get-togethers, our pre-cooked casseroles packed away in the coolers waiting to be thawed and served with the turkey that we would cook over an open fire the next day. Well, either someone forgot to check the forecast or good ole' Texas weather decided to play one of it's tricks and a classic thunderstorm soaked our tents, sleeping bags and anything that was supposed to be dry was wet.

The next day it took forever to find any dry wood to start a campfire that was going to be the source for our oven. But with the resourcefulness of what we had learned from our forefathers, the brave souls who founded this country, we were able to build a fire, get a good bed of coals and roast several turkeys and cook foil-wrapped potatoes and corn .

We gave thanks for survival in the "wilderness", we filled our bodies with our bounties and we told stories of how we survived the night's downpour. We hiked through the woods, we taught our kids how to appreciate nature and maybe for a few hours experienced what Thanksgiving is all about.

I guess we missed any of the big sales and probably the Cowboys game. But you know what? It was alright. We had our turkey, we had our family and we had leftover turkey sandwiches. But most important we had a memory. One that we would share and laugh about for many years later.