2024 Thanksgiving with the Friedmans

We were invited to celebrate Thanksgiving this year with Lillian's in-laws again. This time we met at Louis Friedman and Leslie Vogelman's beautiful home in Sandy Springs. It is the home our son-in-law Jordan grew up in with his brothers Adam and Daniel. (Last year with also celebrated with the Friedmans -- at Dan and Rosie's.

This ranks among the greatest Turkey Day feasts of my lifetime! We started with a salad made by Rosie (wife to Dan, Jordan's brother). Rosie had "massaged" the kale -- I didn't know that was a thing! -- with lemon and oil. She sprinkled it with nuts she had fried in olive oil and infused with honey. Delicious. 

Sheila brought a cranberry relish the she makes from orange zest and fresh cranberries and that we keep around the house throughout fresh cranberry season. She also cooked a delicious cranberry sauce. Everyone (except me) seemed to enjoy Sheila's deviled eggs that were garnished with fried shallot crumbs that Lillian had prepared. 

Lillian brought a big pan of Mac & cheese that was to kill for. She also had plain mashed potatoes as well as a dish of mashed potatoes toped with very nice sour cream topping. Lillian also brought a pot of those wonderful green beans in a tomato sauce.

Jordan's brother Dan was in charge of the turkey. It was cooked to perfection. So moist and good.  And the huge quantity of homemade stuffing/dressing was delicious. 

In looking at the pictures I realized that I somehow missed Leslie's sweet potato casserole, but Sheila said it was very good. Don't worry about me though. I still managed to eat myself into a near coma.

The desserts included two different pecan pies by Lillian. She claimed one didn't turn out quite right, but the one I tasted was about as good as anything that I've ever eaten. There was also Leslie's traditional and tasty apple cake. Leslie also made some wonderful toffee bar/cookies.  Sheila brought along some of her delectable ginger snaps and Lillian had a bowl of "Expresso Cream" that made a topping for the cookies (or anything else) that was to kill for.

I am aggravated that I failed to get some organized pictures of everybody. 

After the meal we gathered in the Friedmans' music room and enjoyed some singing and playing by Jordan and Dan and Lillian. Lillian sang a gorgeous rendition of "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins. I remember us singing "I'll Fly Away", "Vincent" and several other songs, including a little song requested by two-year-old Graham "Bim Bam." Here's an online version I found of that:

Lillian with baby Neil.

Lillian & Jordan get in some practice with Neil -- they are expecting their own baby in May!

Lillian helped Sheila prepare her deviled eggs. The two cranberry dishes are also in the picture.

Finally they garnished each egg with a few pieces of fried shallot.

I thought the Dan's turkey was mighty tasty looking and was wonderfully moist.

It is grossly unfair to Graham that I have so many pictures of Neil. Somehow my Graham pictures are all a blur.

Clockwise from the green casserole dish: Mac & Cheese Kale and Nut Salad, Turkey, bowl of stuffing/dressing, sweet potato casserole, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, mashed potato with sour cream and chives topping, green beans in tomato sauce.

Jordan and Lillian singing.

A Small Thanksgiving

Our 2020 Thanksgiving gathering was tiny by our usual standards but there were lots of thanks to give.

Just Sheila, Mother, Lillian & me... but what a feast we had.

We counted no Weight Watchers points today!

Sheila prepared everything. The turkey was as good as any I’ve ever had.
Sheila soaked the turkey breast in buttermilk overnight.

For dessert skillet apple pie with ice cream. Yum!

 

Gleaning Facebook: Thanksgiving

 A great Thanksgiving dinner today but a mighty small gathering for Shaws. Thanks to Sam Smith for taking the pic.

L-R (standing) Andrew Lewis, Gregg Lewis, Terrell Shaw, Lillian Shaw, (sitting) Deborah Shaw Lewis, Ruth Baird Shaw, Sheila Matthews Shaw  

Gleaning Facebook: Thanksgiving

 We had a great day of visiting and fine eating with just ten of the Shaw bunch… a tiny group by historical standards. Mama, at 91, had a 23 lb. turkey cooked to juicy perfection, and she, Sheila, Joan, Debi, and Lisette had all the necessary accompanying dishes, including luscious desserts. We sat around the den alternately napping and swapping tales. Mama admitted to the two paddlings she received from her Mama, and even fessed up to the shameful acts that elicited that drastic response from our beloved grandmother. Ruth Baird Shaw objected when I proposed reporting her sins on Facebook! I think the turkey was the only participant in our festivities who was photographed, unless you want to include two stray dogs.

Linda Beam

You have your mom....aw. miss mine

Terrell Shaw

Tim-Wanda Baird Mama's first spanking involved your granddaddy Grice Baird.

Tim-Wanda Baird

Lol why does that not surprise me

Ruth Baird Shaw

Now Tim...I need to set the record straight. Your Granddad was not misbehaving! He was 19 years older than I (he the oldest and i the youngest 0f 11) I was about 2 and asked for water. Mama got me a glass of water and i said, " NO...i want Grice to get it for me." Mama handed the glass to Grice and Grice gave me the glass, Then I said ""No, I want Mama to get it for me." Mama said she and Grice "humored me" for a few minutes and she finally had to spank me before i would drink the water.

Tim and Wanda...The interesting thing about this story is that Mama thought this spanking of the "Apparently spoiled two-year old brat" was the reason I...from that spanking on never misbehaved or was disobedient again....

Ace the Shepherd

Love my Shaw family! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Month

Thanks are due. Today is the Third, so I s'pose I should do a little catching up. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised at the first three items on my Thankful Chart:

1. I've done a lot of dumb stuff in my life. But one day in 1970, in a dreary little house in Eleanor, West Virginia, a lonely 23 year-old sat down and made a list. How absurd is that? Your name ended up at the top of that list, and Mr. Procrastination (who is here on the couch waxing sentimental instead of working a more immediate list) acted for once. I'll always be glad that idealistic knucklehead did what he did and that you responded.

Without our mutual promise it would be hard to imagine my life at all. You know me as no one else. You have seen my best, but also my petty and angry and fearful and small-minded moments. And you still love me. I am eternally thankful to you and for you, my best friend and the love of my life, Sheila Matthews Shaw.

2 & 3. What joy was presented me on August 4, 1983 and again on July 27, 1988. I ache to see you both more, to really talk, maybe revisit Narnia or "Tanzantnia". Or follow Nick up that creek in search of a 'gator. But, in these extra innings I've been awarded, I will redouble my striving to be worthy of your little hands clasping mine thirty-one and twenty-six years ago, and all those hugs; smiles; songs; "acrobatics"; "spiders"; gentlemen, ladies, and farmers trotting, pacing, and hobbledy-hoying on my knees; plays; concerts; ballgames; trips to Mexico Beach, college-hunting trips, church youth trips. I simply love and admire each of you more than you can possibly know, Brannon Shaw & Lillian Shaw. 

Gleaning Facebook: Where it begins

If I started naming my blessings at midnight and continued without break for all 24 hours of this special day I could only give the flimsiest outline of the things for which I am thankful. I am a very fortunate man. But there is no question of where the list would begin: my dearest, truest friend who knows my faults in embarrassing detail, who has seen me at my most petty and petulant, who has held me in my deepest dispair, has gloried with me in my wildest happiness, who has shared my life for better and worse since August 8, 1971, Sheila Matthews Shaw.

Thanksgiving and Apple Pie

Another glorious Thanksgiving. Mama read the 100th Psalm and led us in a prayer Then we sang the doxology and dug into a record breaking collection of wonderful recipes.
Turkey, cornbread-dressing, spiral-sliced ham, onion pie, yeast rolls, tomato pie, various cranberry sauces including a tart sauce for the meat that includes cranberries and horseradish and onion, a cranberry sauce hors d'oeuvre made of slices of jellied cranberry sauce with walnuts and a cream cheese concoction, regular pound cake, chocolate pound cake, pecan pie, ... I could go on.

My favorite dessert was Lillian's Skillet Apple Pie. The recipe comes from the Taste and See That the Lord is Good Cookbook published by the Tallahassee Heights United Methodist Church.
One stick butter
Two pie crusts
Half cup of granulated sugar
Two teaspoons cinnamon
One cup brown sugar
Four to sic Granny Smith apples

Preheat oven to 350°
Put butter in skillet and place in oven to melt. Stir brown sugar into butter till blended well. Place one pie crust on top of mixture in skillet. Place sliced apples on that. Mix cinnamon with granulated sugar and sprinkle onto apples. Top this with the second crust. Make small slits in crust. Brush crust with butter and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake 45 minutes until lightly browned. Serve warm and top with a generous dollop of ice cream. Yum!

Thanksgiving doubles in our family as a celebration for our birthday buddies, Joan and Amanda.

And this year we had the added attraction of our little grand-niece fräulein, Emma, who is visiting with her Mom and Dad, Michi and Josh. What a little charmer!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am a blessed man in too many ways to enumerate.
A loving wife. Two great young women who call me "Dad". A brilliant and adoring and adorable mother. A generous and thoughtful extended family of five sisters, a brother, and a whole passel of neices and nephews and the resulting greats and in-laws.
I married into another whole wonderful family that treats me like blood kin.
I live in the greatest country on earth that allows me to think for myself.
I have a job that allows me to perform (one of my favorite activities) and fool around in nature (another favorite pasttime).
I live in a beautiful old house smack in the middle of a gorgeous town, with a riverside walking trail right out my back door, and two blocks from the church where I worship.
I have a heritage of smart, funny, boisterous, reverent, affectionate loved ones that I remember with true love and gratitude this Thanksgiving day.
Thank you Lord!

Continuing a tradition begun by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, President Obama made the following proclamation for Thanksgiving, 2009.

A PROCLAMATION

What began as a harvest celebration between European settlers and indigenous communities nearly four centuries ago has become our cherished tradition of Thanksgiving. This day's roots are intertwined with those of our Nation, and its history traces the American narrative.

Today, we recall President George Washington, who proclaimed our first national day of public thanksgiving to be observed "by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God," and President Abraham Lincoln, who established our annual Thanksgiving Day to help mend a fractured Nation in the midst of civil war. We also recognize the contributions of Native Americans, who helped the early colonists survive their first harsh winter and continue to strengthen our Nation. From our earliest days of independence, and in times of tragedy and triumph, Americans have come together to celebrate Thanksgiving.

As Americans, we hail from every part of the world. While we observe traditions from every culture, Thanksgiving Day is a unique national tradition we all share. Its spirit binds us together as one people, each of us thankful for our common blessings.

As we gather once again among loved ones, let us also reach out to our neighbors and fellow citizens in need of a helping hand. This is a time for us to renew our bonds with one another, and we can fulfill that commitment by serving our communities and our Nation throughout the year. In doing so, we pay tribute to our country's men and women in uniform who set an example of service that inspires us all. Let us be guided by the legacy of those who have fought for the freedoms for which we give thanks, and be worthy heirs to the noble tradition of goodwill shown on this day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 26, 2009, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of the United States to come together, whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place where family, friends and neighbors may gather, with gratitude for all we have received in the past year; to express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own; and to share our bounty with others.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Thanksgiving Week Flashback: Sweet Potato Souffle

Another in my lazy man's posts for Thanksgiving Week. This was an thinly disguised effort to rev up my readership during the Hallothanksmas Season by posting a recipe for a dish much loved by many but not by me.

From November 2007:
__________

I am not fond of Sweet Potato Soufflé. Georgia Warner was a great friend of my late mother-in-law, Mavis Matthews. I am posting Georgia's recipe -- which I am assured by connoisseurs of Sweet Potato Soufflé is an excellent one -- for purely ulterior motives.

Georgia's Sweet Potato Soufflé

3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup of oleo, melted and cooled
2/3 cup of canned milk
1 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix the above ingredients and pour into a casserole dish.

Then:

1 packed cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of flour
1 cup of chopped Georgia pecans
1/3 cup of softened oleo

Mix these ingredients and spread over the potatoes.
Bake at 350° for one hour.

- Georgia Warner
From Taste and See That the Lord is Good (Psalm 34:8)
A cookbook from Tallahassee Heights United Methodist Church

Sweet Potato Souffle
Sweet Potato Soufflay
Sweet Potato Suoffle
Sweet Potato Sooflay
Sweet Potato Souflae
Sweet Potato Soofflé
Turkey & Dressing
Thanksgiving Dinner
Christmas Dinner
Side Dishes

Thanksgiving Week Flashback: XIII Thanks

Another Post from the Past for Thanksgiving Week. This one from November of 2006:

________

Of course my Thankfulness is boundless this fourth Thursday of November, and my list of official Thanks is very similar to a thousand others posted today:

The Official List

1. For Sheila
2. For Brannon
3. For Lillian
4. For Mama
5. For Daddy and the others who have gone before us.
   
6. For my brother and my five sisters
7. For a job I love and that pays the bills
8. For a warm bed and a comfortable home
9. For my country and its Bill of Rights
10. For a warm, affirming, church family
11. For the fourth chapter of First John
12. For loyal friends
13. For song

But a more interesting list might be:

The Other List

1. For toilet paper (What percentage of humans in history have had such a luxury?)
2. And while we're at it, for indoor flush toilets. (I have walked a path at night, indoor flush is preferable.)
   
3. For opposable thumbs (Without them, no Lord of the Rings or 23rd Psalm... or Sweet Potato Soufflé, for that matter.)
   
4. For persistence of vision (OK, this theory has been debunked, but I'm thankful for persistence of conciousness or whatever it is about us that allows us to perceive the present and connect it to the past and even envision a future.)
5. For iPod (All my music in a package smaller than a cigarette pack, for heavens sake!)
6. For ice cream (Only we twentieth and twenty-first century folks get to eat this delicacy regularly, though Dolley Madison served it at James' inauguration. I'll bet James never had a dish of Jamocha Almond Fudge or Moose Tracks.)
7. For the world's most elegant computer, the iMac.
   
8. For all of the events major and minor, incidental and purposeful, of history from the beginning of time that resulted in the coincidence of sperm and egg that produced me. (Selfish, I know, but basic.)
9. For sex. (Where did the Lord come up with that idea?!)
   
10. For Thomas Edison (and Henry Ford, Steve Wozniak, and all those other guys) who came up with ways to make me more enlightened (after a fashion) than the great Kings, Philosophers, Heroes, and Conquerors of the past.
11. For the wonderful interaction of a mixture of gases with the flora and fauna and soil and copious amounts of liquid water and sunlight on our beautiful blue marble that allows this grand but isolated oasis to support me and mine.
12. For family days and dinners with Mama's Yeast Rolls, spiral-sliced ham and a huge turkey, mashed potatoes and Mama's Wonderful Dressing, Carol's Famous Apple Pie, Mama's Marinated Carrots, and, yes my friends, Sweet Potato Soufflé. Yes, I said, Sweet Potato Soufflé. That's Sweet Potato Soufflé. And Southern Pecan Pie. And delicious Banana Pudding. (Do think Mary Winkler would like Sweet Potato Souffle? Or Crawford Loritts? Do Sunnis, Shites, and Kurds eat Sweet Potato Souffle? Is this dish the attraction to all those illegal Mexican immigrants? Will a huge fence from the mouth of the Rio Grande to the Pacific keep out those determined to have Sweet Potato Souffle? Can I sink any lower in my quest for Sitemeter hits? As I've said, I don't even like Sweet Potato Souffle, and I'm tired of reading about Mary Winkler, bless her heart! And what, after all, does the best Scrabble play ever recorded add up to? Scrabble's "Don Larsen" is Michael Cresta, a carpenter.)
    
13. For the wonderful laughter that follows lines like these:

"...cows have many."
"...there goes a chicken!'
"...boom, boom!"

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Apple Pie and Motherhood

My daughter, Lillian, served a beautiful and delicious Apple Pie at our Thanksgiving get-together, and my wonderful Mother read the 100th Psalm, led us in a prayer of thanksgiving, then served us a wonderful meal of her dressing with turkey, ham, various and sundry cranberry sauces/relishes/compotes, mashed potatoes, delicious spiced carrots, cantaloupe, mac & cheese, and pecan pie, chocolate pie... I could go on. I am unsure of which of the wonderful cooks were involved in each of the dishes, but all were delicious.

Here is Lillian with her pie:
And her recipe (adapted from a recipe at Allrecipes.com ):

Caramel Apple Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (I just use the store-bought Pillsbury Pie Crusts. They're easy, and you can find them in the refrigerated section).
  
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water (for a different taste, use orange juice instead of water).
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 5 or 6 apples (Granny Smiths are my favorite, but if you have some apples lying around, that'll work).
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• pinch o' cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, or any other spice you like.
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, vanilla extract and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Add spices directly to the apples. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
3. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Thanks.

In 1621 those intrepid colonists and their native American guests --who were the guests, really? -- gathered at some point to feast and thank God for his blessings to them, not the least their survival. It was the survivors who gathered, of course. Many of the colonists spent the feast time resting in their graves. Imagine the drudgery, discomfort, sad losses, and dim prospects of the celebrants' lives and compare it with our luxury; it is embarrassing that I ever complain.

My blessings are so myriad and so plain that I have posted many of them in the past. Here are but a few:

My Siblings
Seven Blessings
Thirteen Thanks

May your Thanksgiving be a time of great joy. And may your blessings so multiply that, the next time the fourth Thursday in November rolls around, 24 hours will be too short to count them all.