Three Cheers For Thanksgiving!

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

I learned a funny new saying this week from my son’s teacher: Respect the Turkey! She said her family is fond of using that expression in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and it has become their motto every time someone starts to talk about the December holidays before Turkey Day has yet happened. They even went so far as to put one of those giant inflatable turkeys complete with a “Respect the Turkey” sign in their front yard!

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the holiday season, especially when you have kids. Everyone loves a reason to celebrate. Plus stores have had Christmas decorations and merchandise on display since August. I’m usually a last minute gift person, but for the first time ever I started my Christmas shopping in early November. The sales have been so great and I decided I would rather spend the holiday season enjoying festive cooking and activities than in the crowded stores.

Thanksgiving, a plain holiday, can easily be overshadowed with all of the hullabaloo that leads up to December. But it’s an important time to pause and appreciate all that you and your family have been blessed with throughout the year. It’s a time for simple reflection and to appreciate the simple joys of family and good food.

It’s the perfect holiday to relax and be grateful for the good fortune you have in your life. I love everything about Thanksgiving: the meaning behind it and of course the opportunity to plan a menu--in my case a very traditional one. So something felt a little funny when just this past week we were at the local mall and walked past the Santa display. I tried to rush by in the hopes that my son wouldn’t notice but of course he went right over to one of his favorite people ever. That familiar look of pure delight crossed his face and I knew for him the Christmas season has officially begun.

In the meantime this week we plan to focus on all things turkey. It doesn’t need to be complicated. If you are hosting, make the feast simple and include dishes with which your kids can help. Or better yet, make it potluck!

If you’re going to someone else’s home, it’s always nice to bring a covered dish such as the Sweet Potato Casserole below, which is loved by kids and grownups alike. This recipe comes from my college roommate who I think got it from a Southern aunt. She introduced this to-die-for dish to us at our college potluck Thanksgiving feast and I have been making it the same way for a long, long time. I am giving you the original unaltered recipe, but I always use real butter instead of margarine.

It’s basically a fluffy sweet potato puree covered by a delicious crunchy topping of brown sugar and pecans. Sweet potatoes are a must have at any Thanksgiving feast but go so well with other holiday meals too. More dessert than dinner, but it beats the sickly sweet candied yams covered with gooey marshmallows by a mile (Although some kids may not let the meal slip by without ‘em). Once you make Sweet Potato Casserole for the first time, you’ll be asked to bring it again and again!

So please enjoy this Thanksgiving holiday. After all, what’s not to love about a low stress day that’s simply about enjoying the company of family and food and some delicious food? Hip hip hooray for Turkey Day!

Serves/Makes: 4

• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

***Crunch Topping***

• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon