Ode to Food

It's Thanksgiving week and that means two things...Turkey and Turkey Sandwiches. Unfortunately our very good family friend Yaakov won't be able to join us this year. BUT...that means that we don't have to keep kosher and we get SAUSAGE in the stuffing. It's my favorite thing ever. I know that you think your mother makes the best whatever...but the truth really is that MY mom makes the best food. Her stuffing has SAUSAGE in it! And Apples! And Nuts! And she s making a sourcream aple pie, and a spicy squash soup with coconut milk, and mashed potatos with homemade gravy, and those little onion ball things in wine sauce, and a TURKEY!

When I was a kid mom liked to cook big gourmet meals with Yaakov (Auntie Yaaky as we called him then) once in a while...but mostly she was racing out the door to rehearsal or a show or something so the biggest meals I remember from my childhood are spaghetti and Kraft Mac. At every meal mom thought I needed vegetables so I would get a juice glass full of peeled carrots. I often dipped the carrots in ketchup. I can think of nothing nastier now, but kids are weirdos, especially Allen kids.

However, when my mom married my stepdaddy Jim they started to cook a lot more. Plus my tastebuds woke up and I was willing to try more. That's when I discovered that it is actually MY mom, not yours...who makes the best damn meatloaf ever. I dont really even like meatloaf that much except hers. There's brown sugar in it and secret ingredients! Mom also makes the best chicken, but my stepdad makes the best bbq sauce. See? They go together perfectly! My stepdad makes the worst mashed potatos, but the best chili. My mom also makes perfect tacos. I know tacos arn't hard but she makes them perfectly. The good things about Moms is that they know exactly how you like your stuff. Mom knows how to make me a PERFECT english muffin that is not too light and not to dark. She gets mad when I ask her to make them and says "Brooke! You are 27! You can make an english muffin!" But that's because the most talented people rarely know the gifts they posess.
When I was a kid mom packed me a brown bag lunch every day and she would put the PBJ sandwich at the bottom and everything else on top. When I would take it out at school the kids would look at it funny but little did they know how good it was. Now I can't eat PBJ unless I smash it dwn with the palm of my hand first.

As you can see I'm excited for Thanksgiving. I'm also starving.

I know a lot of good cooks actually beside my mom. My brother is a chef and the best thing I've had is his bbq turkey at Thanksgiving. Unfortunately he won't be there this year either so we won't get to eat that. But it's good. He also made some little crab cake balls for moms birthday party this summer that were out of this world.

And Brannen of course makes the best cucumber sandwiches. One time he made them for a party and he had to make me my own little tray because he knew I would eat them all on the way otherwise. (And he cuts the cucumbers into little heart shapes for me cause he loves me so much. And cause I make him.)

And Briggy is good at cooking everything. It's always low fat and creative and there is always a spread. And then we eat it while watching Paula Deen deep fry things on the Food Network. We love that Paula Deen.

Eddie makes a really good lasagna. Except he stole my parmesan cheese.

One time on Brannens birthday the dinner was so good I almost cried. Peter and Claire and B and I had steak with Bleu Cheese sauce and B's world famous WVMAC which if you havn't had...you havn't lived.

Kelly Brannen, my roomie from college, used to make salsa and it was very delicious but very unique. I laughed so hard once because I said, "Kelly, what is in this?" "Oh, you know, tomatos, onions, Dr. Pepper, Jalapenos, beer, tequila, spices..."

Clarissa makes a buffalo chicken dip that will change your life.

Lisa makes peppermint tea with loose tea leaves and the exact right amount of sugar.

My sister Morgan makes Patitzah which is a type of Czech bread that my stepfamily eats and it s sweet and gooooood.

My stepmom makes noodles with this garlicy buttery cheesy sauce that I love love love.

And lots of other people make lots of other stuff that is very very tasty.

I usually am in charge of mixing the salad together. Or sometimes making the toast. Not the toast, like the cheers, toast like bread. However, this year I have volunteered to make the next day breakfast on Friday which is always a big deal. Jimmy's going to help though..I told him I wanted to make eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, ham and pancakes. He said that was fine but that we should call an ambulance ahead of time.

So I suppose as basic as it is, this year at Thanksgiving I am thankful for food. And I am thankful that even though I can't cook, I have the good sense to be friends with so many people who can.

But I still don't know anyone who can make me a turducken.