Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving morning. The sun is still low in the sky, just beginning to melt the frost that covered the fields last night.

And I suppose it is appropriate that the wild turkeys are gobbling, and the dog is running around chasing them. I'm not really worried that she will catch one. They can fly, and she can't. Still, I would hate for her to tangle with one. They are huge birds.

It's nice that there are more here running around than being eaten. We are hosting a dinner, and there is a bird in the fridge, but the local turkeys are a family of four. It's really not necessary for Americans to overconsume everything around them. I don't know why they do. Somehow, living large has become a cultural badge of honor. I'm hoping the recession will change this. Between that and global warming, maybe people will learn to pride themselves in making a smaller dent in the world.

Whenever I host thanksgiving dinner, I make one of every part of the meal. That is: one side vegetable, one turkey, one starch, one bread (I know, that's a starch also, but it's traditional) and one dessert. Whatever people show up with adds to the meal, but nothing is miising, no matter what people bring.

The bread this year is sweet potato biscuits, because I have part of a sweet potato in the fridge.

Buttermilk (Sweet Potato) Biscuits

400˚, 12 minutes

2 c flour

heaping 1/2 t salt

3 1/4 t baking powder

1 t sugar

1/2 t baking soda

5 T chilled shortening or butter

7/8 c buttermilk

(1/2 c pureed cooked sweet potato)

Make into biscuit dough. Cut into 2” rounds. For sweet potato, don’t roll more than 1/2” thick.