I have three favorite foods that are masterful, mouth-watering satisfactions when served together. Many who know me accept that I’m not a queen of flour, fire and cooking oil, so they’ll appreciate the credit and praise to those who skillfully create the most delectable treats to serve on Thanksgiving Day.
Every year I look forward to salivating over three aromas that fill the air as they’re prepared in my kitchen; Turkey, Sweet Potato Pudding and Macaroni & Cheese.
Momma Diva is the matriarch of the family and the one in charge of producing the juiciest bird for consumption of our hungry clan. Once she purchases the turkey, she cleans it, strips it of its internal organs and leaves nothing in the hallow cavity, tossing gizzards and lizards into a boiling pot of gravy for extra delight. When she’s done operating, the turkey is painted with butter, herbs and some other concoction that seems familiar but I’m left with uncertainty as I stand several feet away from the surgery room – the kitchen. The only thing I know is once the concoction mingles with the oven and other blended smoked aroma, the turkey becomes a golden- bronzed trophy resting in peace on a silver platter.
Cousin Cathy inherited the gift of boiling, peeling and whipping fifty fat sweet potatoes into shape for the legendary Sweet Potato Pudding. She concisely shreds the potatoes of the bruised and chaffed skin then mashes the naked sweets together with butter, milk and brown sugar. I’m never certain how long the process is between mixing, stirring, mixing, stirring, then scrapping into an aluminum pan for baking…but from I’ve gathered over the years, the pudding is done after the marshmallows are strategically placed on top for browning.
Just as the Sweet Potato Pudding is being lifted out of the oven, my sister Charisse is rushing by to pull her baked Macaroni & Cheese dish off the second shelf of the oven after a long process of boiling milk, cheese and butter. It’s like clockwork when the cheese mixture is thickened from the constant stirring over the open flame. It still amazes me how she perfects the yellow colored concoction and how firm it remains as she pours it over the cooked macaroni noodles.
I secretly envy her success as I reminisce my once failed attempt to mimic the same dish. The only perfection that was pulled out of the oven that year was the aluminum pans that held two batches of cheesy soup with noodles, which alternatively were served as dip for the appetizer and chips. Good thing my sister insists on maintaining the role as the Macaroni & Cheese chef — because I can’t risk another holiday of two uneaten pans of pasta.
The secret to maintaining my favorite recipes is to remain on the sideline while the experts stand charge in the kitchen, whipping, stirring and mixing all of my favorite dishes, while my taste buds scream praise and thanks to my skillful cooking relatives.