Delectable smells, which permeate the air, the “homey” atmosphere, and the enormous anticipation of cooking that enormous, perfect, yet juicy bird makes Thanksgiving one of my favorite meals to cook. I have wonderful and happy memories of when tables are full of food. From the time I start cooking until the gratification of the first bite, the Thanksgiving meal never fails. Satisfying my expectations, seeing my family smiling faces and full bellies, my home is filled with the sounds of family watching rival football games and the sounds of those napping after the feast. It is also the day when we give our diets a hall pass and it’s ok to give into temptation as far as the heavenly meal is concerned. Zero calories in all food served on this day. Thanksgiving. It’s the most amazing holiday. Just think about it—it’s a miracle that once a year so many millions of Americans sit down to exactly the same meal as one another, exactly the same meal they grew up eating, and exactly the same meal they ate a year earlier.
Slowly, the turkey begins a four, five, six-hour roast. The fragrance of the mouthwatering, yet scrumptious turkey. This combined with the fragrant cornbread stuffing baking in a cast iron skillet, with savory onion, celery, and other herbs, is enough to make you tear up a little. The combination of heavenly scents of sweet yet spicy cinnamon, earthy pumpkin, and aromatic herbs, permeates the air as it drifts through the house, making tummies rumble and grumble in eagerness. The made from scratch yeast rolls, that you just can’t help but to sneak a few just to nibble on. The smells of onion, pepper, sage, rosemary and thyme permeate the air. The aromatic aroma of sweet potatoes roasting, with a sugary honey glaze, and gravy the thick succulent heaven on a spoon that is made by thickening and seasoning juices that drip and ooze from the roasted bird meat, is enough to bring hungry tummies into the kitchen to find out just “how much longer”. My rather large...