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- Magnolia Tribune Culture Editor Susan Marquez reflects on childhood memories of family Thanksgivings and shares a recipe for a delicious breakfast casserole.
With Thanksgiving coming up next week, we are sharing special Thanksgiving memories by our culture writers as well as a few Mississippi chefs over the next week. Some experiences may sound familiar, some, maybe not so much. Recipes will be shared, as well as a few coping techniques. You may even want to incorporate some of the traditions shared into your own celebrations. But most of all, we hope this provides an opportunity to reflect, think ahead, and be grateful for the people in your life, whether they are blood relatives or friends who have become family.
My Thanksgiving memories date back to my early childhood when our family spent time at my grandparents’ home in Meridian. My mother and father would load my sister and me into whatever new General Motors vehicle my dad was driving. He was a salesman for the AC/Delco division, and he got a new company car every year, usually around the end of November.
We would typically arrive in Meridian on Wednesday morning. My grandmother would take my mother to the beauty parlor that afternoon, where her “beauty operator” would wash, curl, tease, and spray my mother’s hair into a magnificent beehive for the holiday. Since my mother never had her hair done at home, it was awkward and forced, and my mother seemed to endure it more than embrace her glam ‘do. My sister and I loved it.
Thursday was the main event. My sister and I always woke up to coffee cake and hot chocolate. Our morning was spent watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on television while my mother and grandmother worked in the kitchen, preparing our Thanksgiving feast.
After the parade, we got dressed in our finest outfits, and before lunch, it was time for family photos taken on the front porch. My mother would give us a quick briefing on expected table manners. My grandmother was the original Martha Stewart.
Then it was into the dining room where the table was set with pressed linens, gleaming China, sparkling crystal, and silverware for each course. Everyone stood behind their chair as my grandfather said the seemingly never-ending blessing. No one sat until my grandmother was seated. With napkins in laps, we began passing the dishes – ham, turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, candied sweet potatoes, sauteed squash, cranberry sauce, and yeast rolls. No one dared take their first bite until my grandmother took hers.
While I enjoyed the food, I was in a constant state of anxiety. No elbows on the table. Dab the corners of your mouth with your napkin and place it back in your lap. Tear off an olive-sized bite of roll and butter it. Eat and repeat.
There was water and tea at each place setting, with long-handled tea spoons on glass coasters. A small cordial glass was also included, and my grandfather made a show of pouring sparkling cider for everyone.
Dessert was a slice of either pumpkin or pecan pie, both served with a dollop of whipped cream. The adults drank coffee. My dad and grandfather needed it to stay awake while watching the afternoon football games on television. The women needed the energy for the monumental clean-up that lasted for hours. My grandmother didn’t have a dishwasher, so my mom got that duty. I helped dry the best I could.
The next day, we would dress up again to go shopping in downtown Meridian, always eating lunch at Weidmann’s.
Not long after my first child was born, both of my grandparents passed away. We began the tradition of hosting Thanksgiving at our own home. While I loved the formal table setting at my grandmother’s home, my table had a more casual feel. Themes of fall, harvest, and gratitude directed my decorations. I cooked ahead and froze many of my sides to make meal prep less of a marathon. We took it slow and easy, starting with a breakfast casserole and muffins to eat during the parades, followed by Bloody Marys and appetizers while waiting for a late lunch/early supper. My husband worked at the Country Club of Jackson for 35 years, and we waited until he got home to have our Thanksgiving meal.
Today, it’s hit-or-miss. We have kids in different states, and they sometimes spend the day with the families of their partners. I try not to anticipate. It may be just the two of us, or it may be a house full of family and friends. There may be turkey or turkey tamales. Or gumbo. Or fondue.
No matter what we serve, or who sits around our table, we are grateful for the opportunity to count our blessings and to look forward to the blessed season of Christmas.
Breakfast Casserole
I have been making this recipe for many years. I got it from the Bell’s Best cookbook, published by the Telephone Pioneers of Mississippi. My grandfather worked for South Central Bell, managing the creosote plant in Meridian, where telephone poles were coated in the pungent tar-like substance.
INGREDIENTS
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 pound ground sausage (I use Jimmy Dean mild)
6 to 8 slices of white bread (I have also used leftover hamburger buns, mini bagels, or any other bread I have on hand. It always turns out delicious.)
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups half-and-half
1 tsp. dried mustard
Salt and pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
Place stick of butter in 9 x 12” casserole dish and place in 350-degree oven to melt. While butter melts, brown sausage in a pan.
When melted, tear bread into small pieces to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.
Sprinkle sausage evenly on top of bread.
Mix eggs, half-and-half, mustard, with salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Pour egg mixture evenly over sausage.
Cover all with grated cheese.
(At this point, you can cover with foil and place in refrigerator. I usually do this the day before. Pull out of fridge and let sit on counter for an hour to come to room temp before baking.)
Place foil-covered casserole dish into 350-degree oven for 45-50 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes until cheese is bubbly.
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting.
Serves 8 to 10.
Susan Marquez
