The Thanksgiving Countdown

Thanksgiving always seems to come at the exact right time—meaning, when everything looks pretty grim. This year is no exception, with its wildfires, its everyone-hates-everyone-else politics, its what-else-can-go-wrong-with-the-Mariners-now developments. It sounds like we could use a holiday about gratitude and gathering with people we love (or are supposed to love) to share a meal.

Nice pic, Priscilla. [Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash ]

What’s on your menu? And what can you get started on now, to relieve the actual Day? So far I’ve got rolls and green bean casserole in the freezer. Cranberry sauce made. Pie crust dough standing by.

We’re a one-oven house, so I’m thinking of trying two sides in the slow cookers: mashed potatoes and stuffing, and I’ve farmed out the spinach salad to guests.

Join me in giving this Mable Hoffman recipe a try?

Mable Hoffman — if you have a crock-pot, you’ve got one of her cookbooks somewhere

Mable Hoffman’s Corn Stuffing Balls

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 c chopped celery, with leaves

1 17-oz can creamed corn

1/4 c water

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tsp poultry seasoning

2 c (or 8 ozs) herb-seasoned stuffing mix

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 c butter, melted

In a bowl, combine everything but the melted butter. Form into 8 balls. Place in bottom of a slow cooker. Spoon the melted butter over the stuffing balls. Cover and cook on LOW 3.5 - 4 hours.

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I was originally going to make a corn casserole recipe I saw, but then I considered the oven real-estate shortage and changed my mind.

Happy week-before, folks. Oh—and one other last-minute tidbit: at QFC last week, I saw turkey-shaped butter! That is, butter which had been shaped in plastic turkey-shaped molds. And it was real butter, just cream and salt. I’m not crazy about adding more plastic packaging to the world, and the kids will surely fight over who gets to whack off the turkey’s neck, but maybe the butter-turkey can absorb some of the political aggression around the table…?