I polled my family this weekend to find out what their favorite Thanksgiving dishes are.  Here are the results:

Robert wasn’t home at the time, so I send him an inquiring text message.  I received back two messages that read:

Nothing new here.  I was in the mood to try something new, though.  Last week I spent four days in a hospital room with my dad where he was recovering from a knee-replacement surgery.  I managed to get part of a book read, but I also looked at a lot of food magazines and we watched a lot of TV, too.  I think I must have been exposed to at least 10 different ways to make a turkey in that time. {fry it, grill it, baked it, smoke it…}  The recurring theme was the brine method, and the “cider brine” especially appealed to me, so today I’m giving it a whirl ~ along with preparing all of the usual dishes my family looks forward to.

My grandmother’s pecan pie…

 from her old Methodist Church cook book.  It’s called “Fifth Sunday” because if the month had a fifth Sunday, there was a potluck at the church, and this is a collection of many of the beloved recipes the women {and some men ~ think venison.}  would bring.  I pull this cookbook our every Thanksgiving and Christmas to make her pecan pie.

 I made six pie crusts last night before going to bed.  The missing two are in the oven as the above-mentioned pecan pies.  And look at those chocolates!  We had a very special and unexpected guest stop by this morning bearing a box of delicious chocolates and even three “ice cream cone” chocolates on a stick for the kids.  Really fun to catch up with our friend, Wid!  {Izzy, where WERE you?}

 The brine cooled this morning, and I just finished plopping the turkeys {I always make two.} into the delicious smelling cider brine.  The recipe is here but I used all regular cider and not the alcoholic version that it calls for.  I’m sure it adds to the taste, but I didn’t want to spend the extra time and money to buy it.  The turkeys will be in the brine overnight, and I can hardly wait to see how they turn out and if the flavor is that much different.

 These just came out of the oven, and the pumpkin pies are in now.  Chocolate is up next…

 And now I’m facing this:

A mound of sweet potatoes to peel and boil for the famed Praline Sweet Potatoes.  Then it will be the mashed potatoes, a regular and gluten free version of stuffing, and an Autumn Chopped Salad.  I do have a couple of helpers on their way, though, so the job should be done in no time.  Well, the cooking part anyway.  We’ll do the cheese platter and roasted vegetable platter tomorrow morning before our 12 guests arrive ~ including a couple from Denmark who are here only for this semester and have been visiting our church. They are bringing a traditional Danish dessert of some sort!

Recently, I finished reading 1 and 2 Kings and now I’m on to Chronicles.  Chapter 16 is all about the bringing of the ark back into the tabernacle soon after Saul dies and David becomes king.  This is also after Uzza put his hand out to steady the ark and drops dead as a consequence.  A while later, David not only figures out that this is the designated job of the priesthood, but that there is a certain way in which God has asked for the ark to be transported.  He asks the priests to consecrate themselves for the holy purpose of carrying the ark, and reminds them of the way Moses had been instructed to have the ark carried ~ on poles, on the shoulders of the priests.

The ark {and the priests!} arrives safely in Jerusalem,  is placed inside the tabernacle, and there is a loud musical celebration that follows ~ harps, lyres, cymbals, trumpets.  The next part is what I think is so interesting, though.  David “assigns” Asaph the priest, and his family the job of giving thanks.