By Cindy Christy Fertsch
My husband always says he knows when I’m cooking because the smoke detector is going off. It’s only a slight exaggeration for two reasons: I am a terrible cook and our smoke detectors are way too sensitive (in my humble opinion).
It seems like yesterday I was a young mother cooking my first Thanksgiving dinner. Bob and I were looking forward to hosting our parents and grandparents in our home for the yearly feast. With three babies under three years old demanding my attention, I prepared as well as any new mom in the midst of chaotic baby life could prepare. I made sure I spent enough at Shoprite to snag my free turkey as I gathered ingredients for the other dishes I’d be preparing. I just knew that I was going to make a memorable meal!
It certainly was memorable. Unfortunately, not in the way I had hoped.
My first rookie mistake was not thawing the turkey long enough. I spent hours wrestling with a half-frozen bird to get that nauseating bag of giblets out of the center.
Eventually, the turkey was buttered, seasoned, and ready for the oven.
Several hours and two smoke alarms later, my turkey came out dry, crispy, and downright BURNT.
I cried. All that work for a burnt turkey! God bless my husband though. He helped me scrape off the charred areas while assuring me that “no one would notice.”
My family was so gracious as they pretended to love it. I was starting to relax and enjoy my meal until I took a bite of my turkey and felt something crack in my mouth. To my astonishment, out came a chip of my tooth!
The next day in the dentist’s chair, I relayed the story about my burnt turkey breaking my tooth. The dentist burst out laughing and proceeded to tell everyone in the office. By this point, I could laugh at myself and be thankful my tooth was a relatively easy fix.
For decades to come, I hosted Thanksgiving and prepared all the side dishes, leaving the turkey cooking to my mother. There was no way she was taking another chance on my culinary skills with something so important. It was a job I was more than happy to relinquish!
Now, twenty years later, my adult daughters have taken over Thanksgiving meal preparation and it never tasted better! The torch has been passed.
Whether you love to cook or like me, it’s not your thing, Thanksgiving is about so much more than the turkey. It’s a toast to family, traditions, both new and old, and an invitation to express our gratitude for all our blessings. Here’s to a Thanksgiving full of perfectly cooked birds and happy memories.
