On Giving Thanks

I live thousands of miles from my family and given my teaching schedule I don't get home for Thanksgiving anymore.  In the years I have been in Spokane I have had Thanksgiving with colleagues and friends most years, graciously invited to their celebrations, even if, sometimes, at the last minute (that seems to be the way the inland northwest does invitations!).

This year, though, I decided to host Thanksgiving at my apartment and invite some folks, who, like me, are away from family.  Everyone is bringing something, but it will be, a more or less, traditional New England Thanksgiving. 

One thing it must have is stuffing.  I'll admit, in my home growing up, it was usually packaged stuffing.  The big issue was whose taste won out -- did we have Stove Top (my sister's favortie) or Bell's (my favorite).  My brother didn't seem to care as long as there were no mushrooms.

Bell's, I have discovered, is a New England thing.  I have looked high and low for other New England favorites in the many non-New England places I have spent my adulthood, but unless I am a guest somewhere, just can't seem to think Thanksgiving should be without Bell's Seasoning in the stuffing.  They make a dry packaged stuffing with bread cubes pre-seasoned, like other kinds of packaged stuffing and that is sometimes what we had growing up.  It was always on sale at the holidays.  But they also sell small little boxes of Bell's Seasoning.

Last year I asked my father to mail me some.  He, of course, did.  And I got in the mail a padded envelope with four boxes of Bell's Seasoning (one ounce each).  I was surprised at getting four boxes, but am surely glad that I did.  I am half way through them and will be using a lot tomorrow in that stuffing.  Bell's is really quite a simple thing -- a blend of sage, rosemary, oregano, ginger, marjoram, pepper and thyme.  Add the salt yourself.

I did panic a little yesterday on what I hoped would be my last trip to the store before tomorrow.  I couldn't find the envelope with the remaining boxes.  Thankfully, it was found before I had to resort to looking for some other kind of poultry seasoning or resorting to a box.  But I did forget a few things that I hope I can figure out how to do with out (it is bitter cold today).

I've started prepping for tomorrow's stuffing--stale homemade bread has been toasted and cubed, celery has been chopped.  Onion will be chopped tomorrow, still considering the mushroom situation.

Thanksgiving table will be set with the traditional fixings of a thanksgiving dinner, including that New England stuffing.  Can't wait to smell the turkey roasting and the sage that will greet my guests for a little bit of New England in the inland northwest.