For the previous 5 years, I’ve rolled as much as my mother and father’ home on Thanksgiving with my specialty: a chai masala pumpkin pie. Velvety with the proper sweet-to-spice ratio, the pie makes the entire home odor like a mug of chai. Each time, no less than one member of the family declares it “the perfect pumpkin pie I’ve ever had.”
This yr, nonetheless, my mother, who normally cooks many of the meal, stated she needed to chop again and give attention to simply the turkey, stuffing, and gravy, and would everybody please present up with a aspect? So, along with pie, I supplied to make the mashed potatoes.
However then.
By some means, I let it slip throughout a household brunch that I had by no means made mashed potatoes. And the entire desk misplaced it. “What?!” “You’ve by no means made mashed potatoes?!” “How?” “We want good mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving!” “Possibly she shouldn’t make them??”
After plenty of badgering, I rolled my eyes and warded them off by reminding them: a) I’ve cooked nearly each day of my grownup life, and b) I might do a trial run.
My youthful brother’s texts the subsequent day
So, this weekend, my husband Max and I invited my household over for dinner, and I made Jenny’s basic mashed potatoes. As he served himself a spoonful, my brother seemed over, raised his eyebrows, and stated, “I don’t know, Jannelle, we’ll see…”
However, pricey reader, I killed it. They had been fluffy and buttery and every part we needed. By the tip of the evening the vote was unanimous: I could possibly be trusted with potatoes.
Right this moment, I now have eight kilos of russets on my kitchen counter and a brand new recipe added to my Thanksgiving specialities. Whereas preparing for the busiest-time-in-the-kitchen season, I’d like to know: what’s your specialty? Turkey with a twist? A vegetarian entrée? A bottle of actually good wine? Or perhaps you deliver one thing apart from meals, like enjoyable video games or dialog starters. Please share your emblems under…
P.S. Bonding with household, and 21 household board video games which might be really enjoyable.
(Photograph by Nikole Herriott.)