This may sound a little dumb or even corny, but I was given a compliment yesterday that made my day. We had another family over to share a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The man of the family said the gravy was delicious and tasted "like his grandmother used to make." I felt as good about that as when I won ribbons for my canning at the county fair. I'm sure there are plenty of people that would look at me and say "so?"...I know it was a small thing, but those little do-it-yourself successes add up. When I told a friend-a fellow homesteader about it, she was excited too, because "it was like grandma used to make".

Maybe some you will share your little homesteading successes done the old-fashioned way, cooking or whatever.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), November 24, 2000

Answers

I raised turkeys for the first time this year. We kept some for us and gave the rest to family for their holiday dining. I've gotten alot of thank yous and raves about the turkeys today. I felt real good about that! Also the day before Thanksgiving a gentleman stopped to ask if he could purchase a couple of the nice turkeys he had seen in my pen and assumed since they weren't there anymore they must be ready to sell. I felt flattered! Told him to check back next year as I plan to raise more next year since these were such a success. It does feel nice for someone to recognize your efforts.

-- Denise (jphammock@msn.com), November 24, 2000.

Cindy, doesn't sound dumb or corny to me!! That's what we're all about. Everyone here understands when I say "Why work for XYZ Co.for $$, so I can go to the store to buy bread, when what I really want is the TIME to make my own bread." I like making bread! Imagine the number of cans of gravy sold in this country for the holiday meal!! The mass produced pies, rolls and cranberry sauce....I shudder to think of people serving Stove Top stuffing and instant potatoes!! Lots of people did, though, and are OK with that! YUCK! Bravo for you, Cindy!

-- Cathy Horn in NY (hrnofplnty@webtv.net), November 24, 2000.

What gives me the warm fuzzies is when I manage to make something that is good for my husband palatable to him. He grew up with a traditional "white trash" family where boiled hot dogs and canned veggies (also boiled to death) were haute cuisine, and so he had an automatic loathing of most "healty" things because of the way they were prepared and forced into him. When I can make something like steamed greens (which he used to shudder at the thought of) something he looks forward to, it just makes my heart soar. Not only have I given him a broader and healthier palate, but I've also introduced yet another pleasurable experience into his life, and that is pure gold to me. As of last week, he can no longer stand white bread biscuits (bland and gluey were his comments), and I even got him to eat and enjoy squash soup, something which would have made him gag at the thought of when I met him. Now, if I could only get him to like beets, my work would be done!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), November 24, 2000.

Hubby was being sweet and considerate, bringing home a coupla frozen store bought pies, saying he was trying to save me some work. "A pie is a pie, " he said, and I groaned inside. I told him I was going to MAKE the pies that I took to the family get-together, and I did. Two pumpkin, and one cherry, and a batch of homemade whole-wheat potao rolls, and homemade gravy from the turkey we baked all night in our roaster oven.

So--next day. One of my sons was snooping around for leftovers, and asked it there was any pie left. I informed him that our pie was eaten first, while the other pies sitting around (and obviously store bought) went begging. If a pie is a pie, then why were mine eaten first? And blessed few rolls left, either. The rest of the world is missing the point, I think, with all the store bought goodies!!!!

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), November 24, 2000.

I also raised turkeys for the first time this year. One hen and one tom, bronze broad breasted. It was alot of work plucking etc and we only kept the hen, the tom went to a family as a gift. I have never seen breasts so big! The turkeys from the store must be another breed. My husband estimated the breasts, which I removed, weighed in at 15 or so lbs. Husband was away at work when I made the gravy and it was so good I had to resist going to the neighbors to give him a taste. Sure feels good to do it yourself, food is just better with love stirred in. Happy homemaking everyone!

-- Tina (clia88@newmexico.com), November 24, 2000.

I love to cook for the holidays. I spend all day in the kitchen, and just love the response from my family when we all sit down to eat, especially after smelling everyting cooking all day. My husband goes hunting in the morning and when he comes in, his stomach starts to growl almost immediately. Each year I try to make something (usually dessert) different. This year I made a 7-up cake (too rich for us) and a blueberry pie from frozen blueberries my dad got this summer. Went way too fast. Anyway, to answer the question, my pumpkin pie, from real, not canned, pumpkin always gets compliments, even from my own kids who get it often. Several years ago when my in-laws visited us for Thanksgiving, I sent a pumpkin pie home with them. They shared it with some friends (mine and my husbands age) and they couldn't believe it was pumpkin pie. Nothing like they had ever tasted. Makes me feel good to this day thinking about it.

-- Amber in WA (mikeandamberq@hotmail.com), November 24, 2000.

Sometimes it's just the little things that make us happy and are the most important. I was proud of my self yesterday because it is my daughters first Thanksgiving and the first time since my husband and I got married 5 years ago that I was able to have both his and my family together at our small home for a major dinner (25 people). Everyone had a good time and left with full stomachs. Served 22# and a 14# turkeys and had lots of leftovers to send with them and freeze.

-- Cynthia (cynthiahemenway@hotmail.com), November 24, 2000.

This year my girls got to cook Thanksgiving dinner when they came home from college and they loved digging out the 'family' recipes and had to make them all even though there was only 4 of us this year. One recipe that was my great grandmother's is divinity. My mother has no patience to make candy so I learned at an early age to make candy. My daughters can now make divinity as good as I can! ! They are very proud of themselves too.

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), November 25, 2000.

Now, I love me some pumkin pie, been known to eat a few al by myself, but out of desperation onw year, I bought one at the local grocery store. Took one bite and had to spit it out to keep from gagging. Threw the whole thing in the compost heap (which is almost sacreligeous for me) because it was just inedible - not "gone off" or anything, it was supposed to taste that way. Ugh.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), November 26, 2000.

We did the traditional dinner thing with friends and then watched To Kill a Mockingbird. (just after doing the traditional To Eat a Whole Turkey) :-)

My offering to the meal was two homemade pumpkin pies (I cheated on the crusts though, storebought one you unfold and put in your own pie plate) and a pound cake with strawberries to top it. The pound cake is the traditional pound of each ingredient (except the milk and vanilla). I used eggs from my hens and strawberries from our garden. There was not enough left to take home after nine people had had their fill.

I make my pound cake as a donation to our churches bake table at the annual bazaar. One year it fetched $10. This year I had to keep explaining that it was not a lemon pound cake and I had not put food coloring in it. The free range eggs are dark orange and rich.

One of the compliments I have enjoyed recieving is about our home. We probably have about 3 pieces of furniture that we have bought new in the 15 years we've been married. Everything else was either given by friends or family when they didn't want it anymore, trash picked, or gotten at goodwill. Nothing really matches but I've had people tell me they really like our home, that it feels comfortable and lived in, homey.

-- Heather (heathergorden@hotmail.com), November 27, 2000.

I too made homemade pumpkin pies, I use a receipt I found a long time ago in the old Mother Earth News. It uses less pumpkin and cinamon, cloves and nutmeg , No ginger. We love this with real whipped cream. I also make homemade rolls and gravy. No instant potatoes here!

-- Pam Creighton (zpjc5_@hotmail.com), November 28, 2000.