Thanksgiving Reunion

Every other year we head out to Bridgehampton to celebrate Thanksgiving with Mom’s side of the family – all of the descendants of Woo Woo and Faddie. This year we gained Jamie back from many years away and Jeremy back from Europe plus the newest arrival, baby Reese, but missed Clara and her clan for a final total of 30 people from age 77 to 11 months.

Growing up, the nine cousins spent every Christmas and Easter together and many, many weeks in the summer. Eva was the cool eldest cousin who we all looked up to and admired awe-struck. For a while I was fortunate enough to inherit her 60's era hand-me-downs. I still remember my 5th grade favorites – a pair of hot pink checked elephant bells - perfect worn with a body suit, my belt with a pattern of doves and peace signs and my Indian beaded hair band. Billy was next and closest to me in age and a great friend – with a personality that was larger than life, he was funny, loyal and unpredictable in an exciting way. Then came the inseparable threesome of Busy, Jean and Jamie, followed by Clara and Johnny and finally Jeremy, the beloved youngest.

Early mornings in the summer I went with Dad to the beach with the dogs. On our way home we would stop to explore new houses under construction before the workers arrived. Rainy days were for going out in the car to look for things to sketch, working on jigsaw puzzles and of course, visiting the whaling museum. Sunny days were spent at the beach club under groupings of yellow and white umbrellas tanning, eating sandwiches and riding waves for hours. When we were older we biked into Bridgehampton to look at nudie magazines at White’s Pharmacy or snuck across the street to explore the “spooky house”, an abandoned Victorian in the swamp that inspired Charles Adams’ Adams Family home. Evenings were for cards and games of “ghost in the graveyard.” Television was not an option until the 80’s.

Thanksgiving dinner started with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at the “Big House”. Busy brought a gorgeous crudités platter of peppers, blanched snow peas and asparagus, carrots, cucumbers, and jicama with a good garlicky dip, salsa and guacamole with corn chips, and a platter of huge shrimp with a choice of sauces. Aunt Sara Jane made her famous Gorgonzola cheese ball with crackers. To drink there was sparkling cider, Saranac beer, Italian Prosecco, white Burgundy and Pinot Noir.

At dinner time we headed up to the cottage which had been cleared of all furniture and filled with long rectangular tables decorated with mini pumpkins, rose hips, evergreens and votive candles. Each family brought a turkey and various side dishes. Ours was a simple 25-pound bird filled with onions and herbs and stuffed generously under the skin with sweet butter and sage leaves. Mom made steamed green beans and a carrot-rutabaga purée, and I made my Brussels sprouts with butter, mustard, bacon and pine nuts. Mom and I also made a huge dish of stuffing flavored with sautéed mushrooms, onion, leeks, celery, butter and herbs and two different cranberry relishes. Eva brought her famous spicy and succulent blackened Southwestern turkey, cornbread dressing and roasted vegetables. Jen and John made an incredible southern sweet potato and potato gratin baked in butter, heavy cream and cheese.

For dessert we had three pies from the St. John on the Mountain Youth Group's bake sale (pecan, pumpkin and apple) and three from Breadzilla in Wainscott (mince, pear and cherry). These were accompanied by Ben and Jerry’s Vanilla and Dulce de Leche ice cream. I really didn’t have room for more but felt I should force down a thin slice of pecan and another of pear. Yum! For breakfast I tried the mince (vegetarian version – no suet!) and was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked that which I had shunned for half a lifetime.

Now that Woo Woo and Faddie are gone, the cousins are grown and dispersed up and down the East Coast with families of their own, and the summer months are now portioned out equitably, Thanksgiving has become the only time that we gather as one group. The three branches of the family have always been quite different, but each of my cousins has carved out a meaningful life in his or her own way. What we will always share is a deeply-rooted commitment and connection to family.

The Best Brussels Sprouts

As usual, all measurements are approximate and can be adjusted to taste.

Two stalks of Brussels sprouts

3-4 Tbs. sweet butter

2 Tbs. stone ground mustard

5 strips of thick, smoked bacon sliced cross-wise 1/2" wide

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted in a skillet until browned.

Snap the Brussels sprouts off the stalks and soak the guys in a sink or bowl of cold water to remove any grit. Trim the stems and cut a small, shallow "x" in the bottom of the medium and large ones. Boil on the stove in a large pot of salted water to desired doneness. Toast the pine nuts in a skillet until lightly browned and set aside. Cook the bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Melt the butter on the stove over low heat, then remove and stir in the mustard. Drain the Brussels sprouts and then return them to the pot with all of the other ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste and serve! Serves ten people who really like the stuff.