thanksgiving

The oldest tradition for me that is connected to our Thanksgivings is the Chocolate Turkey...! As a young child, we always had these wonderful special Chocolate Turkeys from Schrafft's....one at each place at the table....you actually had your very own individual Chocolate Turkey that you didn't have to share with anyone. And being that we were an entire family of Chocaholic's---this was delibrate and this was fantastic!

Shrafft's was a very special place to all of us, (besides having great great candy...) because we spent many Saturdays there having our favorite lunch....Creamed Chicken on Toast....(Oh my Lordy, that was good, and for dessert, a Hot Fudge Sundae.....). This would be before going to a Matinee on Broadway or a Concert at Carnegie Hall, or going to Radio City Music Hall for a movie and 'the stage show' with those fabulous Rockette's. All of these delights were in abundance in New York City....And the Schrafft's Restaurants were all over the city....at your fingertips, so to speak. And if we didn't go to Schrafft's because there wasn't time, we would go to The Automat.....Horn & Hardet's Automat...A really special place too, where you could get a fresh Chicken Pot Pie by putting in three Nickels and this little glass door would open and the Pie would pop out...freshly baked and piping hot! Ahhhhh, such memories....(Another post for another time....)

But I digress....

The Chocolate Turkey's above are what I always get now, since living on Los Angeles I mean....They are from See's Candy...and they are delightful and really yummy, too! The one's from my childhood from Scrafft's were a little bigger and they were covered in see thru celophane with an orange bow tied around the outside to keep the celophane closed and the chocolate fresh---very pretty presentayion! So, just for the fun of it I did a little research on Chocolate Turkeys and here are a few that I found.... This one above is from a place called The Chocolate Experience, and specifically, The Chocolate Turkey Farm....It is solid...yes, solid chocolate, through and through and you can specify if you want Milk, Dark or White Chocolate...and it is available in three sizes....and the one above is the second biggest Chocolate Turkey I have ever found.....6 X 8 X 4....Now, that is a wonderful pig-out size wouldn't you say?

This one below with the 'Red Head' is the biggest one I found to date (8 1/2 X 6 1/2 X 4 1/2) ....but, it is not solid through and through. And I must say, I'm not sure I would like that red turkey head...(red dye #9 anyone.....?) Hmmmmm....No, I don't think so..... It's from a place called Martine's Chocolate Creations.....

Then, next we have this BEAUTIFUL one that looks not unlike the See's Candy one at the top.... This is from Canipes Candy Kitchen....

And one more that looked really darling...and reminded me of The Schrafft's Chocolate Turkeys that we use to get more than any other that I found....at least the look of those Schrafft's turkey because of the celophane I think---though these are rather small.... They are from a place called Plum Party.....they are 1.5 ounces of chocolate.....Next year I will have to start searching earlier and send for some of these that I've never tried before.....that 2nd biggest turkey has my vote at the moment....

And now that we are all in a diabetic coma from all this chocolate...let's just take a look at a few other things that might be found on your Thanksgiving table this year..... I'll have a Crosissant, please, and do pass the butter.... Yum! Croissants are one of my most favorite things to eat....warmed in the oven and with a bit of butter....not that they need any butter.....but....it's Thanksgiving!

And then we must have this next dish.... Yes, yes, yes....A Caesar Salad, please....well, why not....Thanksgiving is supposed to be a rich meal with lots of delicious things to eat...so who cares that there will be three kinds of bread, including the stuffing, as part of the meal....right? It's only once a year my dears!

And then....we must have some mashed potatoes and a Sweet Potato Casserole and Cranberries....right?

What would Thanksgiving be without these lucious delightful dishes....and of course, there could be some other little side dishes, too...Olives---Black and Green....Celery Sticks, Radishes, Brocolli Florettes, and other little veggies that can be eaten cold.....plus, String Beans Almondine or some other green vegetable to go with the main meal....

Oh yes....one other very important componant to this Thanksgiving dinner...the traditional beautiful materfully cooked.....Thanksgiving Turkey! And to finish off this delicious meal, we have our final course....(besides the chocolate turkeys that is.....)

Two kinds of pie.....Pecan and Pumpkin....!

And then....having eaten too much though pleasantly stuffed, we have a bit of coffee and then take a little stroll, pretending we are walking off this scrumptious dinner.....then, come back and lie down for a little nap, and wake up and decide we are ready for a little bit of a snack....

Yes, the perfect finish to a grand day of eating.....!
Chocolate! More of that Chocolate Turkey that is the true reminder for me of what a lovely day Thanksgiving can be....it always was when I was a little girl and it still is....And the Chocolate Turkey more than anything else reminds me to give thanks for all the good things in my life and among those good things, are all of you, my dear blog buddies....

I wish each and every one of you who celebrates this wonderful holiday the Happiest of Thanksgivings.....Enjoy, Enjoy...and "don't eat too much".....! Oh, what the hell...eat as much as you want....you can start your diet, tomorrow....I mean the day after Thanksgiving, of course! (lol)

More To Come.....

Note: Today, Wednesday, November 22 is the anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assasination....Hard to believe it was 43 years ago....anyone who lived through it remembers very clearly where they were on that day....it was a Friday....Last year I wrote about that fateful day in detail. If you want to read my rememberances, plesse go to the archives which you will find over in the sidebar....