Happy Thanksgiving

With so many people out of work, we keep hearing of children in this country who go to bed hungry.

At the same time we hear of increasing numbers of seriously obese children. These children are simultaneously overfed and under-nourished.

What a paradox!

This situation can be alleviated, but only if and when parents learn to shop frugally with an eye on basic good nutrition.

With Thanksgiving here, everyone looks for or wants a feast, but many say they cannot afford it.

That is not necessarily so.

I saw my Mother serve feasts in the 1930s when we had little or no income. I did it too during lean periods when winter storms shut the timber industry down and my late husband George would be laid off for days, weeks or months at a time.

During those times, we always had to do with less, but I always managed a stuffed turkey or chicken for our holiday meal served with mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffed celery, yams, Waldorf salad, cranberry sauce and either pumpkin or squash pie, all prepared by myself to keep the cost down.

There were always leftovers for another day or more, depending on the size of the turkey and how many people were around the table.

At other times there were other dishes as, for example, a homemade mincemeat pie, home-made pickles and relishes, etc.

Everyone left the table stuffed to the gills. The children went outdoors to run some of the food off, then came back to nibble at the goodies left.

I was happy to see in this week’s grocery advertisements that 8-pound to 12-pound turkeys were only $5 each.

What a buy!

I’ve always been happy with my Safeway turkeys. They turned out to be tender, tasty, and succulent. Yams are available for 44 cents a pound, and there were other good buys on sale, too.

All of this makes for a Happy Thanksgiving dinner that is possible even for people with a limited income.