Maggie Shayne--Tofurkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This will be short as I'm expected to gather with the whole clan bright and early this morning. This year Thanksgiving is very different for our family, but it can still be good, and fun, and I'm hoping and expecting both. But I can't help but think back on the year of the dreaded tofu turkey. See, two of my daughters are vegetarians. So one year, we decided to get a tofu bird for them. We bought a Tofurkey. My son in law Ben, not a vegetarian, but married to one, vowed to eat the tofurkey. A grand gesture of love for his bride. So we prepared it, and cooed about how sweet he was.

It was sort of a gelatinous mass, colored and shaped to resemble a turkey, although turkey shouldn't jiggle, should it? It didn't taste like turkey. I think the effort to make tofu taste like turkey was a mistaken, though well intended effort on the part of the manufacturer. Tofu that tastes like tofu is probably better. (It couldn't be worse.) Even the vegetarians wouldn't eat it. But Ben did. Like a trooper (or a soldier, which is what he is) he chowed down on the stuff.

I think maybe that's the meaning of true love, right there. A man who'll eat tofurkey for you is one you can depend on.

No tofurkey is on the menu for today. Over the years, we've found lots of great recipes the veggie lovers adore. Candied Pecans, sweet potato casserole, vegetarian stuffing that I actually like better than the in the bird type. It's all good.

Wish me luck today. And have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I promise next week's blog will be longer!

And now, let the holidays roll in! It's time!

Maggie