H anson Horde Annual Gathering

A dish to pass

N ew/old family and friends

S aturday noon

O n

N ovember 24, 2012

It didn't start out as a great Thanksgiving for my mother this year. Every miserable hurt and problem that could keep my mother awake until the wee hours of the morning occurred. 

Thank goodness she realized the dough she had prepared for dinner rolls wasn't rising the way it should. So, at three in the morning, she  busily hacked away at the dough, trying to make some resemblance of buns that she planned to take to our family dinner.

Despite her efforts, they ended up being small, unbelievably ugly buns. 

Saturday morning was also the time for her to make the traditional chicken and noodles our family has come to expect each year. This dates back to many years ago, when my grandmother first started making them.

Mom wanted them to be especially good this year because one never knows when it will be the last time they are made. Mom did admit to me that she cheated a little bit. 

Instead of cooking up a chicken, along with celery and onions, to make a tasty broth, she used a store bought broth, some cream of chicken soup, along with some chicken soup starters.

And wouldn't you know, it was tasteless, so she dug out her chopper and minced some celery and onion and cooked it a little bit in the microwave before she added it to the mixture, hoping it would do the trick. Meanwhile, she had forgotten to take the eggs that she would need to make the noodles out of the refrigerator so they could warm up a bit, and as a result, they didn't want to "beat up" like they should. She did decide to go ahead with the process, and added the flour but forgot to add the baking powder.

She kneaded the dough a little, maybe too little, and when she rolled out the dough on her kitchen counter it looked like a map of the United States instead of the nice square, which would have been easier to cut. She cut it anyway, adding a little bit of flour here and there so that it wouldn't stick to the counter top.

My grandmother Hanson always rolled her dough like a jelly roll and cut "slices" off, so to speak. The grandkids that happened to be at her house when she was making her "family favorite" chicken and noodles liked to unroll the noodles for her, which were then tossed in a little bit of flour before they were added to the hot, bubbling broth on the stove.

My mother says that she cheats, as she doesn't have to roll the dough up like Grandma used to do. She has found a "cutter" which cuts about five or six strips at a time, which makes it quicker and easier.

As my mother was making the noodles, memories of her mother flowed through her head and she so wished that her mother were here to be with us for Thanksgiving this year.

Once the noodles had cooked for a bit, mom transferred them to crock pots. We then found cardboard boxes that would hold the crock pots, so that they could be transported to Jim and Maryalice’s, where they were plugged in to electricity so that they would be nice and hot when we were ready to eat.

Though lacking many of the younger members of the family to celebrate the day this year, due to work or because they where celebrating the holiday with the other side of the family, it was nonetheless a great day.

Jim, as always, had a wonderful selection of wines to pick from to enjoy with the meal.

Our Pilgrim fathers and Indian friends would be astonished at the array of foods that covered the serving counter at the Hanson home. Jim had deep-fried the turkey this year, but nothing compares to his now famous "porketta," both health wise and delicious.

No one knows for sure what other family members will bring to share for dinner but there were really no duplicates. Each year, the family expects me to bring baked corn, and no one makes homemade turkey dressing like Teri McDonald’s husband, Keith. "Snookie" always has a new "something or other" and this year it was a refreshing salad. And, she was willing to share the recipe with all of us.

Yes, we had potatoes and gravy, as well as some delicious cheesy potatoes that Kelly made. Jim once again had made some Danish cooked red cabbage that many have come to enjoy.

Someone brought a tray of hors d'oeuvres, and Bob brought some smoked salmon along with crackers. Barbara brought her famous lefse, along with Hope butter of course, that could be enjoyed with either white or brown sugar. 

The Hope butter was also great for the homemade buns, too. Maryalice had made pecan pie and a "little bit will do you," especially if topped with whipped cream. Which reminds me, there was a whipped cream salad (turtle, I believe) that was delicious and seemed more like dessert.

Maryalice always has a great variety of teas. Especially good was the green tea with pomegranate, that many enjoyed with their dessert.

There may not have been 75 of us this year, as we usually are, but everyone that was there was important and each of the "Hanson" families were represented. A day that started as a mental disaster for my mother became a historical memory for many of us.

What else can one say about Thanksgiving day? Wrap a prayer shawl around your shoulders and think of all the things God has given us and thank him for it.

Thanksgiving has always been a day to remember things that we are thankful for and each one seems more so. Yes, we miss those we cannot be with personally, but we can still find room in our hearts for them just the same.

At Thanksgiving, we tend to focus so much on the food, instead of what is really important to us — giving thanks for all of the blessings we have received. There is much to be thankful for in this bounteous land.

The thing I’m most thankful for is the interchange with family and friends. When we have annual family get-togethers, we are reminded of the blessings of being with extended family and friends, something we should be far more thankful for than a big meal, parades on TV, or an excuse to go shopping the next day. 

A great meal consumed all by ourselves is just that — a great meal — but even a simple meal shared with family and friends is a banquet. I’m so thankful that in this part of the country, people tend to remain fairly close together, and we can see our family and friends. 

It makes me wonder, why don’t we do this more often? Perhaps we should do this two or three times a year! Enjoy the meal, but take the time to enjoy family and friends more.

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented they like to read about events such as family and school reunions, birthdays and anniversaries, and birth and wedding announcements. In order to read about these important things, we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us.  

If you have news, please contact me via e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; by postal mail, P. O. Box 192, Geneva, MN 56035 or telephone, 507-256-4405.

Birthdays and Anniversaries:

• Thursday, December 6th: Sharon Johnson, Rodger Hill, Katie Marlin, Tony Jackovitch, John Lerum, John Kaplan, Sue Klemmensen, Chris & Marie Wallace,  Emily & Jeffrey O'Brien, their second.

• Friday, December 7th: Katie Olson, Tracy Holland, Sam Peterson, Angela Hensrud, Wanda Schwartz, Helen Schmidt, Kara & Eric Grant, Ron & Theresa Langlie, Dawn & Eric Degan.

• Saturday, December 8th: Kathy Glynn, Teri McDonald, Jeff Schei, Tracy Haddy, James Olsen, Mike Flugum, Meghan Baumann.

• Sunday, December 9th: Carrisa Christensen, Paitan Janis Glynn, Al Paulson, Robert Robertson, Rusty Besco, Mark Ribbe, Tony Phillips, Courtney Thompson,Brian Strand, Chuck & Cynthia Crabtree, Steve & Terri Engel.

• Monday,  December 10th: Cody Dobberstein, Steve Lee, Valarie Otterson, Karla Osmundson, Art DeNeui, Philip Olsen, Scott & Melonie Crabtree.

• Tuesday, December 11th: Jane Nordhorn Allen, Justin Hove, Geoffrey Ramaker, Marty Shultz, Rick Johnson, Janice Paulsen, Beth Scripture Klucksen, Jake Thompson, Theresa Van Ravenhorst, Larry & Emily Otto.

• Wednesday, December 12th: Torie Richards, Jean Groth, Addison Gayle Lyman, Bernard Falksen, Allen Paulson, Matthew Butler, Barbara Lageson, Judith Johnson Tetzloff, Kim Seath, Christopher Nelson, Mark & Cheryl Johnson.

May you find joy and pleasure all around you on your special day.