<Carrie> Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

Cheers!

It's just about family and food.

Emergency.

<Daughters> The biscuit queen forgot flour.

<Carrie> We have lots of good Thanksgiving traditions.

No pressure, your first tree golf tournament.

<John> I love when everybody goes around and says what they're thankful for.

Sarah will plan a speech.

<Sarah> I just want it to be perfect, <John> But you'd never know what you're going to get.

♪ <Carrie> I took my mom's best recipe and started selling handmade Southern biscuits.

Now, I'm balancing a family, a business and biscuits every day.

Thank you so much.

I'm Carrie Morey, and this is how I roll.

♪ [bright music] ♪ ♪ <Hannah> I think my favorite side would definitely have to be like mashed potatoes with gravy.

But the mashed potatoes have to be made from scratch, like mash your own potatoes and whip them with your own ingredients.

<Josh> So my favorite would be a sweet potato casserole.

But instead of doing the marshmallows, I'd do a caramelized pecans on top.

<Josh> Whew!

I love it.

<Michael> You got to have cranberry sauce and macaroni and cheese.

Then I got to have the collard greens in a bowl.

I can't, I don't like for the juice to run out.

I don't like my food to touch.

♪ [bright music] ♪ <Latisha> Sweet potato casserole.

<Cyril> Stuffing, cranberry sauce, and probably macaroni and cheese on the same fork.

<D'Ar> Oh wow.

That's a game changer.

<Carrie> I am super excited about this week.

Let the festivities begin.

The first stop is heading out to Rockville to my Aunt Gail and Uncle Jimmy's.

And this property has been a part of my dad's side of the family forever.

You come out here and it's just about family and food and being together and enjoying the beauty of this land.

<Carrie> Hi GiGi.

<Gail> How are you?

<Carrie> I'm out here at Rockville today because Gail is going to teach me how to make her famous oyster pie.

So I'm excited to learn.

<Gail> Is it cold out there?

<Carrie> It's chilly .That means it's almost Thanksgiving.

<Gail> I know.

<Carrie> I brought you some oysters.

<Gail> Well, that's a very important part of this pie.

Carrie has asked me to show her how to make my mother's oyster pie.

So I've been making it for years now since my mom's been gone and I'm delighted to share that with Carrie.

This is her whole box of - <Carrie> Oh my gosh.

<Gail> Yeah, so you can't start looking at that, we've got work to do.

<Carrie> We'll do this while it's baking, but oh, I could have a field day with this.

This reminds of MeMes.

<Gail> This is what I go by.. <Carrie> This is what we're making today.

<Gail> Yeah.

<Carrie> This kitchen brings back lots of really good childhood memories.

<Gail> Well, you, you came from the time you were born.

<Carrie> My Aunt Gail is a huge part of my life.

I look up to her.

When my parents got divorced when I was really young, she was always there for me.

So she's like a second mom to me.

<Carrie> Put me to work.

<Gail> Okay, we want to crunch these up.

What you're going to do is you're going to start with a layer of crackers.

<Carrie> A base.

<Gail> Yes.

<Carrie> A crust.

<Gail> Kind of sort of, yeah.

Oysters are next.

You're going to put about a third of those in there.

You can be pretty generous I think with the butter.

<Carrie> Always generous with the butter.

<Gail> Um Hmm.

Salt and pepper.

<Carrie> Alright.

Repeat.

<Gail> Repeat.

<Carrie> Okay, I can repeat.

Now I can pass it down to my girls who are oyster obsessed.

I've got the drained oysters and the Oyster jus.

Do you want to make that now?

<Gail> I don't know that I've ever used a measuring cup.

<Carrie> I was going to say I'm impressed.

<Gail> Alright, so this is going to go in there and this is going to go in with the half and a half.

<Carrie> Okay.

<Gail> Okay.

<Carrie> I love this little double whisk.

<Gail> No, no, no What do we call this guy?

<Gail> ...no, we have modern technology here.

We're not going to use the whisk.

<Carrie> Oh, I love this though.

<Gail> Just needs to be kind of frothy.

<Carrie> Frothy.

<Gail> Frothy.

<Gail> You got to pour it slowly cause you don't want butter floating up to the top.

You want it.

<Carrie> Okay.

We want it to seep in.

<Gail> Yes.

<Carrie> Okay, moment of truth.

Shall we say a little prayer that you sent?

<Gail> 55 minutes.

<Carrie> 55 minutes.

<Gail> This is my mom's timer.

That she, the reason she had this so that she could put it around her neck and go to the dock.

<Carrie> So she could still cook and then have <Gail> and still be at the party.

<Carrie> I love that.

♪ [melodious music] ♪ I love this.

Thank you for sharing it with me.

<Gail> Well, no better person to share that with for sure.

<Carrie> This is how you get inspiration for cooking, you know?

You just have to hear other people's stories and read other people's recipes.

Oh, wait!

This says meatloaf and it says Carrie's.

<Gail> That's your meatloaf.

<Carrie> No way!

<Gail> Yeah.

<Carrie> I am so excited that I made it into the box.

I'm honored.

<Gail> Yeah.

My mother would be very proud to have you in her box of recipes for sure.

<Carrie> We should just cook the box!

<Gail> Cook the box!

<Carrie> Cook the box!

<Gail> How cool would that be!

<Carrie> Wouldn't it be fun?

<Gail> Yes.

<Carrie and Gail> Heath potato chips.

Sounds like maybe a salty sweet heath bar <Carrie> Heath bar over potato chips.

<Gail> Oh, <Carrie> There's the timer, that's the oyster pie.

<Gail> Oysters ready.

<Carrie> Continue this later and go check the pie.

<Gail> Let's do it.

<Carrie> Okay.

♪ <Gail> Want to go for a swim?

<Carrie> Nah, It's a little chilly for a swim.

I'm good, but the dogs swam this morning.

♪ [bright music] ♪ <Carrie> Oh, looking good.

<Gail> I think it's set.

<Carrie> And that was exactly 55 minutes.

<Gail> Yes, it was.

<Gail> We should test it.

<Carrie> We should test it.

Yes.

<Gail> Yummm Okay.

<Carrie> All right.

Here goes.

<Gail> My first bites got to have an oyster in it.

<Carrie> I agree.

Here's to more oysters in our future.

<Gail> Hmm...yes.

Yummm.

<Carrie> Hmm...This is going to be perfect for Thanksgiving.

So good.

<Cyril> Stuffing and dressing is not the same thing?

<Latisha> No.

<Hannah> Don't we call it stuffing because we stuff it in the turkey?

<Employees> You stuff it in the turkey.

Yeah.

I think that's... definitely the concept of it.

Yes.

But dressing is what?

<Michael> Stuffing is a completely different thing.

And a lot of people get them misconstrued.

<Latisha> Stuffing is in the turkey and it's very moist.

And the dressing goes in the pan it's kind of like dry.

<Cyril> I thought it was the same thing.

<D'Ar> No, it's not.

<CheChe> Different places call it different things.

<Hannah> Listen, it's stuffing.

<CheChe> It's stuffing, but people call it dressing.

<Hannah> That's not right.

<CheChe> Why do they call it dressing?

<Cyril> I'm from West Virginia so it's dressing.

<D'Ar> You know my grandmother.

She's making the cornbread.

She has the sage.

She's doing all of those things for dressing.

<Cyril> Are you sure stuffing and dressing is not the same thing?

<D'Ar> I'm positive.

<Michael> My family will never give me the recipe.

I've been trying to get them to give me the recipe forever.

Every time I turn around my mom be like, "No babe.

I'm going to make you some.

"I'll make you a pan and then you go home and bake it."

She wouldn't give me the recipe to save her life.

[everyone laughs] <Sarah> We're preparing for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.

<Carrie> Did you taste it?

Take a little spoon in there.

<Sarah> Did the exact same.

<Carrie> Sarah is the one out of the three that seems to be very interested in the tradition.

I want her to understand the importance of passing on traditions and recipes and I want those things to last.

This cornbread dressing, this has to always be at your Thanksgiving table.

And you have to teach your children how to make it because it's a family tradition.

<Sarah> Okay.

<Carrie> Okay.

So it's simple.

We made the cornbread two days ago and see how hard it is and stale.

That's what you want.

So you let it sit out.

And when you have children, you'll have to tell them not to eat it.

See?

We're going to saute the celery and the onion.

So I'm going to let you do all of this.

Do you want me to show you how to do one?

<Sarah> I think I'm going to do it with the bigger knife.

<Carrie> Okay.

And I like to cut mine in half.

And then your claw.

Alright, instead of sawing, I want you to go down with one strong chop.

But I didn't say to go fast.

<Sarah> How about I do the onions and you do the celery?

<Carrie> How about just learn?

Watch?

No sawing.

Just up and down, up and down, up and down.

♪ [bright music] ♪ Okay, I get a little rubber spatula.

[sizzling] How's it looking, Sarah?

<Sarah> I don't know what it's supposed to look like but I think good.

<Carrie> So you saute them just enough.

And then we're going to add them to the cornbread.

Yeah, isn't that's satisfying?

<Sarah> Ooh, gosh!

<Carrie> Kind of stale, right?

<Sarah> Yeah.

<Carrie> That's good.

That means you've done the right thing.

Don't worry about that because we're going to make it not stale in a minute.

Make sure you get all the liquid and the butter.

♪ You can take a bite of it.

Oh, this is Thanksgiving to me.

<Sarah> That's good.

<Carrie> Uh hmm....Okay, we're going to fill it to the top.

So just keep going.

<Sarah> How come we don't have stuffing?

<Carrie> Because we have cornbread dressing.

Dressing is what southerners eat.

<Sarah> Does dad's side of the family have?

<Carrie> They have stuffing.

Yep, they have bread stuffing.

So then here is the turkey stock that we made.

<Sarah> You keep on putting more in.

<Carrie> Okay, so now the butter.

<Sarah> Oh, this is my favorite part.

<Carrie> Imagine that.

We're going to keep it and it's going to soak overnight.

And then in the morning, we'll take it down to Rockville.

Alright, I think we have enough butter.

<Sarah> No, just one more in the middle.

<Carrie> No wonder you like this dish.

Careful, careful, it's got liquid.

[Sarah sighs] Good work.

My hope is that she will want to make that with me every Thanksgiving.

I enjoyed making it with you and I appreciate your help.

<John> In Rockville, Sarah will plan a speech and she will dedicate her Thanksgiving to a person and that's usually the tear jerker.

<Sarah> This is my third year.

The first year was Kate, the second year was my dad and then the third year it will be my mom.

And it's a surprise, so don't say anything.

I just want it to be perfect.

Not, I know everything can't be perfect, but this has to be perfect.

I'm kind of feeling really nervous that I'll like mess it up.

This is why I practice it the night before I say it to my dog.

This woman has pushed me across my limits.

This is an incredible woman and role model.

Like that?

Is that good Shortie?

Say yes, it's good.

<Aaliyah> What's your favorite dessert?

<Michael> Everything.

[everyone laughs] <Carrie Wiggins> My dessert dish is my mom's sweet potato pie, which she would not give me the recipe to.

<Hannah> I don't think I've ever had a Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie.

<CheChe> We do sweet potato pies.

<Hannah> Sweet potato pies?

You know those are pretty good too.

<D'Ar> Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving unless I have my sweet potato pie.

<Hannah> I think it's pumpkin pie here and sweet potato here.

<CheChe> A sweet potato here and pumpkin here.

<Josh> And I'll bring back the pumpkin back here.

<Cyril> I think Thanksgiving wouldn't be a Thanksgiving for me if there wasn't an apple pie.

And like butter pecan ice cream.

<Aaliyah> That's one of my favorites.

>> Then you got to keep it up.

You got to make sure it's hot, so when you put the vanilla ice cream on it, it just goes everywhere.

<Employees> This is making me hungry.

[everyone laughs] <Kerry Dawson> A Pavlova, it's a really delicate meringue desert of meringue, fresh whipped cream and then some sort of fruit on top to decorate.

<Carrie> Kerry Dawson is one of my dearest friends and she's from Northern Ireland.

But she was telling me the story on one night when she made Pavlova for us.

And she said, "Well, you know, "if it doesn't turn out, you just have an Eton mess."

And I had no idea what she was talking about.

And I said, Well, you must teach me how to make that and I would love for you to bring that to Thanksgiving.

<Carrie> Mwah...Mwah <Kerry> Yes, two kisses.

<Carrie> You know, I thought Eton mess meant like E-A-T-I-N-G, like eating mess.

<Kerry> No.

<Carrie> But it doesn't.

<Kerry> No, it's Eton, like the school.

It's a very famous boys boarding school and every year Eton plays Harrow in cricket.

<Kerry> And the story goes, a Labrador sat in a Pavlova that they brought to the cricket match.

And the boys ate it anyway.

And they called it an Eton mess.

<Carrie> And it tastes the same.

<Kerry> It tastes the same.

So I left these eggs at room temperature, apparently it's harder to split them whenever they're at room temperature.

But the meringue rises more so, like no pressure, but don't get any egg yolk in the egg white.

<Carrie> Don't worry.

<Kerry> No?

<Carrie> I'm very nervous about it, though.

<Kerry> Are you?

<Carrie> It's not an easy thing to do.

<Kerry> You're very good at it.

Alright, so I'm going to whisk this.

<Carrie> Okay.

Whisk on medium?

<Kerry> Yeah, I'm going to put it up a little tiny bit just to get lots of air in the egg whites.

They're going to raise up and they're going to get stiff before we can add the sugar.

<Carrie> Okay.

<Kerry> Oh, yeah, that's it.

Look, yeah, there we go.

<Carrie> Okay, now.

<Kerry> You're going to add the sugar.

Am I going too fast?

<Kerry> No, you're good.

You're going to put a teaspoon of baking powder, and a teaspoon of white vinegar in.

Well, this will thicken it up a little bit.

And the vinegar makes it glossy.

<Carrie> Oh my gosh, this is really beautiful.

<Kerry> So if I was making a Pavlova, I would take a lot of time putting this out really neatly in a circle.

But for an Eton Mess, because we're going to crush the meringue, we can just <Carrie> Throw it on there.

<Kerry> Throw it right on here.

<Kerry> And yeah, it's a mess, so <Carrie> That's my kind of dessert.

<Kerry> We're going to do it low and slow in the oven.

So 300 degrees for just over an hour.

<Carrie> Exciting, now we get to have more tea while we wait.

<Kerry> Yeah!

<Kerry> Oh, so we're done.

Normally, the Pavlova is going to be crispy on the outside and a little marshmallowy on the inside.

For the Eton Mess, we're going to just break this up, just layer it up with the meringue, the cream and the fruit.

<Kerry> I think it's a perfect dessert for Thanksgiving after all the heavy food.

<Kerry> Oh, yeah.

<Carrie> Right?

<Kerry> Yep.

<Carrie> Hmm <Kerry> Like it?

Cheers.

<Carrie> Cheers.

Can't wait to eat this again on Thanksgiving when you bring it.

Delicious.

It's Thanksgiving Day and everybody tested negative for COVID.

And I'm so looking forward to my favorite day of the year.

Tree golf is a family tradition at Rockville.

[indiscernible speech] No pressure your first tree golf tournament.

All right, go for it.

♪ [bright music] ♪ The rules are simple.

You just have to hit a tree.

But first obviously you have to hit the ball.

♪ [bright music] ♪ 1, 2, 3, go.

We're making it look pretty hard.

<Family> Yes!

Yay!

<Carrie> I think your dad's pretty good.

It's a good thing he's not here today.

He would not be happy.

John loves golf and Thanksgiving but unfortunately he wasn't feeling well.

So, he is not coming today.

<Gail> Easy, a little back swing, and a follow through.

Oh boy.

Okay, so golf is not your thing.

That's okay.

1, 2, 3, ... <Family> Biscuit!

No...It's a whole in one.

Is that the one?

Drop it!

It would have been a hole in one.

<Carrie> She ate it.

Oysters in the Low Country are a huge part of our culinary traditions.

<Elizabeth> Alright, girls, belly up to the oyster table.

<Carrie> This creek holds a lot of really incredible shellfish.

<Caroline> I'm in heaven.

<Carrie> Oysters and tree golf.

Lots of good Thanksgiving traditions.

And I just love it down here in Rockville.

Oh my God.

They're so good and salty.

<Sarah> They are.

<Carrie> They are delicious.

♪ [upbeat jazz music] ♪ <Michael> The turkey, I want the breast part, a couple of fresh onions and some hot sauce, and put it on there.

Whew.

[everyone laughs] <Hannah> I don't cook the turkey.

My mom cooks the turkey.

<CheChe> I never cooked a turkey a day in my life, Yeah, I will buy it.

I would not cook it.

<Cyril> Cause I can go to Sam's and get a rotisserie chicken.

<Carrie> Yeah.

<Aaliyah> Sometimes people make it and don't make it right so it could be dry.

And I don't like no dark meat.

<Josh> My turkey always has to be injected with a Creole butter.

<Hannah> Injected?

<Josh> and deep fried, so you get that crispy skin.

<CheChe> Yes.

<D'Ar> I love the skin.

Does that sound crazy?

<Latisha> I love the skin on a fried turkey.

Not so much on the oven baked turkey.

<Cyril> It's neither for me.

[Cyril laughs] <Latisha> So what about on your rotisserie chicken?

[all laugh] <Carrie> We're ready for turkey.

<Elizabeth Bailey> Oh gosh, that smells good.

Have you smelled this?

We don't have our resident expert carver.

John Morey usually cuts the turkey and any other meat that we eat, but he's home with a tummy ache, not the COVID.

[tool whirs] We have the best Thanksgiving meal.

We actually have the best family meals at every holiday.

And that's primarily because Carrie does the lion's share of the cooking.

<Carrie> Please tell me Lord, you have more flour.

Emergency.

[knocking] Sarah, stop what you're doing and go run to GiGi's house and please get me some flour immediately.

<Cate> Caroline, go get the flour.

<Caroline> The biscuit queen forgot flour.

How does that even happen?

[laughs] <Carrie> Flour.

Flour.

Thank you.

<Caroline> How do you forget flour?

<Carrie> I don't know.

Alright, my gravy is ready.

<speaker> Biscuit?

Ready?

[indiscernible speech] <Elizabeth> I just want to start by giving thanks and recognizing the people that have that can't be here, or have chosen not to be here.

God we just we thank you that we are all still healthy.

And in this year that, where so many people have, have lost their lives and loved ones, it's just a joy to be able to gather with one another and sit around a table and give thanks.

This in your name we pray.

Amen.

<Family> Amen.

♪ [calm music] ♪ <Gail> A little bit of cornbread.

<Cate> I want everything please.

<Gail> I know you want everything.

<Carrie> Thank you.

And then I need a little of the pole beans, please.

<John> Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

And this year I missed it.

<Carrie> Do you want a biscuit?

[John laughs lightly] We are missing the life of the party.

Yeah.

<Caroline> What are you thankful for, Dad?

He's thankful for all of us he says.

<Family> Awww... <John> But yeah, I love it when everybody goes around and says what they're thankful for.

And that's what I miss most.

<Carrie> What I'm most thankful for 2020 is that, if we had to have COVID, it has brought a lot of blessings.

And it's made you realize that you don't need as much as you think you need.

And what's most important.

<Elizabeth> Oh, she's got a notebook.

[laughter] Oh my word!

[laughter continues] <Sarah> I had to put a lot of thought into this one because he or she is incredible.

This woman pushes me across my limits.

Is an incredible human and role model, every time.

I need her so much.

[Sarah starts to cry then laughs when family laughs] <Sarah> I love her three trillion times.

It makes me want to be a better person every day.

I could not be more grateful to have a mom like this.

Even though we make fun of you.

Thank you, Mama.

<Family> Awww.. <Carrie> Baby!

♪ [melodious music] ♪ It was really nice, a lovely surprise.

Today has been perfect minus Johnny not being here and my parents, but it's been great.

A lot of gratitude.

♪