Melanie Grace

Tag: HomeCooking

  • Inside the Book: Recipes, Memories, and More

    Inside the Book: Recipes, Memories, and More

    So what is actually in The Maysgiving Table? I am so glad you asked.

    This is not a traditional cookbook. It does not organize by protein or technique. It organizes the way Maysgiving actually flows: from the weeks of anticipation leading up to the day, through the cooking, to the table, all the way to the quiet after everyone has gone home.

    The Recipes

    The recipes are full and tested and written the way I actually cook: with room for personality. I tell you what I use, why I use it, and where there is space to make it your own. There are the Maysgiving classics, the dishes that have been on the table every single year. And there are the ones that rotated in and out over seven years, the experiments that became keepers.

    You will find the turkey and all its trimmings. You will find sides that outshine the centerpiece. You will find desserts that make the whole house smell like something worth celebrating.

    The Stories

    Between the recipes, there are stories. Real ones. The Maysgiving that almost did not happen. The year my boys took over the kitchen. The moments at the table that I knew I would carry with me forever. The cookbook-memoir format lets the food and the memory live side by side, which is where they actually belong.

    The Philosophy

    Woven throughout the book is the idea that has driven Maysgiving from the beginning: gratitude does not need a calendar date. You can decide to celebrate. You can set the table in May. You can make a tradition out of nothing but intention and a good meal.

    The Formats

    The Maysgiving Table is available in three formats so you can read it the way that works for you.

    The hardcover is beautiful on a kitchen shelf. The paperback is sturdy and practical for actual cooking. The Kindle edition lets you search and scale and take it anywhere.

    Get The Maysgiving Table on Amazon: Hardcover, Paperback, and Kindle

    An assortment of chopped vegetables and herbs in a yellow bowl, including diced onions, celery, and green herbs, with text overlay reading 'THE MAYSGIVING TABLE' by Melanie Grace.
  • The Recipes That Started It All

    The Recipes That Started It All

    Let me tell you about three dishes that have been on the Maysgiving table since the very beginning. These are not just recipes. They are the foundation of the tradition.

    The Cranberry Sauce

    Here is my hot take: canned cranberry sauce is perfectly fine and I will not apologize for it. I open the can, slice it, put it on the table, and nobody complains. Maysgiving is about the gathering, not the performance. Some things do not need to be homemade, and cranberry sauce is one of them.

    The Stuffing

    Every family has their stuffing, and this is ours. It is a classic base, but the details are what make it: the bread, the aromatics, the way everything comes together in the oven with just the right amount of crisp on top. My boys started helping with this one in year five, and now when they make it, I can taste the memory in it. That is what a good recipe does. It holds time.

    A close-up of a decorative sign that reads 'The Maysgiving Table' with the subtitle 'Halfway to Thanksgiving, all the way to delicious'. The word 'Thankful' is prominently featured along with a decorative leaf design. A QR code is also present in the bottom right corner.

    The Gratitude Pie

    This one needs a little explanation. In year two, I decided that our Maysgiving dessert needed a name with meaning. The Gratitude Pie is a simple, classic pie, nothing fussy, because the point is not to impress anyone with the technique. The point is that every year we make it together. Every year we sit with it. Every year it tastes like the exact right ending to the day.

    The full recipes for all three are in The Maysgiving Table, along with all the stories behind them. If you want to bring any of these to your own table, the book is where to start.

    Find The Maysgiving Table on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle

  • The Evolution of Maysgiving: A Family Tradition Story

    Seven Maysgivings. That is where we are.

    If you had told me seven years ago that I would still be doing this, that it would grow into something with recipes and traditions and meaning layered upon meaning, I think I would have laughed. I just wanted a reason to make stuffing in May.

    But here we are.

    Year One was the experiment. I was not sure anyone would take it seriously. My family showed up a little skeptical and left asking when we were doing it again. That was enough for me.

    Year Two, I started taking notes. Not formal ones, just little scribbles. What worked on the table, what felt right, what I wanted to remember. The cranberry sauce recipe got locked in that year. It has not changed since.

    Year Three brought more people and more food. I learned that Maysgiving scales beautifully. You can do it for four people or fourteen. The spirit is the same.

    Year Four was the one I almost skipped. Life was full. Schedules were impossible. But I set the table anyway, and I am so glad I did. That year reminded me that traditions are most important when they feel hardest to keep.

    Year Five, my boys started helping with the cooking. That changed everything. Watching them understand that we do this on purpose, that we choose gratitude, that we make it happen, was one of the most quietly beautiful parenting moments I have had.

    Year Six, I realized I had a real body of work on my hands. Seven years of recipes. Seven years of reflections. Seven years of stories from around the table. Something kept nudging me to write it down properly.

    Year Seven, I did.

    The Maysgiving Table started as a family dinner. It became a tradition. And now it is a book. A cookbook-memoir that holds everything I have learned, cooked, laughed over, and been grateful for across seven years of intentional celebration.

    Each Maysgiving has been different. Each one has taught me something. And all of it is in the book.

    Available Now!

    I even wrote a whole Thanksgiving Music Album!!! Enjoy a listen.