My get-pushed challenge from my awesome partner Kali is “Thanksgiving.” The push is to explain/show (to those not from the U.S.) the meaning of Thanksgiving beyond the national edict that all Americans must eat turkey and pumpkin pie on this day. So, let me start with the turkey (haha!). Yes, it is almost sacrilegious to eat something other than a turkey on this day. For my husband, he is about as traditional as one gets about the revered Thanksgiving meal. I go around repeating and mocking him “I want Turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. I want turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing,” and I usually mock him with full animation to point out his palate does not jive with my culinary skills or aspirations for non-traditional holiday meals—I mean, how many times can one eat Turkey on the same day once a year and not get bored? Apparently, my husband and about 98% of the population can! I acquiesce with his three items, but that’s where that traditional buck stops. Why? Because MY family’s tradition has been to cook all kinds of things on Thanksgiving when I was growing up. Sure we had turkey, but we smoked it (even burned our garage one year smoking some turkey and flounder—we made a smoker out of an old handcrank refrigerator from like the 50’s or 60’s—now that’s a story!), brined it, baked it…you get the picture. We’ve also had lamb, duck, and Virginia (salt-cured) hams.
We also served some kind of seafood for an appetizer, oysters and shrimp usually. And, when I was a little girl, we would host a huge party with our neighbors before everyone went to their respective homes for their private meals. We served smoked fish and oysters with homemade beer (so high in alcohol you had to cut it with some watery cheap beer—the adults, that is—although, I did get some each year). We also made ginger beer and root beer for the kids.
For me, Thanksgiving and cooking are inseparable. My entire family cooks. We celebrate being with each other by cooking together—not just on Thanksgiving, but on Thanksgiving, we try to do something “new” that we’ve never done before. We invite folks who may not have family close in proximity or are without family. We want the house to engage the senses and to engage in lengthy conversations. Each year, we seek out new and exciting things to cook that we’ve never tried!
Getting ready is a multi-generational endeavor. Ever since my children were able to start cooking (like for real), my father has been the guiding culinary expert when it comes to prepping a turkey for our meals each year. It does not start in the kitchen. It starts at the market (usually a farmer’s market, but this year, we went to Whole Foods—oh, Lawd, don’t get me started on that crazy place). We pick herbs, we debate which stuffing items should prevail (citrus or spices or both—we get them all regardless). We do NOT put stuffing in a bird (I only make it for my husband the other traditionalists who show up for the meal). Today, we picked up some brussel sprouts, and I’ll probably make a citrusy salad with it after I grill them. Who knows. But we got the other essentials like potatoes (organic and pricey—seriously, don’t get me started on Whole Foods).
Oh, BTW, if you are here in the narrative, well HOTDOG! Some of you will know what that means, and I’m awarding bonus points.
When we arrived home today, we rinsed, dried, and picked the herbs to make a butter mixture. The herbs we chose were sage, oregano, thyme, tarragon, and rosemary. Granddad then helped separate the skin of the bird from the flesh so the butter mixture could go underneath the skin and flavor the turkey for the next two days. The girls picked the herbs, cut them with knives (after having their knife-sharpening lessons—ah, my own memories as a kid doing this with my parents!), and then mixed the butter and put it under the skin.
This collage shows that three-step process. We purchased a pre-brined turkey (with age, we are finding that step a bit hard to do on our own, but we have done that too), and we plan to coat it with prosciutto and spices before it hits the oven about 5 am Thursday. Hungry yet? Well, I bought a turkey that was too big this year. So come on by! Traditionalists and non-Traditionalists welcome.
Pumpkin Bars----------Preheat 350
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 15oz. can Libby's Pumpkin
1 cup cooking (not olive) oil
2 cups flour
2 tsp.baking pow.
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
Beat eggs and sugar. Add Pumpkin and oil and mix well.
Combine flour, and rest of "dry" lngredients and stir into creamed mixture.
Stir well and pour into greased 10x15 (not smaller) pan
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Test with toothpick
Frosting-Cake must be cold before frosting
2 3oz.pkgs cream cheese softened
6TBS. butter softened
1TBS milk or cream
1tsp vanilla 3 cups conf. sugar
Beat Cream cheese, butter,milk,and vanilla. Add sugar till spreading consistency
Spread over COOL cake . Depending how large you cut in to bars (or squares) you should have about 7 dozen. They freeze well.
Really easy-hardest part waiting for them to cool down. Can be made a couple days before.
Have a great thanksgiving. It sounds great what you're preparing. In Holland we don't have this tradition.