I have been doing a little research on the American holiday, and it has been interesting. There were a lot of "Thanksgiving" festivals in the early days of our country. They weren't anything official, but one of the most famous festivals involved the crazy colonists that first came here and the Native Americans they met when they arrived. The colonists had no idea how to take care of themselves, how to feed, clothe, and shelter their families, and the Wampanoag people taught them what and how to grow their food and helped them get settled in their new world. Together, they celebrated the first successful harvest. And, they did it with style - that Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days!
Apparently, the turkey didn't make it to that celebration. It was New England, and they ate what was available: venison, seafood (lobster!), geese, and, of course, the wonderful crops of corn and squash that the Natives had helped them grow. Turkey didn't become a staple at Thanksgiving tables until after World War II. The poultry industry had taken flight. They had figured out a way to produce bigger and better turkeys, and they had the marketing to convince America that their big bird should be the centerpiece at every Thanksgiving table.
We have Sara Josepha Hale to thank for making the holiday an officially recognized holiday. This author of thousands of works, including "Mary Had a Little Lamb." For almost, she wrote letter after letter to presidents, asking them to officially declare a Thanksgiving holiday. She published editorials in The Ladies' Magazine, of which she was the editor, convincing readers to support her cause. Individual states started having their own designated Thanksgiving holidays. Finally, she convinced Abraham Lincoln in a letter, that even though a nationally recognized holiday of thanks wouldn't stop the civil war, it would bring the country together at least for the day.
So, what am I thankful for? I am thankful for a wonderful, supportive family. I am thankful for a wonderful husband, who is my official taster and companion in my culinary adventures. I am thankful for my parents, who taught me the most important lessons in life. They taught me to keep my elbows off the table and that if "everyone" is pissing you off, maybe the problem is you. I am thankful for my two gorgeous sisters, who are my great friends and favorite foodies.
The actual food itself for the blessed day? I think the food is all about comfort. We have tried some of the crazy spins on all of the traditional foods - bacon wrapped turkey, apple cider marinaded turkey, pumpkin chiffon pie, garlic mashed potatoes - and while they were all good, some very good, in fact, but it left me feeling like I was missing something. I long for a simple, juicy slice of turkey; plain mashed potatoes with a good, fatty gravy; light and fluffy, warm, dinner rolls, slathered with real dairy butter; a simple slice of pecan pie with fresh whipped cream. I even crave the Campbell's green bean casserole.
On Wednesday, Jeff started in on the preparations. His job was to make "roll mops". Our next door neighbors used to make these little items for many gatherings. Mr. Swanson had called them "Roll 'm Ups" when I was a kid (when was that, exactly?), and I thought he was saying, "Roll Mops", so that name stuck. They are thin slices of meat (originally, I think it was Carl Buddig roast beef) spread with cream cheese and wrapped around a green onion. Our usual deli selection for this item is thin cut salami. Jeff took it up a notch and added prosciutto to the mix. I don't mean that he replaced the salami with prosciutto - he literally added a slice of prosciutto to the salami before rolling it up around the onion. They were fantastic!
This year (as I did for last year), I made Alton Brown's turkey recipe. And, as last year, the turkey was done long before I expected it to be. It just seems like a 30-pound should take longer. I remember my parents talking about the days when they would have to get up at the crack of dawn (whoever she is) to get the turkey in the oven, so it would be ready by two. Now, I have never done anything crazy like that - I like my sleep too much .
I made a "Mix and Match" stuffing. I had a loaf of sourdough bread that was more like a sourdough brick that I used for part of the bread cubes. I used half a package of sage bread cubes from a stuffing mix for the remainder of the bread in the recipe.
For the veggies in the base of the stuffing, I used a combination of leeks and shallots for the two cups of onions to go with my two cups of celery. They softened up nicely in the butter, and the aroma of the fresh sage and thyme wafting through the kitchen, set my stomach grumbling.
For the mix-ins, I had a little over a pound of mushrooms I planned on using. I had intended on using some breakfast sausage I had left over from earlier in the week for the meat in the stuffing, but there wasn't as much there as I had remembered. However, there was bacon! I cooked up the bacon and then sautéd the mushrooms in the bacon fat. I mixed the bread, broth, bacon, mushrooms, eggs, and pecans together, covered it with aluminum foil and put it in the 375º oven for a thirty minute stint.
At this point, my dad showed up for the pre-eating activities: whiskey and football. He brought Jonah and Gracie with him to drop off the extra linen napkins I needed and to retrieve the cream Jennifer needed for her dishes.
I didn't stray from my Foodnetwork.com theme, and grabbed a pecan pie recipe from there as well. It certainly didn't sound fancy or anything, and it was extremely easy to put together - especially since I cheated and used a Pillsbury pie crust.
My darling husband, who specifically requested sweet potatoes for the meal, jumped in and started working on those while I finished cleaning up the house and setting the table. He cubed the sweet potatoes, added a stick of melted butter and dusted them with brown sugar and Harley's seasoning salt. He baked them at 375º, too, alongside my stuffing.
My last task was to start baking a brie. I took a two pound brie wheel, sliced it in half horizontally (so I had two brie circles). I placed one half in the middle of another Pillsbury pie crust. A quarter cup of pesto went on top of the cheese. The pesto got a sprinkling of toasted pecans (about a half cup), and then the other brie circle went on top. I closed up the pie dough and baked it at 400º until it was golden brown.
The table was set, the turkey was done, the stuffing and sweet potatoes were done. It was time to call the troops. Mom showed up with a corn casserole. Jennifer made the mashed potatoes and brought croissants. Pam brought cranberry-walnut pie and caramel apple pie. She also brought a wonderful Caesar salad (with her own home-made dressing).
It was a grand evening. The food was wonderful, the company spectacular. Jeff's fabulous hot turkey gravy hid the fact that the turkey was a little dry and a little cold. There wasn't a single item I didn't like, and I wished that I had room for seconds. It was either seconds or pie, but not both. I chose pie.
No comments:
Post a Comment