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Archive through November 19, 2004

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2004 Nov. - 2005 Jan.: Thanksgiving Central: Archive through November 19, 2004 users admin

Author Message
Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 9:16 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Just wanted to begin a thread to honor Thanksgiving and to share anything related to Thanksgiving...recipes served just at holiday time, family traditions, plans, et cetera. Hope our Canadian friends will join in the discussion, too.

Let me begin by sharing my family's must have cranberry salad.

Cranberry Salad

Ingredients:

* cranberries
* crushed pineapple or cubed pineapple
* pineapple juice from can
* cherry jello (3 oz.)
* 3/4 cup celery
* 1/2 chopped nuts of choice
* salt

Method:

Cook 2 cups cranberries in 1 1/4 cups liquid (pineapple juice from can and water to make up the difference). When soft, add 1 cup sugar and cook for 20 minutes. Add 1 small can of pineapple (either cubes or crushed as preferred). Pour over one package of cherry jello. When partly set, add 3/4 cup of chopped celery, 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, smidge of salt to taste. Allow to set.

I don't know what the holiday table would be like without this dish...a perfect complement to the turkey and tastes delicious in turkey sandwiches.

Graceunderfyre
Member

01-21-2004

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 11:02 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
yummy that sounds good. . .I think I may have to try that. . .I normally can't stand the cranberries, but with pineapple. . . .

Danas15146
Member

03-31-2004

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 11:17 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Does anyone have a recipe for a good side dish or desert that is not to difficult to make? I would like to take something different to my moms.

Emmy
Member

05-05-2004

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 11:31 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Wanna hear what I do with a butternut squash?

Herckleperckle
Member

11-20-2003

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 11:40 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Yes, Emmy,I do!

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 11:48 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
This is one of the sides I usually serve.
get 2 or 3 box of frozen chopped spinach, put it in a sauce pan with a stick of butter and about a tablespoon of chopped garlic, let it simmer on low till thawed/melted. Turn up to med high for about 2 minutes, add salt, pepper to taste and a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg. Turn off the stove, add some grated mozzarella cover and let sit for about a minute.
You can easily make this ahead and reheat it too.

Herckleperckle
Member

11-20-2003

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 12:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
This is the easiest recipe in the world and we would NEVER have Thanksgiving without it:

Candied Sweet Potatoes

• approx 6 Fresh Sweet Potatoes

• 1 large can crushed pineapple, with juice

• 1 bag marshmallows



1. Boil, then skin and mash the sweet potatoes. You should have enough to fill a medium-sized cassarole dish.

2. Mix in can of crushed pineapple, juice and all.

3. Spray cassarole dish with Pam. Pour in the sweet potato-pineapple mixture. Mixture should reach near top of cassarole dish.

4. Line entire mixture top with marshmallows. (Marshmallows will swell, so, to avoid a mess in your oven, height of marshmallows should not exceed height of cassarole dish.)

5. Place cassarole in 350 degree oven til heated thoroughly and marshmallows are browned (but not burned! So keep an eye on this dish). Maybe 15 -20 minutes. Can be reheated readily.

Herckleperckle
Member

11-20-2003

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 12:41 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
This is my favorite green veggie recipe, and I think it is a great complement to the mildness of turkey.

SWISS CHARD WITH GARLIC

• 3 pounds Swiss chard (about 2 large bunches)
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon olive oil


1. Tear Swiss chard leaves from thick white stalks and coarsely chop leaves, reserving stalks.

2. In a large saucepan or kettle of boiling salted water simmer stalks until tender, 5 to 10 minutes, and drain in a colander.

3. Chard may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead, stalks cooled completely and leaves and stalks chilled separately in ziploc bags.

4. Mince garlic.

5. In a large skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook garlic, stirring, 30 seconds.

6. Add leaves in 2 batches, tossing to coat with oil and stirring after each addition, and cook until leaves are wilted.

7. Add stalks and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Season chard with salt and pepper. Serve!

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 3:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
A fun little site, mostly for children, that answers the question why turkeys gobble and other things like that.

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 3:48 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Thanksgiving Quiz thanks

Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 4:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
8
So which president didn't like the idea of a national day of thanksgiving?
what month was Thanksgiving proclaimed to take place in in 1676?

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 4:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Jefferson...and I hope that someone gets the other one correct so that we'll know! I got an 8 as well.

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 4:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
It was originally in the month of June

Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 4:27 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Thanks, Vee and Tish. So what was Jefferson's problem with the holiday?

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 4:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Well, gee, Lum, I don't know and now you've made me want to know!

Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 4:36 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I'll race you to Google.

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 4:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
"Most important is the fact that Jefferson, unlike Washington and Adams, refused to declare a National Day of Thanksgiving to God. This is a significant fact. It was this event which led to his famous Danbury Baptist letter of 1802. It is in the Danbury Baptist letter that Jefferson linked the religion clauses in the First Amendment to the phrase "separation of church and state." The U.S. Supreme Court did not make the link, Jefferson did. The fact that Jefferson would not declare a Day of Thanksgiving cannot be quickly dismissed. We know that Jefferson as Governor and as a member of the Virginia legislature did support such proclamations. In fact, one of the 126 bills made such a proposal. Bill No. 85 is titled "A Bill for Appointing Days of Public Fasting and Thanksgiving." Jefferson did not personally write this bill but he did sign off on it. According to Jefferson, all members of the committee were on board for all 126 bills. This bill would impose a state fine for any minister who failed to heed the Day of Thanksgiving: 'Every minister of the gospel shall on each day so to be appointed, attend and perform divine service and preach a sermon . . . on pain of forfeiting fifty pounds for every failure, not having a reasonable excuse.' "
Source

Well, well, we've come a long way from Cranberry Salad to this!

Edited to add: Lumbele, very clever you little trickster you!

Riviere
Member

09-09-2000

Friday, November 19, 2004 - 5:02 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Nice work, Vee!!! If anyone wasn't so into the fake traditions of Puritans & Natives having the somber 1st Thanksgiving in 1600s to read actual diaries of that event, they'd be shocked? See, the English were quite fond of beer. Mayflower was loaded with beer kegs & ingredients to brew beer as soon as possible in the new unknown land when they could grow barley etc.. The very first Thanksgiving wasn't about religion, it was a big 3 day party of drunken revelry! They probably did thank their God after a rough sea journey to see friendly Natives and swap recipes. Yet the first Thanksgiving in what became USA was just a kegger originally. Isn't that a blast? That is probably why when snooty genealogy apprentices tell me their ancestors were on the Mayflower or arrived soon after, I just laugh and reply that's fine with me. Some of my own ancestors arrived before 1632, too, but my other ancestors were already here waiting to meet them on the shore just like they'd met the Mayflower.
Thomas Jefferson was basically more educated than his peers. He saw differnces between church, state, mental, emotional facets of the masses. But that's another thread entirely!
:-)





Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Friday, November 19, 2004 - 6:36 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
So, Emmy, what do you do with a butternut squash?

Reader234
Member

08-13-2000

Friday, November 19, 2004 - 9:33 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
lol Vee - anyone watch Good Morning America?
Here's Emerills take on cooking the bird (wonder if Martha's recipe is up - I learned to stick stuff under the skin, the lemon, and herbs, was awesome!)

GMA Emerill's recipe

Emeril's Big Bird With Giblet Gravy recipe.

Note: If you purchase a frozen turkey, you must defrost it in the refrigerator, and it can take several days to completely defrost, depending on the size of your bird. Make sure you read the instructions on the turkey packaging so that you allow yourself enough time before turkey day! Also, you should never try to defrost a turkey on your kitchen counter or in the kitchen sink — this promotes the growth of harmful bacteria.



• One 10- to 12-pound turkey, defrosted if frozen, giblets, neck, and livers reserved for the gravy
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 orange, halved
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon Emeril's Original Essence, recipe follows
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• Giblet Gravy, recipe follows


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and fit a roasting rack inside of a roasting pan.

Rinse the turkey well inside and out with cold running water. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels and transfer the turkey to the prepared roasting pan.

Season the inside of the turkey with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the onion, carrot, celery, orange halves, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Using kitchen twine, tie the ends of the turkey's legs together as if they were trying to cross their legs. Season the outside of the turkey evenly with remaining 2 teaspoons of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of Essence (recipe below). Rub the butter evenly over the entire turkey. Transfer the turkey to the prepared roasting pan and place in the oven.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and carefully remove the turkey from the oven. Combine the chicken stock and the apple cider, and using a turkey baster, baste the top of the turkey evenly with 1/3 of the chicken-apple liquid. Return the turkey to the oven and cook for an additional 1 3/4 to 2 hours, basting twice more during this cooking time with the remaining chicken-apple liquid.

When done, the turkey should be a nice golden brown color, and the juices should run clear when you insert the tip of a knife at the joint of the leg and thigh. An instant read thermometer inserted into the joint of the leg and thigh, without touching a bone should register 165 degrees when the turkey is cooked through. If the turkey begins to look too browned before being completely cooked through, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil until it is done.

Remove the turkey from the roasting pan and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let sit for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Reserve any juices left in the roasting pan for the gravy.




Reader234
Member

08-13-2000

Friday, November 19, 2004 - 9:36 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Oh page 2 for the Essence and Giblet Gravy Recipe

Emeril's Essence
• 5 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablspoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons cayenne
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and blend well. Store in an airtight container in your spice cabinet for up to 3 months.


Giblet Gravy


• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Giblets, liver, and neck from 1 turkey
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1/3 cup minced celery
• 1/3 cup peeled and minced carrots
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper


In a medium pot, melt the butter and the heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the giblets, liver, and turkey neck, and cook, stirring until brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic, and saute an additional 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine, stirring to incorporate any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock, thyme sprig, and any reserved juices from the bottom of the roasting pan, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Strain. Adjust seasonings with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve warm with Emeril's Big Bird. Makes about 3 cups

and a tip from Alton Brown from the Food Network - on Gravy, that after it sits it will thicken a tad more, so be aware - another wise wisdom that its easier to add liquid to thin it then to take it out if its too thin!! (um *duh!! lol!!)


Reader234
Member

08-13-2000

Friday, November 19, 2004 - 9:39 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Look Martha's website has a Thanksgiving day planner!!

Martha Thanksgiving

going to peruse the site!!

Reader234
Member

08-13-2000

Friday, November 19, 2004 - 9:45 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
LOL

Why does a Pilgrim's pants always fall down?
Because he wears his belt buckle on his hat.

~~~~~
At the Thanksgiving dinner table when everyone goes around to say what they are thankful for, say, "I'm thankful I didn't get caught" and refuse to say anything more.

~~~~~

Q: What's a turkey's favorite song?
A: "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas"

Q. What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter?
A. Pumpkin pi.



Reader234
Member

08-13-2000

Friday, November 19, 2004 - 9:49 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
OK hogging (LOL 'gobbling') this thread!!

How about the link to the Butterball website, and the Turkey Hotline!!

Butterball


Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Friday, November 19, 2004 - 12:59 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
All in a Word


by Aileen Fisher


T for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tangy weather.

H for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday.

A for autumn's frosty art, and abundance in the heart.

N for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember.

K for kitchen, kettles' croon, kith and kin expected soon.

S for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that abounds.

That spells ~~~THANKS---for joy in living and a jolly good Thanksgiving.

(Thanks for all those great links, Reader. Very informative!)