Thanksgiving's Day Traditions

[birder53]

We found Thanksgiving Eve a nice time to head to a restaurant. You could walk in just about anywhere without reservations. If we were hosting a meal and had a lot of prep work, pizza was easy. This Thanksgiving will be easy. It's just the two of us and we're roasting a chicken instead of a turkey. Tonight will be an easy pasta meal with a couple of cocktails and we'll tackle the stuffing and roast in our own good time tomorrow.

I can't remember what we ate on the Eve when I was growing up. Pizza was a rare thing at home, so it might have been something simple like eggs and toast. Whatever it was, it wasn't memorable.

[Jaymes]

For those of you who live outside of the US...you're not missing anything, and yet you're missing the quintessential US experience.  I can't wait 

Perfect summation.

[JimH]

No tradition but tonight it's Vietnamese from Pho Thanh.

[racheld]

Just got back from having the BEST General's chicken in town, and it's a tiny walk out the back gate. They also have a down-home, rubbed-with-everything huge roast of pork, just sitting there with a big knife and fork---carve yourself a slice.

I'm finding it hard to know where to BE today. We're going to DS#2 and DDIL for one o'clock dinner tomorrow, taking several dishes. But I haven't gotten out Mother's china and the big turkey platter or a gravy boat or. . .

The torch passes. Not to say it won't be relayed back next year, or for Christmas, for that matter. They just moved into their new home, and wanted to have us two sets of parents as guests

[Bree20]

Growing up we had chili that my mom made and she would put it on simmer and we would eat whenever we were hungry and then clean up after ourselves.

When I was older and everyone was home from college it was a different story seems that Wednesday night was the best night to party of the year I would get dressed and leave the house around 7:00 p.m. and return way after dinner time - food was the last thing any of us had on our mine.

Now I am a wife and mom and bless my husband's heart he takes everone out to eat expect me (so I can have fun cooking without anyone bothering me). I like this tradition the best.

[rooftop1000]

Not tradition for sure, after giving up on the drive to Manhatten to see the balloons being blown up we tried a brand new Spanish restaurant near us in Pompton Lakes ( delightful delicious ) then stopped for veggies and dip making fixins for tomorrow

tracey

[kumquat]

For my first Thanksgiving in the US, my friends and I had a potluck dinner about a week ago. We decided to go completely traditional. I brought a butternut squash gratin which everyone seemed to love. The rest of the food sounded a lot better than it actually tasted. Dry turkey that had been cooked for 6 hours (I asked), jelloed cranberry sauce from a can, starchy gravy, sweet-sweet-sweet potatoes that had a lot of nutmeg and cinnamon and cloves and yet tasted insipid, crunchy green bean casserole, gluey mashed potatoes with not enough butter. The desserts were good though. I felt like everything was almost good and would have been with just a little more salt, a little lemon, some more butter, a little something.

I was quite looking forward to cooking a small Thanksgiving dinner for two today for just my boyfriend and me, but he's down with the flu.

[Shanti Rae]

I just made my first real Thanksgiving meal today - didn't have the time to fly all the way home, as much as I would have loved to be there, if only because my normal contribution to the meal is salad, bread and sweet potatoes with lots of marshmallows. I was a little scared at the thought of fixing an entire traditional meal, but then I realized I had the perfect guests - a group of Greeks guys I'd been working with for nearly a year. I think I managed to get the turkey right, using a combination of all the advice columns published in the NYT, here and anywhere else I could think of to look. They preferred the stuffing baked in the bird to the dressing baked separately, so I didn't tell them the USDA thinks it's a bad idea. I also tried a savory sweet potato dish instead of the candied yams and everyone was quite happy.

Now if I can always find a group who've never had a traditional meal to cook for!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Every year I opt for the traditional Thanksgiving meal and have no regrets at having done so ... I love Thanksgiving because it is uniquely American and requires no seders, no prayers, no Jewish rituals ... my dinner is always a hit and is kosher at the same time ... what's not to like?

Thanksgiving 2007

[MarketStEl]

On the larger subject, I think that it's well nigh impossible to separate the food from the everything else about Thanksgiving, which is my favorite American holiday for the same reasons everyone else who has posted to this thread likes it. And it is the only American holiday where the meal is the whole point of the day.

Put me down with those who actually like the foods traditionally served on Thanksgiving -- especially pumpkin pie, my single favorite dessert (I'm generally not a big dessert eater). Confidential to divalasvegas: There are some who claim Missouri is actually a Southern state because of its slave past. In addition to the fact that blacks were never disenfranchised in Missouri the way they were in the South, my grandparents' culinary habits are further proof that it is not. Sweet potato pie was something I never experienced until well into my teens.

This Thanksgiving was a departure from the norm, for none of the guests we had invited made it (one failed to show because of extreme rudeness to our front desk guard). We usually invite people we know who don't have family traditions of their own to uphold to our dinner.

My turkeys usually turn out juicy; I've found that cooking them unstuffed helps. But I have made a turkey of a turkey once or twice.

It does grow tiresome if you have it too much, though. The last few years I've eaten not one or two, but four full Thanksgiving dinners each holiday. Starting with mine on Wednesday, it continues daily at various relatives' and friends' houses until Saturday. No wonder I only make this stuff once a year.

←

Indeed! The bird I dismantled last night, and the remnants of a dinner prepared for six but consumed by two (including most of a turkey big enough to feed 12 -- I decided I'd indulge (ex-)partner's big-bird fetish, even though his reaction this year to my remark about the overlargeness of the bird suggested I didn't need to) fill the fridge to bursting. They will be joined by stock later today. In the meantime, I have about two complete dinners' worth of food to dispense with (not counting the excess turkey). Nobody wants to eat Variations on Thanksgiving for the entire month between it and Christmas. I plan to dispose with some of it by serving it to people who couldn't come yesterday, which, I guess, puts me in the same category as those various relatives and friends.

I think a lot of the "traditional" foods aren't really all that great (or at least, kind of overrated), which I guess is understandable when you consider that what appeals to the masses isn't always haute cuisine.  Like this year, I wanted to try the famous American green bean casserole for the first time, so I did a Google search and many of the comments on the pages I pulled up were about how horrible and yucky this dish is.[...]

←

I know many people may not like green bean casserole, but it was one of the first things I learned to make when I was young (age 8) . You know the drill I am sure most of us here on this site could not wait to help out for thanksgiving and that was my job.

Of course my mom made a point telling everyone I made it so they all said how much they loved it!

I wonder how many people here remember the first dish they made for thanksgiving dinner and if like my mom made sure everyone at least put some on their plate!

Now mom makes it like you described Pennylane - and it is really good. As for brussel sprouts I am the only one in my house that will eat them, in fact when I was carrying my son I craved them with loads of butter!

←

It's been almost two years since I contemplated the incredible whiteness of Green Bean Casserole in this very forum.

The funny thing is, French's French fried onions, green beans, and casserole showed up in my Thanksgiving menu this year, but not all in the same dish. The green beans I served simply steamed. But I had these two winter squash I had bought at the RTM several weeks back, so I decided I would make a squash casserole. I found a recipe that called for winter squash -- which I had to augment with yellow summer squash -- eggs, mayo, onion, chopped green bell pepper, grated Parmesan cheese (which I augmented with a bit of shredded Cheddar) and a bread crumb topping (which I replaced with the French fried onions).

The resulting dish had the consistency and taste of a quiche. What I'd like to know is: Did I make a mistake in not peeling the winter squash before boiling it? The peel remained hard in the dish.

Edited November 23, 2007 by MarketStEl (log)

[Jaymes]

There are some who claim Missouri is actually a Southern state because of its slave past.  In addition to the fact that blacks were never disenfranchised in Missouri the way they were in the South, my grandparents' culinary habits are further proof that it is not.  Sweet potato pie was something I never experienced until well into my teens.

Ah yes, but how about the turkey dressing? Did y'all have turkey and gummy white bread stuffing? Or turkey and heavenly cornbread dressing?

[racheld]

HCD Contingent reporting in. We went to DS#2 and DDIL's new home for the day, and it was wonderful. Discounting that I had a blur of a Wednesday, in that I really didn't know where to BE without getting out Mother's china and the gold damask napkins, or having a flurry of cooking and walking around the entire area, twinking this and Swiffering that. I just put a couple of pots on the stove, chopped a few things, went out to the garden for herbs, and wrote for a bit.

We took the devilled eggs, the gravy (thickened there, with two bowls waiting---one with chopped softly-boiled eggs and some rough-chopped butter-sauteed chicken livers for the hearty Southern group---Chris, DS, Caro, and DDIL's Grandmom, a lifelong Hoosier, but a G.R.I.T.S. Girl in heart and mind. Just the eggs in another, both bowls to be filled brimming with the steaming thickened chicken stock made with onion, celery and several sprigs of the thyme which has held its own against a small snowfall and the covering of maple leaves.

A platter of steamed brocco-flower and baby carrots, with just salt and lemon, an asparagus casserole, and a dish of coconut pudding, with another container of whipped cream and a box of leaf tuiles (none of this dessert was touched---DDIL had made brownies---she said you GOTTA have chocolate SOMEWHERE and her Mom brought a pumpkin pie, a banana cream and a coconut pie). In the rush of hugs and good-byes, I left everything but the egg platter---more guests came in for visiting middle of the afternoon, and would stay for a later dinner, so the leftovers were handy.

Our estimable hosts (DS has been cooking since he was WAY young) had made cornbread dressing, a separate pan made with oysters and dressed with oyster liquor before baking, snap beans from our Summer garden, creamed sweet corn, broccoli/cauliflower salad, sweet potato casserole with pineapple and pecans, cranberry salad, mashed potatoes, and a KILLER deep-fried turkey with lots of salty, garlicky, New Orleans-style rub.

We played with babies, talked for hours with the Great-Grandmother, made loads of pictures, and gathered eagerly at the windows for the wonder of the first few flakes of snow. Caro went upstairs to the guest room and slept the rest of the afternoon, for she had to go to work at ten, and we wended home just before dark, wanting a nap ourselves.

WAY later in the evening, I fried up the other half of the chicken livers for Chris, made a pilaf with the rest of the chicken stock and sprigs of thyme, and made myself an extra-chunky peanut butter and peach jam sandwich on Wonder bread.

No leftovers, but we're having the usual Thanksgiving guests over tomorrow night for Smoked turkey and several other traditional dishes; we'll have OUR turkey sandwiches on Sunday, and start decorating the trees.

And so the world moves on, measured out in Tupperwares and tinsel, calories and Kugels. Lovely holiday.

Chris spent the evening printing out pictures, and has run off now to meet DDIL and her Mom and Sister with big prints of all the children.

[MarketStEl]

There are some who claim Missouri is actually a Southern state because of its slave past.  In addition to the fact that blacks were never disenfranchised in Missouri the way they were in the South, my grandparents' culinary habits are further proof that it is not.  Sweet potato pie was something I never experienced until well into my teens.

Ah yes, but how about the turkey dressing? Did y'all have turkey and gummy white bread stuffing? Or turkey and heavenly cornbread dressing?

←

The former.

This should prove once and for all that Missouri, despite the presence of many Confederate sympathizers within its borders, is most assuredly not part of the South. (Well, maybe the Bootheel is, but Kansas City is a world away from there.)

[beccaboo]

Did I make a mistake in not peeling the winter squash before boiling it?  The peel remained hard in the dish.

←

Most winter squashes seem to require peeling, though I've made kabocha slices with the peels left on for contrast. I think they have particularly thin/tender skins.

[Busboy]

Think we're redefining "traditional" after last night: cassoulet.

[Chris Amirault]

Say more, Charles.

[JTravel]

Now if I can always find a group who've never had a traditional meal to cook for!

←

Since my my parents died almost 10 years ago we have only had a few "family" Thanksgivings. One son far away, and one at the in laws. But for more than 20 years we have have volunteered with international students at the local university.

There is an UNENDING supply of people who love to be included in your holiday. Yesterday it was a small group.....only a Chinese couple, a new gal from Malaysia and a couple and 2 little kids from Mozambique.

They pronounced turkey very good (it was nice and juicy), liked mashed potatoes, but were not sure about canned cranberry sauce, stuffing and breads.....banana and pumpkin. The green bean casserole was not a hit, guess I should go back to corn custard which was always a hit. They gave everything a try and all got a good sized meal of the parts they liked.

We get out a map, talk about the different countries, get acqainted and then eat pies. They thanked us a lot for including them.

Great fun, I recommend it.

[Malkavian]

Usually we go out, since mom has the kitchen tied up doing prep work. Noplace in particular, maybe chinese, or to the pub or whatever.

[Malkavian]

I brought up maybe doing prime rib or a tenderloin next year and was met with some of the strangest looks by my family. Our thanksgiving menu has been damnnear static for the past 10 years save for some minor experimenting on myself and my mother's part. My family is largely very food conservative, that may contribute to the highly "traditional" nature of the meal.

Mom always does (dry, crumbly, but that's how dad likes it apparently) turkey and a spiral ham. Grandma always brings marinated carrots, broccoli crown, stuffing with the density of concrete, and some kind of fruit dessert.

Thou Shalt Have Canned Cranberry Sauce.

Thou Shalt Have Mom's Delicious Angel Biscuits.

I now bring oyster dressing, and next year I think i'm going to try to work turkey and stuffing into spring rolls somehow just to throw the family for a loop.

Mom made sweet potato and cranberry salad that was a big hit (We always have some sweet potato dish, and that's where i've been helping her experiment the last few years) and instead of grandma's pumpkin pie, mom put together a pumpkin cheesecake with pecans on top.

[Jaymes]

And so the world moves on, measured out in Tupperware and tinsel, calories and Kugels.  Lovely holiday.

Nice.

[gfron1]

For those of you who live outside of the US...you're not missing anything, and yet you're missing the quintessential US experience.  I can't wait 

←

Well, my spouse has corrected me via HIS BLOG. Apparently this is the quintessential baby boomer experience.

[Jaymes]

For those of you who live outside of the US...you're not missing anything, and yet you're missing the quintessential US experience.  I can't wait   

Well, my spouse has corrected me via HIS BLOG. Apparently this is the quintessential baby boomer experience.

Don't know if your spouse is a baby boomer, but that hump follows me by a decade. And I assure you that Thanksgiving is, and has been, the quintessential US experience, for a very long time. My 87-year-old father is fond of talking about what was essentially the exact same holiday and menu (minus that green bean casserole, I suppose) when he was a boy. And I remember my grandmother, born in 1885, talking about what was essentially the exact same holiday when she was a child.

And hasn't your spouse ever heard of Norman Rockwell? He was sure no baby boomer.

[Busboy]

Think we're redefining "traditional" after last night: cassoulet.

←

Say more, Charles.

One of the things that has kept my relationship together since the first Reagan Administration is that my wife and I share a deep loathing of turkey. While we have occasionally allowed others to bring it by the house on Thanksgiving Day (for many years our T-Day has been a motley, "orphans" affair) and actually had sous vide turkey at the home of a local food celeb last year, we've always avoided cooking it. So somehow earlier this fall we were swilling wine with friends with whom we've probably shared nine of the last ten Thanksgivings and it was decided that cassoulet would be an ideal Thanksgiving Dinner because it not only isn't turkey, but it doesn't go well with sweet potatoes, stuffing, or cranberry sauce, three other things that we could happily never eat. Not to mention that it's mostly an in-advance thing so your day is left free for fighting with your wife about table settings and trying to line up a second oven for the pot pie because the daughter won't eat cassoulet and the other oven we were going to use developed a gas leak and there was some paranoia about the house blowing up if we tried to cook there. Wimps.

Not sure that I have any wisdom to add to the existing cassoulet thread here, but we used flagelots (has anyone elese priced tarbais lately? holy moly) and of course did the confit and Saucisse de Toulouse ourselves, and kind of stole a little from Bordain and a little from Ms. Wolfert as far as the recipe went.

My buddy had a bunch of oysters shipped up from Rappahannock River Oysters and they were spectacular. Best I've had in the U.S. Cretins that we are we just topped them with cocktail sauce and washed them back with prosecco and then Chablis and then on to cassoulet with a cheap, heart Cote du Languedoc and salad and cheese and many, many desserts, especially a very cool pie made by Pontormo, who might share her recipe with us if we ask nicely. We also made Pommes Anna and chocolate ice cream and the most viciously sour lemon sorbet ever concocted because we were in the mood to spoil the kids and we had time to kill.

All in all, kind of a Frenchy sort of Thanksgiving but one that touched all the rioght bases regarding old friends, copious wine and an entree that catches the eye when it comes out of the oven. We may have to do it again. Maybe for Christmas -- there's still confit in the fridge and saucisse in the freezer.

[gfron1]

This is The Spouse, responding on Gfron's account with his permission:

I admit I'm probably wrong about the Thanksgiving turkey requiring factory farms and electric ovens, but I stand by the rest of it being a 1950s Donna Reed-style fantasy meal. You don't see any Funyuns, gelled cranberries, or mini-marshmallows in Norman Rockwell's paintings from the thirties -- and, of course, nary a Jell-O salad in sight. All that stuff is pure 1950s kitsch.

Now, as to why I call that the Baby Boomer period: What we think of as the 1950s really covers the period from mid-fifties to mid-sixties, and I don't think one can underestimate how much that period influenced the Baby Boomer mindset. Many of them have spent their lives reacting against the fifties, and the rest (my parents included) have spent their lives trying to get back to that period.

[Busboy]

This is The Spouse, responding on Gfron's account with his permission:

I admit I'm probably wrong about the Thanksgiving turkey requiring factory farms and electric ovens, but I stand by the rest of it being a 1950s Donna Reed-style fantasy meal. You don't see any Funyuns, gelled cranberries, or mini-marshmallows in Norman Rockwell's paintings from the thirties -- and, of course, nary a Jell-O salad in sight. All that stuff is pure 1950s kitsch.

Now, as to why I call that the Baby Boomer period: What we think of as the 1950s really covers the period from mid-fifties to mid-sixties, and I don't think one can underestimate how much that period influenced the Baby Boomer mindset. Many of them have spent their lives reacting against the fifties, and the rest (my parents included) have spent their lives trying to get back to that period.

←

The fact that Macy's has been parading on Thanksgiving since the 20s would suggest pre-boomer, pre-jello salad-era popularity. Not to mention George Washington's 1789 proclamation.