Adult Children

[fifi]

My sister got into trying to perfect the tequila jello shot last year. Should I ask her for recommendations.

[Dr. Funk]

I've been in charge of gravy for 25 years because I can make it with no lumps every time (even in cold broth). She doesn't know and I'm never going to tell her that the secret is using pre-gelatinized potato starch. I've never seen this in a grocery store, I've been using the same 50# sack I liberated from a drilling rig 25 years ago. We use it in drilling mud as a viscosifier and filtration control agent. No, it's not "food grade" but its sole ingredient is potato starch and how can you screw that up?

[MsMelkor]

I've been in charge of gravy for 25 years because I can make it with no lumps every time (even in cold broth).  She doesn't know and I'm never going to tell her that the secret is using pre-gelatinized potato starch.  I've never seen this in a grocery store, I've been using the same 50# sack I liberated from a drilling rig 25 years ago.  We use it in drilling mud as a viscosifier and filtration control agent.  No, it's not "food grade" but its sole ingredient is potato starch and how can you screw that up?

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Sounds similar to Wondra, which is pre-gelatinized flour that comes in a 13.5 oz shaker can. Its ingredients are: wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid. I'm guessing that Gold Medal, the company that makes Wondra, just uses the same enriched flour they use in their regular flour. Doesn't seem like it would be worth it to enrich flour that is used in such small amounts.

[TheFoodTutor]

I think I'll take your suggestions and figure out something to just bring.  I'll definitely make a sugar-free dessert for my uncle, otherwise he won't get anything, and try to figure out a really great side dish or dishes that can travel for 3 hours in the car.  And, of course, those Jello Jigglers.  I think there's a recipe for those in the Les Halles cookbook. 

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I like the idea of jello shots, but my best suggestion would be to bring a pumpkin cheesecake, with nutella incorporated into the graham crust. This sort of thing is absolutely irresistible at this time of year, particularly when people are expecting to have plain old pumpkin pie, maybe an apple pie garnished with Cool Whip or something that's really not that stellar in the dessert realm.

I could look up a recipe for you, but there are many to be found on the internet. Not a difficult thing to make at all, and you can never have too many desserts.

[nessa]

Are you kidding? Ma is tickled pink she won't have to cook. She has never had a problem handing over the apron, and never once complained about the food. Gotta love that!!

On jello..... Ma used to make a lime jello-cabbage-green olive dish......

I thought everyone had it for holidays. I liked it as a kid.

Edited November 15, 2004 by nessa (log)

[daniellewiley]

I haven't had Thanksgiving with my mom for a few years now, though I was just informed that next year I will be, and that she is cooking. (hmpf)

We usually have it at our house, and my sister-in-law and I cook together. This year, my dad and stepmother will be driving out to Ohio to join us. Neither one of them loves cooking, so no worries there. We have a menu that has evolved over the 6 or so years that we've been cooking together, though each year we vary it slightly. This year we'll be attempting homemade vegetarian marshmallow for the sweet potato puree. Fun 70s nostalgia, that my sister-in-law (vegetarian) will actually be able to eat.

Everyone knows to stay out of the kitchen and leave us to ourselves. We have a great synergy, and Megen does most of the cleaning up after me, which I am notoriously terrible at. My mother-in-law, her mom, would LOVE to help us, but we don't let her, b/c she'd just drive us crazy. We do let her bring devilled eggs, and sometimes a batch of her cheesy potatoes. She makes them better than we do, b/c we have a hard time using enough butter to make them taste their best. (one stick per five pounds plus dots of butter over the top of the dish - this is on top of the entire package of cream cheese).

I need to start planning now for Thanksgiving at my mom's next year. I will absolutely not be able to cede control.

[phaelon56]

I'll be cooking the Thanksgiving dinner this year and serving it at my house, now that I have a proper kitchen and space to entertain. My mom actually pulled me aside after Thanskgiving dinner last year and informed me that the task would be passed on to me. Regrettably, my dad has extremely narrow tastes in food and all the main dishes have to be tailored to his palate (i.e. unseasoned). The good news... a friend, whose invitation I was unable to accept due to family obligations, is making up a bunch of side dishes for me and the more adventurous eaters of the group. She's a good cook so it should be a treat and lightens my load as well.

[Kevin72]

I've gradually insinuated my way into the Thanksgiving cooking. I used to help with alot of the prep, then I took over getting a dish or two to cook all by myself. My mom has mentioned on a couple of occasions that she wants to try brining the bird this year so I think I'll be the go-to for that.

[LaurieB]

My Mom, when she was alive, was MORE than happy to let me cook Thanksgiving Dinner. She was, in fact, thrilled.

[hjshorter]

My mom would be happy to let me cook, because I'm the second coming of Julia Child.

[sparrowgrass]

We tend to rotate the designated Thanksgiving site, and the main cook.

I am designated cook this year--I will be making the turkey and the ham, the stuffing and the praline sweet potatoes. There will be canned green beans and frozen corn from my garden. And maybe even a few very late season tomatoes, if they last that long.

Sis is bringing a green salad, sis-in-law some kind of way too much frosting cake. Mom is making pumpkin pie. Somebody will probably peel and mash some taters. My brother will be driving down from Chicago, and his wife will probably decide to make something with ingredients that cannot be found in Ironton. Last time it was borscht, and we had to drive 35 miles for fresh beets.

The meal will be laid out on the kitchen table and on the counters, and folks will sit where they can find a spot--at the table in the sunroom, in front of the tv, on the floor by the cedar chest/coffee table in the living room. Sometimes it is even warm enough to sit outside, but where-ever you sit, guard your plate--my dogs are opportunists.

After dinner, we will get out the Uno game, and the dominoes, and the booze. Then we will laugh and remember and lie and have a wonderful time.

[LaurieB]

"After dinner, we will get out the Uno game, and the dominoes, and the booze. Then we will laugh and remember and lie and have a wonderful time. "

We'll be doing pretty much the same!

Sparrow, while we're enjoying I'll thnk about all of you.

And everyone else, too!

[RSincere]

I've been upgraded! Mom emailed me and said that she meant to ask me to do the vegetables, so that she wouldn't have to. She's making the mashed potatoes, and she makes a small sweet potato/marshmallow casserole for her dad every year (no one else likes it but it's important to him) so I can make whatever I want. She wants something colorful. I'm trying to decide if I should bother trying to cater to my dad's taste or not. He doesn't like food with real onion and garlic in it, only powdered.

I can't decide if it's appropriate to give him a taste of his own medicine..."I don't care how horrible you think it is, your mother cooked this and you are going to sit there and eat it until that plate is clean, and I'm going to sit here and watch you eat it, and if you're still eating at bedtime there will be trouble!"

[sparrowgrass]

I can't decide if it's appropriate to give him a taste of his own medicine..."I don't care how horrible you think it is, your mother cooked this and you are going to sit there and eat it until that plate is clean, and I'm going to sit here and watch you eat it, and if you're still eating at bedtime there will be trouble!"

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[RSincere]

Oooh, Thanksgiving--it is all about the love, isn't it? 

Hee!

Now, 10 years ago I wouldn't have ever said such a thing to him. But he's mellowed in his later years, plus, I can outrun him now.

[Varmint]

My parents and in-laws all demand that I cook Thanksgiving dinner, just as long as I don't make anything "too weird." Thus, we're very traditional, but everything is made with the best ingredients and lots of love!

[tryska]

with my mom, it's not just a yes, but a HELL yes.

she hates cooking.

actually i pretty much cooked thanksgiving from 14 or 15 onwards.

so how are those jigglers coming along rsincere?

Edited November 16, 2004 by tryska (log)

[joey madison]

I've been slowly worming my way into cooking turkeyday dinner as well. This year will be my first as chef. It should be quite the challenge, considering my broom-closet sized kitchen. Luckily the rest of the apartment is spacious.

As an added bonus, having thanksgiving dinner at my place will mean my entire family can avoid my dad's much maligned sister, and his ornery rednecked husband.

[johnnyd]

I've been upgraded!  Mom emailed me and said that she meant to ask me to do the vegetables, so that she wouldn't have to.  She's making the mashed potatoes, and she makes a small sweet potato/marshmallow casserole for her dad every year (no one else likes it but it's important to him) so I can make whatever I want.  She wants something colorful.  I'm trying to decide if I should bother trying to cater to my dad's taste or not.  He doesn't like food with real onion and garlic in it, only powdered. 

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Hmmm... d'you think she's lurking around here???!!!

[RSincere]

Hmmm... d'you think she's lurking around here???!!!

I was paranoid enough to worry that she might come across this thread somehow, but not a chance she's lurking here. You couldn't tear her away from eBay and her custom doll clothes empire and her doll lists and quilt lists... Plus, she likes to cook and is a good cook, she just happens to cook food that a Lutheran Minnesota woman of a certain age would cook, but she's not that into food.

[lovebenton0]

I've been upgraded!  Mom emailed me and said that she meant to ask me to do the vegetables, so that she wouldn't have to.  She's making the mashed potatoes, and she makes a small sweet potato/marshmallow casserole for her dad every year (no one else likes it but it's important to him) so I can make whatever I want.  She wants something colorful.  I'm trying to decide if I should bother trying to cater to my dad's taste or not.  He doesn't like food with real onion and garlic in it, only powdered. 

I can't decide if it's appropriate to give him a taste of his own medicine..."I don't care how horrible you think it is, your mother cooked this and you are going to sit there and eat it until that plate is clean, and I'm going to sit here and watch you eat it, and if you're still eating at bedtime there will be trouble!" 

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Rachel, good for your mom! You'll wow 'em with something fantastic, I know. Hey, don't tell your dad anything about what you're cooking! If he asks just tell him what he wants to hear. And some things, especially smooth sauces, really do benefit from a good quality powder-blend garlic anyway.

We do Thanksgiving at our house. Both our moms, my brother, and my mr's two daughters usually come here. So I'm the one passing out suggestions or requesting others to bring something. Basically I just let them know what I'm making -- turkey (sorry but I love a good roasted or smoked big bird once a year ), always homemade rolls and bread, stuffed squash (that has varied but apricot wild rice is my fav right now), and sweet potatoes with plantains and pecans. Then suggest where they might like to fill in. Usually do pies and a pumpkin cheesecake, but brother is doing a large dessert pumpkin tart of some delicious sort this year and the group will be smaller than usual so I might wait to do pecan pie until later. He'll also do his fresh cranberry/orange relish and my mom will bring whatever she likes -- which is always good and probably more than we need for the day. But since everyone will be here for days (I'll sort through and shift some of my mom's food to other meals if necessary ). We'll eat it all.

I don't have any problem accepting extra foods on T-Day from anyone! We're a foodie family. But I have to admit that I'm not good about people trying to help me with what I'm cooking or baking. Unless it's the girls and our pies -- that's a tradition the three of us enjoy doing together. They learned pecan, pumpkin and apple pies, and pumpkin cheesecake in my kitchen over T-Day gatherings and are proud to be able to make their own now.

[lesfen]

In my family, no matter who hosts, everyone brings something. Everyone has something that they do well, so that's usually requested, and if we want to branch out and make something crazy, that's welcome as well. We're all food lovers, so it usually doesn't cause a stir. I am in charge of the stuffing because my mother claims that she can't make it, which I think is her way of saying that mine is infinately better than hers.

Now, my fiance's family... not so much. A couple of years ago they told me to bring a veggie, so I made a really delicious, and basic, artichoke and tomato dish. No one ate it, except myself and one brave aunt. I could hear them all hovering over it... "What is this? Who made it?" I should have known better. Now they just ask me to make a cheese ball.

[jgarner53]

I got my "in" on the Thanksgiving cooking my first year or so out of college because I was aghast at the idea of buying pies, even from the family favorite chain Marie Callender's (and yes, now I think their pies are awful). Bolstered by an article in the SF Chronicle, I bravely volunteered to make the pumpkin pies, even though my crust-making skills were still, um, in development. But damn if this pie isn't the best damn stuff, and I've been responsible for it every year since. Fortunately, my crust skills have definitely improved. My husband (bless him!) calls me "The Pie Queen."

My husband is in charge of the cranberry sauce, which he usually makes with port. I usually help out wherever I can - mashing potatoes, making rolls, most of the time.

This will be the first year in a long time that we'll be at mom's, since my brother, whose house we normally descend upon, is taking his family to NYC. I've grown to appreciate their more gourmet fare, so mom's boxes of Mrs. Cubbison's will be a change.

But as long as you save the potato water to help thicken the gravy (it's only now that I understand why this is -- I'd always thought it was for flavor!), and use a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet, I'll be helping myself to plenty of the gravy!

And the gravy goes into the turkey noodle soup once the broth is done the next day. I'm as excited for this soup as I am for the dinner itself.

[lesfen]

But as long as you save the potato water to help thicken the gravy (it's only now that I understand why this is -- I'd always thought it was for flavor!), and use a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet, I'll be helping myself to plenty of the gravy!

Oh my gosh!! I thought that Kitchen Bouquet was my dirty little secret!!!

[presto]

I've been in charge of gravy for 25 years because I can make it with no lumps every time (even in cold broth).  She doesn't know and I'm never going to tell her that the secret is using pre-gelatinized potato starch. 

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Sounds similar to Wondra, which is pre-gelatinized flour that comes in a 13.5 oz shaker can.

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In Canada, we've got Knorr brand "Veloutine" sauce thickener (potato starch), comes in white and brown for light and dark sauces - just sprinkle over the simmering liquid, no lumps, no fuss, no muss...