Thanksgiving Out of the Box

http://dcc.newberry.org/items/uncle-sams-thanksgiving-dinner

When I started this project, I had a couple of family members ask for certain recipes they remember from family Thanksgiving dinners. While those recipes are not in the green box, I decided it would be nice to share the simple recipes I remember making with Mom when I was younger. I'm just going to type up the information; you'll want to read all the way through to make sure you purchase all the necessary ingredients for whichever bits and pieces of this dinner you want to make.

TURKEY

Choose the right size turkey to feed the number of people expected, with enough leftovers to send home with the guests. Remember that it can take up to three days to thaw a turkey in the refrigerator, so you want to plan ahead.

If you plan a Thanksgiving meal for about midday, you'll want to prepare the bird for stuffing the night before. Take out the giblets and neck. The giblets are usually in a back inside the bird; then neck is usually tucked into the open neck space. Place these in a saucepan with about 2 cups of water. Lightly salt the water, and bring it to a boil. Boil the giblets for about half an hour, making sure the meat is cooked. Once it's done, take the giblets out of the water and place in a container in the refrigerator to cool. Save the water in a container for use when you make the stuffing.

While the giblets are boiling, rinse the bird with cold water inside and out. Then, place about a teaspoon of salt in your hand, and rub it into the bird's cavity. Rub it all around the inside. Place the turkey in a roasting pan, cover, and place in refrigerator until ready to stuff the bird.

Once you've made the stuffing (recipe below), stuff as much as  you can into the large cavity in the turkey. Then, put as much as possible in the neck area of the bird. If there's any left after that,  you can put it into a baking pan to be baked along side the turkey. The pan will only take about an  hour to bake, so don't put it in until closer to the time the bird will be done.

Once the turkey is stuffed, melt a stick of butter or margarine and pour it over the top of the bird, slowly, so it covers the whole top. Season the bird with a little salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour about a cup of water into the roasting pan, cover, and place in the oven, preheated to about 350 degrees F.

The time for roasting the turkey will differ based on the size of the bird. Remember to account for the stuffing, which will slow baking time a little bit. These days, the roasting time may be listed on the packaging, or you can look it up in a cook book or online.

About every half hour or so, remove the cover and baste the turkey with the water in the bottom of the pan. You can use a baster to suck up the water and squirt it over the bird, or you can use a spoon. The bird is done when it is, at a minimum, 165F in the thickest part of the meat. At the very end, take the lid off and let the bird brown for about 10 - 15 minutes before removing from oven.

Once the turkey is done, take it out of the oven. Spoon the stuffing out of the bird. Once that is finished, carefully take the bird out of the roasting pan and place on a platter.

You will have made both the mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes by this time. The table should be set, relish tray and cranberries already on the table. The last two things to do will be to bake the rolls (if you have them) and make the gravy (see below).

STUFFING

Mom always bought the packaged stuffing croutons from Pepperidge Farm. The number of bags (or boxes) you need will depend upon the size of the turkey you wish to stuff - or how much stuffing you want leftover on the side! This recipe will be for one bag of croutons. Double everything for two bags. If you make this the night before you are going to roast the turkey, cover and refrigerate until time to stuff the bird.

1 bag seasoned croutons
1 stick of butter (melted)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 or 2 stalks celery, chopped
1 egg
1 cup turkey broth (saved from boiling the giblets and neck)
All giblets, chopped
Turkey neck meat, torn from bones
Salt, Pepper, Garlic to taste

Pour the croutons into a large bowl. Add chopped onion, celery, and meat. Mix using a large wooden spoon. Add egg, mixing in by hand. Pour melted butter and broth over the top, then mix it all by hand. If it feels a little too dry, add a little broth. Make sure all the croutons are wet. Stuff turkey as described.

SWEET POTATOES

These can be easy-peasy like Mom made them, using the sweet potatoes (or yams) in a can, or you can purchase the sweet potatoes/yams from the produce department and peel and cut them  yourself. Mom generally used the canned type, poured them into a baking dish, added about 1/2 - 2/3 cup of brown sugar, and baked them in the oven at 350F for 30 - 45 minutes. If you choose not to use the cans, you'll need to increase the baking time. If you wish, you can sprinkle marshmallows over the top about 15 minutes before you're ready to take them out of the oven. Let the marshmallows melt and become slightly browned.

MASHED POTATOES

Now, mashed potatoes are a perennial family favorite. Mom's usual formula was one potato for each person and one for the pot. However, at these holidays, it never hurts to make more than you think you'll need. Potatoes are easy, right? Just take as many potatoes as you need, scrub them under running water, then peel them all. Cut potatoes into small chunks, place in a pan large enough to hold the potatoes and water to cover them. Rinse them once again, then fill the pan with water until the potatoes are covered. Salt the water lightly, and boil. When the potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork, they are ready to drain.

Once the water has been rinsed off, add a smidge of turkey broth, butter or margarine to your taste, and a splash of milk. Mash the potatoes with your favorite mashing tool - by hand or using your electric mixer. If you wish to have them a little more buttery or moist, add milk or butter as desired.

GRAVY

The gravy is made from the turkey drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan. Once you've taken out the turkey from the roaster, place the pan on top of the stove. Add any leftover turkey broth or water to what is already in the pan to increase volume as needed. If you've added water, you may need to add a little seasoning, such as salt, pepper, or garlic. Any other seasonings you like can be used as well. Using a whisk, stir the contents of the pan as you bring the liquid to a boil. Bits of turkey and stuffing that are in bottom should be left in the gravy. While the liquid comes to a boil, mix 1/4 cup or corn starch in a little water. to make a paste. While whisking, add the corn starch paste to the liquid. Keep whisking as the gravy thickens to avoid any lumps. Once it's thick, it's ready to be poured into a gravy boat or bowl.


VEGETABLES

Around our house, the vegetables that went on the Thanksgiving table were usually a broccoli-cauliflower mix. I've heard of people having a tradition with something called a "Green Bean Casserole." Being the one person I know who really cannot stand green beans, I'm never going to serve this casserole. I'll stick with broccoli-cauliflower, because I love it. Serve it hot with a dollop of butter in a serving bowl.


CRANBERRY RELISH

Now, here's a family favorite. It's simple, delicious, and refreshing. I like to make at least two batches of Cranberry Relish if I can. Here's the recipe for one batch:

1 bag of cranberries
1 whole orange
Up to 1 cup sugar

Mom always used a meat grinder for this, and I happen to have hers, so that's what I use. I'm sure one of those "new-fangled" food processors will do the job just as well.

Rinse the cranberries. Put them through the grinder into a bowl (or, you know, just process them and transfer them into a bowl). 

Wash the orange, take off any labels. Cut the orange into quarters, including the peeling. Put quarters through the grinder. The entire orange is added to the cranberries.

Add sugar to taste, up to a cup. Stir it all together and chill. This will be a sweet/tart flavor. The juice from the cranberries and orange makes this a refreshing delight!

Mom always also supplied a bowl each of jellied cranberry and whole cranberries.

WHAT GOES ON A RELISH TRAY?

Mom always had us help her put together the relish tray. She had this nifty cut glass platter with sections for everything. Here are the items we  usually had on the tray:

Black Olives, Green Olives, Tiny Pearl Onions, Pickled Beets (not my favorite!), Tiny Dill Gherkins, Bread and Butter Pickles, Spicy Cauliflower, Cherry Peppers, Banana Peppers. Of course, this tray can be adapted to your tastes.

Some families might use these items as appetizers, but we always had ours right on the table with dinner.

DESSERTS

Mom rarely made the desserts for Thanksgiving dinners. Sometimes she would purchase a Lemon Meringue Pie, or she may have begun to make her Glass Candy, Divinity, or Fudge; however,  usually others would provide a Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream or some other delicious treat. The important thing is to remember to at least have one pie, because it's not Thanksgiving without the pie!

  DRINKS 

The table should be set with glasses for water and wine glasses. Before everyone sits, have someone put ice in the glasses and pour water at all settings. A nice bottle of red wine should be available for those who choose to imbibe. Add a couple of bottles of sparkling cider for those who prefer non-alcoholic fare (and for the children, of course).

ENJOY

Finally, whether you've made this simple traditional Thanksgiving dinner or if you've gone a different direction entirely, the most important part of the day is to enjoy the meal, the time with friends and family, and to give thanks for the opportunity to do so. That's what it's all about!