O.k., so, when James and I lived close to family, we would go to one of our parent's homes for Thanksgiving dinner, and we would bring . . . the ROLLS! Yup, that's it. Rolls. So, when you live far from home, and you decide it's important enough to you to continue the traditional dishes that made up your family's Thanksgiving meals, then all of a sudden, your menu looks fairly complex. Instead of 5-11 families contributing, it's just you. So, that's why there are so many things on our menu. Truly, it isn't as bad as it seems. The recipes are fairly easy, and the pay-off for me is worth it.
That being said, James and I discussed it last night and we decided to save the Green Jell-O Salad and the Wassail for our Christmas or New Year's Celebration, in order to simplify things a bit. We even discussed the option of buying Sam's Club rolls, but then we decided that our rolls "rock!" So, they stayed on the menu.
Also, this year, we decided to substitute Corn Pudding for our Green Bean Casserole. I found a recipe online, but I would be interested in anyone else's recipe for Corn Pudding.
O.k., that's enough about my Thanksgiving meal for now. Now onto some clarification. I believe that Ben's "O-R-A-N-G-E" song was learned at school. He may have changed the lyrics a bit, but for the most part, it came from school.
And the quote, "Let us not have tears. Partings are a natural part of life." is, indeed, from Anne of Green Gables, one of my all time favorite shows! (Eight hours is worth it just for the kiss at the end!!)
Family pic 2020
2 months ago
10 comments:
I know your bread "rocks" and so I am sure your rolls "rock" as well. I wouldn't leave 'em out or trust that to Sam either!
It is so worth the effort. To have your family gathered around a well thought out , prepared meal. Nothing could be better. Well, execpt for help in the kitchen afterwards! :D
We had the same idea with thanksgiving this year. Only a couple of Josh's favorites, a couple of mine - and only the mess, not the memories or thankfulness were less.
oich...that rhymes.
Your Thanksgiving will be great. Wish we could be there. Next year. Love you all too much for words. MOM M.
It is important to keep up with tradition especially when you are not close to family. I am glad that you are continuing to do the things that matter. I agree with Chelle, your rolls probably do "rock". I reread the slushy recipe and may try it...Sounds great. I will have to scale it down a bit. I don't need that much sugar...
Food discussions are irrelevant when you recognize that it is worth waiting hours for a great kiss.
Appreciated your invitation this morning. Sorry that we can't take you up on it. I don't know what corn pudding is.
If you want to make your turkey extra special, soak it in a brine the night before.
The basic Brine is this:
1 gallon water
1 c. salt (preferrably Kosher salt - it is better than normal salt, especially for this kind of thing).
You can also add some sugar (up to 1 c. white sugar per 1 gallon water - less if you use brown)
You can also look up other brines on the internet. There are a ton of recipes out there.
The purpose of the brine is to make the turkey very moist. Having done it a couple of times myself, I would not cook a turkey without first brining it.
How you do it:
Double up to clean garbage bags. Put the turkey (with the inners taken out) in the garbage bags, breast side down (so the meatiest part is fully covered). Pour the brine solution over the turkey - using enough to cover the entire turkey. Sometimes there is a floating issue which is why I recommend putting the turkey in breast side down.
Tie the garbage bags securely.
You need to keep the turkey cold - I usually put it in a big cooler and pack it with ice. I then put it outside on my patio since the night air is cool. However, if you have a small turkey, you could put it in a big bowl or dish and put it in the fridge.
In the morning when you are ready to cook the turkey, take it out of the brine, rinse it off (to clean it off) and prepare as normal (love those reynolds turkey bags).
Truly, the brine works like a charm. Your turkey will be very tender and moist. So delicious. :)
One other note: One year I made a very special brine - it had all sorts of things in it like ginger root, apple cider, etc. The turkey was amazing but it didn't have that classic "Thanksgiving" taste to it which is why I now do a very basic brine instead.
:)
So I'm curious... Do you celebrate Thanksgiving with just your immediate family, or do you get together with friends who are also away from family?
We have usually gathered wtih friends who don't have family in the area. It's a great way to celebrate!
I also LOVE Anne of Green Gables. Yup, the kiss at the end is worth it! As a child with red hair, freckles, and feeling teased a lot, I could REALLY relate to Anne. In fact, Laura's middle name includes Anne (with an E) because of Anne of Green Gables! :]
In answer to your question, Mama D, we've been invited to Jamie's home this year -- I think it was the rolls that sealed the deal! ;) We've done it both ways -- mostly depending on James' schedule.
Leslie, how do you know how to write so many good things?
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