Turkey Up!

These two are hoping the Thanksgiving meal comes to them!
And they know exactly what they want too. Turkey and all its trimmings. This upcoming Thanksgiving feast is the one meal I truly enjoy putting on the table for these very reasons:

1. The main course is ready to go with minimal effort. You can even pre-order and pick up your turkey at the local supermarket or restaurant if you wish.
2. Most of the sides are predictable: cranberry sauce, two kinds of potatoes, one with marshmallows, two kinds of greens, one with bacon, stuffing, two kinds of pies, one definitely pumpkin, and plenty of ice cream for first and second helpings.
3. Leftovers can go home with guests or will feed you for the next few days.
4. No need for cooking supper if the meal is served mid day.
5. Everyone will complain on how much they ate as they scavenge in the back of the refrigerator all afternoon.

A traditional meal is quite easy to prepare, and I make every effort to simplify every year.
Since a lot of people anticipate to taste their childhood meal at this time, stick to brands they recognize and have come to love. If you know that one person connects Thanksgiving to a special dish, be sure to include that dish, even if it is not eaten by anyone else.

1. Purchase a Butterball Turkey, pre-infused with extra juices. Follow roasting instructions on the package. If you opt for a heritage turkey, talk to the providers about how to treat and cook the bird.

2. Purchase or bake your pies ahead of time unless you truly love to fuss with the extra baking. Your oven will be busy for hours; so, anything you need to bake will need to be done ahead of time.

3. If you have vegetarians, try to include a special dish for them, even if they are the only ones eating that item.

Feel like decorating? Go outdoors and pick up leaves and branches to make natural dried arrangements. Add your family heirloom china pieces, even for children's settings. Eating together is a special time for an extended family. No need to save those pieces for future occasions.

I will send home dried, sweet cranberries for everyone, with a printed recipe for homemade granola that will use up those cranberries. Here is the recipe, adapted from Mark Bittman, NYTimes.

Ingredients:
6C rolled oats (not instant)
1Tablespoon cinnamon
2C nuts/seeds
1teaspoon salt
1/2C oil
1/2 C or 1C maple syrup or honey
1 C dried cranberries or other dried fruit

Procedure:
Heat oven to 125F.
Combine oats, nuts/seeds, cinnamon, salt, maple or honey, oil.
Spread on a rimmed cookie sheet.
Bake for 15' and stir.
Continue baking and stirring every 15' until the mixture is golden brown.Appr. 35' or so.
Remove from oven and stir in the dried fruit.
Cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.  Shelf life is about two weeks.

Make it easy on yourself

I have chosen this picture because both of these plants, a lemon tree and a tomato plant do not do well on my patio, the warmest place I can provide for them in our cool summer months. My ambition though, is to have my own lemons and my own tomatoes. Have I succeeded ever?  NO! Yet, every summer, I try and I try.

Nothing else will complicate your life as your own ambition!
You can quote me!
I want to take a few minutes to explain this NEW PHILOSOPHY of mine in a few statements, applicable to anything in your life, especially during holidays.

Cooking is no longer the task it used to be for our ancestors. They had to grow their own food, raise and butcher their own animals and provide for hungry mouths with whatever resources they had on hand.

We can find fabolous food every where, from all parts of the world.

Think of cooking as your artistic expression and your health barometer.

Cook only when you feel the passion to create.
Cook only what connects you emotionally to the task.
Cook only if your health depends on your skills in the kitchen
Cook only if your efforts in the kitchen cannot be duplicated by anybody else.

Hence, my getting pizza on the table through the quick method I borrowed from someone.  If I had great pizza available to me in town, and I could afford it, and it had the health benefits, little salt, little cheese I need, then, gladly,  I would let someone else do it.


Women tend to kill themselves with MUST DO LISTS!
Thank the purveyors of good food this season.  Go out of your way to appreciate the butcher, the baker, the organic farmer.  They are your best friends during holiday season.

Enjoy the holidays. If you are the cook in your household, figure out what others do well, and use their products. 

WE HAVE EARNED IT!