A Cranberry Thanksgiving Day or How To Get the Kids Involved in Thanksgiving!

"Get Mother to help."

 As my family well knows, there comes a day in November (December is just too late) when I do nothing but bake cranberry bread.  We have it for Thanksgiving morning breakfast, take a loaf or two to friends, and then have one squirreled away in the freezer for Christmas morning as well.   I make a fun production out of the day (no other activities, favorite music on, microwaved lunch) and have nearly an assembly line in the kitchen so that loaf after loaf is mixed individually and baked on the center rack.  It does require a number of pans, but I'm good at finding extras at Good Will or splurging on a great pan with a Williams-Sonoma gift card.  I also bake this bread in coffee cups
for large size muffins or in tiny pans as little gifts for special folks.

Apilco (French porcelain)--all their tableware is oven-safe.

Thanksgiving, 2012

                     "It's not what's on the table that's important.  It's who's in the chairs."

                       
This post includes:

• Guide to cooking and baking hotlines
• Links to great Thanksgiving sites for tips, food, decoration, kids' activities
• My own favorite Thanksgiving photos, recipes, music, wine, and even a blessing or two  ... 

Enjoy!

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  I can't preach about giving thanks.  I'll just say I think it's healthy.  It's lovely in that it's a discipline folks of any religion or country can take part.  But of course, our fair "Rabbie" had it best:

Some Hae Meat

 Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.

~Robert Burns

 Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  You could have guessed.
My worlds all come together on that day.
Giving thanks-- being grateful--is a practice or discipline of many religions and cultures, including mine.
I need it.  I need that discipline. And:
Creating a meal to honor that...is my idea of a great day!
I wish you a day of totally beautiful, grateful life.


A grace could be very simply giving thanks for the hands that made the meal, for the workers in the stores, on the trucks, in the gardens and  the vineyards.  Even a toast to all who made it possible would work.  Mark the moment.

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.  
                                                    ~W.J. Cameron
.                          
Awareness.   Awakeness. Appreciation.  Peaceful breath.
A table that includes something you love.
Someone you love.

Some of the best new scripture these days is found on paper napkins.
I have some that say, "It's not what's on the table that's important.  It's who's in the chairs."
Ah, that we have to print that somewhere.

Deep breaths and a sense of warm wonder to you as you prepare to give thanks this year.


          If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. 

                                                                                                              ~Meister Eckhart
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Before the fun begins,  thanks for reading and responding:

           Bloggers Without Borders Post on Helping Victims of Sandy 

 

Roasted Pork Loin and Hot! Cranberry Sauce

New USDA regs say it's ok if it's a bit pink.

 As a recipe tester for Cooks Illustrated, I get to make all kinds of things.  I mostly like them, but sometimes I don't.  The note that arrives with each recipe always says something to the effect of:

If you don't care for one or more of the ingredients in the dish or wouldn't ordinarily eat it, please do not test this recipe...

So, for instance, if you hate hot stuff, don't test the On-Fire Texas Chili.  I love to see the magazine months and months later to see recipes on which I've worked; I'm interested to see the final result-which may not be the recipe I saw originally.  I test recipes far out of season sometimes (I'm sure I've mentioned this before--) and adore that out of time and place experience that has us eating turkey in March.  That was one of the best turkeys I've ever eaten, by the way, but felt like it took all day to make. If you didn't buy the magazine last January or February, the recipe is online, but you must subscribe.

Thanksgiving-An Intimate View

Thanksgiving by Walt Waldo Emerson

For each morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything thy goodness sends.

Visiting my friend Sue last month, we talked a little about Thanksgiving.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I don't know; I haven't decided. I would so like something really simple," said she.

"I know exactly what you should make," said I.

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Well, of course, I had the idea and, truthfully, had done something like it before, but I had to flesh out the menu and, naturally, try it all out. And, while I adore Thanksgiving, I know it can get out of hand. You don't know it's gotten out of hand until you start the dishes and are still washing glasses the next day. Mostly, it's worth it. Occasionally, though, you want a holiday to BE a holiday for everyone, including you. Well, you and one other person, a special one.

This menu is for that Thanksgiving. I include directions for a Thanksgiving for two, which is delectable. To be two, I mean--and, yes, the food, is, too. I'd say it's more for two with plenty of leftovers, so perhaps I'd say there's enough for four people. The whole thing easily doubles to serve eight and so on. I began cooking this meal at 6pm and we sat down (after taking boocoo pics) at 8:15. I had time in there to have a glass of wine and a couple of teensy starters, though I did have to set the table earlier in the day. I think it could have been done more quickly if I had had the recipes worked out ahead; I was improvising and writing as I went. If you try it, let me know the time!

I had so much fun doing this meal. Isn't that what it's about? Hope you do, too.

MENU

• Starters:Olives and Pistachios--set out in small bowls with wine
• First course: Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Soup (bought from deli)
• Main course: Turkey Roulade, stuffed W/ Proscuitto/Sage/Onions/Garlic
• Sides: Oven-Roasted Root Vegetables with Fresh Rosemary
• Brussel Sprouts (pan-roasted) w/ Parmesan & Pumpkin Seeds
• Home-made Spicy Cranberry Sauce w/ Apples and Lemon
• Bread: Corn Muffins from the bakery
• Dessert: Pumpkin Ice Cream, purchased from grocery OR Pumpkin Custards baked the day before and refrigerated (Use any pumpkin pie filling recipe and bake custards in pammed ramekins about 30 min. at 350---No crust)
• Drinks: Wine: A to Z Riesling and Sineann Pinot Noir- Have both! Coffee: French Roast, laced with Cognac and Whipped Cream

Cook's Hint: Get the turkey and root vegetables in the oven and then make the brussel sprouts and cranberry sauce. Set the coffee up to be ready to push the button as soon as the meal is done. If you had no time to set the table, get your friend to do it while you cook! He or she is in charge of the wine, too. Why not?

RECIPES------

OVEN-ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES W/ ROSEMARY

2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" pieces

1 medium onion, cut into eighths

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces

1 turnip, peeled and cut into 1" pieces

5 new potatoes, cut into fourths (don't peel)

2T olive oil

1t Kosher salt

1/2 t freshly-ground pepper

3T fresh rosemary, minced

Place all vegetables on a large, rimmed baking sheet, mixing them well. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary. Using your hands, toss. Bake about 40 minutes until tender. You can cook these at the same time you roast the turkey; times are similar. Put these in the top oven rack and put the turkey in the bottom of the oven.

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TURKEY ROULADE, STUFFED WITH PROSCUITTO/SAGE/ONIONS

1 boneless turkey breast 3-4 pounds

6 slices proscuitto

3T olive oil, divided

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T fresh sage leaves, sliced very finely

Kosher Salt

Freshly-ground Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a small skillet, cook onion for five minutes in 1T olive oil. Add garlic and sage and saute until onion is limp. Set aside.

Lay turkey breast out flat and roll with a rolling pin until breast flattens out a little. You might need to pound it lightly. Salt and pepper the turkey well. Lay the proscuitto on breast, one piece at a time to cover, and top with the onion-sage-garlic mix. Using both hands, roll breast up gently to form a roll @5 " thick, placing seam at bottom. Cut four 15" pieces of kitchen twine. Slip each piece of twine under the turkey roll and tie roll together gently in four places, spacing the ties out evenly. Salt and pepper well.

Place other 2T olive oil in roasting pan and warm over medium heat on stovetop. Gently remove turkey roll to the pan and brown for 4-5 minutes, searing meat. Turn over and salt and pepper that side as well. Brown again for 4-5 minutes.

Place in bottom third of 400F oven and bake another 35-40 minutes until thermometer registers 160. (Your root vegetables are in the top of this oven) Remove from oven and let rest five minutes or so. Slice into about eight slices or as you desire.

If vegetables are done, you can still leave them in to keep very warm while the turkey rests.

PAN-ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS WITH PARMESAN AND PUMPKIN SEEDS

12 fresh brussel sprouts, cleaned and trimmed (Take l layer of leaves off and

cut off bottom tiny core) and cut in half

2T olive oil

1/4 c Parmesan cheese, "grated" in long pieces with a potato peeler

1/4 c pumpkin seeds

Kosher Salt and freshly-ground pepper

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and add brussel sprouts. Stirring frequently to avoid burning, but still to brown nicely, cook brussel sprouts for about 10 minutes. Add parmesan and pumpkin seeds. Turn down heat to medium-low and cook until sprouts are fairly well-done, but still somewhat crispy. Take care to not burn the parmesan; it should be quite brown. Salt and pepper well.

Homemade Spicy Cranberry Sauce with Lemon and Apple

1 package fresh cranberries

Water

1/2 c brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 lemon, cut into fourths

1/2 large apple, diced, leaving peel on

1/8-1/4 t red pepper flakes to taste

In large, deep skillet, place cranberries. Add water to cover well only. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Let boil 2-3 minutes and lower heat to simmer. Cover and simmer until fruit is tender and liquid is syrupy, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room-temperature. Also good cold.

--Cook's Note:

Easy to serve the meat and all the vegetables on one big platter:

Very easy!!! Here are my pumpkin custards.... Pie without crust.

"There's a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy:

When they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie."

(well, almost!)

Some Thanksgiving Books You Might Enjoy (in no order):

CRANBERRY THANKSGIVING, by Wende and Harry Devlin. (New York:

Simon and Schuster, 1971; also Aladdin Paperbacks, 1990)

This book contains a great cranberry bread recipe....

GIVING THANKS: THANKSGIVING RECIPES AND HISTORY, FROM PILGRIMS TO PUMPKIN PIE, by Kathleen Curtin, Sandra L. Oliver and Plimoth Plantation. (New York: Clarkson Potter, 2005)

THANKSGIVING 101, by Rick Rodgers. (New York: William Morrow, 2007; also in 1998 by Broadway Books)

HAPPILY GRATEFUL, compiled by Dan Zedra and Kristel Wills (Seattle: Compendium, 2009)

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING by Jean Craighead George; illus. by Thomas Locker. (New York, Putnam, 1993)

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Some random thoughts about Thanksgiving------

Thanksgiving as a spiritual discipline or as a way of life is something quite interesting and lovely on which to meditate. Try it; I'd love to know what comes up.

Here are a couple of my thoughts:

I think thanksgiving is a way of living responsibly...

As a faithful person, I know I am healthier when I have a grateful heart. To not be grateful in all circumstances introduces the possibility of becoming a victim-- to which there is no solution or cure.

When I live thankfully, I then live in a better place in all ways.

We all just keep working on it!

Thanksgiving, it's not just for dinner anymore.

Sing a new song as you give thanks,

Alyce