the first thanksgiving*
by bam
i know, i know, you’re thinkin, geez, lady, you jumped the gun. it’s not till tomorrow, sweetheart.
either that, or you’re slappin’ yourself upside the brow, groaning. maybe whispering there to your neighbor, “psst. this chick is 386 years behind the times. as every kindergartner knows, ol’ bill bradford called for turkeys back in 1621.”
ah ha, fooled ya then. cuz i am right, believe you me. i know of which i speak. this is my first thanksgiving, people. not the first of which i partake, of course, but the first of which is mine to burn, to under-do, to go mushy there in the brussels sprouts department. or even to, voila, get it relatively right.
because i took an oath of honesty when installed here at the keyboard, and because full disclosure comes with the job i do by day, i must tell the truth, the whole truth. i must explain why the little shining star up there above, indicating a writer’s “ahem,” a little clearing of the throat, on the matter.
fact is, i have a dangling participle on this feast of mine. there is a clause of sorts. a footnote, if you will. basically, a true disclaimer. i cannot claim the whole shebang.
the starring turkey will not be mine. mine’s the backup breast, the just-in-case, though it will be free-range and organic, for those of you inclined that way. in case you’re stopping by, or coming by ’round midnight to pick the bones and nibble pumpkin pie.
yup. the big bird sticks with mama. my mama, i mean. she was willing to surrender the staging site, but not the bird and not the stuffing. she wants her house to be perfumed of the great november fowl.
i get mine redolent with eau de sprouts, and eau de parsnip. hmm. wonder who’ll get out of bed tomorrow. it might be only me at the feast of deep thanksgiving.
mais non. my table will be full. even if they come with noseplugs.
perhaps i should explain. what’s going on here is what happens in the best of families: the boys moved on. there’s no one here, of the clan we call our own, ’cept me and mama now.
she and i are holding down the city by the lake–okay, so toledo, too, is a city by the lake, but yours is dirty, little brother, or at least it was, it caught on fire, and ours is sort of clean, or at least pretending to be so. if i must, i’ll compromise, let’s say, she and i are holding down the stomping ground of al capone, a claim with universal translation, as folks around the world hold up their thumb and pointer finger, as if a g-u-n, and say, in any language, “bang bang,” when they mean chicago.
ah, yes, from here on in, me and mama dearest are taking turns on holidays. we split the wishbone of the bird to see who got which one, and i am, this year at least, the poster child for the feast of many gobbles.
for a girl who’s never done this, i am feeling a little challenged by the notion of 14 coming to my door, and coming rather hungry.
how, you ask, do you get to be half a century, here in the united states, and still claim turkey virginity?
the answer, friends, goes back to mama. and before that my grandma dear. i come from a long line of turkey cookers. and both have ruled the second-to-last thursdays in november, as long as i’ve been breathing.
ah, but this year, all has changed. the turkey wing, if not the leg, is passed to me.
wisely, we are doing this in stages. i will take beginner steps, try not to kill the breast. meanwhile, i’ve got brothers far away, who’ve been flinging stellar brining formulas and full-blown saline theories all around the country. one in maine started days ago, i think. the one in old ohio might be smoking his, even as i type, in authentic smokehouse.
me, the only girl in the bunch, i’m more concerned with setting tables. and making something fine of all those sprouts and all those parsnips.
blessedly, for it is the feast of many blessings, i’ll have help. someone’s bringing pies. someone else is bringing mashed potatoes. that leaves me decidedly underwhelmed. it leaves me basically to not mess up the forks and knives.
but still, just because i think i should, i’ll spend the day today clanging pots and pans. it is, i’ve heard, part of the equation. i’ll muss my hair to look the part, of the harried hostess. perhaps i’ll spritz a little perspiration on my brow.
at the moment my main concern is the fridge that will not close. i’ve taken to pretending i’m a pilgrim, and stuffed half the goods out in what i’m calling the coldhouse (otherwise known as the garage.) long as the critters don’t break the seals, or bite the clementines, i’ll be struttin’ pretty.
my mate, the one who took the whole day off, perhaps in sympathy, or just to watch me clang around, just mentioned that perhaps we want to “neaten up.” his shorthand for holy heck, it’s a mess in here.
so regardless of my turkey duties, i’ll be mighty of the mainstream. like cooks from coast to coast, i’ll be spinning plates and tossing forks. watch out for carrot peels. and beware of over-simmered pears.
i wish you all the best of luck, as we plug our noses all together now, inch to the edge of the flapping board and dive in deep where the waters of the pilgrim feast dare to pull us under.
even if some of us are wholly wimps, and not yet taking on the big bird. but merely clinging to a starter ring of bits of unassuming white meat.
people, what’s your game plan, if you’ve got a minute here to pound out the keys? do you have a tale to tell of your maiden turkey voyage? and what of brussels sprouts? and what about the brining, boys? forgive me, while i stumble through turkey lite, a class for poultry punks….
14 comments:
Carol
This is THE BEST, most fool-proof Brussel Sprout Recipe from the November 1994 Bon Appetiti Magazine–I make it every year. For 8 Servings do this:
1) Combine 1/2 CUP CHOPPED FRESH CHIVES OR GREEN ONIONS, 1/2 STICK BUTTER CUT INTO SMALL PIECES and 1 TABLESPOON FRESH GRATED LEMON PEEL in a medium bowl.
2) Bring a large pot of saled water to a boil, add 2 POUNDS OF BRUSSEL SPROUTS, HALVED, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain well.
(This can be prepared 4 hours ahead, IF you cover the butter and brussles separately and let stand at room temperature.
3) Return brussels to the same pot and reward over medium heat. Add the butter mixture. Stir until butter melts and coats the sprouts. Season to taske with salt and pepper. Serve.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 09:21 AM
Carol
P.S. I noticed a typo above–RewarM the sprouts, don’t RewarD them!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 09:22 AM
hh
My first Thanksgiving was a mere month after my wedding. We were hosting his parents and sister and three cousins and my dad and brother and sister in our tiny one bedroom 3rd floor apartment. We were in full turkey day mode. We had bought a beautiful antique round table that expanded to sit 12 with some of our wedding moolah. So on that beautiful Thanksgiving morning with the turkey roasting in the oven and things going pretty smoothly in the kitchen, we turned to the dining room. And that’s when disaster struck. We opened up the table to put the leaves in and we heard an ominous crack. And then my mild mannered new husband went beserk as he jerry-rigged the table so that it wouldn’t fall apart when we sat down to dine. Swear words were flying. Hammers and other tools were clattering. I stayed out of the way – silently helping when called upon. And then, of course, the tablecloth covered the whole mess, so the dining table looked fabulous. We just asked our guests after they arrived huffing and puffing up three long flights of stairs not to lean too heavily on our sweet little table.
And although Carol’s brussel sprouts recipe sounds delicious, I absolutely love the Barefoot Contessa’s simple take on the much maligned sprout. She just tosses the sprouts with salt and olive oil and roasts them in a 400 oven for 20-30 minutes.
Happy Thanksgiving! And good luck with the hosting duties.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 09:49 AM
slj
I am glad that my first turkey date wasn’t with in-laws at the table, rather it was a group six friends. I actually loved making the lists, reading through all of the cookbooks and making a schedule of when things would be cooked. The big thing for me was having enough containers, mixing bowls and serving dishes, but it all worked out in the end.
The turkey was good and nothing good nor bad stands out about it. What I do remember from that thanksgiving was that I had attempted to make a “healthy” dessert. Now why would I want do something like that, I don’t quite know, but I trusted Mollie Katzen and the fine moosewood cookbooks. If mollie liked it, then surely my friends would like it as well. It really sounds rather benign to me, but the mystery ingredient in my pumpkin mousse made all of my friends laugh and fall off of their chairs. Drumroll please…….. the mystery ingredient was tofu. I thought it tasted pretty good, but I do think the old standby pumpkin pie deserves a welcoming back to my table.
I do remember listening to the “Splendid Table” from Minnesota Public Radio. They do a thanksgiving day show called, “Turkey Confidential” While I was basting my turkey with white wine, I heard the host of the show talking with a call-in guest about their disastrous attempt at defrosting their turkey in the dishwasher. The disaster was, that her husband put soap in the dishwasher and the turkey got a good sudsing and rinsing. I don’t think I want turkey parts in my dishwasher!
good luck to all who are in the kitchen. I am not a big football fan, so I think I will need luck as I am will be at a home in Milwaukee tomorrow and the packers will be on tv
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 10:32 AM
jms
Much good luck as you enjoy this new adventure! I KNOW your table will be beautiful and you will knock the socks off that turkey. I, like your mama, am relinquishing the holiday this year to one of our daughters, and am thrilled to pass the gauntlet just as my mom did. Everyone will bring what they do best as we recount our blessings at this joyous celebration of family. The year I erred and cooked the turkey upside down was the best one ever! Just remember these three words to get you through the day: baste, baste, baste!Sticking an orange and an apple inside the cavity makes for a delicious bird as well.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 10:51 AM
shk
Barely a minute.
Can’t believe I’m even here. For the record, we’ve brined, we’ve ovened, we’ve squished too many around our table, pushed back walls and moved furniture. As far as that goes, we’ve conceded defeat — letting go the entertaining duties to siblings with bigger houses. (Especially this year, when the entire basement remains up on the first floor, resident there since the floods at the end of August!) But we all cook, everyone bringing something. And my dear darling husband turkeys our turkey on the grill with applewood – turkey will never be ovened for us again. Far better outside on the grill, with the chef under umbrella or standing in snow if need be — the bird is awesome, the oven better used for corn baked with gruyere.
Oh dear, my minute is up.
Enjoy the cacophony of Thanksgiving in your home.
We all have much to be thankful for.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 10:59 AM
bam
oh my goodness, so much wisdom. so many new things to add to my list. worry about serving bowls and mixing bowls? egad. now i will. consider it on the list. add apples and oranges to bird. will do. but first i must find the cavity. maybe it’s somewhere under the wraps…….to be unearthed tomorrow. and i should ditch the oven altogether? holy cow, or holy turkey, i’ll never keep this straight.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 11:52 AM
pjv
I hosted my first Thanksgiving the year we moved into our new home – the other house was far too small to fit our ever expanding brood. It was scary, but everybody pitched in and brought their faves and we had ourselves a time.
Tomorrow, my mama will host 40 at her table(s). We’ll all gather ’round, join hands and voice our thanks for what we’ve been blessed with since last year’s circle. Just hope the food won’t be stone cold by the time we’ve heard that 40th one voice their thanks!
bam – enjoy the blessing of opening your home to those you love and welcoming them to your table. I, for one, would love to be sitting across the bird from you!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL …
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 03:23 PM
bam2
Why oh why, in an otherwise fine piece, you had to attempt to drag down Toledo — hey, we’re all about Toledo Pride! So for the record…it was Cleveland that had the burning river, I don’t think our great lake ever burned. Secondly, Toledo was again in the top 5 US Cities for quality of drinking water. Chicago didn’t even make the list!
Now as to the smoked meat, yes we will enjoy smoked bird, but we don’t get to play with fire and smoke until the day of. Given the low fat content there is little or no advantage to low and slow cooking of the bird, so we’ll smoke for flavor not for tenderness, in other words not not as slowly as we might do with say a picnic ham or brisket. So unlike the low and slow approach one thinks of when thinking of smoked ‘Q, we’ll aim for 320 degrees and hit it, try that kinda accuracy with that big ole Garland!!! (See what happens when you hurl random insults at the glass city — you insult my town, I pick on your range! 😉 )
Anyway, weather calls from 25-35 mph winds from the north, rain & snow mix, mid 30s. Perfect weather, not so much for the turkey making, but rather for story telling during future thanksgivings!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 04:51 PM
bam
dear bam-O, so so sorry to lob on your glass palace. it was just when i started to claim chi-town as the city on the lake, i remembered you’d take offense at my neglecting yours. so then, one thought led to another, and i was trying to distinguish, and pray tell i thought your lake had burned. mea culpa. my ol’ garland will be lucky if it gets within a random range of, oh, 50 degrees near target. i like your sense that all bad news is good at least for future story telling. and besides, you are your father’s son, so grilling in rain or sleet or snow just comes with the genes. and of course we mean that word both ways, upper case and lower…..now watch, my breast will shrivel just for making fun of your ol’ lake. a fine lake. an even finer city. and hey, i hear you have the finest art museum outside ol’ capone’s town…..love, your sister
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 05:29 PM
Susan
All Happy Thanksgiving. It will be the first one in 53 years without my mom…
It was her favorite holiday and her presence is papable as I make the cranberry orange relish and regular cranberry sauce, arrange the flowers,
stuff the turkey, yes stuff the bird because there is no other way is there? I always threatened to change the traditions, but now I dare not violate them. Gravy is the biggest challenge and to make light of the big hole that needs filling, this is where I will really miss her. Gravy duty was her domain and I am on a maiden voyage — boiling turkey necks with celery and carrots for broth, deglazing the pan, making the butter and flour roux…it will indeed be an adventure in my kitchen tomorrow. And you have to make the gravy just before getting everything to the table. Roasting the turkey is not hard, but admittedly navigating the innards of the bird the first time around was a bit confounding. Anyway, we’re hosting 30 tomorrow, our family of 5, my brother and niece and scads of inlaws.
Enjoy the day.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 06:48 PM
bam
ahhh blessed susan. i’ve been pullin in too much today but no way can i not leap in here. we all do, i’m sure. indeed the holidays bring in big aching holes, and you’re the first to say so here today. i am soo sorry that that gravy comes to you without whispers over your shoulder. i don’t even have to close my eyes to picture beautiful fern. i see her in the grace with which you command a kitchen. you make it look so easy. you soo widely open your arms to all who enter. you are delicious in the kitchen dept. you learned well. you had the rare gift of a mother who was your best friend, in many ways. i raise a glass to you, to fern, to what you taught so many, about how a mother and a daughter can be. i hope it’s the best darn gravy you ever licked off a spoon. and i hope you do hear her whispering, in your heart if not your ear. xoxoxox we’re with you in that kitchen. love, all of us here at the table.
now i better go make the cranberry pears that invoke the gorgeous spirit of my nyc sister in law…..who cooks tonight halfway across the country. isn’t it a blessed thing as we stir the recipes of those we love, even when we’re all so scattered?
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 07:21 PM
teddy
o mom that is so funny picture of food. and i bet we are going to have a great thanksgiving. i love thanksgiving mom because you give thanks to everybody. it’s so fun because then i get to play with gary
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 08:06 PM
teddy
o mom that is so funny a food picture. i bet we are going to have a great thanksgiving. i love thanksgiving because everybody gives thanks. i love it when it is thanksgiving because gar-i-to gets to come over and play pigskin.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – 08:10 PM