Sharing the Thanksgiving Table

First off, I want to say that I am planning to eat what many people consider the traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thursday. You know, the turkey… the stuffing… the mashed potatoes with gravy… some vegetables of the season.  You get the picture. Each year, in addition to this, our family also tries out one or two new vegetable dishes. We then tuck those into our recipe collection for special occasions.

As the calendar years have flipped past, there has gradually been an increase in the number of relatives in my extended family that have embraced either a vegetarian or a vegan dietary lifestyle. They’ve done this for any number of reasons…health benefits…global awareness…support of the farm to table movement, and so on. So, as Thanksgiving and the other holidays approach, we are more aware of their food map and try to learn new ways to prepare alternatives to the traditional fare that we can serve at the Thanksgiving table.

If you’ll be having family or friends sharing food at your table on Thursday or on the weekend and would like to broaden your range of dishes that have appeal to vegetarians and vegans, you may benefit from reading Tara Parker-Pope’s Well blog postings from time to time in The New York Times.  Also, The New York Times online currently has been running a Thanksgiving Help Line  where staff of The New York Times Dining section are answering readers’ questions on food, drinks, entertaining and more. For the vegan / vegetarians who may be joining you for Thanksgiving, don’t miss the answer to the question: “What’s a good entree for a vegan / vegetarian Thanksgiving?”  Tasty alternative entrees included Curried Lentil, Squash and Apple Stew / Harvest Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms / 7-Vegetable Couscous. There’s also suggestions for things like “What’s a good recipe for vegetarian gravy?” and “Is there a good nondairy substitute for butter and sour cream?”

Traditional cooks also will find plenty of tips and ideas from the online Thanksgiving Help Line, as well, from experts like Melissa Clark, Mark Bittman, Julia Moskin, and Florence Fabricant. There are even short videos, along with plenty of great sounding recipes.

So, have a look, try a new recipe, ask a question if you have one, but most of all, enjoy sharing Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

-Tom D.

911 Turkey

Every year, many people face the dilemma of not having a clue how to cook a turkey! How long do I thaw it? How do I stuff it? How do I carve it? Well, ponder no more! There are several websites you can visit for help. The biggest and most known site is  Butterball Help , where you can have many of your questions answered. The site includes cooking tips,how to choose a turkey,  special recipes and even a calculator to figure out how many pounds you need for how many people (and if you want plenty of leftovers!). And finally, it has its most famous and used number this time of year 1-800-Butterball, for all your turkey dilemmas. There is also an email link if you prefer to ask that way.

Other websites that can help you cook that bird include Honeysuckle, Foster Farms, Reynolds, and the USDA.

So don’t fret, help is just a click or a call away! Happy cooking and especially happy eating.

-Christine

Thanksgiving traditions…old and new…on the web

At our home, a few days before Thanksgiving, the worn copy of Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (Golden Press, 1969) comes off the bookshelf and out from the binder comes the well used recipe for Bread Stuffing that we’ve used for many, many years. It’s a basic recipe, nothing fancy. There have been a few small changes made to it , like the addition of some apples and raisins, that have been penciled on to the page. In our family, it’s what people want every Thanksgiving…it’s a tradition…it wouldn’t be the same meal without it.

 

Every family, over the years, has created its own traditions as far as what is served at the Thanksgiving table and which activities are enjoyed during the day, like watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, while preparations are happening in the kitchen and elsewhere.

I wanted to share a list of web sites and web pages that I put together recently for the Internet class that I teach at the library. Some are ones that I’ve used a number of times and some are new to me this year. I would enjoy hearing your comments about the ones listed and about others that you might use during the holidays. Who knows, you may create some new family traditions from your searching on these sites.

1 ) Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – This site features images and information about this annual parade held since 1924 in New York City. Includes a brief history, parade route, parade line-up, and behind the scenes look at the balloons and floats, and more.

2 ) Butterball Turkey Talk-Line – Open annually November through December, this site is where you’ll find the 800 telephone number to call in your Thanksgiving turkey cooking questions. You’ll also find lots of how-to information as well as recipes. Want to know even more? Have a look at Emily Bryson York’s article , Food Web sites surge, but Butterball phone line remains a staple and the accompanying article, What I learned at Butterball University, that appeared in the Chicago Tribune on October 31, 2010.

3) Ocean Spray – Here you’ll find recipes for all things cranberry, ranging from sauce to pie to breads and beverages.

4 ) Food Network - At this site, you can locate Thanksgiving recipes from your favorite Food Network personalities. So, if you’ve misplaced your copy of Paula Deen’s recipe for Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie, you can easily find it here.

5 ) In a Vegetarian Kitchen – If you’re searching for ideas on preparing a vegetarian / vegan meal for your Thanksgiving table, this is a good place to look first. Features a complete menu with recipes. From an author of vegetarian cookbooks.

6 ) Martha Stewart – Learn how to roast and carve the perfect turkey and much, much more at The Everything Thanksgiving section of Martha’s website. Recipes and menus included. There are even ideas on how to use all those leftovers!

7 ) Southern Plate – Looking for some satisfying down home style dishes to prepare for your Thanksgiving guests? Try Christy Jordan’s popular website.  The cookbook author and blogger has a large following for her comfort food recipes.

8 ) Libby’s Pumpkin – For many people, Thanksgiving would not be complete without pumpkin pie. Libby’s website includes the recipe for that time honored classic and shows you many other uses for pumpkin in your holiday and everyday meals.

Enjoy!

- Tom