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Ah ... the Thanksgiving Feast! An
excuse to overindulge and go off the diet!
Well, there's always Friday to get back on
track! (Or the following Monday!)
Expecting guests at your home this year?
Have the welcome begin before they even
enter your home. Hang a wreath or other
decoration on the front door, fasten a big
bunch of balloons to the mailbox, or hang
a colorful, hand-lettered "welcome" sign!
Have the kids do this and make turkey
figures from their hand tracings. Turn
those cute mini pumpkins you brought home
from the grocery store just because they
looked so cute into place cards for your
holiday table. Write guests' names on them
with a magic marker.
Humorous Hint from Heloise "Don't assume that you're
always going to be understood. I wrote in
a column that one should put a cup of
liquid in the cavity of a turkey when
roasting it. Someone wrote me that "the
turkey tasted great, but the plastic cup
melted." So now I say, "Pour a cup ... " -
Hints from Heloise
Okay,so is this where I admit
that the very first turkey I cooked for my
new husband still contained the giblets in
their paper wrapper? - Candyce
What a wonder of modern convenience is
today's Thanksgiving dinner! Everything
has been prepared for us, and we need do
no more than reheat items brought home
from the deli counter! Is this what our
forefathers, and foremothers, had in mind
when the first Thanksgiving was
celebrated?
In the early days of the Colonies,
celebrations, or feasts, were planned for
weeks ... even months. The day always
revolved around religion, so church going
would have been a major starting point to
the day. But, what about the weeks before?
Well, the men would have had to have
hunted for the meat ... the women would
have had to have attended to their rocky
gardens for months in order to provide
enough food for them, and their invited
guests.
The Indians were no slouches here, either.
Each would have come to the feast bearing
the fruits of their summer labors.
Venison, bear, squirrel, and other exotic
meats, such as 'possum, would have graced
the tables. Yes, I'm sure there were a few
wild turkeys butchered for the event.
The Colonists would have gathered from
their storehouses and pantries those herbs
and spices not familiar to the natives ...
cinnamon, clove, nutmeg ... and shared
these with a happy heart. Precious sugar
would have been consumed. The first
Thanksgiving quite possibly lasted three
or four days! Each family, Colonist and
Indian, would have given the best of what
they had with a grateful heart ... a happy
heart ... a generous heart.
As we begin our own Thanksgiving feast
this year, let's take a moment to be truly
thankful for the other people around the
table. What has each given you to enrich
your life?
The Day After: Okay. Leftovers. What to do? What to
do? Try these ...
Tarragon Mustard Turkey Spoon this over mashed potatoes or
rice
2 Tbsp. butter
1 8 oz. can mushrooms, drained
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup Dijon-style mustard
2 Tbsp. dried tarragon
4 to 5 cups cooked, cubed turkey
Heat a large sauté pan over
medium-low heat, add the butter, and melt.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and
sauté lightly. Increase the heat to
medium-high and add the wine, chicken or
turkey stock, mustard and tarragon. Cook
the sauce, stirring frequently, until it
thickens and reduces by half
(approximately 10 minutes).
Add the turkey to the mixture and mix
well. Simmer for an additional 2 to 3
minutes and serve.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Leftover vegetables?
Winter Vegetables with Flavored
Butters
Gather your leftover vegetables and
arrange on a serving platter. In
individual cups or small bowls have melted
flavored butters on hand. Encourage the
family members to dip the vegetables into
the flavored butters.
"Veggie Fondue"!
Flavored butters might be:
Lemon Butter - Combine 1/4 cup melted
butter with the juice of 1/2 lemon. Add a
bit of lemon zest.
Mustard Butter - Combine 1/4 cup melted
butter with 1 Tbsp. Dijon-style
mustard
Basil Butter - Combine 1/4 cup melted
butter with 2 Tbsp. dried Basil and a dash
of hot sauce
Chive Butter - Combine 1/4 cup melted
butter with a dash of lemon juice and 1
Tbsp. Chives
About the Author:
Candyce L. Fulford is the owner and
operator of BeRemembered,
the industry leader in e-commerce website
development.
Let's Get Cooking!
While there are many reasons for teaching kids to cook -- less expensive than eating out, preserves family heritage, etc, the most important
reason is that by teaching your child to cook, you're giving him a better chance to be a healthy grown-up. Enabling your child with the ability
to appreciate freshness and to transform ingredients into tasty foods opens their eyes to making wiser choices about what to eat...