A Simply Abundant Thanksgiving
I dedicate this page to my Grandmother, Mary Scott Laurie 1903 - 1994, pictured above. This gentle southern lady taught me everything I know about southern cooking. Over the years we created many enduring Thanksgiving memories in her kitchen. For this I am so grateful. Every year at this time we gather our family and friends around us, and create a wonderful memory that will hopefully last a lifetime. For this most wonderful time of year I prepare the traditional menu that can only come from the Southern Kitchen. This year's menu includes the perfectly roasted turkey, gravy, (eggbread) cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, black olives, little green peas, corn on the cob, woodland mushroom soup, butternut squash soup, glazed carrots, home made southern buttermilk biscuits, freshly baked bread, parker house dinner rolls, cherry, apple and pecan pies topped with whipped cream flavored with a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Now then make yourself a giant cup of coffee, and follow along as I prepare for this Thanksgiving dinner. I’d also like to hear from all of you. Please take moment to send me an E-Mail and let me know what you’re doing this Thanksgiving this year.
I serve my Thanksgiving dinner buffet style at 5:00 p.m. every year and I always have at least 13 guests who all know to show up at 4:00 p.m., give or take a few guests. Now I have to invite all my guests to dinner. The ones who live here have been called and left voice mail, the guests coming in from out of town will be sent E-Mails in July and August, then sent another reminder in September to give them time to make their own travel arrangements. I must mention I used to send out hand written invitations years ago they were very elegant and also very expensive. Today I use E-Mail, this saves me time and money. And thanks to E-Mail I know in plenty of time so I can make any last minute adjustments to who is and isn't coming to dinner this year. Now it's time to plan the menu. Here's what's on the menu for this years Thanksgiving Feast
The Perfectly Roasted 20 Pound Fresh Turkey, Gray, Cornbread Stuffing, Little Green Peas, Blueberry/Cherry Pie, Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, butternut squash soup, woodland mushroom soup, Home Made Bread, Glazed Carrots, Corn on the Cob, Parker house Dinner Rolls, Steamed Rice, Whipped Potatoes, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, apple, cheery and pecan pies, topped with whipped cream I flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove and serve with freshly brewed coffee and regular and herbal teas.
I make sure that I have complete place setting for each of my guests. If not, I have time to roam around my favorite thrift shops or I get on line and order replacements from Replacements Ltd. Their toll free number is 1-800-REPLACE. They may have the special pattern your looking for. This is also the time to check the roasting pan, make sure it’s clean and ready for this years turkey. Have you turned on the oven this year? If you've remodeled the kitchen did you measure first to make sure the new oven will fit where the old one was? If you’re looking for an old fashioned oval roasting pan you can order one from General Housewares Corp. If you order today you’ll have a new roasting pan in plenty of time for Thanksgiving. I also found oval roasting pans at my local ACE Hardware Store. Have you checked your knives this year ot see if they are dull or need sharpening or may need to be replaced with a new set of knives so that you can prepare this years Thanksgiving Feast.
Before I get into the fun part of Thanksgiving, the cooking. Here are a few more things that I’ve already taken care of. I’ve invited all my guests and I know they are all coming for dinner. My friends are so great about answering my invitations. The silver and crystal have been polished and washed. The linen table cloth and napkins and curtains have been sent to the dry cleaners. The rugs have been steam cleaned. The windows have been washed, and the flowers for the center pieces have been ordered.
If at all possible, buy your fresh turkey no later than November 12th or 13th so it will have a few days in the refrigerator. Also keep in mind if you have not ordered your turkey in advance you may have trouble getting one as it gets closer to Thanksgiving Day. So be sure to order your turkey as soon as you know exactly how many guests are coming to your dinner party this year. Let me share my very long grocery list, that I'll be taking to my Wal-Mart SuperCenter, with you, here are all the groceries I need for this years Thanksgiving Feast.
Land O' Lakes Salted/Unsalted Butter Heavy Whipping Cream Buttermilk One Dozen Jumbo Eggs Jumbo Black Olives (Oh these olives) Pickles Lee and Perins Worcestershire Sauce Mazola Corn Oil Gold Metal All Purpose Flour Baking Potatoes Baking Powder Baking Soda Whole Cloves Corn Starch 2 Pounds Turbanado Sugar Morton's Salt Fresh Butterball Turkey (18 pounds) Pepperidge Farm Oat Meal Bread Spanish Onions Little Green Peas Yellow and White Corn Celery Yellow Squash Solid Pack Pumpkin Ocean Spray Cranberries Navel Oranges Dixie Lilly Medium Stone Ground White Corn Meal*Note: If you can not find Arnett's White Corn Meal any good stone ground white or yellow corn meal will do.
Now that I have all the ingredients for this years dinner. It’s time to get into that kitchen and make my southern buttermilk biscuits.
Wesley's Old Fashioned Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
2 1/2 cups of Gold Metal "Better for Bread" Bread Flour (this flour comes in a yellow sack)
1 cup buttermilk room temperature
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter or shortening chlled
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Begin by pre heating your oven to 450 degrees. While the oven is pre-heating, cut a piece of parchment paper the size of your cookie sheet, and sprinkle with two tablespoons of flower and set aside. In a very small bowl measure out an additional 3 tablespoons of flour and set that aside. Now I get my favorite old sifter I’ve had forever, my tea biscuit cutters, rolling pin, big green mixing bowl, salt and baking soda and butter/margarine and buttermilk. Now I put my sifter into my green mixing bowl and measure the 2 1/2 cups of all purpose unbleached flower into it and add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and one teaspoon of baking soda. Then sift everything into the bowl. Now I take 4 tablespoons of ice cold butter cut into pieces and drop into mixing bowl. With pastry cutter, cut butter into flour mixture. Cut butter down to small pea sized pieces. After the butter is cut into the dough add one cup of room temperature butter milk into the flour and stir with a big wooden spoon. *Note: you may need to add more buttermilk, so set aside 5 tablespoons so IF needed you can drizzle some in, stir the dough see how it looks if you see some flour in the bottom of the bowl, add a few more drops of buttermilk to moisten them. When all flour is moistened get your floured parchment paper in front of you and gently turn out the dough onto the floured surface. Now with that flour you set aside sprinkle on two tablespoons and gently work that into the dough. Take a pinch of flour and rub it all over your rolling pin and gently roll out the dough until it’s 1/2 inch thick. Take your tea biscuit cutter and cut out as many biscuits as possible and place them on your ungreased cookie sheet. Take remaining dough, knead just once or twice and form into a round. Roll out and cut as many biscuits as possible. Next place the cookie sheet into a very hot pre heated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. When the biscuits are done get them to the table immedately. You can also keep them warm over a steam table during dinner.
This is the day that, right before I go to bed, I take the turkey out of the freezer and put it into the refrigerator to let it thaw out. I’d like to mention that since I live in Florida, I set my refrigerator to the coldest possible setting. This way the turkey stays frozen and keeps it’s shape better while it’s roasting. I also have to bake two loaves of bread so my guests can sop up all that delicious gravy.
Wesley's Home Made Bread
5-7 cups sifted Gold Metal "Better for Bread" Bread Flour (this flour comes in a yellow sack)
1 package active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups milk or buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon wheat gluten
Begin by putting 1/2 a cup of warm water that is between 105 and 110 degrees, in a glass measure, add one packet of active dry yeast. Set aside for 15 mintues. If after 15 minutes it looks foamy, and bubbly, the yeast is alive and active. If nothing has happened throw it all out and start again. In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/2 cups of the flour, the wheat gluten, and yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat milk, sugar, butter and salt untill warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees) or until the butter melts. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients. Stir with a big wooden spoon until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough, knead for 15 minutes. Put dough into a greased bowl cover with plastic wrap and let rise until dough has doubled in bulk. After dough has risen, place the dough on a very lightly floured surface. Gently deflate the dough and pat it into a rectangle. The short sides should be the top and bottom edges. Fold the top edge down and the bottom edge up, overlapping them slightly, then turn the dough a quarter turn and fold the top down and the bottom up again to form an envelope. Shape the dough into a log shape by rolling the loaf down two to three times and sealing the seam with the heel of your palm. Roll the loaf back and forth on the table to smooth it out. Place the loaf seam side down in a lightly oiled 9 by 5 inch loaf pan. Gently press down on the loaf to spread it to fill the corners of the pan, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the loaf rise at 75 degrees to 80 degrees for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled and risen about 1-inch above the edge of the pan. Don't worry if the dough rises more than this. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. When oven is hot place the loaf pan on the center rack of the oven. Using a plant sprayer with room temperature water in it, quickly mist the loaf with water 7 to 8 times, then shut the oven door. After 3 minutes, mist the loaf again. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Then reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 300 degrees for the last 5 minutes of the baking. The top will be a golden brown. Depending on how hot your oven is the bread maybe take more or less time. Remove the loaf from the pan it should come out easily. The bread should sound slightly hollow when tapped on the bottom, and the sides of the loaf should be golden brown. Place the loaf on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Slice with a very sharp serated knife. Slather with butter and lots of cherry preserves. Enjoy! One last note. By adding one or two tablespoons of wheat gluten gives your bread that wondeful texture we're all after when we bake bread at home. Note: Use one tablespoon of glueten per loaf your're making.
Now that my biscuits and bread are made it’s time to make my homemade cranberry sauce and bake my pumpkin custard pie. Let’s start with the cranberry sauce first.
Mary Scott's Cranberry Sauce
One Package Ocean Spray Cranberries
Half Cup water
14 Whole Cloves
1 cup sugar
2 tsps grated orange zest
Wash cranberries, place in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Add cloves, orange rind and water. Bring to the boiling point cook until cranberries are soft and they pop. When you hear the berries begin to pop reduce heat, add the sugar, and simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat. Allow to cool. Pour into large mixing bowl and put in refrigerator. Serve them in your favorite crystal serving dish on Thanksgiving Day.
Now then, for my pumpkin pie. First you need to make the pie crust. For the perfect pie crust follow this recipe:
Wesley's Goof-Proof Flakey Pie Crust
2 1/2 Cups Gold Metal All Purpose Unbleached Flour Unsifted (This flour comes in a brown sack)
1 1/2 cup Criso stick shortening chilled
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 cup Ice Cold water
Have you ever wondered what the "secret" is to making a great pie crust? Wonder no more. The secret is to leave it lumpy! Whether you mix this in the food processor or by hand leave some pea sized pieces of butter or shortening so that while the crust is baking it will give off steam and create that tender flakey pie crust we all love. In a food processor blend all ingredients for 30 seconds and be sure to leave it lumpy. Make sure shortening buter and water are ice COLD. When dough starts to come together and form into a round. You will have some dry crumbly bits left over this is fine. Wrap up the round in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours. This crust can also be made just as easily by hand. In a large mixing bowl combine the 2 1/2 cups of unbleached flour with either 3 tbls of ice cold butter or shortening. With a patery cutter cut the butter or shortening until you have pea size pieces. Slowy add the water until the dough holds it's shape. Then form into a round wrap this up in plastic wrap and let chill in the ice box for at least 2 hours or overnight if possible. After the dough has chilled roll it out on a cool surface into 9" round pie crusts. Gently roll each crust onto a lightly floured rolling pin and place in pie pan. Leave some nice lumps in the flour. Do not cut the butter in as long as you would while making biscuits. This way you get that great old fashioned flakey pie crust you had when your mother baked pies years ago for Thansgiving dinner.
For the filling you’ll need:
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 can (16 ounce) pumpkin
1 can (14 ounce) can of sweetened Condensed milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pastry. Beat eggs slightly with hand beater or wire whisk in medium bowl. Beat in remaining ingredients. To prevent spilling, place pastry-lined pie plate on oven rack. Pour filling into pie plate. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Let pie cool on rack for at least 1 hour. Put in the refrigerator and serve om Thanksgiving Day. Be sure to whip some cream and flavor it with just a touch of vanilla and the slightest pinch of ground cinnamon and clove.
Today is one of the most wonderful days of the year for me. It’s the day I bake my Grandmother’s Southern Cornbread (EggBread). She began this tradition in 1927 when she was a young bride of only 25 and this tradition has been carried on from that day to this. For me, the day I get to bake the eggbread is as wonderful as Thanksgiving or Christmas Day. My Great Grandmother ‘Ninny’ Victoria Adelaide passed this tradition down to my Grandmother who passed it down to my mother and me. It has been made and enjoyed by family and friends from that day to this.
Mary Scott's Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
2 Cups Sifted Dixie Lilly White Corn Meal
5 Slices of Pepperidge Farm OatMeal Bread Toasted
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Baking Powder
Sift these together in a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside
In a large green or yellow Pyrex mixing bowl combine
2 Tablespoons Mazola Corn Oil
For best results this should be made in a very old well seasoned cast iron skillet. Pour enough Mazola Corn Oil (Don't use any other oil) to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Turn on oven to 325 degrees and let the pan pre heat for thirty minutes while you're making the batter.
Make sure the Eggs, Buttermilk and Cornmeal are at ROOM Temperature. This just doesn't work if they’re cold. Set these ingredients out the night before you bake the cornbread.
Now I get out my large avacado green mixing bowl and sift together the White Corn Meal, salt and baking powder. Next being by breaking the 5 Jumbo eggs with a fork and mixing well in a medium sized mixing bowl. Then add the buttermilk and mazola corn oil after eggs are thoroughly beaten.
Combine wet and dry ingredients in the larger mixing bowl and mix until smooth with an electric mixer on the lowest possible setting. This can also be mixed by hand. Batter will beat smooth and have no lumps.
Remove HOT Greased pan from oven and discard excess oil. Now add your 1/4 cup water and baking soda to batter. Mix water and baking soda into batter, stir 7 times. Carefully pour mixture into pan. Scrape out excess batter with a rubber scarper while pouring. Batter should crackle when it hits the pan. Bake for exactly 45 minutes at 325 degrees. When done remove from oven and serve with butter and cherry preserves. Enjoy!
While the cornbread is baking in the oven get another well seasoned cast iron skillet and place it on a medium heat and plop in 1 1/2 sticks of sweet salted butter. While that melts dice up three large Spanish onions at room temp not cold out of the ice box. Then chop up 10 stalks of celery. I want you to stand here for 30 minutes, yes you heard me 30 minutes, until the onions are have a deep caramel color to them. I want them quite brown ok, trust me they will look horrible, but they will taste fantastic. Keep adjusting the heat so they don’t burn. When the celery and onions are done set aside to cool off completely. When the cornbread is done I cut it up into 8 pie slices and the cut each slice in half and then I begin to ‘gibble’ the bread and the toasted oatmeal bread into my favorite and very large avocado green mixing bowl. Then I warm up the celery and onion mixture and combine that with the cornbread. I get my hands in there and mix it all up. I let this cool down to room temperature then sprinkle it with 1/4 tsp of baking powder. Cover the mixing bowl with aluminum foil and leave in refrigerator until Thanksgiving morning. This stuffing is so good you can eat the whole bowl just as is. Some how you've got to save some for the turkey. I'd also like to mention that this is a great make ahead stuffing. I prepare the stuffing the Saturday before Thanksgiving and after it's cooled off completely. I portion it out into plastic freezer containers. Then the next morning I take the portions of stuffing and place them into plastic freezer bags or you can wrap them up tight in aluminum foil. The best way to keep this stuffing is, after it's frozen, to use your Food Saver and vacuum pack the portions of stuffing. Then the day before Thanksgiving take them out of the freezer and put them down into the refrigerator to thaw out. Leave them warpped up tight until Thanksgiving morning when you're going to stuff the turkey.
Good Morning! First I'd like to wish you all the most abuandant and joyous Thanksgiving Day ever. I have the DVR all set up to record the Today show and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade so I can watch them both later after dinner. Now it’s time to get that turkey I’ve been thawing for the last 3 days along that big bowl of stuffing I made yesterday out of the ice box. I turn the turkey breast side up in my kitchen sink and very carefully open the package. If I happen to tear the skin I place some extra butter underneath the skin to hide it. After the plastic wrapping is removed I rinse the bird thoroughly with cold water and remove the neck and giblets from the neck cavity. Rinse them with cold water and put them in my stock pot and set aside. I start with the neck cavity and add enough stuffing to fill the cavity and make a nice little bulge in the neck cavity. After the neck cavity is stuffed I use two metal pins to hold the neck skin in place while the turkey is roasting, or you can also tuck the wings under the bird to hold it in place. Then turn the bird over and take a pinch of salt and pepper and sprinkle that into the breast cavity. By the hand full place enough stuffing to fill the breast cavity of the bird. Place enough stuffing to fill the cavity but don't over stuff. After stuffing the bird be sure to wash your hands. Remember you’re working with fresh poultry so keep your hands clean. Next take a one and a half sticks of softened or melted unsalted butter and slather or rub it all over the skin of the turkey. Then shake on some Worcestershire sauce, Lee and Perins, and add 1 cup cold water to the roasting pan. I serve my buffet at 5:00 p.m. so the turkey goes into the oven at 8:00 a.m. and roasts for 6 hours and I baste the turkey every 30 minutes and add 1/2 cup of water every hour. During the last hour of roasting check to see if the skin is getting to dark. During the last hour or so of roasting you may want to cover the breast meat of the turkey with aluminum foil to prevent to much darkening. When the turkey is done I allow it to rest for one hour before I carve it. This frees up my oven and gives me time to warm up the gravy, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, bread, biscuits, blueberry, cherry and pecan pies while the turkey is resting. I'd also like to tell you that I gently melt 3 - 4 tbs of butter with 1 1/2 cups of whole milk and heat this until the butter melts and I see the first wisp of steam come off the milk. I then add this to my mashed potatoes and keep them warm over a bowl of simmering water on the stove.
While the turkey is roasting I make a basic turkey stock. I use the neck and the giblets. I put them into 1 1/2 quarts of cold water with some celery, onion, salt and a big pinch of black pepper. I put this on the stove on high heat, bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat and let that simmer for 2 hours. When it’s done I let it cool for 30 minutes. When cool I take out the neck and giblets and strain the stock through a sieve and set aside one cup of the stock to use for creating my gravy.
The last I have to do right before dinner is to create the gravy. To make delicious lump free gravy combine one cup of turkey stock with 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour. I use an old mason jar for this. Shake the jar until the flour and stock are well mixed. Put your roasting pan on the stove and turn the heat to high. Pour in the turkey stock you made while the turkey was roasting. Bring this mixture to a full rolling boil. Then pour the flour and stock mixture. I also add one hard boiled egg chopped up quite fine to this mixture. Stir the gravy constantly until it reaches the desired thickness. Turn the heat off and pour gravy into a warmed gravy boat. If the gravy is not thick enough you can add one or two teaspoons of corn starch that has been dissolved in 2 teaspoons of cream. I warm up my gravy boat in my oven for 10 minutes so the gravy stays warm during dinner. You can also warm the gravy boat by running under hot water in your sink. The remaining gravy is warmed over a pot of simmering water in a Pyrex bowl. To inhance the flavor and appearance of the gravy I also add 4 tbs of milk or 1/2 and 1/2 and 5 tbs of worcestershire sauce to the mixture. I also want to mention I'm the one in my family who's great at carving the turkey after it's all roasted. I begin by carving the drumsticks and wings. Then I get the stuffing out of the neck cavity of the bird and put some stuffing in the center of my serving platter. Then I take the stuffing from the breast cavity and place that in a large serving bowl on the buffet table. Last but certainly not least, I carve the breast meat. I always leave one side of the breast untouched. By not carving it now the breast meat stays very juicy, and I can always come back later and take more.
Well the turkeys carved and arranged on the platter, all the food in on the buffet table and I have plenty of stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy set out for all my guests. It's time to celebrate the abundance, bounty, beauty and warmth of Thanksgiving. I wish you all an abundant, joyous and blessed Thanksgiving.
I'd like to share one more Thanksgiving Tradition with all of you this year. In 1947 my Grandparents were driving through Louisville, Kentucky right after Thanksgiving on one of my Grandfather's business trips. That night at dinner they were served what the hotel calls "Hot Brown". My Grandmother loved it so much she asked how it was made. Ever since that Thanksgiving Day to this, my Grandmother or myself has made "Hot Brown" the day after Thanksgiving. Making "Hot Brown" is actually embarrassingly easy. The day after Thanksgiving make one more pan of my perfect southern buttermilk cornbread. Warm up your gravy and turkey slices. First place a great big piece of corn bread, fresh and very hot right out of the oven on your plate, followed by two or three slices of turkey and then slather on the gravy. If you have any room left warm up the pumpkin pie and make a big pot of coffee to go with it and enjoy! By the way if you're wondering, yes the Brown Motel is still in business and still serving "Hot Brown" every Thanksgiving.
Now that your completely stuffed, and I can't believe you had 8 helpings of my glorious Thanksgiving Day stuffing, you are such a pig! Onik oink. Now please join me in the living room come and sit down on the huge over stuffed sofa and have some coffee, razzelberry pie served with a scoop of Godiva White Chocolate Ice Cream with Raspberry's swirled through it and let's infuse the walls of the house with laughter, conversation and lifetime memories of this wonderful and simply abundant Thanksgiving day. BURP!
