"Turkey" Day

The older I get the more of an old fogie or, if you will, fuddy-duddy I have become. (I don't think I have ever written that word before. Double-d words always seem to me to be intrinsically funny: Muddle. Puddle. Befuddle. Fiddle. Diddle. Piddle. Hobble. Cobble.)

Since the election (which I am not discussing anymore) I have realized that the old conservative values I thought were still shared by a majority in the country are slipping quickly away. I have become out-of-touch with the rest of the nation, it would seem.

My beef today is with so-called Turkey Day. Just like they are trying to take the Christ out of Christmas with various alternative holiday greetings and decor, we now must forget the meaning of Thanksgiving and relegate the day to feasting and football--a day off to indulge. Call me old-fashioned or something worse, but let Thanksgiving be Thanksgiving. The turkey can still take center stage on the table, without taking over.

Speaking of beef, I would probably have preferred a beef tenderloin, which I enjoyed once again lomo al trappo style with the Florida contingent of the family last month. Now that is eating at its best!

And yet, we always have turkey, with all the traditional sides. Today we had a dinner for just four, which is not typical of the large family gatherings which I enjoyed (endured?) for dozens of years since my youth.

And it was a good dinner, with all the usual trimmings, and lots of LOL Butter. Marissa has perfected the green bean casserole with a few upgrades and I always make the sweet potato casserole, topped with coconut, brown sugar and pecans and BUTTER--the recipe from the old Dutch cookbook Eet Smakelijk, first published in 1976. It is a dessert.

The cranberry relish was delish from the deli. I am usually the only one who likes it, but this version, loaded with sugar and laced with walnuts, appealed to the son-in-law as well.

With a Butterball turkey breast in the crock pot and 12 cents/lb sweet potatoes in the oven, I spent the 60 plus degree afternoon cleaning out the gutters, washing some windows and planting winter-hardy pansies. Most of the work for the 6:00 dinner was last minute--mashing the potatoes, topping the green bean casserole with the extra onion rings, making the gravy, uncovering the two Corningware casseroles of sweet potatoes. Getting the timing right on all that food always makes me sweat, even when I have help. We could have fed about 10--and it was just as much work. I take back that day-off comment. The cooks who make big traditional dinners work hard on the holidays!

Mother's silver relish tray on the left

Besides the crock pot turkey, new this year was the relish tray. What happened to the concept of a relish tray, anyway? I have my mother's old dish, and even though we were more interested in the hot and now food of potatoes and gravy, I revived the old tradition, setting out the triptych tray filled with pickles and olives in honor of the memory of my mother and her efforts in the kitchen. Her birthday was always around Thanksgiving, November 26. (105 this year) She was much more diligent and gifted in the kitchen than I will ever be. She could shape a perfect bun out of a bowl of dough faster than anybody. She was actually well known for her delicious buns which she made fresh constantly. Her talents might have skipped a generation, however, as all my daughters actually enjoy the kitchen--no buns, though!

Also new this year was a home-baked pie, compliments of Marissa. She spiked the pumpkin filling with a little dark rum and made a tender, vodka-infused crust, topping the pie with cut-out dough leaves. I was impressed. Impressed enough to take a photo. The rest of the food was tasty, but not really picture-worthy.

Also, this year I selected a pinot noir (which we mostly finished before dinner) which is said to pair well with turkey. We moved on to try the Two Buck Chuck Cabernet (not bad!)--which is actually 2.99 with added shipping costs--that I had picked up at Trader Joe's in Chicago last week. I didn't use much of the other stuff I bought, but it was sure fun shopping at the store, located on N. Lincoln Ave. I can't wait until we get one here in West Michigan.

I ate a turkey leg--with lots of cranberry relish. I threw a couple of legs into the crock pot because the breast looked kinda tiny. I stuffed myself, disgustingly, like a foie gras duck, but surprisingly, did not feel that sleepy. However, I am not getting up early to shop tomorrow. I have most of my Christmas shopping done! "Finished!" my mother would say. Done is for the buns in the oven.