I HATE….hate, hate, what “the market” has done to the holiday season in the US. Maybe it’s true in other countries too, but I live here, so don’t really know. It all starts at the end of October, and I have come to dread the onslaught. It begins even earlier, really. When is it, August? ….when the catalogues start arriving with the pumpkins and witches and pointy black things, followed briefly by turkeys and pies, then directly on to Christmas, sometimes simultaneously with the other two holidays. The past couple of years have added the guilty spectre of what will happen to the US, and then the world economy if one doesn’t buy enough stuff before, during, and after the Christmas season. Does the US economy really run on Christmas tree lights and plastic Christmas trees? My granddaughter, Heidi went to our local pharmacy cum everything else on Halloween to buy fake plastic spider webbing to decorate for a party (there’s one in every family!), only to find that they were already on the way to the dumpster to make way for Christmas things, and the jingle bells were hung and White Christmas was blasting through the store. (Do not, do NOT, get me started on that subject, I go completely nuts.)
I’ve already written about Halloween, but now let it be known that I actually love Thanksgiving. It’s all about feeding one’s family and friends, about getting together around the dinner table with good food, and good wine and good feelings.
Most years I order a good large chicken, or pork roast, or roast beef from Whole Foods, and I and the rest of whatever gang is going to be here get together to plan the rest of the feast. (Notice the absence of “turkey” in the last sentence, I’m not a turkey lover. I think that they don’t have much taste, which is why there are so many seasonings in the stuffing). We have lots of vegetable dishes both because there are so many lovely and varied recipes for things like squash and sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, and beans and mashed potatoes….the list does go on. We also have lots of vegetable dishes because we have many vegetarian friends. We also have lovely appetizers. I read a book by Anne Tyler recently, where the family has only appetizers for Thanksgiving because they love appetizers, and they love making them. I understand this completely, I love appetizers as well. We have hot cider simmering on the stove with spices, making the house smell delicious. We have sherry and wine for those who consider sherry “zu süss”. We have amazing desserts…both I and my granddaughter love to bake, and Rudy makes a mean pie crust. We bring out all the china and tablecloths and napkins and flatware and glassware, we buy flowers for the table. We gather in our students who aren’t going home for the holidays because their families are in China or Bulgaria or Oregon. We have a ball, and I don’t care how many pounds I might have gained for that day. For me it’s all about giving thanks that we have such an abundance of everything, and I’m damned if I’m going to ruin everyone’s day by not eating their stuff because I think it has too many calories.
“But”, you might say, “it costs so much”. Not really. I usually buy the roast whatever because, lucky us, we’re not particularly hurting for money. The baking doesn’t cost that much, and it’s such a fun thing to do. Some people bring their specialities and others bring wine. We’ve already got the dishes and other stuff, accumulated little by little for years and years, from yard sales and auctions and EBay.
Years ago, when I started going to St. John’s, the director of the feeding program there, which we sponsored for many years, asked the congregation if we could supply pies for Thanksgiving. Rudy and I stayed up late on Thanksgiving evening and made four pies….two for us and two for them. We brought them to the church on Thanksgiving morning. So did everyone else in the congregation. They had so many pies that they ended up freezing many of them and using them for months afterwards. That’s what Thanksgiving is like for me….. and this peculiarly American holiday is the best of America, I think.
Here are two vegetable recipes from my friend Stirling. I hope that Tracy still makes them.
(This makes 4-6 servings, double it for a big dinner)
4 c broccoli 1 can cream of chicken soup (cream of mushroom will work just as well) 1 c mayonnaise (use real mayonnaise, please, this is a FEAST day) 1 tsp curry (use 1 ½ tsps if you’re doubling, not 2) 2 TBS butter 1 tsp lemon juice
Steam the broccoli and arrange in a casserole dish. Mix up the other ingredients and pour it over the broccoli.
Sprinkle over this:
1 c grated sharp cheese I c corn flake crumbs (put the corn flakes in a Ziploc bag and smash them with something)
Bake at 350® for 25-30 minutes
STIRLING’S YAM AND APPLESAUCE CASSEROLE
4-6 servings, double if necessary
Bake 4 yams, peel and slice
3 apples, sliced (core them, but leave the peels) golden raisins to cover
Arrange in buttered casserole dish
Mix together:
2c boiling water ¾ c brown sugar 4 TBS cornstarch 1 stick butter ½ can frozen orange juice concentrate
Pour over yams and apples and bake @ 350® for about an hour
So simple. So yummy.
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