Year after year, 94% of Americans sit down to a Thanksgiving dinner consisting of a roasted turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, a green vegetable of some sort and followed by pumpkin pie and whipped cream.
This dinner, on average, takes an entire afternoon of grocery shopping and an entire day of food preparation and cooking. Is it any wonder that by Dec. 1, the housewife’s eyes roll when she begins to think of going through this in just another four weeks? Is it any wonder why mom or grandma look at the restaurant ads longing to celebrate the holiday dinner at those establishments? Last year, my son said he would do just that.
“I’m taking us all out to dinner, no more standing on her feet all day,” he said.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I was off the hook.
And yet, while buying pork chops at Ben Lomond Market yesterday, I couldn’t stop myself from asking Caesar their butcher, to put my name on their list for a Thanksgiving turkey. I then found myself buying brown sugar, pecans and ginger for my traditional sweet potato casserole.
I quizzed the produce man making sure the market would have the true sweet potatoes (not yams) and that green beans would be plentiful as well the week of Thanksgiving.
On my way home I thought about how I was going to tell my good-intentioned son that dinner would be cooked at home, by mom, once again. After all, how would we have leftovers, sometimes the best part of the Thanksgiving dinner? And how about the smells coming from the oven while the turkey is cooking? None of this would happen if we went to a restaurant.
I want to sit at our family table and see all of our children together; the table where my sweet Hubby Norm always sat next to me, holding my hand in his while saying grace, thanking our Almighty for each of us and for the food we were about to eat. I simply cannot let go of this tradition.
This year I’ll not be preparing dinner alone. My granddaughter is coming, and together, we’ll shop, peel, dice and cook that big bird for the family. A new tradition in the making and one I hope we will be able to continue for many more years.
In the past, when my Hubby and I craved a roasted turkey during the year, I always had a small, halved turkey in my freezer. I usually bought a small (16 lb.) turkey after the holidays when they went on sale and asked the butcher to see the bird in half. I would defrost the turkey and in a roasting pan, place two quartered dry onions, apples, carrots and 3-4 stalks of celery, and then lay the turkey, cut side down, over the veggies. I would make the dressing in a separate pan. Perfect for two people with leftovers for hot turkey sandwiches. Yum!
This year I’m making a Blackberry Slab Pie instead of pumpkin which I will make ahead and freeze until the big day. So easy for a large crowd. Ice cream or whipped cream with a dash of bourbon in it turns this dessert into one fit for a king.
Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers.
Blackberry Slab Pie
Crust
- 5 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. gran. sugar
- 3 sticks very cold butter cut into ½ in. cubes
- 8 Tbsp. cold shortening
Pulse in food processor until mixture resembles small peas. Then add 1 cup ice water in small amounts until mixture comes together. Dump onto floured breadboard and shape into a mound. Divide and cover with Saranwrap and chill for two hours.
Filling (Mix together and let sit for one hour)
- 10 cups of Blackberries
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking Tapioca
- 1 cup gran. sugar
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- ¼ tsp. salt
Cut 2 Tbsp. of butter into half-inch cubes and set aside. Spray a jellyroll baking sheet with Pam and roll one disk into the 12-by-16-inch size and lay on the pan. Spread the filling and dot the top of the filling with reserved butter. Roll out the second disk and cover. Crimp edges and cut eight slits on top to release steam. Brush the top crust with two egg yolks mixed with 2 tsp. of water. And sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. of baking sugar.
Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 55-60 minutes.
Colly Gruczelak, a Ben Lomond resident, loves people and loves to cook. Contact her at cz****@co*****.net.
