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| Lucy's mom, Janet, ready for the party |
LUCY BURDETTE: When I was growing up, we used to have
Thanksgiving with my mother’s sisters and their families. The menus were pretty
standard, delicious homemade fare—turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green been
casserole, cranberry sauce from a can and so on. Over the years, I’ve had lots
of different kinds of Thanksgivings, sometimes I’ve cooked, sometimes I’ve
eaten at other people’s houses, sometimes I’ve even gone out to dinner. I’m
less attached to a specific menu these days. The only time I was really
disappointed was the year my sister and I had dinner with old friends before
either of us were married. These people were very Southern and warm and lovely.
We felt very welcome and glad to be sharing their table. Except…rice was served
with the turkey and gravy rather than mashed potatoes! Oh, and speaking of gravy, please don’t add
giblets to mine…
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING; Despite being centered around eating,
I maintain Thanksgiving isn't really about food. Or rather, about cooking. I've
learned over the years that guests and family members will accept one (1) novel
recipe per holiday, and after that, you better stick to the pearl onions in
cream sauce and whatever dressing is standard for your part of the country
(cornbread, sausage, bread, oyster, walnut) I've always actually stuffed the
bird with the stuffing (because then you can serve it 'wet' and 'dry', as my
family called it) but I'm going to change it up this year because my turkeys
have come out on the dry side the past few years. If someone can tell me the
definitive way to get a juicy bird - basting? Brining? Rubbing stuff under the
skin? - I would be grateful.
RHYS BOWEN: Having not grown up with Thanksgiving I find the
holiday doesn't mean as much to me as Christmas does. I enjoy the turkey and
stuffing and potatoes. Not a big fan of any of the casseroles that go with it.
I find myself making the green bean casserole as my son in law likes it. This
year my daughter has ordered a completely organic, free range turkey from Whole
Foods. I hope we'll find it tastes better. In the past we have injected the
bird with John's secret mixture to make it moist. The secret is not to
overcook. it's a fine line between giving your guests salmonella and drying out
the breast too much. We don't put stuffing inside the bird but cook it
separately. I love all stuffings but John likes sausage meat and I like lots of
herbs, mushrooms, veggies in mind. I love chestnut stuffing but chestnuts are
hard to find and horribly expensive. Actually it's not the food that matters.
It's family sitting around the table and laughing!
HALLIE EPHRON: What I can't do without is my family and pie.
Fortunately we all agree on the menu - turkey, stuffing, gravy, green beans,
mashed potatoes, turnips. For starters, butternut squash soup. AND PIE!
Homemade of course. Pumpkin. Custard. Apple. This year my daughter is hosting
in Brooklyn and I am doing whatever she needs me to do. She's in charge. (She'd
laugh to hear me say that.... ) I agree with Rhys, it's all about the family
and friends.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:
SO--this makes me laugh and laugh. I loved the turkey my mother made. Loved.
Looked forward to it every year. And the
bed moment of all was when Mom would say--how's the turkey? Nice and dry? And
we'd say, yes! delicious! nice and dry!
Seriously, we were taught that dry turkey was a good thing..thereby absolving
(we learned later) my mom of the fear of overcooking it. As I grew up, and had
other Thanksgiving experiences, I learned dry turkey was not the goal. I still
like it better. So Julia, you are
perfection! And can cook a turkey at our house any time. Nice and dry.
Plus, hot gravy. If I can remember how to make it, a yearly
terror, hides any mistakes.
JENN McKINLAY: Dessert, natch. I am the chief baker for the
holidays. This year I'm making a raspberry/white chocolate bundt cake (a copy
cat of Nothing Bundt Cake's delicious version for Thanksgiving). I'm not a huge
turkey fan, but I do enjoy a good stuffing and I adore cranberry sauce. I don't
have a lot of holiday traditions for any of the holidays. We're seat of the
pants types and will frequently just up and go to the beach or the mountains
and get away for a holiday. I find the expectations of the holidays exhausting.
It seems, everyone expects a Norman Rockwellesque holiday, where turkeys are
perfect, everyone gets along, and people break out into song for no apparent
reason, as if we haven't been members of our own families all our lives and
should know better. LOL.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: We are always torn about Thanksgiving. It's
so much fun to gather round our own table, and to make all the things we really
love (my daughter's fabulous sauteed Brussels sprouts with shallots and bacon,
cauliflower and cheddar gratin, my yummy sage-y cornbread dressing, and of
course my famous cranberry relish) BUT... I have one aunt left on my mom's side
of the family, my mother's youngest brother's widow, and my two cousins and
their kids, and the kids' kids now. For years we did Thanksgiving and Christmas
with them, but because these days we really want to have Christmas at home, and
to host Christmas dinner, we just spend Thanksgiving with the auntie. And then
usually a second visit to Rick's mom and siblings, etc., etc., This year I am just happy to spend time with
family and to eat whatever anyone else makes!!!
How about you Reds and red readers, what can’t you do without on Thanksgiving? What do you look forward to most?
And ps, if you developed a hankering for those pimento cheese scones while you were reading, Lucy's recipe is here...
