tradition or change?
Say you are now in charge of the family thanksgiving dinner - how much do you mess with the traditional meal that was cooked by a now deceased and beloved member of the family? Even if that tradition involves dry turkey and canned shaped cranberries which everyone loves. Is it about cooking the best meal or preserving tradition?
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7 Comments:
Over the years that I've been in charge of my family's Thanksgiving dinner, I've been able to update some recipes and techniques, but not change things too drastically. The menu has remained pretty well fixed (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean cass., etc.), but I think -- and I think my family would agree -- that the food is "fresher" and better than, say, ten years ago. We used to be addicted to doctored canned food, whereas now we enjoy doing things from scratch (well, minimal help from the pantry).
It takes more time, but everyone involved is having fun. And yes, in addition to homemade cranberry sauce, the lined cylinder of cranberry jelly does happily grace our table :-)
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 11:13PM on 11/18/07
I started new traditions way back when my mother took over. I took away the italian bread at the table and went to biscuits, datenut bread, pumpkin bread, cranberry orange bread, banana bread and a sweet cream cheese-butter spread with honey and cinnamon.
I also started making the cranberry mold instead of them getting a can of something.
When I took it over the lasagne got axed. I now make the lasagne (tomorrow) the week of and people eat that till the big turkey day.
I also started making real deal mashed potatoes with buttermilk and half and half. My mothers potatoes (no one better rat on me) were like lead.
I also stopped putting the turkey guts in the stuffing and in the gravy.
There is no giblet anything at my house. I get some demi and add that to the gravy (which is so rich and tasty) no one complains. My mother used (EEK) a gravy packet which she added her turkey drippings and chicken broth too and her gravy was lumpy.
There is a reason for everything I think. My mother's faux pas helped me be the stickler for detail I am today.
I still make my grandmother's italian sausage and bread stuffing. I still buy the same Maglio brand http://www.maglios.com/ that I have to drive an hour to get. Although there is no offal in it. There is still that handful of grated cheese (locatelli) it makes me smile when I do. The secret ingredient. Happy Turkey Day Gram! I miss you!
JerzeeTomato at 11:31PM on 11/18/07
That's not easy to navigate but it's not impossible (whew!).
First of all, if you present a beautifully burnished, succulently moist turkey, I doubt anyone will miss a dry one. Yes, folks might wax nostalgic about days gone by and how "Mom's turkey was like sawdust with bones." I doubt anyone would say, "Hey, how come we don't have dry turkey??"
As for the jellied cranberries ((shrugs)) there's not much you can do about that. Buy a can. slice it (God, I could use an eye roll icon right about HERE), but prepare a home-made version if that was your plan. Those who really don't like the jellied stuff will eagerly enjoy yours and you never know, some of the jelly lovers might dip into yours and like it.
If there was anything truly wretched, try making a better version of it. i.e. Sweet potatoes, mashers, brussels sprouts, etc.
Jerzee - we don't have Italian food on T-Giving either. We decided we have 364 other days in the year to be Italian - it's all American on T-Day. The one exception might be a Spinach, Sausage and Rice stuffing that uses Italian sweet sausage but that's about the extent of "international" food on T-Giving :D.
chiff0nade at 8:30AM on 11/19/07
The first time I hosted a large family dinner was actually Christmas, but I based the entire menu on a Thankgiving dinner that was featured in a popular American women's magazine. It was marketed as a "make ahead meal" that was traditional, yet a little different. I served it up with the priviso that since I had had to do this alone (my mom lived in a different town), I needed guidance - and they all bought it (there are phones, even in Canada - grin). It was a total hit. But let me tell ya, the year I said no turkey at Christmas (which tends to be done here, since our Thanksgiving is in Oct and we've used up all our turkey leftovers by Dec) and instead made Beef Wellington for the 25th - man, did I get heat from my mother! She was NOT a happy human, although she loved the meal. My younger sister took me aside quietly after supper and said "thanks - I am so tired of turkey at Xmas!"
Maureen at 11:50AM on 11/19/07
I say retain the BEST of what Aunt Matilda or Grandma made, the most sincerely delicious things that people actually hanker for. Everything else is fair game for improvement. Maybe taking a poll and asking the relatives what they actually want to eat- and you may find that remembering the departed - honoring their memory- with maybe a hearty toast?- in your grace before the meal is sufficient, without having to choke down their "traditional" prune-filled pierogies.
moibec at 12:11PM on 11/19/07
I'd say a little bit of both. This year I wanted to cook a dish for our Thanksgiving (my mom and aunt switch off each year but they usually do it all). The dish I wanted to make was by no means traditional, but I know that if I were heading up the feast I'd keep some tradition in there.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 4:54PM on 11/19/07
The family -- aunt, uncle, cousin, grandparents -- all go to my parents' house for Thanksgiving and Christmas because my mom and dad are the best cooks in the family. But, while I grew up with tradition, my husband did not, and it's turning my world around!
Last Thanksgiving, I had to work, so I had to miss out on a great meal. Two days later, I put on a Thanksgiving meal for my husband and parents. I made my first turkey, and the day before, I made a caramel pumpkin pecan cheesecake. I also made mashed potatoes and salad. My mom brought appetizers. It was a very simple meal, apart from the turkey and dessert, and not bad for my first try. The turkey wasn't dry either!
Now we're going to my in-laws, and I don't know what to expect, except that I'm making pumpkin pie!
It's hard to think about starting a tradition when every year, starting last year, is different. For all I know, we'll be living out of state and won't be visiting either set of parents. But I'm hoping to have my own traditional turkey feast in the future, if I end up having kids or have friends who are also far away from their families.
misseditor at 6:11PM on 11/19/07