Before There Were Presidents - Thanksgiving Bounty

In the autumn of 1621, 53 surviving pilgrims celebrated their successful harvest. This "First Thanksgiving of Plymouth" wasn't called Thanksgiving, and it was purely religious thanking God for crops, wild game and rain. After years of celebrations, this tradition spread across America, and in 1863 President Lincoln declared it a national holiday. Our celebrations have come a long way since then. So to go along with some original traditions, I wanted my Virginia Thanksgiving to reflect a bountiful harvest. Okay, I only harvested herbs this year, but my dad, a native Virginian, can grow just about anything to perfection. So in preparation of Turkey Day, my first stop was a trip to his little farm. It's November, and he is still providing our family with lots of fresh veggies. Did I mention he is 83? I am so thankful for him.

Dad picked some fresh mustard greens and kale, along with sweet potatoes, turnips, and peppers. We froze green beans and corn from the summer harvest, which will come out for the big day as well. Of those, corn would definitely be the highlight if we were to revisit the colonists. Here's my menu...

Virginia Thanksgiving

Herb Turkey and Gravy

Orange Apple Cranberry Sauce

Cornmeal Sage Dressing

Turnip Potato Mash

Roasted Root Vegetables

Cream of Corn

Colorful Salad Greens

Glazed Green Beans

Rolls with Apple Pumpkin Butter
Dessert, courtesy of my brother-in-law:
Apple, Cherry and Sweet Potato Pies

I will not spend too much time on the turkey, because I bought two turkey breasts this year to feed nine of us. My teenager accused me of having a "fake" turkey. I admit, it did feel like cheating a little, but we still have a South Carolina Thanksgiving to attend and soon. I needed there to be very few leftovers so not to have waste but enough to send a little home with my family. So, I simply made an herb rub with butter, and chopped herbs (your basics - rosemary, sage and thyme) and coated the turkey breasts in the rub and roasted according to directions. Hey, my garden did come in handy.

Herb Gravy
1 large shallot
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups chicken stock or low sodium broth
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
1 large sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
5 fresh sage leaves
Gravy packet or small jar of turkey gravy

Sauté shallot in butter for about 3 minutes. Add liquids and herbs and bring to simmer. Keep warm for about an hour; add in gravy packet or jar of gravy, or you can make your own thickening with corn starch and water. Bring to a boil and turn to lowest setting to keep warm. Makes about 3-1/2 cups.



Orange Apple Cranberry Sauce
1 large Granny Smith Apple
1 Navel orange - zest and juice only
1-12 oz bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup of water
1-2/3 cups sugar
1/4 teas cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch ginger

In saucepan, bring water and sugar to boil until sugar dissolves. Add all other ingredients and cook on low for about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.



My mom used to make the most wonderful sage flavored cornmeal dressing, not to be mistaken for cornbread dressing, and it is one of my favorite things she fed me. I could celebrate any holiday with this one item and nothing else. I have yet to find a recipe outside of Mom's memory for this. It has taken me years to figure it out, especially since she said...just put some cornmeal in a bowl and add water and sugar, etc. You get the picture. There were no measurements or written recipe. My mom lives in a nursing home now and doesn't always remember everything, but I bet she could still fire out the ingredients. And when tested, this dressing was "Mom approved." It is a little time consuming but well worth the trouble and so tasty. I'm sure to the colonists, it would have been no trouble at all, if they didn't have to hand grind the cornmeal and grow and harvest everything else. See, it's easy for us.

Cornmeal Sage Dressing

5 cups self rising cornmeal (I used yellow)

1 teas baking powder

1/3 cup sugar

1-3/4 cups water

3 stalks celery plus celery leaves, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 stick butter

3 slices of white bread, cubed and toasted

2 eggs

24 oz low sodium chicken broth

3 teas sage

In large bowl mix cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and water until well combined. Set aside for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, chop celery and onions and sauté in butter. Set aside to cool.

Pour cornmeal mix in to 9x13 inch pan sprayed with nonstick and bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. When you remove from oven, you will notice it is dense, not fluffy like cornbread. This is how it is suppose to be. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, turn oven down to 300 and place your cubed bread on a sheet pan and toast for about 10 minutes.

Break and crumble the cooked cornmeal mixture and put back into large bowl. To that add bread crumbs,  cooked celery and onions, chicken broth, beaten eggs and sage. Mix well and place back in a clean, sprayed 9x13 pan. This will fill your pan just about to the top and will feed many. If that sounds like too much, just half it. Bake again at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. I hope it makes it to the table without a huge chunk missing. It's hard to resist.

Remember those turnips? Here's what I did with them. I adapted a Paula Deen recipe, so it's rich but delicious.


Turnip Potato Mash
6 large Yukon or Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 med turnips, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter
salt and pepper

Boil potatoes and turnips about 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and send back to the pot. Hand mash if you have a masher and add remaining ingredients until combined and butter and cream cheese are all melted and incorporated. I made this ahead and put in baking dish to reheat the next day. I just reheated with a lid on at about 350 for 30 minutes.

Roasted Root Vegetables

4 med sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 med butternut squash, peeled and cubed

8-10 parsnips, peeled and cubed

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

2 Tbsp honey. divided

1/2 teas kosher salt, divided

6 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

On a baking sheet (I had to use two sheet pans so the vegetables could roast properly) spread out veggies and drizzle with olive oil and honey and sprinkle with kosher salt. Toss with hands and then bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat butter in sauce pan and add in brown sugar until dissolved. When veggies are done, transfer to serving dish and pour butter and sugar mixture over the veggies. Also can be made ahead of time and reheated.



I have a freezer full of corn from my dad's garden and feel so lucky. If only the Pilgrims had freezers, right? Did you know they found corn unfit for human consumption? In England it was mainly to feed the pigs. I'm guessing hunger helped them overcome these prejudices, and they happened upon the perfect soil and environment to grow it abundantly. The recipe below is from my husband's mother, Jane. I had tried every corn pudding and creamed corn recipe I could find, but hers is the best. Yep, I said that to my mother-in-law, and she so graciously shared. 

Cream of Corn
4 cups of fresh or frozen corn
1 stick (half cup) of unsalted butter
1-8oz package cream cheese
1 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan combine all ingredients and stir continuously until everything is melted and thickens. Try not to eat it all before serving.



Colorful Salad Greens
Any greens - I used kale and mustard greens
(I had a huge stock pot full - they shrink a lot)
4 strips of bacon - cut into one inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

3 chopped scallions (all parts)
half cup apple cider vinegar

In large pot cook bacon until done. Add in peppers and onions and cook about 2 minutes. Add half of broth and bring to boil. Begin adding in greens until everything shrinks. Add remaining broth, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Greens taste better the longer you cook them, so cook until they are tender and tasty.

Add chopped scallions to vinegar and serve as a garnish alongside greens.



Another vegetable that seems to be plentiful every year is green beans. They seem to yield more than I can keep up with, so I do lots of freezing. I prefer this over canning, as they are still crisp and taste fresh when prepared. I admit I grow tired of them after a while, so I enjoy jazzing them up from time to time. I found this recipe on Food.com and changed it up just a bit. If you can't find fresh green beans in the produce section try frozen beans.




Glazed Green Beans
2 lbs green beans, trimmed and blanched
4 slices bacon, trimmed to one inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

If beans are fresh, then trim, wash and blanch. Bring a pot of water and pinch of salt to a rolling boil and place green beans in water for about a minute. Remove beans and drop in a large bowl of ice water to keep them from cooking anymore. Next, cook bacon until crispy. Add onions and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken broth and remaining ingredients and combine. Add green beans back in and toss to coat and warm. If you are making ahead, allow juices to cool and then toss with green beans. Reheat the next day. I cooked these more than I typically enjoy so the elderly folks would eat them. Isn't that what it's all about? 



Rolls. Store bought! There are just too many varieties out there, and I have yet to master this category. I did make some homemade apple pumpkin butter back in the fall, and it compliments just about any kind of roll or biscuit. If you want to make some, it's so quick and easy. Here's the link for the recipe if you are feeling adventuresome. If you want to make several to last, just put in jars or freezer containers and freeze. 
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Pumpkin-Apple-Butter   


I prepared everything but the turkey, gravy, and rolls the day before our early celebration and then reheated it all while everything else was put together. We spent a lot of time preparing and a short time eating, but it sure was good! And it was such a treat to not have to worry about dessert, which was fabulous!

The best part is just being together and making new memories. I am so thankful for my family and to have this time with them.

Happy Thanksgiving!! May God abundantly bless you and your family!



Bites of History

• The "first" Thanksgiving was celebrated for three days.
• According to William Bradford in his writings, Of Plymouth Plantation, the menu likely included bass and cod fish, venison, waterfowl, wild turkey and plenty of Indian corn.
• The Native Americans taught the settlers how to grow and harvest corn.