Thanksgiving 2006 Survey

Culinary Historians-Chicago Foodways Roundtable

Thanksgiving 2006 Survey


We want to learn the variety of food served at our Thanksgiving tables. What traditions have we integrated in our meal, which no Thanksgiving can be without. Yet you may not find when you are a guest at someone else’s table.

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at:
____ Home
____ Restaurant: name/address/ethnicity:
____ Relative: how are they related:
____ Other: please explain:

2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner:

3. What was the menu prepared by the hosts, please be as specific as possible. (Where did the recipe come from: family or friend, cookbook or magazine (which one?), no recipe). Star (*) menu items are always and forever, i.e., not optional, on the Thanksgiving table

4. If guests brought food, then what did they bring and their ethnic heritage:

5. If you were not hosting the meal, then what dish was missing you associate with Thanksgiving?

6. Comment at will on the whole meal/process/tradition for you and for your family.

If you have any photos of the Thanksgiving table you want to share, then please include them.

1. Home
2. Irish, German Mennonite, a wee bit o' Scottish and English-- none of which was particularly reflected in the food, unless the corned beef and sauerkraut on the Reubens we had for lunch counts.
3. Cook's Illustrated (turkey) Food & Wine November 2006 issue (sides, see post in turkey pictures thread for details), Epicurious.com (gravy), It's all American Food by David Rosengarten (relish), Heritage of Southern Cooking by Camille Glenn (pie).
4. No guests.
5. n/a
6. Getting better at picking dishes that don't all require intensive attention at the last minute.

1. where - my home
2. heritage of hosts - Russian/Polish Jew on one side, Irish/English/Swedish on the other
3. menu highlights;

salmon topped with cranbery chutney and a crunchy topping (chutney recipe f/ Epicurious)
Roasted garlic potato wedges

4. Russian/Polish Jew & Swedish guests brought roasted beets over arugula with blue cheese sauce, brussel sprouts with garlic butter sauce

Other Russian/Polish Jewish guests brought bread from Panera, brandy apple pie, chocolate chip cookies

5. It was an awesome meal! We did not miss the turkey at all and the cleanup was a snap. I am also getting better at picking dishes that allow me to spend a little more time with the family.

Survey response

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at Home – 21 guests (small group; we usually have over 25)

2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner:

Italian/British and Norwegian/Slovenian

3.

• Antipasti platter – The Italian-American influence, lots of cheese, pepperoni, olives, all cold appetizers*
• Veggie platter – we have several vegetarians coming, so this makes them feel welcome, plus I’ve heard vegetables are good for you*
• Wontons stuffed with pear and butternut squash, fried, prepared by Middle Daughter
• Shrimp cocktail – always make this, because it’s Eisenhower era “fancy food,” just seems right; I make my own cocktail sauce in that no off-the-shelf stuff is sufficiently horseradishy*
• Smoked Turkey – influence of Gary Wiviott (smoked the day before) and Italian sausage (Sicilian, Barese and regular), smoked
• Creamed onions – Norwegian/Slovenian’s family recipe*
• Brussel sprouts with chestnuts – this is the only time of year we have this dish, though everyone likes it (except for two guys who every year make barfing noises when the bowl is passed to them). I believe The Wife got this out of an old Tribune article.
• Twice-baked sweet potato with lots of herbs – a new one this year, a Tribune recipe.
• Muffins with olive – made by Youngest Daughter under influence of Martha Stewart and from her “Good Living” magazine (this month’s issue, I believe)
• Muffins with caramelized onions – ditto
• Gingerbread cookies – Made by Older Daughter, after doing a dry run at the LTH Picnic, she’s perfected the dessert

4.

• Pumpkin pie – French Canadian
• Cranberry tart – Norwegian (from Gourmet magazine circa 1989)
• Vegetable tart – French Canadian
• Cranberry sauce -- British

5.

N/A

6.

Having a few dozen people at our house for Thanksgiving is a tradition – been doing it for maybe 20 years. I find it very stressful. The kids expect it, my friends expect and so I, martyr, comply.

1. My sister and brother-in-law's home (with some pot-luck dishes prepared by other family members). This was a group effort with my sister preparing a few things and guests bringing the rest.

2. Polish-Russian Jew (my sister), Puerto Rican (my brother-in-law)

3 & 4.
--Roast turkey* (my sister, no recipe)
--Canned cranberry sauce (my sister, no recipe)
--Green salad (my aunt of Swedish descent, no recipe)
--Arroz con gandules (my sister's mother-in-law, family recipe)
--Cheese enchiladas (my sister's mother-in-law, family recipe)
--Corn pudding (my mother, family recipe, orginated in a magazine over 20 years ago)*
--Boxed Stove-top stuffing (my sister)
--Sweet potato casserole with pecans and brown sugar (me, no recipe)
--Green been casserole with fried onions (my sister, i'm sure this recipe came from somewhere, but everyone just knows how to make it) *
--Brussels sprouts with shallots and pecorino romano cheese (this was made by me--no recipe)
--Pecan tarts (from a Paula Deen recipe, made by my brother's fiancee--Russian, Jewish descent,)
--Pumpkin pie (recipe from a can, my sister)
--Apple cobbler (made by my brother's fiancee, unknown recipe)

5. Mashed potatoes and real turkey gravy.

6. We've been without a family thanksgiving tradition for a few years now and this was my sister's first attempt at hosting a dinner for both sides of their family.

1. My wife's brother's wife's mother's house.

2. Hungarian

3. Turkey*, ham, mashed potatoes*, , green bean casserole, stuffing*, pineapple stuffing*, sweet potato* w/pecans.

4. Mixed vegetable salad w/dill dressing (developed own), apple and peach cobbler (Cook's Illustrated). gravy*.
(Came over on the Mayflower, English and whatever came after).

5. Green onions, radishes, olives. Plus the quality and taste of the food is usually much better at my house.

6. Good time, but meal is overly carb-laden and pretty much written in stone. Barely got the vegetable salad in. Had to "lose" the requested recipe for another cream caserole dish.

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at :

My mother's brother's home in Palos Heights.

2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner:

Polish/Dutch-English (me) , Polish (my mother)

3. The menu prepared by the hosts:

Roasted Parsnips with Horseradish-Herb Butter
Green Beans with Cremini Mushroom Sauce
Braised Potatoes with Fresh Bay Leaves
Rosemary-Ginger Cranberry Sauce
Roasted Turkey (brined)
Grilled Salmon with Fennel Butter
Sage-Giblet Gravy
Herb-Chestnut Dressing
Bay Leaf-Scented Spoon Rolls
Arugula, Fennel, and Orange Salad
Pumpkin Pie (crust recipe : paternal Dutch-English grandmother // filling recipe : maternal Polish grandmother)
Custard-Topped Pecan Pie (recipe : an old family friend)

4. N/A

5. N/A

6. Since my father's passing, my family (me/mother/brother) celebrates the holiday with my mother's two unmarried brothers in the Chicagoland area. And, anymore, unless I volunteer to cook the lion's share (80%) of the meal, the remaining celebrants would be perfectly content to eat at a restaurant. I can't stand to do that but every few years, so I usually end up cooking. As hard as it is, I never regret doing it, and my efforts are always greatly appreciated.

E.M.

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at:
Husband's sister's house.

2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner:

Hosts: Her: Lebanese (Paternal side) Irish/Italian (Maternal side)
Him: German/Unknown by me

3. What was the menu prepared by the hosts, please be as specific as possible. (Where did the recipe come from: family or friend, cookbook or magazine (which one?), no recipe). Star (*) menu items are always and forever, i.e., not optional, on the Thanksgiving table

Cream cheese based artichoke dip, purchased mix
Crudites w/ packaged sour cream dip
packaged pita chips

*Roasted turkey, basted only twice but rubbed in olive oil and butter no recipe
*Mashed potatoes, no recipe
Rolls (frozen dough)
Mixed green salad


4. If guests brought food, then what did they bring and their ethnic heritage:

Homemade jalapeno jelly (from homegrown peppers) over cream cheese w/crackers (Danish/Luxembourg/Eastern European Jewish) (Ok, this is completely against type but she lives in Oklahoma so there's a lot of local influence on her garden and cooking)

Pacakged cooked shrimp w/ cocktail sauce (Italian/Irish)

Sweet potato, mashed, topped with tons of brown sugar and pecans (Something Southern)

Green Bean Casserole (Same Southerner)

Gravy made by same Southerner. She used canned Swanson Chicken broth and brought a container of something scary that said Wondra on the carton

Dressing, not cooked in bird, (same Southerner)

Cranberry-orange relish (Danish/Luxembourger/Eastern European Jewish, Chicago native lives locally) Recipe from the old Time Life foods of the world America cookbook

Apple Pie (Homemade, Irish/Italian)

Pumpkin pie (all from scratch, fresh pumpkin, hand ground cloves--I found only whole ones in the pantry. Crust from 1950s Joy of Cooking, Pie custard personal recipe inspired by Joy of Cooking and Libbys label, Danish/Luxembourger/Eastern European Jewish, Chicago native lives locally)

Marsmallows, dipped in chocolate, set on a commercial cookie, decorated to look like pilgrim hats. (WASP, this is not meant as a derogatory comment, they were extras from a pre-school party)

Pizelle cookies (Irish/Italian)

Strawberry pie, Sara Lee (Irish/Italian)

Honey cake, homemade (Eastern European Jewish)

Assorted sweets purchased at Nazareth Sweet (the date mamoul were stale, darn) (Lebanese/Irish/Italian)

Tiramisu, homemade by neighbor just moved here from Italy

5. If you were not hosting the meal, then what dish was missing you associate with Thanksgiving?

Ham (Muslim father-in-law eschews pork)
Pecan Pie
Mince Pie
assorted pickles and olives
Fresh biscuits
Plain roasted vegetables, i.e. sweet potatoes without all that sugar!



6. Comment at will on the whole meal/process/tradition for you and for your family.

This was my first Thanksgiving with my husband. We celebrated with his family and included my parents and sister. I miss cooking the meal but my house can't accomodate a large group and especially a ton of kids. The Thanksgivings of my childhood always inlcuded all of my father's female relatives gathered in the kitchen for hours cooking (and arguing about) the bird. I think they cooked all the sides at the same time and the only thing people brought might have been desserts. I kind of miss the exchange of how-to tips as this year things were brought to the house already prepared. We talked of other things and not the food as much. I also miss my grandfather's bad pie jokes: "I asked the waitress:'Got any pumpkin pie' She said: 'All our pies are punkin here'"

You have to say it out loud. ...punk in.....

1. Thanksgiving with sister-in-law's relatives in Houston

2. Ethnic heritage: Afrikaner (Dutch South Afrikan)

3. Acorn squash soup, Chilean Sea Bass or beef fillet, roasted vegetables, creme brulee or chocolate volcano cake. All recipes from the caterer - nothing specific to the ethnicnicity.

4. No one brought food.

5. If not obvious, the dish missing that I most associate with Thanksgiving was Turkey.

6. A very different Thanksgiving with an interesting group of in-laws.

Diannie wrote:Gravy made by same Southerner. She used canned Swanson Chicken broth and brought a container of something scary that said Wondra on the carton

Not scary at all. My mother-in-law, who not only taught me how to make gravy but also passed on to me and her other daughter-in-law her two genuine Foley Forks to stir it with, always used Wondra flour.

Give it a whirl.

Ann Fisher wrote:Not scary at all. My mother-in-law, who not only taught me how to make gravy but also passed on to me and her other daughter-in-law her two genuine Foley Forks to stir it with, always used Wondra flour.

Give it a whirl.

Ann,

I agree: Wondra is a very handy product to have on hand. It's really just flour, albeit of a very fine grind and with some enriching additions (not unlike many other kinds of flour).

C2: T-day data forthcoming...

Antonius

1. Thanksgiving was observed at home.
My husband and I had planned to go to Ohio to have Thanksgiving with my parents but last week we had to change our plans because he got a job (!) and realized that he would not be able to take Friday off. This was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple and we cooked and ate dinner together. My cousin and her husband joined us for dessert.

2. Ethnic heritage of hosts:
Me: Irish/German/French Husband: Polish/British Isles
Dog: Boston Terrier

3. Dishes we served:
Roast Turkey*: Fresh Jennie "O" purchased at Jewel. Had planned to brine it, but found upon reading the fine print that it was already soaked in some sort of solution (yeech). We rubbed the skin with butter and Bicentennial seasoning and stuffed the cavity with left over celery and onions from the dressing.

Dressing*: One loaf of white bread (chopped), celery, onion. Sauteed it all in butter and through chicken broth and poultry seasoning on it. My mother generally adds sausage to the stuffing, but my husband is not a fan, so we kept it simple.

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon.

Pumpkin Pie* -- I made the crust using the NYtimes recipe for "high fat butter crust" that was published last week. It turned out well.

Cheesecake (plain) from Trader Joe's

4. My cousin brought a bottle of Kahlua. She is Vegetarian.

5. Although I hosted the meal, there was one dish that I missed greatly. I had planned to make mashed potatoes but I realized at about 1:30pm Thurs that my stash of potatoes had grown sprouts and was inedible. I'm pretty lucky that my husband is Polish because an Irishman would probably initiate divorce proceedings.

6. It was a simple Thanksgiving. In some ways it was exciting to be stepping over one more milestone of married life, drumstick in hand. In another way, though, it was a little sad because I missed having dinner with my parents.

1. The holiday was observed at my parents house. They've taken over now that Grama says she's too old.

2. Mom - Polish Dad - Bohemian

3. Dad grilled 2 twenty-something turkeys over hickory chips. He puts onions and apples inside them. Mom bought these tiny little rolls from Costco. She also made the mashed potatoes which she got the recipe from Paula Deen. Along with that Mom made corn pudding that my sister got out of a magazine years ago. Dad made turkey giblet gravy from scratch.

4. Grama (Polish) brought the stuffing which was baked.
Aunty Jo (Polish,Austrian) made fresh green beans coated in garlic butter. She also made a platter of various veggies that she sauteed in olive oil. It had fennel, carrots, other things I can't remember!
Aunty Betty(Polish,Austrian)made a sweet potato casserole topped with cranberries
Jeanne (Me) (Polish,Bohemian) Picked up 3 cans of Ocean Spray cranberries that come out in a log!

5. The only thing I missed was my sister's Najifka, which is a Bohemian stuffing that is compacted and cut in cubes, heaven! (Mom felt one stuffing was enough, though.)

6. Overall it was another great holiday. We had 18 adults and 8 children under9 at one long winding table in my moms basement. She will not do buffet style on Thanksgiving.

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at:

Home


2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner:

Jewish (French) and Puritan. With assistance from Polish.

3. What was the menu prepared by the hosts, please be as specific as possible. (Where did the recipe come from: family or friend, cookbook or magazine (which one?), no recipe). Star (*) menu items are always and forever, i.e., not optional, on the Thanksgiving table

*Roast turkey with madeira sauce (sauce may vary)
*gravy (not giblet)
*mashed potatoes
ginger-glazed carrots
brussels sprouts and chestnuts
creamed corn made with Cope's dried corn
relish made with dried cranberries macerated in madeira

None of these used recipes except for the corn; that was off the package but I substituted cream for some of the milk and added some shallots.

dessert was various chocolates passed around (Oops!)

To drink: a selection of nonvintage champagnes. (Champagne-- brut, please-- is nearly an always and forever thing with us as I feel it goes well with the kind of jumbled, rich and sweet Thanksgiving menu we seem to produce.)


5. If you were not hosting the meal, then what dish was missing you associate with Thanksgiving?

Even though I was hosting the meal, I missed pumpkin pie. (There was a snafu; I feel you should always have pumpkin pie.) Also, there was no stuffing but no one in my family likes it.

6. Comment at will on the whole meal/process/tradition for you and for your family.

These days there are sometimes no children at our Thanksgiving, which happened this year. If there were kids it would be more elaborate, with a preliminary course of cheese and crackers and other stuff, maybe some fancy appetizers. There would certainly be a pumpkin pie and either an apple pie or a cake and ice cream. If the Polish folk were there, possibly some Polish delicacies as well.

But generally, and especially without kids to entertain, we don't go to that much trouble. It's not a big culinary experience; if anything, it's a way to ease into the flavors of fall and winter. Like Mike G, I increasingly am trying to avoid an Iron-Chef type experience at the last minute.

Ann Fisher wrote:

Diannie wrote:Gravy made by same Southerner. She used canned Swanson Chicken broth and brought a container of something scary that said Wondra on the carton

Not scary at all. My mother-in-law, who not only taught me how to make gravy but also passed on to me and her other daughter-in-law her two genuine Foley Forks to stir it with, always used Wondra flour.

Give it a whirl.

Ann,

After a quick search for a on eBay showed no results Saturday I added the search to My Favorites on eBay and a Foley Fork showed up yesterday. In less than 12 hours the fork received two bids. (Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the seller, although I may bid later).

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at: home of DD and SIL in NY.

2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner:
DD: Irish, German, native American

3. Pretty standard fare: Turkey* was DD's recipe, which is to inadvertently roast stuffed and buttered bird at 400°F for 3 hours (!), at which point a 20-pound bird is absolutely done and, to our surprise, completely moist and delicious. (I will always do this in the future, btw; it was that good.)

Sage stuffing*: DD prepared, based on recipe from her grandmother, my mom, who got the recipe in the 1950's from the cookbook that came with her then-new GE electric range. Used it ever since.

Mashed potatoes*: The usual, but we left skins on and ran them thru a potato ricer first.

Turkey gravy*: DD prepared, basic gravy using broth she made day before from turkey wings.

Pumpkin pie*: DD uses the old family recipe: Follow the recipe on the pumpkin can but double the spices.

4. French meat pie*: SIL's mom (Lithuanian/French Canadian) prepared, based on family recipe. Mandatory on a French Canadian holiday table, I'm told. Standard Crisco-based pie crust in 9-inch pie pan; filling consists of mashed potato and ground beef mixture scented with allspice. Very tasty.

Cranberry sauce*: I made, based on a Martha Stewart recipe from many moons ago: orange juice, brandy, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, brown sugar, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Nice heat in a sweet, orange-scented cranberry sauce. Love it.

Sweet potatoes*: Mashed variety made by SIL's mom; it was her recipe, and it tasted like it contained pumpkin and usual pumpkin pie spices. Sorry; forgot to ask details. I made glazed sweet potatoes based on a recipe from a Polish friend: cooked sweet potato chunks baked in a brown sugar-dark syrup sauce.

Cornbread stuffing: I made, with sausage, apples, dried cranberries, leeks, eggs, broth...based on an epicurious recipe.

Various (canned) vegetables, favored by half the group, ignored by the other half.

Apple pie*: SIL's mom, a world-class pie baker, I'm finding, made fresh apple pie using Macouin apples. Wow. Perfect.

5. If you were not hosting the meal, then what dish was missing you associate with Thanksgiving? For me, it was all there.

6. With the addition of a SIL and a grandchild in the last 13 months, our traditions are changing rapidly. For years, I hosted 20-some people from both sides of the family, and food sometimes included DH's Filipino recipes. But marriages and more children have changed the dynamics and obligations. So now I'm content to go where my children and grandchildren are, and if they want to come here, that's fine, too.

(edited to include cornbread stuffing)

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at:

In-laws', Western Suburbs

2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner:

Cuban (in-laws), Italian/Russian (me)

3. What was the menu prepared by the hosts, please be as specific as possible. (Where did the recipe come from: family or friend, cookbook or magazine (which one?), no recipe). Star (*) menu items are always and forever, i.e., not optional, on the Thanksgiving table

Apps

Deep fried (recipes by yours truly; seafood from Dirk's):

--Giant freshwater prawns, shell-on, with Hong Kong spiced salt and slivered jalapenos;

--Chesapeake oysters, crusted in Cajun-spiced cornmeal and rice flour blend with saffron-cumin--sriracha-other stuff mayo;*

--Wild Gulf brown shrimp, same prep;*

--Wild Gulf rock shrimp, same.

Celery stuffed with black and green olive cream cheese (inherited from Italian-American aunt)*;

Spinach dip (Cubans, but standard US suburban recipe)

Mains (all recipes from Cuban-Americans, though none particularly ethnic, except as noted)

Deep-fried turkey, brined* (me);

Scratch gravy* (me);

Brussels sprouts with beer cheese sauce*;

Steamed asparagus;

Mashed potatoes with cream and butter*;

Whipped sweet potatoes with burnt marshmallows*;

Sage-whitebread stuffing with country sausage*;

Cornbread dressing with oysters and hot country sausage (me);

Desserts

Espresso-spice cheesecake (Williams-Sonoma cookbook);

Cherry pie;

Mango kulfi (from in-law's friend's Indian resto in Naperville somewhere).

4. If guests brought food, then what did they bring and their ethnic heritage:

Only "brought" item was mango kulfi and beer, brought by Nebraska German husband of Cuban sister in law.

5. If you were not hosting the meal, then what dish was missing you associate with Thanksgiving?

None

6. Comment at will on the whole meal/process/tradition for you and for your family.

Food-wise, best Thanksgiving ever. Our extended family enjoys this holiday perhaps more than any other if measured by joy vs. stress. Very little stress here: the family has numerous folks comfortable in the kitchen, and there are no real shopping, political, religious or other blood pressure raising issues associated with the holiday for us. I also embrace it as an opportunity to deep fry lots of stuff outside while drinking beer (but not too much).

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at:
Home


2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner:
Russian-Polish-Jewish (me)/Czech-western-Euro-combo. (spouse)

3. What was the menu prepared by the hosts, please be as specific as possible.

After years of preparing carefully thought out extravaganzas with another couple, alternating kitchens by year, and even heading up to New Buffalo when they bought a cottage, we adopted our son and got very low-key about it all.

This year we had planned to be just the nuclear family but added a berieved old friend/current colleague at the last minute.

Almost nothing is "required" -- we make the meal that interests us at the moment, whether it's on the cover of this month's Gourmet, or something a friend mentioned that worked out well. The closest to dishes that absolutely must be there are mashed potatos and pumpkin pie.

MEAT: We only do turkey every 2 or 3 years. This was one of those years.
High heat/frequent baste method. Didn't brine (but felt guilty about it.)

Mainly, we improvised: threw some vegetables and herbs in the cavity instead of traditional stuffing. Sage leaves and bacon under the skin. (dual responsibility)

In a break with tradition, I made an actual gravy rather than just a jus. Used regular old King Arthur flour for roux, and it came out silky smooth. Approached the liquor shelf intending to use some cognac and impulsively grabbed the Jim Beam instead. This produced an incredibly deeply mahogany-colored gravy with pronounced carmel/chocolate notes. Very happy with it.

VEGGIES: Root vegetables (carrots/parsnips/celeriac/pearl onions) tossed in olive oil, S&P, fistful of chopped sage and several thyme branches. In a heavy casserole dish with equal parts stock (from turkey neck), white wine, and a splash of lemon juice. Roasted/braised 1-2 hrs. (me)

Brussels sprouts with butter and parm. (Me)

Mashed potatoes (spouse)

Homemade parker house rolls. (spouse)

DESSERT:

Splendid, not-too-sweet pumkin pie w/ whipped cream
Apple galette (spouse)

WINE: Spanish bubbly; Oregon Pinot Noir


4. If guests brought food, then what did they bring and their ethnic heritage:
N/A

5. If you were not hosting the meal, then what dish was missing you associate with Thanksgiving?
N/A

6. Comment at will on the whole meal/process/tradition for you and for your family.

I am not good with great quantities of food and people. 4-8 is great for me, so this was a good year. I just haven't mastered the dual hosting/cooking routine and all the complex timetables involved.

One of the nicest Thanksgivings I remember was when our son was 2 1/2 mos. old. My wife and I made a simple and delicious dinner. The boy fell asleep just as dinner was ready, so we ate by candlelight, in perfect peace and quiet, peering over at him as he slept and feeling very thankful all evening long.

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at:
____ Home


2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner:
Bohemian/Italian

3. What was the menu prepared by the hosts, please be as specific as possible. (Where did the recipe come from: family or friend, cookbook or magazine (which one?), no recipe). Star (*) menu items are always and forever, i.e., not optional, on the Thanksgiving table
Roasted Turkey (did the Martha Stewart Cheesecloth recipe - I wasn't impressed with the results)
Bread Stuffing (Grandma's recipe - Bread, Celery, Onions, Crackers, Milk, Butter, Eggs, Spices, Garlic, Boullion)
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes (Great Grandma's recipe) - Boil, Cool and Peel, cut into chunks and pan fry with Dark Brown Sugar and butter until carmelized)
Steamed Green Beans
Cranberry Chutney (my aunt's ayurvedic recipe) - steep cardammom pods, cinnamon, allspice, hot pepper, and orange peel in boiling water for 15 minutes. drain. cooke cranberries and brown sugar until berries pop and chill.
Pan Gravy - (Cornstarch and potato water (for starch) and turkey base (from penzey's).
Dinner Rolls
Pumpkin Pie - Libby's Recipe




4. If guests brought food, then what did they bring and their ethnic heritage:
Kolackis from Forest View Bakery on Milwaukee North if Devon (Polish)



6. Comment at will on the whole meal/process/tradition for you and for your family.
Small crowd this year, only 10 people.

Thanksgiving 2006 Survey


We want to learn the variety of food served at our Thanksgiving tables. What traditions have we integrated in our meal, which no Thanksgiving can be without. Yet you may not find when you are a guest at someone else’s table.

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at:
___X_ Home
____ Restaurant: name/address/ethnicity:
____ Relative: how are they related:
____ Other: please explain:

2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner: 1/4 Irish Am., Norwegian Am., German Am. and Dutch Am.

3. What was the menu prepared by the hosts, please be as specific as possible. (Where did the recipe come from: family or friend, cookbook or magazine (which one?), no recipe). Star (*) menu items are always and forever, i.e., not optional, on the Thanksgiving table

Roast Turkey rubbed w/olive oil and fresh sage. Stuffed with mom's stuffing....cubed bread, celery, onion, small clove of garlic, salt and pepper, fresh sage, poultry seasoning, rosemary and a little thyme. Add milk and stuff bird. (I used potato bread. It was a little too rich and seemed too mushy.) It was better the second day.
Fresh Cranberry sauce w/orange zest, Brussel Bombs braised in dark beer, shallots, and olive oil/butter, tossed salad w/gorgonzola cheese, sliced red onion and pear, Pomegranite gravy.........made with fresh pomegranite juice (recipe from Gourmet)...I did not really like this. A little too sweet for my taste. Finally, Garlic and chive mashed potatoes.
That was plenty for one!


4. If guests brought food, then what did they bring and their ethnic heritage:
Dined Solo.

5. If you were not hosting the meal, then what dish was missing you associate with Thanksgiving?

6. Comment at will on the whole meal/process/tradition for you and for your family.

Thanksgiving 2006 Survey


We want to learn the variety of food served at our Thanksgiving tables. What traditions have we integrated in our meal, which no Thanksgiving can be without. Yet you may not find when you are a guest at someone else’s table.

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at:
___X_ Home
____ Restaurant: name/address/ethnicity:
____ Relative: how are they related:
____ Other: please explain:

2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner: 1/4 Irish Am., Norwegian Am., German Am. and Dutch Am.

3. What was the menu prepared by the hosts, please be as specific as possible. (Where did the recipe come from: family or friend, cookbook or magazine (which one?), no recipe). Star (*) menu items are always and forever, i.e., not optional, on the Thanksgiving table

Roast Turkey rubbed w/olive oil and fresh sage. Stuffed with mom's stuffing....cubed bread, celery, onion, small clove of garlic, salt and pepper, fresh sage, poultry seasoning, rosemary and a little thyme. Add milk and stuff bird. (I used potato bread. It was a little too rich and seemed too mushy.) It was better the second day.
Fresh Cranberry sauce w/orange zest, Brussel Bombs braised in dark beer, shallots, and olive oil/butter, tossed salad w/gorgonzola cheese, sliced red onion and pear, Pomegranite gravy.........made with fresh pomegranite juice (recipe from Gourmet)...I did not really like this. A little too sweet for my taste. Finally, Garlic and chive mashed potatoes.
That was plenty for one!


4. If guests brought food, then what did they bring and their ethnic heritage:
Dined Solo.

5. If you were not hosting the meal, then what dish was missing you associate with Thanksgiving?

6. Comment at will on the whole meal/process/tradition for you and for your family.

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at:
Home – Present: my 3 children (all grown), a son-in-law, my mother, and a nephew.

2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner:
Me (Italian/Slovak), assisted by my daughter (Italian, Slovak & Mexican), & my nephew (Italian, Slovak, Mexican & Lebanese)

3. What was the menu prepared by the hosts, please be as specific as possible. (Where did the recipe come from: family or friend, cookbook or magazine (which one?), no recipe). Star (*) menu items are always and forever, i.e., not optional, on the Thanksgiving table

Menu:
Homemade Ravioli with a simple Marinara sauce – ravioli were stuffed with ricotta, spinach & parmesan. It was my first time making them alone and using a pasta machine. The final result was a bit on the doughy side, but still a treat.
*Roast Turkey (Norbest brand-frozen) – Made following the recipe given by Simply Recipes online & roasted breast side down, which made for a very moist breast. This was so successful that I will roast all my turkeys breast side down in the future.
*Traditional bread stuffing – Cooked apart & made with bread, giblets, onions, celery, & sage
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes – my daughter really makes mashed potatoes the best.
*Gravy (began with a mix, but used broth made from the turkey neck)
*Baked Sweet Potatoes – just simply baked – my kids don’t really like them, but I do
*Broccoli au Gratin – I remember that my aunt used to make this from my childhood and everyone would love it, so it’s become a part of our family tradition.
*Cranberry Sauce - simply boiled with sugar
Dinner Rolls
2 Dutch Apple Pies – Just happened to have a lot of Granny Smith apples around so I make these instead of pumpkin pie, like I normally would.
Apricot Kolacky

4. If guests brought food, then what did they bring and their ethnic heritage:
One of my daughters brought the Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and some homemade apricot Kolacky. She is Italian, Slovak & Mexican.

5. If you were not hosting the meal, then what dish was missing you associate with Thanksgiving?
XX

6. Comment at will on the whole meal/process/tradition for you and for your family.
I spent ample time planning for the meal & in food preparation (We made the ravioli on Sunday night & froze them), but still spent 6 hours running around the kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off actually cooking the final result. Still, it’s well worth it and the soup I made from the drippings and carcass afterwards was memorable (I included acini de pepe pasta, carrots, onions, and escarole).

If you have any photos of the Thanksgiving table you want to share, then please include them.
Sorry, no photos.

Culinary Historians-Chicago Foodways Roundtable

Thanksgiving 2006 Survey


We want to learn the variety of food served at our Thanksgiving tables. What traditions have we integrated in our meal, which no Thanksgiving can be without. Yet you may not find when you are a guest at someone else’s table.

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at:
__X__ Home - Mom, Dad, Laura (sister), Brittany (niece), Elizabeth (niece), Alexandra (Brit's friend), Ann (cousin), Abe (cousin's husband), Mom2, two sailors from Great Lakes and I.

2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner: German-Irish

3. What was the menu prepared by the hosts, please be as specific as possible. (Where did the recipe come from: family or friend, cookbook or magazine (which one?), no recipe). Star (*) menu items are always and forever, i.e., not optional, on the Thanksgiving table:

*Turkey (from Costco)
Chestnut Stuffing with sausage, ham and turkey liver from a Gourmet magazine recipe circa 1973 or so.
Baked cranberry sauce, this year a new recipe with orange marmalade and pecans - though always there is *cranberry sauce in one form or another.
*Mashed potatoes with lots of whipped cream and butter.
*Gravy made from pan drippings and turkey stock prepared the day before.
*Jello molds, one raspberry and the other cherry adapted from American Foodby Jane and Michael Stern
Creamed onions - some years we have it and others we don't.
*Sweet potatoes - always, though different recipes every year until 3 years ago when I hit the right combo: marshmellows on the bottom, mashed sweet potatoes and Pecan praline on top. Idea from Food TV.
Asparagus - peeled stalks cooked in boiled salted water for 5 minutes as per From Julia Child's Kitchen
*Green beans - those I canned during the summer that are drained and heated with butter. This is a favorite from my niece's nursery school family-style lunches with the recipe from Mrs. Johnson.
*Rutabagas mashed with stock, salt and pepper. A must to my Mother of Irish pedigree.
*Wilted Cucumber Salad with lots of fresh dill - largely influenced by my German Grandmother.
*Pumpkin pie - recipe from the back of the Libby's can.
*Pecan pie from Mr. Edgar Rose of Culinary Historians
Sans Rival cake from Uni-Mart (Filipino) consisting of meringue layers, buttercream frosting and crush cashews.
(Apple pie missing simply due to lack of apples. I was assured we had plenty, which I foolishly believed. I later looked to find only 2 apples.)

4. If guests brought food, then what did they bring and their ethnic heritage:

*Sara Lee Croissants - German
*Punch made from Hawaiian Punch, ginger ale and frozen strawberries. - German
*Collin's Fruitcake from Texas - Polish

5. If you were not hosting the meal, then what dish was missing you associate with Thanksgiving? N/A

6. Comment at will on the whole meal/process/tradition for you and for your family.

I made my first Thanksgiving dinner when I was 13 or 14 years old. My Mom had bought me a copy of Gourmet magazine featuring their Thanksgiving meal. I read through it, declared I could make that and forever hijacked Thanksgiving from my maternal Grandmother.

While Thanksgiving is always a day of work for me, it is my favorite holiday up there with the 4th of July. It is family, friends old and new, heritage and food all wrapped together.

When I was out of the United States, I always created a Thanksgiving wherever I was. Nobody seemed to mind my buying groceries and taking over their kitchen for a day. Simply roasting a turkey was exotic because most people I knew almost never had a turkey. When they did, they braised it rather than dry roast.

I was acquainted with a Soviet Cosmonaut. I invited him for dinner where I served the American dessert of a Pumpkin pie. Yet for him it stirred up poignant memories of World War II or the Great Patriotic War as it was referred to in the USSR. His Mother was in the seige of Leningrad, his Father was in the western front and he was in the Ukraine. According to his account, he was in an internment camp. The last time he had eaten anything like my pumpkin pie was in this internment camp: mashed squash mixed with sugar was served as a treat. While I was bursting with pride serving this rarified treat, his mind retrieved bitter sweet memories.

Thanksgiving is the day I invite people who cannot go their family due to distance or commitments as well as couples where two people and a turkey seems like a lonely combination. I offer them dinner and our companionship like so many people extended to me when I was separated from my family.

(I fully intended to take pictures. I simply couldn't ask people to wait while I took pictures.)

1) home

2) Irish-Catholic and German-Jewish

3) A Latin-inspired Thanksgiving menu, including:
- ecuadorian lobster and shrimp ceviche served on plantain and yuca chips
- pumpkin-walnut bread with roasted-garlic/ chipotle compound butter
- Guajolote en mole de calabaza (turkey served with a mostly traditional mole poblano with the seasonal addition of pumpkin puree)
- cranberry pico de gallo (raw cranberries finely chopped with jalapeño, mint, cilantro, orange zest, lime juice and honey)
- garlic smashed potatoes
- Bread stuffing with sage and tequila-macerated tart cherries
- Sweet potatoe souffle with rum and cocounut milk
- Pumpkin flan
- Apple pie

4) beverages

5) na

6) The mole was a big hit - thankfully, since it was by far the most time consuming menu item. There's now a gallon in my freezer to last through the winter, along with about 2 gallons of rich turkey stock and the carcass of a 13 pound bird.

1. Thanksgiving dinner was observed at:

Wife's uncle/aunt's home (FIL's brother), out on the Great Plains. Including the kids (mostly all grown now, so several were missing, along with a couple of cousin's spouses) there were some 24 or 26 diners in attendance. If everyone had shown, it would have been well over 30 people.

2. Ethnic heritage of the hosts preparing the dinner:

Auf Deutschland

3. Hmmm, I've slept since then, but will try:

Roast turkey
Dressing (sage)
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Giblet gravy
A really excellent home made cranberry sauce
Sweet corn (frozen, from their own harvest this summer/fall - yummy)
Green beans
Waldorf salad
Whole wheat rolls/butter
A very nice broccoli/cauliflower salad with raisins, walnuts and bacon
Apple pie*
Pumpkin pie*

*Auntie makes the best darn pies that have ever passed my lips, ever. All completely from scratch, daily.

4. If guests brought food, then what did they bring and their ethnic heritage:

Grandma (host's mom - age 97) made the cranberry sauce and potatoes.

5. If you were not hosting the meal, then what dish was missing you associate with Thanksgiving?

Nothing, really. Auntie's dressing and gravy are almost as good as my mom's, and that's the best part of TG for me.

6. Comment at will on the whole meal/process/tradition for you and for your family.

We rarely leave town for the holidays, which we normally spend with my family here in town, so this was a nice treat for us. Getting to see Grandma, along with favorite uncle/aunt and their family meant a lot to us. Auntie is a good, if not flashy, home cook, and she and uncle excellent hosts. Best part of all was that FIL wasn't there (MIL is very nice)...

I think FIL was left on Grandma's doorstep as a baby, in a basket, by the gypsies. They (the gypsies) didn't want him either.