Just for You: My Annual Thanksgiving Menu, Shopping List and Recipes (with love!)

For a few years now, I've been slowly committing our family's Thanksgiving menu, shopping list and recipes to "paper." It's been a slow process but, by jove, I think I might have it just about finished this year.

I've learned through experience that families often assume that favorite recipes will somehow be passed on through the generation -- but if no one takes responsibility to actually document those recipes, they can easily get lost over time. My father knew this and documented Mom's fingergolatschen and zimptsterne Christmas cookie recipes, but I know that many more recipes could easily get lost if we don't make a concerted effort to document them.

And hey -- why not share the joy?

So here's our Thanksgiving dinner, presented as a series of lists -- menu, shopping and recipe how-to's. But within this simple list are memories, laughter, joy, and some amazingly wonderful family memories. Some of these recipes, such as the creamed onions and the green bean casserole, can be found pretty much anywhere. But some of the recipes, like my aunt Ulli's rolls (warning: they take all day to make!), Nana's pumpkin chiffon pie or Omi's raspberry cheescake, are dearly beloved and coveted recipes that have been passed on in the family for over 50 years.

Tom's delicious stuffing is absolutely adored by both sides of the family, but when I asked him to sit across from me and recite how he makes it (my mouth is watering as I type this!), his attitude was much like Mom's attitude about both cooking and learning German: "Das fuehlt man!" ("one just has a feel for it!"). "Just use what's around," he says. That's hard to put in a list, but take note!

So from our house to yours, Happy Thanksgiving! ENJOY!

(Please excuse inconsistencies, formatting issues, typos, etc. This is NOT a professional document! Also, I adore linky-love, so feel free to share this post with your family and friends, but please respect the spirit with which it was posted and only share it with people you know.)

Our Thanksgiving Menu, Shopping List & Recipes

(Serves 10 – 20 people)

Menu:

v Hors D’eurves (Apricot brie & crackers, veggies & dip)

v Turkey (and Tofurkey)

v Tom’s Stuffing

v Gravy

v Mashed Potatoes

v Green Bean Casserole

v Ulli’s Rolls

v Creamed Onions

v Betty’s Cranberry Mold

v Suzie’s Caramelized Walnut and Pear Salad

v Nana’s Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

v Omi’s Raspberry Cheesecake

Shopping List:

Meat:

v Turkey

v Tofurkey for vegetarians

Produce:

v Apples (2 - 3)

v Orange (1 - 2)

v Potatoes (1 sm. bag Yukon Gold)

v Baby Greens (2 bags)

v Green Onions (1 bunch)

v Yellow Sweet Onions (3 large)

v Cranberries (2 bags)

v Celery (1bunch)

v Baby carrots (1 bag)

v Cauliflower (1/2 head)

v Radishes (1 bunch)

v Pea pods (some)

v Cucumber

v Lemons (1 - 2)

v Baby pearl/white onions (2 pounds)

v Fresh garlic (lots!)

Dairy:

v ½ & ½ (1 quart)

v Whole milk (1/2 gallon)

v Butter (2 - 3 pounds)

v Sour Cream (1-2 quarts)

v Eggs (1 - 2 dozen)

v Whipping cream (1 qt)

v Brie with apricots (sold as a package)

v Cream cheese (1.5 pounds)

Dry, Canned and Packaged:

v Crackers for Brie (2 boxes)

v Graham crackers or graham cracker crumbs (2 - 3 boxes)

v Turkey stock (1 large can)

v Onion Soup mix (1 box)

v Olives (1 can)

v Water Chestnuts (1 can)

v French friend onion toppers (1 can)

v Mushroom soup (2 cans)

v Unflavored gelatin (2 envelopes)

v Canned pumpkin (2 large cans)

v Dark brown sugar (1 -2 boxes)

v Raspberry Jello (1 large box)

v Flour

v Wondra flour

v Pears (1 reg can)

v Craisins (1 package)

v Raspberry dressing

v Granulated sugar

v Corn starch

v Yeast (fresh?)

v Raisins

v Craisins

Breads:

v Pumpernickel

v Sourdough

v Cornbread

v Other breads for stuffing, as desired

v Bread crumbs (1/2 c at most) for creamed onions

Herbs, Spices & Nuts:

v Chopped walnuts (1 bag)

v Cinnamon

v Ginger

v Allspice

v Garlic

v Rosemary

v Thyme

v Oregano

v Sage

v Cayenne pepper

v Basil

v Parsley

v Bay leaves

v Salt (including sea salt) & pepper

v Juniper berries

v Vanilla

Frozen:

v French Green Beans (2 bags)

v Raspberries (2 bags)

Liquor:

v Red & white wine

v Beer

v Sherry

v Etc!

Other Liquids & Drinks

v Coffee beans (regular and decaf)

v Sparkling cider

v Pop/Soda

v Juice

v Bottled Water

v Chicken broth (you can hardly have too much!)

v Worcestershire sauce

v Soy sauce

v Olive oil

Recipes:

Brining & Cooking the Turkey:

Brine: Use any aromatic spice or herb you like: rosemary leaves, bay leaves, sea salt, dried apples, juniper berries, lemon peel, garlic, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and bay leaf. On Tuesday night, soak rinsed turkey in bring ingredients, mixed with water in an ice chest, cover for 24 hours.

Turkey: ½ to 1 pound per person, cook as directed after brining.

Tom’stuffing:

Combine dry ingredients: Pumpernickle, sourdough, & corn bread, cubed and dried.

Combine: Sliced black olives, celery, cubed apple, raisins, Craisins, walnuts (if desired), water chestnuts.

Combine: chicken broth, red wine, soy sauce, garlic, onions, Worcestershire, at least 1 stick butter, thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, basil, salt and pepper to taste (be careful with salt!), olive oil, etc per “feel” (das fuhlt man!”).

Mix together in big VAT until it feels right. Loosely stuff some into turkey and put remainder in casserole dish. Bake till done.

Gravy:
Pan drippings
Wondra flour
Chicken broth

Use the pan that the turkey cooked in. Drain excess fat. Place pan over two burners, set on very low heat. Slowly (very slowly!) add Wondra to soak up pan drippings, scraping drippings from side. Slowly add chicken broth as needed to add volume, keeping the gravy thick. (Warning: It’ll thicken further, even after removed from heat.)

Mashed Potatoes:

(12 servings)

• 5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
• 2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cube butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons onion salt
• ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

• Place potatoes in a large pot of lightly salted water. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
• Drain, and mash.
• In a large bowl, mix mashed potatoes, cream cheese, butter sour cream, milk, onion salt, and pepper. Transfer to a large casserole dish. Store in fridge a few days, if desired.
• Let stand at room temperature, 30 minutes. Cover, and bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven.

Green Bean Casserole:

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup

4 cups cooked green beans

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup milk

1 1/3 cups French fried onions

Mix soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup of the fried onions. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Top with the remaining 2/3 cup fried onions and bake about 5 more minutes, until onions are lightly browned.
Serves 6.

Ulli’s Rolls:

2 cups milk, scalded and cooled

1/4 cup butter, dissolved in hot milk

2 cakes fresh yeast, dissolved in 1 T lukewarm water

1 T sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 t salt

4-3/4 cups flour

Beat the eggs, add sugar and salt. To beaten eggs and

sugar add milk mixture and dissolved yeast. Then add the

flour. Beat well. It will not be a very firm dough. Let

rise. To make the rolls, you have to keep your hands

well floured, or the dough will stick badly. Pinch off

pieces of dough, roll into a ball, roll in melted butter

and arrange in angel food pan. Let rise. Bake at 400°

for 30-45 minutes.

To serve, invert the angel food pan onto a platter. The

rolls can easily be broken off.

Creamed Onions:

• 1 pound small white onions
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
• chicken broth, milk, or onion cooking liquid to thin sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Splash of sherry

Peel the onions. Cook in about 3/4 cup water until tender. Make white sauce. Melt butter in saucepan over medium low heat then stir in flour; gradually add cream and sherry, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Cover with bread crumbs, if desired.

Betty’s Cranberry Mold:

1 large raspberry or cherry Jello

Make Jello according to directions - add 3/4 cup sugar.

When Jello is half set, mix in:

2 cups cranberries - raw and chopped
1 small orange
1 apple, chopped

Fill into oiled mold, refrigerate.

Suzie’s Caramelized Walnut and Pear Salad

(4 servings)

6 cups mixed baby greens/Romaine mix
1 cup Caramelized Walnuts (recipe below)
1 cup crumbled bleu cheese
2 pears, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 cup thin strips of red bell pepper
1/2 cup Raspberry Vinaigrette
Pear slices and julienne red peppers, to garnish

In a large bowl, toss together the greens, walnuts, bleu cheese, pears
and red pepper in the Champagne Vinaigrette. Place mixture in a salad
bowl, then garnish with red peppers and slices of pear

Caramelized Walnuts
1/2 pound walnuts, about 1 3/4 cups
1 egg white
1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix walnuts, egg white and sugar together in a
medium bowl. Place on sheet pan and bake at 350º degrees for 15 to 20
minutes. Let cool, then break into pieces if necessary.

Nana’s Pumpkin Chiffon Pie:

10” pie shell (see ingredients below)

¾ c milk

2 ¼ c canned pumpkin

1 ½ c brown sugar

1/8 t salt

¾ t ginger

¾ t cinnamon

1/3 t nutmeg

5 eggs

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/3 c cold water

1 ½ cups cream

¾ t orange rind

1/3 c sugar

CRUST (per crust):

1 ½ c graham cracker crumbs

¼ c sugar

½ c melted butter

1/3 t cinammon

Combine ingredients and bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees.

Heat milk, pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices together over medium to low heat. Dissolve gelatin in cold water. Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Beat egg yolks and add to heated mixture, which is still over low heat. Heat until thickened. Remove mixture from heat and add softened gelatin. Cool mixture until further thickened. Whip cream and slowly add orange rind to cream. Chill.

While both mixtures chill separately beat egg whites and slowly add sugar until peaks form. Remove both pumpkin mixture and whipped cream from fridge and gently fold all three mixtures (pumpkin, whipped cream and egg white) together. Pour into baked pie crust(s) and chill.

Omi’s Raspberry Cheesecake:

1 3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/3 c. butter, melted (the original recipe calls for margarine)

1 1/4c. sugar, divided

24 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 tsp. vanilla extract (I use 3)

3 eggs

1 c. dairy sour cream

Combine crumbs, butter and 1/4 c. sugar. Press on bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of 8 or 9 inch spring-form pan; set aside.

With electric mixer on high beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, and vanilla until creamy (this is a great time to taste it too

Beat in eggs, one at a time. Blend in sour cream. Spread in prepared pan.

Bake at 350* for 60-70 minutes, or until center is set. Turn off oven, leave door slightly ajar. Leave cheesecake in oven 1 hour to prevent it from falling to much. remove from oven and cool completely. Pour raspberry sauce on top!

Raspberry sauce:

1 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. corn starch

1/2 c. sugar

fresh raspberries

Cook all together.

Pour onto cooled cheesecake.

Seriously, Mr. Auto Execs! You Take Private Jets to Washington to Plea "Broke!"?

Now this really pisses me off! The $60,000 that it cost for the three big auto executives to fly to Washington (20K each) to beg the taxpayers for bail-out money could have saved the jobs of a couple of workers at their plants -- yet they don't seem to grasp the irony of their actions!



Yeah, I'd like to bailed out too. We've had a few unexpected car repair bills lately and the expenses of three kids suddenly in college have been treacherous on our finances, so our Visa bill is higher than it's ever been and that scares the bejeezers outta me (especially in this economy) so hey, can I be bailed out too?

Of course not. Only big banks and auto companies get to be bailed out -- by taxpayers like me, who will still have my own debt to deal with once we've bailed the high-wheelers out of their woes! Maybe the banks shouldn't have made such risky loans and maybe GM should have put some effort into making more energy-efficient cars -- and yeah, maybe we should have killed ourselves to put MORE money into our kids' college accounts every month for the past 20 years (oh, wait, that'd be practically gone now, too).

But really, if anyone needs to see some of that 700 gazillion billion dollars now, it's average taxpayers like us, who have been careful with money, who have saved when we could and who have paid our bills -- and yet, who are struggling now in spite of our efforts.

Something is very wrong when, as a taxpayer, I'm being called on to help bail out blind American banks and automakers with money I don't have because the American economy is in crisis largely due to the actions of blind and stupid industries -- and their blind and stupid, private jet-flying executives!

I Need a Writing Prompt!

Damn that NaBloPoMo! I'm completely blank! Someone give me a writing prompt -- QUICK!!

PS: This post counts... right?

Comparative Productivity: Working @ Home vs Working @ Work

Time	Working @Home	Working @ the Office
7-8 AM	Sleep	Get up/work
8-9 AM	Work	Shower, hair, make-up, etc.
9-10 AM	Work	Commute
10-11 AM	Work/kitty wrapped around laptop, purring	Visit w/ co-workers/work
11-12 AM	Work	Work
12-1 PM	Work/heat leftovers	Lunch (restaurant or at desk)
1-2 PM	Work/pet dog with slippers	Work
2-3 PM	Work	Work/watch cute videos of puppies w/ co-workers :-)
3-4 PM	Work	Work/walk to Starbucks with co-workers
4-5 PM	Work	Commute
5-6 PM	Walk dog/shower (no hair, make-up fuss)	Walk dog, etc.
6-7 PM	Blog, etc.	Blog, etc.
7-8 PM	Dinner with hubby	Dinner with hubby
8-9 PM	Work w/ Mumbai*	Work w/ Mumbai
9-10 PM	Work w/ Mumbai	Work w/ Mumbai
10-11 PM	Work w/ Mumbai	Work w/ Mumbai
11-12 PM	Bedtime	Bedtime

*Except tonight!  Tonight Tom and I are going to The Purple Cafe for dinner, where we'll use a gift certificate from my boss for "a job well done."  Rest assured, though, I will be home and online again by 10!

Challenges of a Thoroughly Modern Indian Bride (A Guest Post)

It's my first guest post!  My dear friend, S, who has my partner job at our company in Mumbai, India, is getting married next month.  This is her account of some of the issues she's had to deal with as she -- a thoroughly modern Indian woman -- deals with traditional Indian cultural values and a traditional Indian extended family.

Ok, so I'm finally getting married!  The fact that I've lived with my very yummy hubby-to-be for a little over 2 years makes little difference at this point… I mean, it makes things easier of course, but also makes it much, much, much tougher. You see, I'm an Indian girl, living in India, with an Indian boyfriend, and I live (in sin!) with him. At this point, with the wedding a little over a month away, the change in my way of thinking and acting is the bigger transition, not the appearances and the shopping.

My parents married for love – way back then, they defied their families to be together. Theirs was a union by choice, and not something that was rammed down their choking throats by their parents, as was (and still is) the custom. So of course, my parents brought us up in a manner that differed significantly from their peers. My sister and I are outgoing, outspoken, to-the-devil-with-societal-chokey-rules kind of gals – we've never done anything illegal, or anything that has shamed our parents or has been radically different from their beliefs, but we were the first to get the mini-skirts, to shave our arms and legs, to go out late nights… we were, as our parents friends called us: 'Modern girls – westernized'. My parents always thought we'd hitch up with men like ourselves.

In my case, that is partially true – my man, is a very 'Modern' man. A very Modern man with a very Orthodox North Indian family. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!! Want to know why I didn't run? Till very recently (by which time I was hopelessly in love), I had very little exposure to them!! They're really nice people, don't get me wrong… it's just that their belief systems (pertaining to women) are just… well, orthodox.

We got our first taste when Modern man's father found out that I was living with Modern man. That was 2 years ago. He's only just accepted it. We got our second (very bitter) taste of it when Modern man informed them of his intention of marrying me. That was a year ago (though the decision was made way, way before). Their reaction was outright rejection, then denial, then emotional blackmail, then despair, and now, finally, acceptance. Their reaction, while more extreme than we'd expected, is understandable. I am nothing like the girls they're accustomed to. The expectation was: fair skinned (I'm very, very dusky!), shy (er…. Ahem!), family oriented in the sense that her career will be secondary to her familial duties which include 'making the house a home' and 'cooking' (har har har! I've hired us a live-in maid who cooks… thanks to my well paying job! ;)), meek (ROTFL!!!!), respectful and obliging (um…. I respect your opinions, but I do have some of my own!!).

Needless to say, Modern man and I have had a very rough time with this. While I've been struggling to portray the right 'image', and getting increasingly frustrated by expectations that I don't fully comprehend and/or agree with, he's been grappling with striking the balance between catering to the family's expectations, and ensuring that our expectations/wishes/wants are accommodated. We almost broke up a couple of times. However, the worst is over. Relatives have been met with, issues between Modern man and I settled, expectations all around (both families, and each other) discussed and either accepted or dismissed. The hard part now is working on those that have been accepted. Some (like not expressing opposing opinions in the presence of certain people who are around a lot and are making decisions around the wedding) are harder than others (dressing in a certain manner when with certain folks). It's going to be a work in progress – while I am pretty good at being a partner to Modern man, it will take a while before I'm good at being his 'wife' in the eyes of all who are external to this relationship.

Modern man's take is that we will emerge the winners, in spite of these piddly little restrictions placed. After all, we are getting away with the biggest 'ask' of them all… WE are getting MARRIED. And THAT is worth all.

Puppy (and Katty) Love!

This is the love-fest that happens when Kat comes home for the weekend:

And speaking of love-fests, the kids have decided that sudden empty-nesting has caused me to become a...

CAT LADY!

How to Decorate Your Bedroom With a New Color Scheme Each Week

As I've mentioned quite a few times, Tom and I sleep under fabulously cozy and fluffy individual down-filled European duvets that Laura's family gave us when we visited her in Germany last year.

I bought three sets of duvet covers while still in Germany, but have been unable to find them in America since returning. Not even Ikea will ship their German bedding to Ikea stores in America! How ridiculous is that?

After looking high and low for German-sized duvet covers in America (and online anywhere, with an option to ship to the States), I came up empty-handed. I finally turned to my dear friend Thomas, to whom I have shipped quite a few pairs of Levis over the years, asking him to send me some German bedding from Ikea near Nurnberg. He was kind enough to do that, so now we have five different looks for our bedroom:

White-on-white-on-white (with a touch of fluffy gray):

A yummy, soft blue and white dotted flannel. This is no ordinary flannel -- it's thinner and softer than American flannel, and has almost a slight "furry" quality to it. Delish in the winter!

This is my favorite when I'm feeling bold and colorful:

And when I'm feeling staid, proper, and mature, I put these on the bed:

And these are Tom's favorites because he likes the stark and simple look of black & white:

And added in February, 2009, after a trip to Costco, these beautiful paisley sheets, used with the stark white duvets covers mentioned above. Can you believe that the entire queen size set was $19.99?! (I gave Elisabeth, who also bought this set, the flat sheet, so she can make extra pillowcases.)

Which set is your favorite?

How often do you change the entire look of your bed -- and thereby the whole mood of your bedroom? I have a feeling this whole German bedding thing is about to catch on, not only because they're so versatile and easy (no more blanket-hogging!), but because they're an inexpensive and attractive way to give your bedroom a whole new look every time you change your sheets!

California's Proposition 8: I Should Have Spoken Up!

A few weeks before the recent election, fire broke out in the hills north of LA.  A friend of mine from high school, who is now a Hollywood screen writer and producer, lives there and as news of the fires covered the airwaves, I IMd Matt to make sure that he and his (large Mormon) family were OK and that their house was spared.  He assured me that everyone was OK and mentioned that he'd been pretty busy with a new project lately, offering that he was producing commercials for California's "Yes on Proposition 8" campaign.

Needless to say, our warm and friendly IM became instantly strained and cool. Matt and I have had a few conversations about religion and politics over the years and we are each well aware of our vast differences, but we've always shown each other respect and restraint.  This time, though, I struggled to remain civil because I adamantly oppose Proposition 8, which strives to take civil rights away from gay couples in California by changing the state's constitution, stripping them if their right to marry.

Our IM lasted hardly 30 seconds after Matt told me what he'd been doing during the weeks before the election.  I told him that I disagreed with him vehemently.  He told me he was aware of how I felt and that he disagreed with me vehemently.  And then we cordially wished each other well and clicked out of our IM.

Yes, part of me wishes that I had engaged him in a discussion, but I know that my chances of changing his mind about gay marriage being wrong were as likely as him changing my mind that  marriage is a right of all human beings -- both gay and straight.

Yes, I wanted to ask him how gay marriage threatens his marriage and his family, but I didn't.

And now, a week after Proposition 8 passed in California -- some say at the last minute due to an expensive media blitz paid for by religious groups, especially Mormons -- I wish I would have.

I feel guilty that I didn't speak up.  Yes, chances are that it would have put an irreversible strain on Matt's and my friendship, and chances are it wouldn't have changes his thinking, but I wish I had said something. 

How many other people could have made a difference but chose not to speak up?  When something like this happens, could it be that staying silent because we don't want to infringe on others' beliefs is actually the wrong thing to do?

Matt, we really should talk.