In the second of our Holiday Entertaining Series
Collaborative posts between Rosanna’s Table & Family Eats, we look at the
Tradition of Thanksgiving. Be sure to gather Thanksgiving ideas from Family Eats article, Planning for Success: Making the Thanksgiving Meal A Happy Tradition.
Every agrarian (or
formerly agrarian) culture has some version of the celebration of the harvest,
an important seasonal marker throughout the world. American Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the beginnings
of the nation, but it’s also a time to be thankful for the bounty nature brings
forth for our sustenance and enjoyment, to pay homage to the gradual passage
from fall to winter. It is also,
perhaps most importantly, a time to share, to open our hearts, to be generous
as well as thankful for the generosity of others.
For most Americans, Thanksgiving
dinner is a tradition that lingers easily in the mind throughout the rest of
the year. Below are a few tips to
help you make you meal memorable and delicious.
Treat The Turkey
Choose an organic local
bird, preferably free-range. The
flavor will be more interesting than the usual frozen grocery-store
varieties. Make a paste of fresh
herbs, olive oil, and garlic and rub it under the turkey’s skin the day before
Thanksgiving, allowing it to marinate overnight in the refrigerator; this will
make the meat succulent and juicy.
Select Your Sides
Take your cue from the
delicious variety of fall vegetables available in your local market and roast
them in the oven as the turkey cooks; with extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt,
and fresh rosemary and sage.
No Thanksgiving meal is
complete without the old favorite of mashed potatoes and homemade gravy. But consider adding in something
new. Cook local squash instead of sweet
potatoes, if you’d like a change of pace.
(See my recipe below). Or
add a dish to your Thanksgiving table that is distinctly yours; it could even
be a food from another culture. Family Eats has some wonderful recipes for
other side dishes that you’ll want to check out.
Keep It Fresh
At Thanksgiving
especially, I strive to make sure everything on the table is homemade and make
a point of using only natural ingredients. No margarine, no cranberry sauce
in a can, and no instant gravy. This meal is as much about the time, effort,
and love it takes to prepare as it is about the actual eating of it.
Growing up, I remember my
grandmother made every single Thanksgiving dish from scratch. If you don’t know
where to start with from-scratch cooking, you don’t have to look much farther
than two generations back. Refer to old family recipes from your grandparents’
generation, before ready-made, instant food became widely available. During
that era, there was nothing but homemade.
A Thanksgiving made with
fresh ingredients from nature instead of from a can make for a meal that has
something special. The extra effort and mindful attention to detail set this
dinner apart from the everyday meals. The long hours in the kitchen are
something to take pride in and to cherish. Cooking, after all, is one of the
most basic and intuitive expressions of love.
Invite Your Guests
Bringing together family
is an important part of Thanksgiving.
Being around loved-ones is heart-warming and comforting. Consider inviting someone to share your
Thanksgiving who is alone and far from family. Sharing the bounty of the season is the spirit in which the
first Thanksgiving originated.
Decorate the table with
something that comes from nature.
I like to use grapes and vines from our grape arbor. The gorgeous green leaves that have
changed colors are beautiful accents for a fall table. I like to personalize the table with homemade place cards fashioned from heavy paper. It not only adds warmth and texture to the table arrangement, but also make each guest feel important. If you have a set of dishes you use as
part of your family traditions, make sure to include them. If you haven’t started a tradition, now
is the time. A few years back I created the
Floriography Collection as a set I wanted to adorn my own Thanksgiving table,
and it has become part of our family tradition.
Finally, don’t forget to
enjoy the holiday. It’s very easy
to get sidetracked and focused on what needs to be finished than the people you
get to spend time with. Let some
of your focus be on connecting with others. After all, these are the moments you will want to remember.
Rosanna’s Thanksgiving
Squash
One of my favorite dishes
from childhood was my mother’s roasted acorn squash. The preparation was simple, but the flavors were complex and
delicious. The squash’s bare hint
of sweetness and spice makes it a sophisticated but crowd-pleasing substitute
for the traditional yams.
Ingredients
4 acorn squashes, halved,
seeds removed
8 teaspoons unsalted
butter
8 tablespoons brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
Preheat the over to 350
degrees.
Arrange the squash halves
cut side up on baking sheets. In
each squash half place 1 teaspoon of the butter, 1 tablespoon of the brown
sugar, and a dash of cinnamon.
Bake for about 1 hour, until the flesh of the squash is soft when
pierced with a fork and the sides look slightly caved in. Let the squash rest for 15 minutes
before serving.
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