Has anyone made an (American) Thanksgiving thread?

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Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Anyone who does not make their own cranberries is a lout and a heathen.

1 bag (1 pound) of Wisconsin cranberries.
~1 Cup sugar.
~1 1/2 cups of water.

Boil sugar and water to dissolve. Reduce to simmer and add cranberries. Give it 20 minutes, smash and chill. They will thicken up from the pectin in the berries. Make tonight, the night before.

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:34 pm

I don't make my own cranberries, but then again, i don't by them either. As a non American i can't wrap my head around the greatness of this holiday. Why celebrate pilgrims and Indians from space?

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:09 pm

I'm not cooking for Thanksgiving unless I get a strong notion from out of the blue. I'm taking some homemade wine for the family to sample. Any suggestions???

Never mind, Augratin Taters & Polish Sausage in a crock pot. It can cook while I'm deer hunting in the morning.

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:35 pm

Pastor Frank wrote:

Anyone who does not make their own cranberries is a lout and a heathen.

I would, but making cranberries is a lot of work. First you need a bog, and a lot of cranberry vines. You also need warm days and cool nights for them to ripen. When they are ready to harvest you have to wade into the cold water to shake them from the vines. They float, so after that you have to reel them in with nets.

I'll let someone else make the cranberries. The part I like is opening the can and plopping the purple-red cylinder onto a plate. Dibs on the ends with the concentric rings!

PS: Massachusetts cranberries. Duh.

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:01 pm

I honestly never knew (or believed) that it was done like that. Even when I saw this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2tL_DLZyRA Ninja

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Juan Freizwidatt wrote:

PS: Massachusetts cranberries.

Blasphemy.

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:00 am

Ahem. Cranberry cultivation first started in Massachusetts. Other states have since jumped on the bandwagon, but the best still come from Massachusetts. Wisconsin has some great cheese, leave it at that. Wink

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:28 am

Thanksgiving observed by the Pilgrims at Plymouth

The modern Thanksgiving holiday traces its origins from a 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation, where the Plymouth settlers held a harvest feast after a successful growing season.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_%28United_States%29

It's a day of giving thanks for what we have in our lives and as a nation.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:06 am

Every year in South Porcupine it is my job to harvest those bloody things from a Muskeg bog while always on the lookout out for Bears. Wandering around in a swamp ( as opposed to opening a bag? ) is rewarding I suppose but if I had my druthers the canned variety would be a welcome relief. Then I could do what everyone else appears to be doing; drinking beer.

Then again what the heck do I know? We only started celebrating this holiday in 1578. Happy belated Canadian Thanksgiving everyone!

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:16 am

^I seem to remember that there was a floating machine that shook the bushes and then harvested the cranberries, is it still around.

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 9:28 am

^ very likely, probably bigger and more efficient.

You get cranberry jelly in a can? Shocked

It comes in a jar, surely.

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 10:21 am

I'm with PF on this one. Real homemade sauce with WI berries. Happy Thanksgiving!

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

^ Thank you. Will you also explain to them that they will also need to play THIS at some point during the day.

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:44 pm

This is one of the cranberry recipes I am trying this year

Quote:

Tequila and Lime Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce
Servings: makes 2 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

4 cups (1 12 ounce bag) cranberries
1 cup water or orange juice
1 cup sugar
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila

Directions

Bring the cranberries, water, sugar and jalapeno to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the the sauce starts to thicken, about 10-15 minutes.
Mix in the lime juice and tequila and remove from heat.

The other one is:

Quote:

Spiced Cranberry Chutney

6 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 C hot or sweet pepper jelly
1/4 C golden raisins
2 TB dark brown sugar
2 TB cider vinegar
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
3" strip of lemon zest

Put in saucepan. Simmer over medium-low
heat, stirring occasionally. 15 minutes

Add 1/2 C chopped red onion

Simmer until thickened about 5 mins

Put in bowl and chill until cold

Use as sandwich spread or serve with roasted meat

What is great about this holiday is that, although we should be thankful everyday for what we have, we take one specific day aside each year to join with family and friends to give thanks.

The Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving the second Monday in October of each year. (Sorry PF just wanted to mention it is not only Americans who give thanks)

This year I am celebrating alone with the 2 rescued cats. My family is spread all over the US and not able to gather, so I will observe the holiday as I had done so many years before as a military spouse -- quietly and cooking up favorite dishes.

*** BANNED *** Joined: 26 Jul 2012 Posts: 1123

Happy thanksgiving everyone! Very Happy

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

@ MLF

Let me know how recipe #1 turns out. Sounds great!

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:55 pm

^^^ Just tasted it when it was cool enough. Quite snappy and tasty. Didn't have any red onions so used Spanish onions.

Right now I am roasting turnips. Cut them in strips and roll around in Balsamic vinegar and good olive oil and put on tray in oven til done as you like. Another tasty recipe. Actually, I sometimes I eat the strips raw after the Balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Next up is the cranberry, tequila and lime recipe.

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 1:20 am

Seamless wrote:

It's a day of giving thanks for what we have in our lives and as a nation.

And that's what I celebrate. Not the other bits of history that I won't discuss here, that have become somewhat controversial in recent years.

What was on your turkey day menu?

My gluttonous meal consisted of turkey stuffed with sausage & vegetables, cornbread dressing, cranberry salad, jellied cranberry sauce, giblet gravy, potato salad, cole slaw, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and crescent rolls.

But we fed three homeless friends from the food pantry as well as our two roommates & my boyfriend's two kids. Sent food home with everyone & still have leftovers.

So I guess it isn't so bad Laughing

Baiting Guru Joined: 27 Mar 2011 Posts: 21158

I hope everyone enjoyed the food and family today! We are all blessed in so many ways.

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:14 pm

It was grand! Thanks for family, RL and Eater!

'Sconnie cranberry bogs are the best:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2012/10/20/cranberry-production-state/tFqFOnL323v1fsCdcL00lO/story.html

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:57 pm

I don't even like cranberries. Over here, we typically serve redcurrant with meat, rather than Canadian berries like cranberries.

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:01 pm

^^^ We have red currants too. Make jelly out of them and serve with meat

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