Holiday cooking tips, take them as you want...

[Ol Gabe]

OK, Pards,
Just some holiday tips my Family uses that might help ease the space in your packed fridge for this Turkey Day.
First off, I'm 65 and these tips have been handed down and used every year through mine and my live-in girlfriend of 45 years, just don't tell my wifey, who I ain't been married to long enough, HAH!
On both sides of the Family, the great and great-great grandmas always wrote down what they were serving for Turkey Day meals, ala a menu on a piece of scrap paper and taped or pinned to the kitchen cabinet, then the ice box and later the fridge. They used to say this would generate a positive attitude about 'helping' when it came time to do all the kitchen food prep. These menus are still in many Family cookbooks and are read every year and the new crop of little ones are always in awe as to what they ate back then and as to how it was prepared, no microwaves, HAH!
They most always had 15 to 20 relatives show up on Wednesday night to stay through til Friday so needed something for them to do. They didn't have cable TV then, think late 1800's-1930's, maybe radio, mostly newspapers and jawin', so setting around the kitchen table and helping prep food was all part & parcel of the holiday celebration. Late Wednesday afternoon the moms would have the guys peel and pare Apples and Pumpkin for pies after they talked farming over coffee and fresh-baked Kolaches or Kringlas or strips of pie dough baked with honey and cinnamon sprinkled on top, yummy! Those that farmed and had a ways to drive always hired the neighbor kids to take care of the chores, etc., then they returned the favor when the neighbors had to go someplace, all without pay, just a smile and handshake.
After the fruit was cut to the liking of the cooks, the guys would go out to help with chores and take all the peelings out to the hogs. Then they would all go to "...check on the milk cans in the cooler...", the annual male Farmer holiday excuse to go get a few swigs of homemade Peach, Cherry, local berry Brandy or homemade Hard Apple Cider kept in gallon jugs sunk in the cooler next to the milk cans. The milk coolers back then were usually in the well pit or spring pit next to house or barn, it was lined with field stone or brick made from local sand and mud dried in the sun then fired with local scrub wood or brush, depending on where you were located. Ours here in Iowa were always hand-dug wells at the farm spring site and lined with bricks or field stone that worked its way up from the ground every year, yup, you can harvest rock naturally in most of the USA when you work the ground every year.
And now to tips to help make your feast easier...   
Tip #1: In the late Summer or early Fall when you get windfall Apples from your orchard trees or your neighbors or a friends, gather them, or have an Apple Party with your friends or neighbors, wash and peel the best and toss the rest to the hogs, horses, cattle or mulch pile, depending on your lifestyle and where you live of course. Pile up the slices in a big bowl per the amount needed to make a normal size pie. Spice according to recipe or taste, add some fresh, processed, 100% concentrated Apple juice to taste, just enough to make it 'snap' when tasted. Put in pan and cook on stove til you can poke a fork easily through any slice. Remove and let cool completely, about 2 hours m/l. Put in in freezer bag and toss in deep freeze. Pull out, defrost and put in dough in pie pan then bake when needed. Cool Whip is optional, we like Sharp Cheddar Cheese slices on ours, its an Iowegian thing! Saves hours.
#2: Do the same thing for pumpkin, just don't add any liquid.
#3: If you have extra dough when you do it from scratch, use the trimmings from the pies, re-roll then cut into long strips, baste with melted butter, sprinkle sugar and cinnamon and bake, your kids and grandkids will go bonkers and beg for more!
#4: If you do a Turkey, defrost in the fridge IN the pan you are going to bake it in, trust me, it takes a lot of the hard work out by letting it defrost in the same pan you bake it in, also helps by not making a mess, line the bottom of the pan with layers of paper towels to soak up any defrost drippings. When it comes time to bake, simply cut of the wrapper, wrap that in the paper towels and toss in the garbage. Save the drippings for gravy, any extra freeze for later use in soups or stews.
#5: Norman Rockwell never carved a Turkey, why suffer through the agony? 'IF' you really, really, really want that moment of zen, go to a high-end restaurant or hire a chef to do it for you, it ain't worth the hassle unless you want it for the Family, think the Chevy Chase 'Christmas' movie, 'nuff said.
What works out nicely since most all who set down to eat a Turkey dinner are ready to chow down is to have it all sliced and on a big plate to pass around and plow into, right? So, do the bird the day before in the pan as above, let cool, carefully split and slice and layer on plate or in a serving pan, add some drippings on it, cover with foil, put in fridge, warm up in oven with rolls, etc., on Thursday, serve, bag up leftovers and soak up the accolades from your eaters when they happily take home any leftovers, YEA!
#6: If you do this kind of meal and don't want any leftovers, ala 'flaming Turkey wings' from the old Pizza Hut commercial in the late 1980's, take a plate to a neighbor that can't get out or call the local church to see if anyone needs a meal, you'll be buying your way into Heaven, and God bless you if you do!
#7: Get extra boxes of quart and gallon freezer bags, if you need to send home leftovers they are worth every penny as most Family members forget to bring their own Tupperware.
#8: Always assign, ask, encourage, plead, to those that want to bring something to the feast, to bring what you want to add to the table as nobody needs 5 String bean Casseroles! We used to have 'dueling corn & oyster casseroles' at our Family get-togethers and it was always embarrassing to one of the oldsters who always thought it was their obligation to bring it, sadly theirs always went lacking a spoon when passed, canned corn & last years canned oysters for 30? Oopps!
To wrap it up, may God bless all who are willing to serve and serve sustenance to their kind, and may all your ovens, casseroles, pies, crock pots and coolers all bake, cook and cool as they are supposed to, if not then feed any mistakes to the livestock and order a Papa Murphy's.
Best regards and good cookin'!
'Ol Gabe 

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

The church thing rang a bell ...

For the last three years our church cooks up about four or five donated Turkeys. Then 'Guests' are asked to bring in a side dish ...

This helps;

1.) Widows and single householders who don't want to make Turkey Soup, Ala King, etc., for weeks to get rid of the excess turkey ...

2.) Homeless

3.) Anyone whose family is not nearby ...

We served 90 plus this year

TTFN,

[Ol Gabe]

WWE, Kind Sir,
God bless you for helping make a good hot meal for those in need of food and spiritual sustenance.
We had the honor to help out a father, a single parent, and his 3 strapping boys with a hearty meal who were introduced to us after a visit with food to a neighbor in need. After chowing down they helped out with the dishes and talked about how they wanted to help out with some yard work next Spring in return for the meal. It brought a tear to my eyes as they smiled after Pumpkin Pie & Cool Whip and started talking about how they could do this or that outside, raking, trimming branches, mowing, etc. It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that no matter what the situation is, if you help by breaking bread with those in need you will get it back in smiles, help and friendship in multiples.
This is what America was built on, let us all continue in that fashion if at all possible.
Also, whilst they devoured a pile of bird, 'taters, dressing and suchlike, we had the opportunity to talk about our hobby, history, politics and suchlike on a common level. The young boys all got excited about CAS and asked some very good questions, it was enjoyable talking to them about the difference between gangsta drive-by shootings and historical events such as the OK Corral event. They really seemed to absorb it all in a positive format and we can only hope they continue to do so. We encouraged them to seek out books at the Library to augment our discussion and they thought that was a great idea, even asking their Dad on the way out the door if the Library was open that day.
We smiled and laughed and had a great time. We hope all you other CAS folks did as well and had the opportunity to share some good grub and stories with your loved ones and perhaps even a stranger.
May God bless all who had the chance to help and serve and those who are waiting in the wings or wearing them.
'Ol Gabe