The New Forgotten Holiday

Norman Rockwell's iconic Thanksgiving Saturday Evening Post cover.

I was at the mall just after Halloween and trees were up, Santa’s throne was assembled and “Jingle Bells” was playing in some of the stores. There’s a holiday we’re skipping over in our rush to buy and sell things. It’s called Thanksgiving. You know, it’s about being thankful for the stuff you already have. I know I am turning into that old guy on 60 Minutes, but I’ve got another rant to get off my chest. Just called me Ranty McRanterson – but seriously, what happened to that November holiday called Thanksgiving? Has it been eclipsed by a new holiday called Black Friday? Perhaps it's doomed to suffer the same fate as one of the other forgotten holidays. Arbor Day, anyone? My inbox has been inundated lately with sales offers about advanced Black Friday deals, special Thanksgiving hours and all manner of promotions for “the holidays.” It used to be that Thanksgiving was sacred. The true madness didn’t start until the morning after – if you’re crazy. Now, retail giants like Wal-mart, Target, Best Buy, Toys "R" Us and others are open on Thanksgiving so you can scarf your turkey down and hit the stores. Retail employees must forego any semblance of a holiday break for the next month as we spend ourselves into oblivion.

When I think of Thanksgiving I like to think of the Norman Rockwell painting or a Publix Thanksgiving commercial. I like to think of family gathered around the table sharing a home cooked meal. I think of Granny’s cornbread dressing – that I’m going to attempt to make this year – and a table full of sweets. I like to think of a warm house and lots of stories – of kids running around, the men gathered around a football game (even though I hate football) and the women chatting in the kitchen.  I like to think of Granny’s bright green countertops, the aroma of good food, tables set with dishes of every pattern and a little house filled with a lot of people. Even if you showed up with a store bought pie, there was no shame. I know that’s kind of an idealistic vision and that not everyone has that or can be with family. However, if you can’t be with family, you can be with friends or other human beings in some capacity. It’s a time to step away from the computer and actually carry on a conversation with another real live person.

Thanksgiving is also a time to think about what is important. My neighborhood is reeling right now from the sudden loss of a beloved chef and restaurateur, Ria Pell, who passed away suddenly yesterday. It’s particularly jarring to me because I saw her yesterday at the local farmer’s market. She was right behind me in line chatting with the bread guy. Then, apparently, a few hours later she was gone. Ria was only 44 years old. Her passing is yet another reminder that life is fleeting and fragile. It’s a reminder that we should value time with those we love and, as Ria would appreciate, take time to gather around the table and share a meal.

Tomorrow I will head into the kitchen to get a head start on all the cooking. With the passing of my grandparents this past year, we’ll be embarking on some new traditions. However, as I make Granny’s dressing and Papa’s favorite custard pie, I’ll think of them and we’ll be together. So I will wrap up this diatribe with a plea:  let’s not forget Thanksgiving. The best way to fight the insanity is to stay out of the stores!  And now, I leave you with a Thanksgiving recipe from years past: pecan pie (just click on the picture). If I manage to master Granny’s dressing, I’ll be sure to share it with you next. It’s also the main attraction at Christmas too. 

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Classic Pecan Pie

It's Pie Time (Again)

'Tis the season for pies. Today is apparently National Pie Day, so I could not let this pass without a post. I love pies -- custard pies, nut pies, meat pies -- what have you. And my family loves pies, too. Our Thanksgiving table was filled with pies (and a couple of cakes). My contributions were a pecan pie and a chocolate pie. We also had egg custard pie, French coconut pie, sweet potato pie and, of course, pumpkin pie.

Thanksgiving dessert spread. Yum!

I would love to share the recipe for the chocolate pie, which turned out wonderfully, but I have no idea how I made it. Well, I kind of have an idea, but I'm going to have to go back and try it again to see if I can recreate it. Basically, what happened is that I was trying to make a chocolate chess pie which called for a can of evaporated milk. I was in a rush, as per usual, and wasn't paying attention to the size of can I had. I poured my 12-ounce can of milk into the mix realizing that what I really needed was a 5-ounce can. Oops, time to improvise! I added some cornstarch and a little flour and microwaved it for a few minutes to thicken it. Then I poured it in the shell, crossed my fingers and said a little pie prayer. It ended up turning out to be a thick, dense, chocolatey custard just like I had hoped. However, it was ugly (bad ugly). So, I made some whipped cream and spread it on top -- and threw a few chocolate chips for good measure. Every single bite was devoured.

Now, to the pecan pie -- the star of the show in my mind. Being a Georgia girl, naturally, I love pecans. I say "pa-kahn," some people pronounce it "pee-can." How do you say it? Pecan pie is one of my all time favorite pies and an absolute must for Thanksgiving -- and Christmas, too. This year I think I made my best pecan ever. I cannot tell you how to make the crust because I am a failure at such things. I'm working on it. I even tried to cheat and use refrigerated pie crust and I couldn't even handle that without it breaking apart and causing a great deal of cursing. I ended up sending  my husband on an emergency mission to the store for some pie shells. I know, I know -- they aren't as tasty, they have bad things in them -- but sometimes you have to just keep your sanity. I did hand shell the pecans. Talk about losing one's sanity! Fresh-shelled pecans do taste remarkably fresher, though. Just be prepared to do a lot of digging.

Pecan Pie 

9-inch deep dish pie crust (homemade or frozen)
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup corn syrup (I like to use half dark and half light)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pinch of salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups pecans (halves or pieces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie shell on a metal cookie sheet. Melt butter in a microwave safe mixing bowl. Whisk in corn syrup, sugar, salt and vanilla. Slowly beat in eggs until mixture is smooth. Place pecans on the bottom of pie crust and pour filling over them. (Don't worry, the pecans will rise.)

Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes. If you find the crust is getting too brown, cover pie loosely with foil and continue baking. It's somewhat tricky to know when it's done, but look for it to be firm but still a little jiggly in the center. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Tips and Tricks

• Consider using a mix of dark and light corn syrups for a nice balance of flavors. However, if I had to pick one, I'd go with the dark. 
• Using brown sugar as opposed to white sugar gives it a great caramel flavor. Again, dark is my favorite. This is the first time I used brown sugar for pecan pie and results were fantastic. 
• I must give credit to the October/November issue of Garden and Gun magazine for the idea of using brown sugar and placing the pecans on the bottom which allows them to get fully coated and toasted with the delicious sugary filling. The cover of the magazine featured a beautiful pecan pie from Wildflour Pastry in Charleston, South Carolina. While it did not contain the recipe, the article did contain these two tricks.

I hope all of you here in the U.S. had a wonderful pie-filled Thanksgiving. Happy Pie Day!

Thanksgiving

I'm not ready! I'm not ready! That's what I feel like screaming today. This is one of the most important food times of the year -- a celebration of bounty and harvest. And it opens up the gates for the holiday food binging to come. I have so many things I want to write about and recipes to share, but haven't had the time to extract them from my brain. As is the nature of freelance writing, it's feast or famine -- and right now it's feast time for me. While I am excited to have new assignments and opportunities, I miss writing about fun things here. Fear not, however. I'll be back -- maybe with a Thanksgiving retrospective. And, of course, there's my St. Simon's trilogy. So much to do, so little time ...

For now, here's one thing I have managed to cook successfully today. Cranberry sauce (the real kind) is a must for me. Nestled next to Granny's chicken and dressing, there's nothing better. This year I was inspired by a recipe from a fellow blogger, Kitchen Runway, for Cranberry Pear Sauce. It's a keeper. Yum! I can't wait to try it tomorrow and thought I'd share it with  you just in case you are last minute like me and still browsing the internet for recipes!

Cranberry Pear Sauce
Adapted from Kitchen Runway

12 ounces of fresh cranberries
2 pears, peeled, cored and cubed (about the size of cranberries)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
orange zest (as much as you feel like)
ginger, fresh grated or powdered (around 1/2 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Wash cranberries and set aside. Bring orange juice, water and sugars to a boil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add cranberries, pears, cinnamon, orange zest and ginger and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. When the sauce is thickened and most cranberries have burst, remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool and store in the refrigerator until turkey time.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. Are you ready?

p.s. I'm thankful for you!