In the United States the major cool weather holidays are coming – I can tell, Target in Altamonte Springs already has the Christmas decorations out, and they haven’t completely kicked the Halloween decorations to the corner yet! Costco has decorated trees up already, and some really cool toys on demo! (I particularly like “Biscuit” the golden retriever).
Actually a month or so ago I started thinking about Thanksgiving when I came across (or watched) Ina Garten make an apple and pear dessert I thought would knock all socks off guests this year at my house. I tried the recipe, but I don’t think will work for us. It was a good start at searching out new recipes for this year though.
Actually, this “trying new recipes” is how one of my family’s most favorite side dishes at Thanksgiving got started – namely Emrile Lagasse’s Sweet Peas au Gratin from Emrile’s Thanksgiving Feast show. If I’m not mistaken, that show aired in 1998 (I could be wrong).
Each year, my son and my sister-in-law ask if I’m making “Bam Peas” as we have come to know them. So now, in its ninth year, yes Bam Peas have become a tradition – they are always on the table at our house. They are something that is looked-forward to at the dinner table each year – and apart from full, happy tummies, they create memories too. Fun times, great company, and take home bags!
Somewhere around 1974 or so, I and my young family were visiting my parents in Connecticut. At the time we lived in way-upstate-New York, Watertown to be exact. It had occurred to me that this was a good time to get my Dad to write down his recipe for turkey stuffing. Originally this recipe came from my grandmother as she gave it to my mother and my Dad chose to make this stuffing his major contribution to the Thanksgiving dinner. He fooled around with the original recipe a bit, and came up with something quite remarkable.
Over the years, I fooled around with it (just a tad) and came up with a stuffing that has all the rellies begging for take home bags each year. Steve and Diane in particular put in orders early and I gladly produce pouch after pouch as the requests come in. I estimate that I make approximately ten pounds of this golden glob each year. My older son Mark (has fooled around with the recipe) and makes a version of the stuffing that his family likes. My daughter and son-in-law in San Francisco and my younger son John likes mine (what I like to call the current originale).
Memories start a lot of things. I remember — my grandmother had a chicken coop in the back of her house on Spruce Street in Rumford Maine. When our family visited in the summer, Grammie would kill a few chickens (my brother Greg and I got a huge kick out of that) and we’d have this great dinner out in the yard under the snow apple trees. This is where we first got introduced to her stuffing along with mountains of mashed potatoes, fresh green beans and peas (from her garden), berry pies, and fun times. We (as youngsters then) played ball in the yard, swung in the trees, and teased all the younger kids.
I guess it doesn’t take a lot of effort to start a tradition. Just trying an interesting recipe just once can lead to a lifetime of great food memories, and most of all, loving family and friends that appreciate what you make in the kitchen – its all worth the effort.
Take the time to ask Moms, Dads, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins about holiday recipes that they remember. If they have the recipes, be sure and get them copied down -
My version of my Dad’s and my Grandmother’s turkey stuffing follows. Go ahead and make it – Make a tradition and some memories.
The Best Turkey Stuffing – Ever!
Ingredients
1 pound of 90% lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 large, or two medium yellow onions – medium dice
5 stalks of celery (with leafy tops), medium dice
1 large green bell pepper, medium dice
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Bell’s Poultry Seasoning
2 14 oz. cans of prepared chicken broth OR 4 cups home-made chicken stock
¼ cup fresh chopped curly parsley
¼ cup real maple syrup
One large bag of Pepperidge Farm Corn Bread Stuffing
½ cup water or chicken stock (if needed at the end)
1 cup plain bread crumbs (if needed at the end)
Recipe instructions:
In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the ground pork and with a wooden spoon break it up rendering its fat without draining it off. Add the ground beef also breaking it up until it is loose and blend the two meats together.
Next, add all of the vegetable ingredients (onion, celery, green pepper) and blend it into the meat mixture. Season with the coarse salt and black pepper and mix well.
Add the chicken broth (or stock) until the liquid just covers the other ingredients, cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let this simmer slowly until all of the vegetables are tender (approximately 20 to 25 minutes).
Remove the pot from the heat and add the chopped parsley, Bell’s Seasoning, and maple syrup and stir together until those ingredients are completely incorporated making sure that the seasoning and maple syrup are throughout the mixture.
Lastly, add the Pepperidge Farm Corn Bread Stuffing Mix and with the wooden spoon combine until all of the bread is soaked into the wet mixture. This should be a very firm but moist mixture. If too thin (wet), you can add some plain bread crumbs. If firm, you can add some additional chicken broth or water. This makes a large quantity of stuffing – serves 8 – 10, but you will want more for leftovers!!
Stuff chicken or turkey loosely with the stuffing and roast according to brand instructions.
Set aside additional stuffing in a casserole dish with a cover or foil and heat at 325 until completely warmed through.
For breakfast, form cold stuffing into 3 inch round patties of even thickness and fry on medium heat with a little butter or margarine until lightly golden on both sides – serve with your favorite style of eggs.
For stuffed pork chops – butterfly the chops, and fill with a ½ cup of room-temperature stuffing adding a pat of butter to the top. Bake at 375 degrees in a lightly greased casserole dish until the pork chops are thoroughly cooked. Serve with a side of steamed green beans.
