Most stories of Thanksgiving history start with the harvest celebration of the pilgrims and the indians that took place in the autumn of 1621. Although they did have a three-day feast in celebration of a good harvest, and the local indians did participate, this "first Thanksgiving" was not a holiday, simply a gathering. There is little evidence that this feast of thanks led directly to our modern Thanksgiving Day holiday. Thanksgiving can, however, be traced back to 1863 when Pres. Lincoln became the first president to proclaim Thanksgiving Day. The holiday has been a fixture of late November ever since.
WHAT WASN'T ON THE PILGRIM'S TABLE: Besides the big bird, there are lots of other foods that have become traditional for the Thanksgiving meal. But you might be surprised to know that many of those foods were not on the menu at the first Thanksgiving. According to the Mayflower Web Pages, the Pilgrims would have been surprised to see any of the followingfoods on their table:
Sweet potatoes, potatoes, or yams -- These hadn't yet been introduced in New England.
Corn on the cob -- What the Pilgrims called "Indian corn" was only used to make cornmeal.
Cranberry sauce -- Although they had cranberries, they didn't have sugar.
Popcorn -- "Indian corn" could only be half-popped, and wouldn't have tasted very good.
Pumpkin pie -- However, they probably made a type of pumpkin pudding, sweetened by honey or syrup.
What you might be surprised to know was on the menu at the first Thanksgiving was fish and seafood, which was plentiful in coastal New England, including cod, bass, eel, clams and mussels.
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PILGRIM CLOTHING MYTH: The image we all have in our heads of Pilgrims at the time of the first Thanksgiving in 1621 is that of men and women who dressed only in black and white with big buckles on their shoes, hats and clothes. But according to the History Channel, that idea of Pilgrim fashion is a myth. Buckles didn't become popular until later in the 17th century, and black and white clothes were usually worn only on Sundays and at formal occasions. Instead, women usually wore red, earthy green, brown, blue, violet and gray, while men wore clothing in white, beige, black, earthy green and brown.
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6 Steps to a Stress-Free Thanksgiving - from shine.yahoo.com
1. Lovely guest, this is no time to chat with me about little Timmy's academic problems or the Super Bowl. Most people, myself included, cook best when there's relatively little talking. Walk into many great restaurant kitchens and, despite what you may have seen on reality TV, it's quiet. Everyone's head is down, and the cooks are concentrating on peeling the potatoes or mixing the vinaigrette. You want the perfect Thanksgiving meal? Go mingle with someone else.
2. No matter how confident a cook you are, Thanksgiving dinner takes organization. For example, I rarely make to-do lists. Around Thanksgiving, I do. (Dressing, check. Cranberries, check. Gravy...damn, I forgot the gravy.)
3. Read recipes carefully and thoroughly, especially if it's your first time making a dish. The first time I decided to serve fried turkey, I did a test run a few weeks before--just to make sure I could pull it off.
4. A few sips of wine while cooking is part of the experience, but be careful. A tipsy chef leads to burned rolls and scorched marshmallows.
5. Delegate. Run your Thanksgiving as you would a restaurant. Ask someone to bring the dessert, someone to set the table, someone to pour the wine, someone to clear the table, and someone to do the dishes.
6. Don't forget to enjoy yourself once everything is on the table. Take a moment to revel in people's compliments. And be sure to give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it.
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Turkey Trivia
• A male turkey is called a tom, a female is a hen, and a youngster is a poult.
• Because the wild turkey is quick to defend itself and fight against all predators, Ben Franklin wanted it, rather than the bald eagle, to be the symbol of the United States.
• The wobbly little thing on the turkey’s chest is the turkey’s beard; it’s made of keratin bristles.(That's stuff in your hair and nails!!)
How the heck do you cook something this big. Don't worry, the Butterball Turkey Hotline is there for you. Every year, Butterball hosts a hotline that fields about 100,000 calls each Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Call them at 1-800-BUTTERBALL. Find out much more including videos to help you here.
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Roasting it in the oven not enough for you? Want something a bit more extreme? Paula Dean and her boys from the Food Network tell you about frying a turkey!
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Your Thanksgiving dinner just got three times easier! How? With these three tips we’re about to give you, that’ll make you the smartest cook on the block. The come from Cooking Light magazine.
Tip #1: Buying frozen saves you money. Turkey prices rise as the holidays approach, which means you’ll pay a lot more for a fresh bird. If you want to splurge – go for it. Fresh turkeys can be juicier. However, if you’re trying to be frugal, buy a frozen, organic turkey – conventional frozen turkeys are injected with salt and starch - and keep it in the freezer. Then, transfer it to the refrigerator a few days before Thanksgiving, so it has enough time to thaw properly.
Tip #2: Follow the “bake separately” stuffing advice. A stuffed bird is likely to be an overcooked bird, according to food scientist Harold McGee. He says the meat will usually overcook before the stuffing is done. So instead, stuff the turkey cavity with smell good items – such as an onion, celery, lemon and thyme – and bake the stuffing separately. If you like the hint of turkey taste in your stuffing, simply sauté the giblets, mince them, and stir them in before cooking.
Tip #3: 450-degrees can cut an hour from your cook time. Cranking the oven heat can save you an hour. Start with a clean oven to minimize the smoke, use a heavy-duty roasting pan, and make sure the turkey is room temperature when you start. Tuck the wing tips, and then roast it at 450-degrees with the legs facing the back of the oven. You want the turkey to reach an internal temperature of 165-degrees. That’s about half-an-hour for each five pounds. A meat thermometer will help you. If the skin starts becoming dark, simply cover it with a piece of tin foil.
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Looking for something to divert the kids attention? Make dinner, have a few quiet moments in the car on the way to Grandmas house, as they enjoy some games, and coloring ideas. Ok, you can sneak away and do them while you let dinner settle as well.
1. Lovely guest, this is no time to chat with me about little Timmy's academic problems or the Super Bowl. Most people, myself included, cook best when there's relatively little talking. Walk into many great restaurant kitchens and, despite what you may have seen on reality TV, it's quiet. Everyone's head is down, and the cooks are concentrating on peeling the potatoes or mixing the vinaigrette. You want the perfect Thanksgiving meal? Go mingle with someone else.
3. Read recipes carefully and thoroughly, especially if it's your first time making a dish. The first time I decided to serve fried turkey, I did a test run a few weeks before--just to make sure I could pull it off.
Turkey Trivia
