Talking Turkey About Thanksgiving 2020
O.K. I get it. We can’t have the usual Thanksgiving get-togethers, and it’s the right thing to do. Everyone I know is recalibrating even from where we were two weeks ago. On the other hand, we count our blessings through the disappointment and try to capture the essence of the holiday celebration. In the deepest part of our being, the various elements of the feast – stuffing, gravy, roast turkey, pumpkin pie – remind us of our shared traditions and history and enable that emotional connection to our past. While some argue for throwing tradition out the window this year, I say, piffle, piffle. Be creative.
Growing up, I experienced Thanksgiving as a multi-generational feast hosted by my grandparents that included not only my parents, my two sisters and me, but two sets of aunts and uncles and seven cousins. It was a huge farm-country feast centered around turkey or goose and a large ham, as well as a large round of potluck sides: the green-bean and mushroom soup casserole, scalloped corn, candied sweet potatoes, and more to accompany the mashed potatoes with ample gravy. In addition, my grandmother brought forth some of her own traditional fare reminiscent of her Norwegian heritage, such as lingonberry sauce and pickled herring. It was pie country, as well, so the desserts were almost as important as the main course.
All the flavors of the season on a smaller scale
This year, Mrs. Farmboy and I have decided to stay home and eschew guests. We will decorate the table as though we are expecting company. We’ll talk by phone with my mother and sisters and do a Zoom call with the grownup children and grandchildren. We’ll check in with our friends – maybe those we wouldn’t normally connect with at Thanksgiving – to let them know we are thinking of them.
Still, we’ve designed a menu that allows a pared-down celebration, with elements of the larger meal. For appetizers, we’ve planned special treats: cranberry goat cheese and hard sheep-milk cheese over crackers with a relish tray. We’ll have roast chicken instead of turkey, but the chicken will contain stuffing, which I love. For a side dish, we’ll go with carrots from the garden roasted with harissa. I’ll have my canned jellied Ocean Spray cranberry sauce. Mrs. Farmboy will toss together a Romaine salad with toasted walnuts and walnut vinaigrette. And for dessert, we’ll have a plum pumpkin tart. I expect we’ll have plenty of leftovers for one of my favorite sandwiches – sliced chicken and stuffing with cranberry sauce as the condiment – warmed in the microwave. Mrs. Farmboy will make hers with cranberry mustard and another with ghost pepper aioli from Stonewall Kitchen.
Thanksgiving that keeps on giving
My good friend K.C. Swallow, a marvelous and accomplished home chef, has a great alternative. She’s going full turkey for herself and her husband Steve. She’s planning her usual stuffing and the usual sides of mashed potatoes and gravy, the squash casserole that the family loves, as well as brussels sprouts, a vegetable that stands up to freezing after it’s cooked. That last element is key. K.C.’s solution for leftovers is that she’s buying some metal trays to freeze for future pop-in-the-oven meals. In each, she’ll include the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes that she’ll cover with gravy, and the squash and brussels sprouts. It’s the Thanksgiving that keeps on giving. Plus, she’ll use the carcass to make a soup that will include her fabulous homemade egg noodles. What’s not to like?
It’s not the picture-perfect Thanksgiving by any means, but we can find ways to make the best of these circumstances. We can still enjoy our traditions and continue to connect with family and friends electronically and through our treasured memories. Maybe break out the home movies or photo albums from past family feasts.
How about you? Have you come up with a creative solution to maintain the connection? Please share. And have a very happy Thanksgiving.
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