Hunny! Where did you get those fabulous pearls!?

A good southern girl always had a nice set of pearls, or so I’ve been told. I don’t. But I do have a great Creamed Pearl Onion recipe for you! I never had Creamed Pearl Onions until I was an adult, but I can imagine that my grandfather would have loved them. We didn’t grow a lot of onions in our garden, but grandpa devoted quite a few rows of his meager garden to the lovely ladies.  

When we would visit, he would get so excited showing us his gardening successes that he would grab hold of a bunch or two and rip them out of the ground and then start munching. I always assumed they were quite crunchy (read: gritty) and passed on the snack. His excitement was understandable. He lived on some of the sandiest land in our community, and if you could get anything to grow, it was time for celebration. My grandmother coaxed a few of her rose bushes to produce buds each year and she was about as proud of those roses as my grandfather was of his onions.

Grandpa would send us home with a few of the onions and my mom would simply wash them and serve them raw with our summer lunches.  They were quite sweet, with just a note of pungency. That’s why, when a friend of ours in NY made us Creamed Pearl Onions, I just knew they would be good, and they were.  This year my husband is making them as his addition to our Thanksgiving meal. We use the frozen onions, because peeling that many little fresh onions would make me postal, and who needs that at Thanksgiving? They simmer in butter for a bit to cook and then you make a béchamel sauce, with a little herb added and you are done! What could be easier?

Under Sweet Potato Duress

Sweet potatoes are about a southern as grits. You can bet that if there is a celebration, that there will be a sweet potato casserole somewhere. Although my youngest daughter has never even crossed the Mason Dixon, she is a firm believer in this tradition as well, so every year, without doubt, Grandma Net’s Sweet Potato Casserole is her choice to make for Thanksgiving. It is creamy and sweet, and should be served as dessert, but somehow makes it on the table for dinner instead.

Over the years, changes have been made.  We have life threatening egg and nut allergies in our family.  I can’t remember for certain if there were eggs in the original version, but do I know for a fact that there was a pecan streusel topping that was my favorite that for years has been omitted. I’ll include it for you though! I think the filling is so rich that it really needs to be offset with something other than marshmallows, but that is my daughter’s favorite, so we have compromised and just put a single ring around the edge of the big marshmallows and left the center open.

Not-Your-Mother’s Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole in my husband’s family is sacred.  You do not mess with the green bean casserole. I do not buy into these types of allegiances, and feel that if you find a better tasting way to prepare something, then by all means.  While I am pretty certain that the majority of his family members still do not subscribe to my line of thought, this green bean casserole has been accepted with praise and that is good enough for me. Baby steps!

I really don’t like canned green beans, but for a casserole, I think that texture and flavor is pretty trademark and cannot be avoided, so I still use the canned frenched beans. I also think the trademark fried onion topping is also expected, I kept them, if only so that the family could recognize the dish. There are sautéed sweet onions and mushrooms, green beans, a slightly tangy sour cream béchamel sauce and lots of cheddar cheese, plus the traditional crunchy onion topping.

Prime Time!

I really don’t like turkey. I think that most turkeys that are cooked for Thanksgiving are butchered the first time at the slaughter house, and then they are butchered again on Thanksgiving in the kitchen, and that is not counting the actual carving of the turkey at the table.

I have been married for 15 years, and I know that I have made 3 turkeys that have been perfect. The white meat was juicy and not dry, and the dark meat was still juicy, it was flavorful and tasted like seasoning as well as turkey and it was cooked thru. Every year that I was successful I had brined my turkey. It is time consuming and then there are the leftovers. If you don’t like turkey, then leftovers really aren’t all that fun to be creative with.

Last year I forwent the turkey, which I understand is sacrilege to some. But if you recall my post from yesterday, if it doesn’t make the list of favorites, then it doesn’t have to be made just because it is traditional. Make new traditions! Last year we did a country ham, and this year I am doing prime rib. I made my first prime rib last year at Christmas and my husband is still talking about it, so I thought it was time to go there again. And the best part - leftovers, if there are any, are eagerly awaited.

I strongly advise that if you are intending on roasting any meat, including turkey and prime rib, that you invest in a digital thermometer that can be left in your meat that you can program for the internal temperature that you are looking for.  If you have a thermometer that is circular that has general reads of rare, done, well done, you are going to be sorely disappointed with your finished product. If you have a thermometer that is not oven safe, then you will have to keep poking at your meat, putting more holes in it letting all the good juices run out. If you buy it at a specialty cooking store this gadget will run you upwards of $60.00 but if you go to a restaurant supply store, you can get it for around $25.00. That’s a deal!

A Menu for a Successful Thanksgiving

How far in advance do you start planning your Thanksgiving menu? For me it depends how many guests I’ll have at the table.  One year in Rochester we had nearly 20 friends and family and surprisingly there was very little planning and much success. My kitchen was quite small and not all that well equipped. Everyone was charged with bringing their favorite holiday dish.  That took the stress off of me as the host and I didn’t have to spend a lot either.  Some cooked along side me, some brought their dishes nearly finished and put the final touches on at my place.  We rearranged much furniture and all ate at a communal table.