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Sunday, November 22, 2009

PLANNING THE PORTIONS, OR HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

I bought the turkey for our extended family Thanksgiving dinner – 21.3 pounds at $.27 per pound at Albertson's with additional $25.00 purchase. It's not hard to spend the additional $25.00 these days. I brought the turkey home and managed to fit it into the freezer by removing the box containing Hallie and Nick's cake tier. It's now in the refrigerator freezer.

I thought the turkey would be big enough for a gathering of 22 people – almost a pound per person. Of course when you discard all the juice that bakes out, you no longer have a pound per person. But an article I read last night said to plan a pound and a half per person, which would allow for leftovers. Whoever heard of a 33-pound turkey? And who would want one? And I'M NOT roasting two turkeys. In point of fact, I'm only responsible for providing turkey for the dinner at which 22 will be present. Our hostess will also provide a nice ham.

Our extended family dinners aren't so much potlucks as cooperative affairs to which participating families agree to bring assigned food. Our blogger on "Retro Modern Housewife" points out that if you step outside your assigned area to provide additional food, it upsets the balance. She related an incident wherein she was assigned the pumpkin pie and she made two. Someone else decided to bring pie also, just because she wanted to. In the end there was too much pie, and our writer carried home her untouched pumpkin pies, which don't keep. I had never thought of the provision of additional food in that light.

But – it's evidently an age-old problem. Here's what Ina wrote about a cooperative Christmas dinner in 1934: "Aunt [Bertha, Ina's sister] helped me out by dressing a fat young rooster and bringing it ready for the roaster. She also insisted on making pies since I had my hands full – mince and pumpkin. One of each would be plenty, I said, but no – here came two each and ginger cookies frosted. She'd tried a new recipe. So we had mince and pumpkin pie with whipped cream on it, ginger cookies, fruit cake and do-nuts, and fruit and whipped cream for that, coffee, oranges, nuts and candy besides the after dinner mints. Well, we just parceled out the leftovers amongst the guests. I got thru it just fine. It was a good day."

At first I thought that fat young rooster was surely not enough for a gathering of 12 adults. It looked as if they would have very little meat per person, especially in consideration of all the dessert on hand. In re-reading that letter, I found Ina had also prepared roast beef. It was a feast in a lean year. To me it proves one thing. The tradition of holiday feasting, at least in my family, goes way back and is not just a modern-day development. KW

7 comments:

  1. Barbara is cooking a 24-pounder for 12 people this year. But it has to last at least through Friday for sandwiches.

    Grandpa Vance used to make to best turkey - so moist.

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  2. I like to use the leftover turkey for sandwiches, too. I add a layer of mashed potatoes and gravy to the sandwich and it's like Thanksgiving in every bite!

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  3. I prefer the leftovers to the meal!! Somehow they taste better the next day. :-)

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  4. Such a hard day today. Thank you all for coming by to brighten my outlook!

    I don't anticipate a lot of left-over turkey this year. I'll have to report on that afterwards. And with a freezer full of birds, it isn't likely that I'll buy more turkey. My dad was always concerned that the turkey should be moist. And we still talk about the stuffing/dressing. I only know one of his secrets -- butter, and plenty of it.

    Hallie did not learn the trick of putting mashed potatoes and gravy in her sandwich from me. Sounds more like a hot turkey sandwich.

    And I'm looking for a report from Chris on what it's like to actually eat out on a holiday. She told me she plans to roast a turkey on Friday.

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  5. Why are the stores all out of ginger snaps? What are other people making with their ginger snaps? Is it the same dessert I'm making???

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  6. Maybe there's a shortage of gingersnaps. Are you sure you're looking in the right place? Nabisco's come in a yellow box. Another brand comes in a sack. And sometimes you can get them at the Dollar Tree, though we haven't found them there for a while.

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  7. Nick went to the store. He said they were hard to find and that when he did, they were very picked over. Hmmm

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