Thanks for Tradition
Keep your deep-fried turkey, roast duck or vegetarian foods.
Most of our GO readers said when it comes to the Thanksgiving meal, they want the turkey, the whole turkey and nothing but the turkey.
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<td>Thanksgiving Celebration, presented by MidTown Lutheran Churches, 7 p.m. today, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 920 Third Ave., Rockford. 815-963-4815
Community Thanksgiving Service, 7 p.m. today, First United Methodist Church of Belvidere, 610 Bonus Ave. 815-544-3479
Special Worship Service, with choirs, the St. Paul Band and a 100-man chorus, 7 p.m. today, St. Lutheran Parish Hall, 600 Kilburn Ave., Rockford. 815-963-5435
Community Thanksgiving Dinner for the lonely and the homeless, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Court Street United Methodist Church, 215 N. Court St., Rockford. 815-962-6061</td>
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"If I want ham, duck or something else, I wait until Easter or Christmas or New Year's Eve," Don Vaughan of Roscoe said in an e-mail he sent us.
The responses we received for must-have items for Thanksgiving mostly followed the classic menu of turkey and the fixings, but not every meal was centered on our fine feathered friend.
"I haven't cooked a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for several years," wrote Patricia Lamp of Rockford, who has opted instead for a pork tenderloin recipe from Food Network's Emeril, Sicilian meatballs and rouladen, or German beef rolls.
We heard about families who feast on jalapeno cornbread stuffing and pumpkin roll, rather than ordinary stuffing and pumpkin pie. But no matter how out-of-the ordinary the choice, there was a common denominator. Thanksgiving conjures up memories that make us look forward to the occasion, as much as the meal.
"Best part of all the eating, stuffing your face and being miserable for hours after you eat are the leftovers for the next few days," Vaughan said.
Here's what you said you'll be gobbling up Thursday or in leftovers:
Bury the sauce "Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, dressing, salad, lots of giblet gravy, and nothing is better than homemade whole cranberry sauce," Vaughan said. "You can bury the stuff you slide out of the can."
Grandma's recipe "Coming from a very large family of five boys and five girls, you would think my husband's family would be pretty flexible when it comes to eating," wrote Melody Brigowatz of Loves Park.
"They are, except for holidays. It seems there must be a bird of some sort on the table. Preferably a turkey for Thanksgiving. As the in-law, I wouldn't change that. Most importantly, though, I would never serve Thanksgiving without the stuffing and the following recipe which we could never change from Grandma Brigz. It is a must on the table. It looks pretty and tastes so good when piled on top of a serving of the warm stuffing."
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This recipe for Orange Salad is courtesy of Pam Ottengheime, of Shabbona:
Ingredients
1 small box lemon Jell-O
1 small box orange Jell-O
1 small box tapioca pudding
3 cups boiling water
1 large Cool Whip
Fruit cocktail, mandarin oranges, pineapple or canned fruit of your choice
Mix first four ingredients together.
Stir until dissolved. Place in refrigerator until set like a jelly consistency. Mix in Cool Whip and fruit.
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Recipe: Grind together in a food processor two bags of cleaned, fresh cranberries, two apples and one orange. Add at least a cup of sugar, more if you don't like tart cranberries. Mix together and place in a beautiful, see-through bowl. Keeps fresh for a week in the refrigerator or for weeks in the freezer.
No passing on the noodles "My grandmother was the best cook and always made everyone's favorite dish for any holiday," wrote Janet Novak of Loves Park.
"The one dish that she made and I like to make for my family is homemade egg noodles, smothered with turkey gravy.
"However, one year I decided not to make the noodle dish because there seemed to be enough starchy foods on the menu. The family was so upset that they gave me an early Christmas present: a noodle-making machine, just in time for Thanksgiving.
"You should see our kitchen when I'm preparing the noodles. I set up a wooden clothes drying rack to dry the noodles, and there's flour everywhere."
Where's the Pumpkin Roll? "Thanksgiving is the happiest time of the year for me and my very favorite holiday," wrote Wilma Faerber of Davis.
"My daughter and her friends from Beloit College spent many Thanksgivings with us. She and her husband will now join us. We MUST have turkey with stuffing, green bean casserole and our favorite dessert, Pumpkin Roll. I have had to lock the Pumpkin Roll in my car overnight to make sure it wasn't eaten.
"My husband also insists that he has to make Roast Beast (beef) on the grill. I find this bloody and disgusting, but the guys enjoy it."
Not your mother's turkey "Smoked turkey with jalapeno and Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing is on the menu at our house," wrote Kay S. Hatch of Roscoe.
"For several years we lived in Phoenix, Ariz. We started cooking the turkey over mesquite. Here we used applewood because that's what we have.
"We separate the breast skin from the meat, and slide slivers of jalapeno (de-seeded and cut in lengthwise strips) under the skin. They can be arranged in a fan pattern. As the turkey roasts over indirect heat/smoke, the jalapenos become sweet and flavor the breast meat.
"For the stuffing, we use cornbread stuffing mix, but we substitute taco seasoning (or Mexican seasoning), cilantro, and two or three finely chopped jalapenos and minced garlic. We use celery and a can of whole kernel corn. We put as much stuffing as possible inside the turkey and do the rest in a casserole.
"For several years, between Phoenix and Illinois, we lived in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. One Thanksgiving, our son called us there from Portland, Oregon, desperate for the Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing recipe!"
Just the facts, pilgrim
3.86 billion: In dollars, the forecast receipts to farmers from turkey sales - more than they'll make on tobacco.
1.6 billion pounds: Total weight of sweet potatoes produced in 2006 in the U.S.
690 million pounds: The forecast for U.S. cranberry production in 2007. Wisconsin leads all states, with 390 million pounds.
272 million: Estimated number of turkeys raised in the U.S. in 2007.
841,280: Production, in tons, of snap (green) beans, for all those green bean casseroles, expected in 2007 in major producing states. Wisconsin leads with 310,200 tons.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Beware: How you eat on Turkey Day determines your habits for next year And you thought Thanksgiving Day was supposed to be a happy occasion.
Author Charles Stuart Platkin calls it "the start of six-week downward spiral for dieters that ends with a few extra pounds added to your waistline."
Turkey Day also sets the tone for how you'll eat throughout the new year, he writes in "The Diet Detective's Calorie Bible."
Proving that he's not a complete killjoy, Platkin offers this guide to making smart choices at the most bountiful meal of the year.
In the battle between cranberry sauce and traditional turkey gravy, you'd think the sauce would win. You'd be wrong. A 1/2 cup of cranberry sauce has 180 calories, compared to only 80 for the gravy.
Among pumpkin, apple and pecan pie, the most traditional Thanksgiving Day option is the winner. Pumpkin has 270 calories a slice, with 350 for a slice of apple. Pecan - or to-heck-with-everything pie, as we're nicknaming it - has 700 calories.
Dark meat versus white meat - everyone has their favorite. Dark has 15 percent more calories - 182 over 153 - for a 31/2-ounce serving. To save calories on either, remove the skin; but wait until after the turkey's cooked to prevent drying.
Apple cider has 120 calories in an eight-ounce serving, which is similar to many beers and wines. Just be careful that you don't guzzle glass after glass to counteract the salty food.
Choose mashed potatoes over candied sweet potatoes. A cup of mashed potatoes has about 240 to 300 calories, depending on the amount of butter and what type of milk or cream is used. Candied sweet potatoes also have butter, plus brown sugar, marmalade, maple syrup, marshmallows and/or pecans, which all add up.