The Missing Piece: It Must Run In Their Family

Over a post-Thanksgiving meal at my Mother-in-Law's house, she told a tale behind the pumpkin pie that she had made. I listened to the story with great interest. Apparently it was her mother's recipe and it took her a mighty long time to extract it from her. She explained that her mother had given her the recipe but of course when she actually attempted to make it herself, it was not like her mother's, something was missing. She tried to glean what the missing ingredients were but was unable to do so.

Eventually, she had to go to watch her mother prepare the pumpkin pie. Only then did she discover that all sorts of ingredients were had been lef out of the recipe she had been given. The number of eggs was incorrect, spices were lacking and a few other details were off. Her mother denied any wrongdoing, simply saying, well of course I use cloves and of course I use...as if it was all understood.

I listened to this tale, realizing how clear it was where the apple had fallen. After having just finished her famous turkey soup, I wondered what it would take to procure the real recipe. The process is too long and drawn out for me to witness every step so I guess it will take years of questioning and experimentation before I ever get it.

This year, she added a few more ingredients from the last time, claiming that it always changes. Indeed some of the vegetables may vary but it is the consistency that remains constant.

Tonight I tried yet again,and yet again I made a wonderful pot of soup but it did not resemble my Mother-in-Law's version. Izzy tried to pinpoint the differences and he said, "In Grandma J.'s soup, the vegetables float to the top." Hmmm.. so do the ones in mine but he is on to something. My soup is a brothier soup and hers is a stewier one. Perhaps the difference is the amount of liquid? Who knows. Stay-tuned until next year when I try yet again.

Have Turkey Carcass Will Travel

My friend L., keen observer that she is, must have seen me covetously eyeing her turkey carcass. A 20 pounder to begin with, it still had plenty of meat on its bones. Uhmmm. It would definitely make a fine turkey soup. I did mention the soup idea to L. and T. but it was only met with a lukewarm response.

As the party festivities drew to a close, she and her husband T., offered up the turkey carcass. I tried to decline because even though I had envious thoughts, it would mean more kitchen scullery duty this weekend, which I wasn't sure I was up to. But they persisted, considering that they had plenty of turkey leftover off the bone. They proceeded to stuff the still meaty bird into the most enormous ziploc bag I'd ever seen, then into a shopping bag, all wrapped up and ready to travel. Before I knew it, it was thrust into my hands and I had no choice but to welcome it along on our travels home.

At one point while contemplating if I should actually take the turkey remains, I asked if it was organic. Hearing that it was, I realized it would be a shame to let it go to waste, especially if they had no grandiose plans for it.
So there I sat on the train, with a large turkey carcass on the rack above, poised to go flying if the train jolted unexpectedly.

As the train rolled forward, I was reminded of a long ago trip to Morocco, where live turkeys joined me and A. on a bus trip. At least they were packed with the luggage and not the passengers but somehow the image of a turkey crammed in with my luggage was not particularly appealing.

So now here I sit, two days post T-day, with the carcass calling me from the fridge. We have made a few sandwiches with the meat and I am now itching to get to the soup, especially since we were served generous tasty portions of it last night, prepared by the soup doyenne herself. Although my mother-in-law claims that the recipe changes each time, it always seems as I remember and not that much like mine. This time she added a few extra pointers which will hopefully serve me well.

Thanksgiving Memories: From Popovers To Turkey Carcass

This is the first year I have ever celebrated Thanksgiving with friends, rather than family. No, come to think of it, maybe not. There was the time in Paris, and the time in New York but I suppose it is the first time in the past 15 years. My oldest, bestest friend L., invited us to her holiday table. And what a table it was. In fact there was more than one. There was an hors'd'oeuvres spread on one table, along with a grown-up table and a kiddie table. Everything was set beautifully with harvest-colored table linens.

Izzy stood out at the kiddie table for he was the only one to eat every course. Starting with popovers (which I was surprised to find T. making upon our arrival) on to pumpkin ravioli with sage butter, then salad with goat cheese and dried cranberries. He ate so much before the meal that he was too overstuffed to nibble any turkey. He did manage to squeeze in a some mashed potatoes and a few parsnips but that was about it.


As for me, I managed to heap my plate with as many things as would fit, despite being overstuffed with appetizers as well and keeping in mind that I needed to save room for dessert. While I was eating, Izzy spent much of the festivities zooming around with his friends S. and I. eventually coming to halt with the promise of dessert. There was a nice assortment, including the Tarte Tatin (my contribution) and Auntie S.'s cheesecake. We managed to have a sliver of each.

After the dessert course, I helped L. with a bit of the clean-up, all the while eyeing the turkey carcass on the counter. I suggested to L. that she make turkey soup, especially since I have the recipe right here. She seemed a bit uncertain about the idea and what happened next merits a post of its own, to come tomorrow, but back to my story.

Stuffed to the gills, much later than I thought it would be, L. took us to the train station to make our way home. A fine time was had by all. Poor Izzy was exhausted and needed to be carried much of the way. On our way, he lamented the late hour and dreamed of a day, this weekend, when he could stay in bed until dinnertime. Who knows, perhaps his wish may come true.

Brussels Sprouts Destalker and Cranberry Mold Maker: Izzy's Thanksgiving Contributions

Izzy and I had the whole day together to spend preparing our four dishes for the Thanksgiving meal. The first job was Brussels sprout destalker. Buying the sprouts on a stalk (if you can find them that way) is definitely the freshest way to go. I showed Izzy how to use a small sharp knife to slice them off. He immediately set to work.



When his task was completed, I prepped the sprouts for tomorrow by slicing them in half. The will be used to make this.

Next on the agenda was our Cranberry-Port Molds. He washed the cranberries and picked through them. He also added all of the ingredients to the pot, stirring and watching it while it simmered.

Meanwhile, I prepared the pastry dough for the Tarte Tatin ( I promise a recipe for this soon) and peeled the parsnips for this. Instead of a cooking frenzy, it was a leisurely day, with time for a walk to the bakery and supermarket, and games interspersed throughout. Ahhhhhh.

Tomorrow we will complete the dishes and cart them all to my friend L.'s Thanksgiving Feast.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

The Case of The C@&$y Cupcake:

Who dunnit and Why?

My day was going along swimmingly. I did everything I needed to do before it was time to pick up Izzy from school. I even bought some luscious "pains au chocolat" from Bouley Bakery, which would be a real treat for him and his friend T...

And so, in fine spirits, I went to pick him up. We said our "Happy Thanksgivings" and were on our way. All of a sudden he remembered that one of his teachers had forgotten to give him something, a cupcake. There was a frenzied rush to go back and retrieve it. I didn't think much of it but he insisted on going back for said cupcake, which he informed me, came from the Yellow Room. I figured it must be a special, homemade cupcake but was unsure why it belonged to him, since he is not in the Yellow room.

We followed Izzy as he zoomed around the corner in his quest, just as Miss L., his teacher arrived with a cupcake, still in its plastic box. When I saw it, my face must have crumpled (or so said my friend S.) I thanked his teacher but told Izzy we would have plenty of goodies at home but we wouldn't be taking the cupcake.

Oh the tears that fell. How could I have done this? On and on he wailed.
I didn't realize the anguish it all would cause, not only to him but to me.
We made it home and thankfully his friend T. perked him up.

And then I was left wondering. What were Izzy's teachers thinking? I do love them but were they blinded by some holiday, sugar -induced cloud? I surely am not opposed to cupcakes, and especially love baking and eating them, so long as they are special cupcakes. Made with love or from Baked! But why was this cupcake bequeathed to him and not the other children?

I must be missing something. As was Izzy, who at bedtime asked why I didn't let him have the cupcake. Perhaps it was a special cupcake after all, in which case I am awfully sorry that I kept him from eating it. If not I'd still love to know the story behind it.

On Coaxing Children To Eat: In The Classroom

Today I had the pleasure of assisting in Izzy's classroom. The teachers had planned a Thanksgivingesque celebration. There were three stations at which the children prepared three different dishes, ultimately to be eaten for their lunch at a communal table, rather than at separate, small tables as they usually do.

I helped out at the salad station, where the children chopped up carrots, celery, tomatoes and apples. They were also in charge of the fulfilling and age-appropriate task of tearing lettuce into small pieces. Having trained Izzy to use a knife at an early age, I was not quite aware of knife holding protocol for the uninitiated. The teacher demonstrated how the children were to hold the ridged slicer, holding it in one hand while placing the other on top of it, rather than beside it. I wondered how they would have done, had I not seen her demo..Thankfully there were no injuries.

At the cheese and tomato sandwich station they sliced tomatoes and placed them, along with sliced cheese, on small pieces of bread. Perfect jobs for a three- year old to be sure.

At the third station, Miss L., one of their teachers, prepared a Taiwanese sweet potato soup. She helped them grate the sweet potatoes which she then cooked in a rice cooker. I didn't get to see what went into this dish although it looked like simply potatoes, water and maybe some sugar.

Along with food prep, the children were responsible for making place cards with their names on them and setting the table. When the time came to eat, the children were clearly pleased with themselves, though not enough to actually try what they had helped prepare.

I was amazed at how many of the group (about 17), turned down the salad. I would say it was over half, if not more. The soup was an even harder sell. Of course I qvelled when Izzy continued to ask for extra helpings of it but wished the others would at least give it a try. I decided it was time to intervene. As his adorable friend A. was about to toss hers, I stopped her in her tracks. An amusing conversation ensued and the others became engaged as we discussed what would actually happen if she tasted something she didn't like. All eyes were on her and the others who I challenged to taste the soup. And guess what? They did! The friend even admitted it was not as awful as she would have imagined.

The best place to learn healthy, adventurous eating habits is the home. Barring that, teachers certainly can help to model good eating, as they did today. Indeed, modeling is important when it comes to teaching children to eat well, however peer influence can also prove to be quite useful.

As an educator, I have always been interested in measuring the impact of family vs. peer influence. It is so exciting to see how it comes into play in the realm of food.

I look forward to more time spent eating with Izzy and his classmates. Who knows what they might eat!

Brussels Sprouts: Perfect Thanksgiving Side Dish

These Brussels sprouts are sprightly green, not dull and gray. Sprinkled with toasted pine nuts and sauteed with minced garlic and olive oil, they are quick and easy.

Brussels Sprouts with Pine Nuts and Garlic

1 1b. Brussels sprouts (choose ones of similar size, smaller ones are best).
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (to toast, place in hot pan over heat and toss til browned)
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic.
olive oil
salt, pepper

1. Bring small pot of salted water to boil.
2. Trim sprouts and cut large ones in half. Blanch in boiling water a few minutes. You want them still green but tender.
3. Add two - three tablespoons of olive oil to large frying pan. Add minced garlic and saute about 2 -3 minutes, until sizzling. Don't allow garlic to brown.
4. Add blanched sprouts and toss to coat. Add pine nuts and cook about 1-2 more minutes.
5. Serve immediately.

4-6 side dish servings.

notes: You can blanch sprouts in advance. Toss with garlic and oil right before serving.

If you are not serving vegetarians, add 2-3 slices of chopped cook bacon to dish.