Thanksgiving meal.

[BigRedBuster]

OK. We aren't celebrating our extended family Thanksgiving till Saturday with all the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes.

So, we are trying to come up with what to do on actual Thanksgiving with just our family. My kids really don't even like the traditional Thanksgiving meal (which is really odd to me). My daughter the other day actually said she would rather have venison than Turkey. Proud of that one.

Anyway, so, it got me thinking. Why not have something similar to what may have been at the very first meal between the pilgrims and indians.

So, I'm thinking:

Venison

Fish

Duck (if I could get hunting between now and then)

corn

Squash

Thoughts? What would you do if you were going to try this?

 

[carlfense]

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-was-on-the-menu-at-the-first-thanksgiving-511554/?no-ist

 

[knapplc]

Bake some fresh bread. It's remarkably easy, and the results are (* often) very good.

Crusty Bread

3 cups white unbleached flour

1 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

Special Equipment – large porcelain-coated pot

Combine flour, salt and yeast in a bowl and whisk together. Add water and mix into a "shaggy mess." Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it set for 12 - 18 hours on the counter top. Do not refrigerate. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. As soon as it has heated to 450 degrees place your pot with the lid in the oven and pre-heat the pot for 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven and carefully pick up the ball of dough and drop it into the pot. Put the lid on the pot and return it to the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove bread from the pot. Place the bread on a cooling rack until completely cooled.

The 12-18 hour wait time skews more toward the 18 hour mark the colder you keep your kitchen. You can get this made, risen/proofed & baked in about six hours if you bump the yeast up to 3/4 tsp.

Pro Tip: Form the dough into the "shaggy mess," take it out of the bowl, line the bowl with parchment paper, then let it rise. When you're ready to bake, pick up the parchment as gently as possible and put the whole thing in the pot and proceed as directed.

* - I say "often" because I have screwed this up before. I don't know how or why, but a couple of times the bread failed to rise. Still tasted pretty good, but it wasn't what we wanted.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Homemade bread would be nice touch. We have a fantastic molasses bread recipe my mother made for years.

 

[GM_Tood]

Jalapeno *Sausage Cornbread

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

½ c. cheddar cheese

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and dived

1 t. olive oil

3 oz. chorizo sausage, casing removed and crumbled (*you could make this optional)

½ t. garlic powder

1 t. salt

1 c. diced red pepper

½ c. thinly sliced green onion

1 c. cubed French bread

2 egg whites

1 c. chicken broth

1 lime, cut into wedges

1. Make the cornbread according to the directions on the box, adding ½ cup cheese to the batter. Allow muffins to cool and then crumble into a large mixing bowl.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan. Add in chorizo and sauté for 2 minutes(optional). Add the jalapeño, bell peppers, garlic powder, salt, and green onions. Cook for 3 minutes.

4. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the contents into the crumbled cornbread. Stir in the French bread, egg whites, and broth. Stir until the bread is moist.

5. Spoon the cornbread stuffing into the baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with lime wedges.

 

[carlfense]

We have a fantastic molasses bread recipe my mother made for years.

Oh boy. Are you willing to share the recipe? My wife has mastered an oatmeal bread but molasses bread sounds delicious.