We decided this year to have an old fashioned, pioneer-style Thanksgiving dinner. We wanted to prepare some simple, delicious home cooking to enjoy, giving thanks for the many blessings we do have and enjoy our harvest of summer goodies from the garden.
Thanksgiving dates back to the late 1500’s when European explorers gave thanks for arriving safely and celebrated with feasts. In the 1600’s, giving thanks with feasts happened after the harvest and was celebrated often through the year between the Mi’kmaq and the French who introduced the French to cranberries lessening scurvy during the winter months. Thanksgiving was then established in Canada as a holiday in 1879 and was celebrated at different times of the year depending what blessings were to be thanked for. It was celebrated in April or between the end of October to mid-November and then in 1957, it was set that Thanksgiving in Canada would be the second Monday in October. The traditional fare we enjoy today was first brought to Halifax by the United Empire Loyalists in the 1750’s which then spread across the country.
No matter when or why Thanksgiving was first celebrated, I feel it is important that we acknowledge grace and gratitude. Having a thankful attitude helps us to feel happier, helps us find peace and see the blessings in our life. We can even be thankful, grateful and remember our blessings each day of the year.
I am thankful that I learned how to cook from some wonderful women that influenced different parts of my life. I feel like I sometimes cook like a pioneer – or like how a lot of our grandmas did – often good old fashioned, simple cooking comes with no recipe. I will share a little of what I do to create a delicious meal that we enjoyed this Thanksgiving!
Let’s get started!
How to cook a turkey. I get this question a lot. I keep it quite simple. Toss the turkey into a roaster with chopped onion, water (a few cups to start with, or at least up to the wing) and a bunch of seasonings. I usually use salt, pepper, dill, parsley, dried garlic and dried onion. I sometimes add dried or fresh sage as well. Place a lid on and cook several hours. I cook from frozen or fresh – it really does not matter. I check every couple hours, making sure there is water in the roasting pan to help keep the turkey moist while cooking as well as to make gravy and stuffing with. I cook the turkey until the meat falls off the bone. This fresh turkey was about 12 pounds and I cooked it for just over 4 hours. It may seem daunting, but it really is quite simple.
Potatoes (more on that shortly), I normally save until the last 45 minutes of cooking. By then, the turkey is done and out of the oven so I can then cook the stuffing, and the vegetables. We also make a baked cornmeal (natchinka) which also takes about 45 minutes. I made a lazy cabbage roll dish (lazy holubtsi) which takes about 30 minutes in the oven. Some I prepare the night before, or early in the morning, so all I have to do is toss it in the oven. I always have loved cooking big meals. And I love the leftovers even more!!
Nothing like prepping stuffing! I always have several dishes cooking at once and time everything just so. I make sure the cabbage rolls have at least 2-1/2 hours in the oven. I find the longer they cook, the more tender the cabbage tends to be. Here’s how we make our favorite cabbage rolls: https://www.ourcityhomestead.com/homemade-cabbage-rolls/
Stuffing. I cook onion and celery with salt, pepper, dill and parsley along with a splash of oil and some butter. I sometimes add dried onion as well. Cook until onion is tender. Once onion is cooked, toss into a bowl of prepared bread. I like using day old bread and tearing it up (or cutting) into bite size pieces, then I toss the onions and celery into the bread. Once the turkey is cooked, I then pour the “juice” or broth from the cooked turkey into a large measuring cup, skimming fat if necessary. I pour as much broth as needed to make the bread soft (like for bread pudding) and the mixture comes together, but not too soggy. At this point, if you like spice, you can add chili flakes and cayenne, though I never do. I then spoon it into a greased casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. You can also use prepared chicken broth instead of it from the roasting pan.
We are taking a much needed break from all the cooking while our puppy runs around in the sunshine! It is a little chilly out, but just right with a sweater or shawl since our skirts are quite warm! It is actually quite comfortable wearing our pioneer outfits — I really could wear it every day!
Nearly 3 hours has passed, and the turkey is looking wonderful, not to mention smells absolutely delicious! For me, the turkey is definitely not cooked enough — the meat does not come off the bone yet and the skin is a little blubbery! You can baste the turkey at this point if you like. I added a bit more liquid and then tossed it back into the oven, covered.
While the turkey cooks, I continue cooking and prepping. Mashed potatoes are simple to prepare and cook! Peel potatoes (if needed, especially old potatoes are better peeled), chop and toss in a bowl of cool water and let soak 30 minutes. Drain, rinse and toss into a large pot. Add water to cover and sprinkle 1 tsp of salt over top. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes, depending upon the size of the chopped potato. I always leave a bamboo wooden spoon over my pot which seems to help prevent my pot from boiling over!! Once tender, drain (you can save potato water for the gravy if you like), and add potatoes back to pot. Mash. Add 2 tbsp butter and 1/4 cup milk. Mash well or whip with electric beaters. I whip my potatoes, adding more milk if needed to make a creamy mashed potato, with my potato masher.
I made a cauliflower “stuffing” as well, which is simply delicious. It may not be pioneer-like, but it really is yummy! To start, I cook diced onion and carrot together. Once the onion is tender, I add riced cauliflower along with salt, pepper and sage. Once the cauliflower is tender, I taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly. If using fresh sage, remove the sage once cauliflower is tender. I then add a sprinkle of cheese on top and cover until meal time. I also am cooking peas among a few other traditional dishes we cook at every holiday (and previously mentioned).
Just over 4-1/2 hours has passed, and the turkey is cooked! The skin is nicely browned, the meat lifts off the bone and is still juicy. The broth has now been turned into stuffing and gravy. If I cooked a frozen turkey, I would cook it longer. If the turkey was around 25lbs, then I would cook it for about 6-1/2 to 7 hours.
For the gravy, I really do it an easy-lazy way! I toss the broth in the saucepan along with some of the onion from the roasting pan. Once bubbly, I add a cornstarch slurry (usually about 1-1/2 tbsp cornstarch in 1/2 cup water) and I pour it in while whisking to keep the cornstarch from clumping. If I have a lot of turkey broth, I might need to add more water/cornstarch to thicken it.
You can also place 4 tbsp butter in a saucepan with 3 tbsp flour, salt and pepper. Cook until flour is slightly browned and then pour turkey broth in slowly while whisking. Add just enough broth to make a thick gravy.
I never measure when I make gravy and I just go by the look of it.
My daughter ‘L’ decided to make good old fashioned lemonade to enjoy with our turkey dinner.
And after about 5 hours of work, we have a delicious Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, stuffing, cabbage rolls, natchinka, lazy holubtsi and cauliflower stuffing along with some delicious lemonade.
And of course, mom’s old fashioned pumpkin pie because no Thanksgiving is complete without a tasty pumpkin pie and freshly made whipped cream!! Find recipe here: https://www.ourcityhomestead.com/moms-old-fashioned-pumpkin-pie/
From Our City Homestead to you and your family, Happy Thanksgiving!
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours