Holiday Amusements/Disasters

[Kathleen]

The thing that I love most about cooking on Thanksgiving is remembering family, including those long gone. It was always the time to revisit family stories. Here is one of my favorites:

My Aunt Neet (Juanita) was a young bride and wanted to make Thanksgiving for the family. She was fairly insistent and so everyone agreed to go to her home. She had everything looking perfect from the table settings to the appetizers. Food even came out on-time!

The turkey was beautiful. Golden with crispy skin. My uncle carved the bird. Again, perfect. Everyone got their favorite part. Prayers were said and time to eat! At the first bite of the turkey, everyone was exchanging glances. The bird tasted off...very off.

My aunt was bewildered. She had followed instructions perfectly: "Scrub bird thoroughly inside and out." She did this in her cleaned dishpan. With hot water and Joy soap! Though she rinsed, the soap lingered. The side-dishes, which the exception of stuffing/dressing, were terrific.

~Kathleen

I always smile when I make the turkey and remember that story.

 

[bakechef]

It's a Thanksgiving tradition for me to have to re-make pie dough. Every year I make my pie dough the night before and chill it to make my life easier the next night. Well every year that pie dough ends up being a tearing, crumbling mess. It doesn't matter that I made it exactly the same way last week and it turned out great, it's that it's thanksgiving.

This year was no exception. I made the second batch and it was perfect. go figure!

 

[Silversage]

Oh my, when I first read this thread, I had two stories. But as I was working on my dinner tonight, I had a new problem. Then I read Bakechef's post and I had to take a deep breath and smile.

Backstory is that I make great pie crust. I probably made my first one more than 50 years ago. I learned from European born grandmother and I still make it her way by hand. By volume, 3 parts flour to 1 part fat, with a bit of salt & sugar. 3-5 tlbs liquid. I use knives or a pastry blender, then fraisage the dough. Chill. Roll.

I have never bought a crust or a mix. I have also never had a disaster. Everyone loves my crust. And it only takes a few minutes.

Tonight I pulled it together and it just didn't feel right. I didn't know what was wrong - but it was wrong. DW said just use it - but I know that she's my biggest critic. So I chilled it and tried to roll it out. I don't know how it can be, but it felt too wet yet cracked like it was too dry. It was totally unmanageable. Tossed it and started over.

Perfect on the second try - just like Bakechef.

50 years. One bad crust. I"ll get over it.

 

[Alix]

It was our first year in our new house. Still sort of newlyweds, with a 6 month old baby, we were anxious to have a real celebratory feast. All the preparations were made and the guests invited. Side dishes were prepped and put in the spare roasting oven and the giant turkey was brined, stuffed and ready to hit the oven. I preheated the oven, opened the door and WHAM!!! The oven door broke off the hinges in my hands! YIKES! Nobody coming out on Christmas day to repair your oven. Hmmm...

Drove that turkey over to mom's to cook over there. Switched from baked desserts to pudding pies and other easy stuff and sent Ken to fetch the birdie about an hour before dinner. WHEW!

 

[Kathleen]

I simply love family stories. I cannot make a pie crust to save my life.

Alix, that is quick-thinking on your part.

 

[bakechef]

Oh my, when I first read this thread, I had two stories. But as I was working on my dinner tonight, I had a new problem. Then I read Bakechef's post and I had to take a deep breath and smile.

Backstory is that I make great pie crust. I probably made my first one more than 50 years ago. I learned from European born grandmother and I still make it her way by hand. By volume, 3 parts flour to 1 part fat, with a bit of salt & sugar. 3-5 tlbs liquid. I use knives or a pastry blender, then fraisage the dough. Chill. Roll.

I have never bought a crust or a mix. I have also never had a disaster. Everyone loves my crust. And it only takes a few minutes.

Tonight I pulled it together and it just didn't feel right. I didn't know what was wrong - but it was wrong. DW said just use it - but I know that she's my biggest critic. So I chilled it and tried to roll it out. I don't know how it can be, but it felt too wet yet cracked like it was too dry. It was totally unmanageable. Tossed it and started over.

Perfect on the second try - just like Bakechef.

50 years. One bad crust. I"ll get over it.

Yes that's exactly what was happening with mine, it didn't seem dry handling it, but crumbled while rolling, I got it so it would roll, but no matter how careful I was, it would crumble.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

My Mother has moved into a Senior Living complex and no longer cooks, but has a full kitchen. DH and I visited for Thanksgiving and I made the side dishes there, the bird has ordered from one of the local restaurants (very good very).
Mom decided that she would help out by plating some the dishes.
She no longer had any serving platters nor bowls, so last week she went to the dollar store and got some of those rigid plastic types.
WELL
I had the oven on low to keep the turkey warm.
Mom put out all of the serving dishes out on the stove top...
oops
We need to go to Sears to buy her new surface elements...
they're covered in melted hard plastic

that's okay Mom, we've all done it one time or another
DH said oh well, just turn the burners on and melt it off,
Umm, NO!
The smoke alone would set off the alarms that are
set to be uber sensitive, Mom would lose her kitchen privileges,
the complex cuts power to the range if that happens...