Friday, November 23, 2012

Z's Thanksgiving

First, let me thank everybody who asks "are you going to have pictures of Thanksgiving?" I appreciate it and love posting them. The most delicious thing of the night was the amazing parmesan bread pudding that was really more like a souffle and fabulous! It's in the second picture down to the left of mashed potatoes.. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope you all did, too!  We were 34 people, not including the new baby who was happily announced...making it 35 (in April!)   Here are some pictures from yesterday that my nephew took for me (thanks, J!)  The top picture is the appetizer table...kind of Middle Eastern, with my mother's amazing stuffed grape leaves, salamis, hummus, string cheese, taramasalata, Armenian breads, vegetables, etc... delicious!  Dinner gets more traditional later!
I added the photo of the ubiquitous turkey because our friend/blogger Cube asked in a comment "Where's the turkey!?" before I posted it. I want to, again, thank my aunt and uncle for a great day!


12 comments:

cube said...

It all looks so yummy! Didn't see any turkey. Have you been listening to Paul McCartney? ;-)

Our dinner was traditional with the exception of the stewed green beans dish that I, in my head, associate with Mr. Cube's Lebanese grandmother who always made it as a side dish with stuffed grape leaves and kibbee.

It was all so good that at 4 AM I woke up and made myself a plate of leftovers.

Z said...

OK, if this darn Blogger lets me add anything (the editing is IMPOSSIBLE suddenly!) I'll put the turkey pic on there...the turkey's actually in the middle of that plate my nephew made himself! get ready!

I love that stewed green beans dish..in tomatoes, right? mmm
I do it with ground turkey, onions, green beans and tomato sauce with S&P and garlic powder, some basil and oregano. SO GOOD!

Right Truth said...

Can I come eat with you? Ha. Looks delish

Debbie
Right Truth
http://www.righttruth.typepad.com

Thersites said...

What beautiful and delicious looking arrangements! And what an interesting variety of food! Looks like a GREAT time. :)

elmers brother said...

My mouth is watering

FreeThinke said...

Well, dear Z, I know envy is one of the deadly sins, but darn it! you've made me feel envious. ;-)

What a fabulous variety of gorgeous looking food!

In my family history my mother used to make what she called a "mock soufflé." It was very like the Parmesan Bread Pudding you described too well. (Made me terribly hungry!)

Mother used torn up pieces of stale white bread with the crust rimmed off layered in a backing dish with shredded sharp cheddar cheese dotted with lots of butter. Over this she poured a mixture of half-and-half and beaten eggs with a pinch or two of dried mustard and a dash or two of Worcestershire Sauce. Unfortunately, I can only guess at the proportions.

She let all those ingredients soak together overnight in the refrigerator, then brought it to room temperature the next day for baking.

It was always beautifully browned and puffed up like a dirigible when it first came out of the oven.

I think using parmesan cheese must give it subtle flavor that makes it a more elegant "company" dish.

Unfortunately, we never served mock soufflé this at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

The first time mother prepared it was for a Sunday brunch.

So glad you had such a great Thanksgiving with your large family.

Love and best wishes for a beautiful Christmas,

FreeThinke

FreeThinke said...

Hello again,

I thought his might b helpful to those who have medical problems that make i necessary to cut calories at holiday feasts:


I'm on a no-starch, low-sugar diet right now, so for Thanksgiving I improvised a dessert -- a sort of crustless, toned-down version of my cranberry, apple raisin walnut pie.

Apple Cranberry Walnut Pudding

Slice up several McIntosh or Granny Smith apples, layer them in a Pyrex pie dish with a scattering of raisins, a very few craisins, and a small handful of coarsely chopped walnuts.

Sprinkle all this gently with cinnamon, powdered ginger, and a tiny pinch of powered cloves. Blend all together with a big spoon.

Lightly dust with one level Tbs of light brown sugar.

Dot with butter, covered tightly, then microwave on high for three or four minutes just before serving.

I hate to sound immodest, but it looks great and tastes wonderful.

No exactly calorie-free, but the elimination of starch (crust!) makes it very helpful if you're fighting diabetes.

Might be nice for an alternative Christmas dessert too. In many ways it resembles the flavors of mince pie, plum pudding and even fruitcake if you use your imagination a little.

Just a thought.

~ FT

PS: A spoonful of old-fashioned brandied hard sauce (powered sugar, butter, a tiny pinch of salt, and a dollop of brandy or rum whisked or beaten together into a thick, creamy paste) makes it heavenly, but kinda spoils the health food aspect of it. But what the heck! It's CHRISTMAS, right? ;-)

Z said...

FT, I love how you have such fond memories of your family and your mom's cooking!
I truly do wish you could have partaken at my aunt and uncle's... I know you'd have enjoyed it and they'd enjoy you.
And thanks for the recipe! A kind of crustless apple pie with even more wonderful things inside than most apple pies have!
When I make an apple pie, I soak raisins in bourbon, then drain before throwing them in...that might work with yours, too!?

sounds delicious and SO easy.
Does just 3-4 min in the microwave get the apples cooked through like an apple pie??? That's really a good thing to know ...

FreeThinke said...

Soaking raisins in Bourbon is a touch of genius!

Not exactly dietetic, but probably worth dying for. ;-)

I WILL try it next time.

Thanks for the tip.

~ FT

Anonymous said...
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Fredd said...

Took the family and mother-in-law out to a restaurant this Thanksgiving.

No leftovers, no dishes, great food and a fabulous buffet (I had turkey and DUCK!),

While I like the prep and smell of an oven roasted turkey while watching football like everybody else (except most women and the football thing), this was a nice way to go this time around.

Average American said...

Food looks absolutely delicious! I guess my invite got lost in the mail. heh heh heh