Party Throwing Stress Relievers

  Here we are again, smack dab in the middle of another holiday season.  Thanksgiving's less than a week away...does that make your heart palpitate? It does mine. It's time to remind myself to focus on what this is all about, to live in the moment and to have a generous heart.  Breathe.  Whenever I am gearing up for a big party or gathering, I always start to panic a little bit as the event draws nearer.  I start to worry about the cob webs I saw in the living room corner last month and still haven't removed, or the stack of papers and books on the desk in the kitchen, that still need going through, ahhh! I still haven't frosted the cake and darn it why didn't I clean the laundry room last week when I still had some time? Every undone thing starts to loom large,  and I wonder if anyone else in the family gives a crap if it all comes together.  After my usual, mini- breakdown,  I get a hold of myself, remembering that it's all about the spirit of the gathering, the welcome we show our guests and the joy of getting together.  About that time, my family kicks in with their usual help, the last of the messes and piles of junk get jammed into some cupboard or closet, we light the candles and turn on the music and the house miraculously comes together.  
    The same will be true on Thanksgiving day.  It will all come together with our concerted effort. We'll set up the tables, and somehow figure out how to fit 30 people into the screened-in porch (how'd we do it last year?), cram one too many people at the table, send the kids out to collect leaves and branches and possibly even some nuts to decorate the table with ( & more than likely a few dirt clods ), place the name tags, fetch the chairs from every recess, put the food on and we'll gather round the table once again.  One way or another, it will happen.  
    Over the years, and after throwing many a party, I have come up with a couple of steps to help relieve some of the stress and ensure a good outcome.  You still might need to scramble up until the last minute, but with these things done you'll have a good head start and a little peace of mind.


1. Keep the menu simple.  Make things you are comfortable with.  A platter if sliced cheese and crackers or tortilla chips and salsa, go a long way as an appetizer and are an excellent stand by if you are in a time crunch.    Make anything you can, ahead.
2. Have a drink table set up.  If you are using glass stemware (a great way to add some charm to any get together) wash and dry them, removing water spots, and place on a tray or nice tea towel.  If you are using plastic, stack up the cups.  Make sure to have water and some other non-alcoholic beverages to offer your guests and   something for the kids.  
If you have #'s 1 & 2 done, voil'a, it's a party! Everything else is just icing on the cake, so to speak!
3. Tea lights, votives, tapers, fairy lights, cafe lights or any other type of mood lighting set the stage.  Place them early and tell someone else to light them, if possible, on d-day.
4. Make a party play list or pick out some CD's, records, cassettes or whatever you like and have it lined up ready to go. (My kids usually do this for me, another reason I like having lots of kids!)  Music can be more important than food! So pick some good ones.  No pressure.
5. And this is the most important one...Offer a sincere and heartfelt welcome to your guests and relax and enjoy yourself.  It's more important to be pleasant than perfect.

     I hope these tips help you to pull off a low stress, fun-filled get together this holiday season.  (I hope they work for us, too!)




      

Thanksgiving Dinner-The Standouts

Nana's heirloom cornucopia is my prized centerpiece

Potato Squash Soup
(This will be a light meal for about 12 people or a hearty meal for 6.   I will double it for our brood, to serve as Thanksgiving day lunch)


4 cups sliced and cleaned leeks (rinse the sliced leeks in a colander, as they can be very sandy/gritty)
1/2 stick unsalted butter
12 cups chicken stock or broth (3 boxes of TJ's brand if you don't have homemade)
6 cups green and yellow zucchini, chopped
Any other veggies you want to throw in...the kids will never know
1 bag Trader Joe's frozen mashed potatoes
1 cup sour cream
Shredded cheese to sprinkle on top
Salt & Pepper to taste


Melt butter in a large stock pot, being careful not to burn it.  Add leeks and saute until soft and slightly browned.  Pour on chicken stock and add squash and any other veggies you might be throwing in, minus the mashed potatoes.  Cook until veggies are soft, then add the potatoes and sour cream and stir until the potatoes defrost.  Once the potatoes have defrosted,  blend with an immersion wand or puree in blender in batches.  Add salt and pepper to your liking and serve with grated cheese on top.
(You can make this a day or two ahead and reheat it.)

Patsy's Old-fashioned Bread Stuffing
Serves 8-10 people
If I had to pick one dish that epitomizes Thanksgiving dinner,  for me, it would have to be this one.  The smell of onion and celery cooking in butter,  layered with the smell of roasting turkey evoke the spirit of Thanksgivings past.


1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2  cup diced onion
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. ground sage
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2-1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
8 cups bread crumbs
1-2 cups chicken broth

Melt butter in medium saucepan.  Add celery and onion and cook until tender.  About 20-30 minutes. (My mother-in-law, Patsy, always does this part the night before Thanksgiving and leaves it covered on the stove until the next day.)  Stir in seasoning, adjusting to your tastes.  (Dave is always my designated taster to judge whether I've added enough sage or not.)
There are two ways to deal with the bread crumbs.  The first way is the traditional way, which is to save the ends of your loaves of bread over the weeks preceding Thanksgiving,  in a paper bag.  When you put the bread in a paper bag it just dries out, no need to worry about mold.  Stuffing was probably invented by our ancestors as a way to use left over bread.  Waste not, want not, is a good adage to live by.  The other way is to buy a couple of loaves of your favorite bread, lay them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and and cook on the lowest setting for about an hour or until the bread is hard.  Break up the bread into a large bowl and add the celery and onion mixture, stirring well with a wooden spoon.  Slowly pour chicken broth over the bread until it is fairly moist.  Clean and dry the cavity of the turkey and stuff right before you put it in the oven.  When the bird is done....you'll be in for a rich treat.


Katie Houlihan's Wild Rice with Water Chestnuts
Serves 10-12 as a side dish
A nutty compliment to any savory feast.


1 cup wild rice (cook in water according to directions)
2 cups brown basmati rice cooked in chicken stock
4 cups chicken stock to cook brown rice in
2 cups sour cream
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 small can water chestnuts cut up into medium size pieces
1/2 cup pan toasted pine nuts

Mix cooked wild and brown rice in a large bowl.  Stir in sour cream, feta and heavy cream, to coat rice.  Gently stir in water chestnuts and pour into a lightly sprayed 9x13 casserole or pyrex dish.  Bake for 35minutes @ 350 degrees.  Toss pine nuts in a frying pan over a medium heat until lightly browned and throw on top of cooked casserole.  Let sit for at least 15 minute before serving.  Yum!




Marge Archambault's Praline Sweet Potatoes
Serves 10-12 as a side dish
Our homage to the South.


4 large sweet potatoes (peel, quarter and boil in salted water for 15 min. or until fork tender.  Drain and set aside)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3 tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla (to taste)

Melt sugar in heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until light brown.  Immediately add syrup and water blending thoroughly.  Allow to cool slightly then stir in pecans, butter, salt and vanilla.  Place sweet potatoes on a platter, pour sauce over the top and serve.

Day after Turkey Sandwiches...Smith Style
Left over turkey (I like the white meat, my husband likes the dark....it's the classic Jack Sprat story)
White bread (Weber or Wonder, preferably)

Mayo
Dill pickles
Lays classic potato chips
Knudsen Cottage Cheese
S & P

Most of the year we really work at eating healthily, but when it comes to left-over turkey sandwiches, doughy white bread is a must.  Start with 2 slices of white bread topped a slathering of mayo (Best Foods), your choice of white or dark turkey,  sliced dill pickles,  and salt and pepper.  Finish with a big plop of cottage cheese and a heaping handful of potato chips.  (Use the cottage cheese as dip for the chips, a real Smith staple.)  I might be known to put a couple of chips in the sandwich a squish it closed!

Was it the soporific effect of the turkey or was it the carb overdose? Does it matter?

Over the river and through the woods...

Gammy

My brother Danny with Wahine, Queenie and Otis

       ....To Grandmothers house we go.  In a few days my husband, Dave, and daughters, Natalie, Michelle, Gabrielle, Elizabeth, and I will pack up the car and head down south to San Diego, Calif., to spend some much anticipated time with my fabulous extended family! My parents, grandmother, brothers and sisters all  live in the greater San Diego area.  (Except for my dear sister Lisa, who lives with her family in Atlanta, GA.  We miss you most at this time of year, Archambaults!)  I'm proud to say, my kids have 17 first cousins on my side, from 1-21 years, with one more on the way... a real brood! and nothing could please us more than getting together!! Our get togethers are not for the faint of heart.  Chaos and bedlam are at the forefront, with the little kids running in circles, usually chasing 5 or 6 barking dogs, big kids and  virtually all the males sitting around laughing and watching football on TV and of course, the women in the kitchen rattlin' up the pots and pans.  Does that sound unfair? Well, just let me say, nothing could bring us women greater joy! It may sound like we are a bunch of subservient gals, but don't kid yourself...we rule the roost! And we do it from the kitchen. 

Katie H.

     Let's see, who are the players...well, first there's my mom, Carolyn B, of course, and my sister, Bee (Melinda), and Katie H. and Katie Z., (both of my brothers married Katies) and I have to give my little brother, Patrick, honorable mention, because he does add to the mix, ( his wife Katie Z is pretty occupied with their 1 and 2 year olds)..but he's learned to hush up and take orders from me.  hahahaha!  No he hasn't, but he will! Pulling off a sit down Thanksgiving dinner for 30+ people is a real feat to be proud of.    It takes some doing to make so much food and serve it up all at once.  We'll need stamina, years of training and for the best ones, a real and abiding love of family, because, like in the book, Like Water For Chocolate, I think food tastes better when it's made with love and generosity.  It's like we'll be performing an elaborate dance, with everyone doing their own part and working together at the same time.  (I would love to see a time-elapsed, aerial view of our day in the kitchen)  Some people would rather poke needles in their eyes than participate in our self-imposed servitude, but every year, as I help to pull off yet another feast, I feel a huge sense of pride and accomplishment from not only knowing how to do it, but doing it well... it's like a rite of passage.  As I get older, I see the tremendous value of tradition.  Tradition can take many forms, from something as seemingly ordinary as a meal, to a specially thought out occasion, like Thanksgiving dinner,  but what makes those things memorable comes from the repetition and the tried and true nature of what you do.  Let's take breakfast at my mom's house, for instance.  We could have eggs and toast, or we could have Gammy's famous chorizo burritos.   Both meals would do the trick, but when you get to be an insider in a famliy ritual, whether you're the one providing the tradition or partaking in it, you feel special.  'Mmm, Gammy's chorizo burritos... no one can make them like she can.  We feel well loved and Gammy feels needed and appreciated...especially when we're banging our forks and knives on the table for more! I think someone got out a grunt that sounded sort of like 'please', because let's be honest, sometimes things can be too good.  I just gave a new meaning to grunt work. haha! But I digress.

Carrie Seabury and Maddie

Maddie, Michelle, Maizie, Natalie, Carrie, Gabrielle and Emma

"The Brood"

Melinda and I

   Back to preparing Thanksgiving dinner.  Like I was saying a second ago, it's not all about how special each part of the tradition is, it's the sameness of it.  There are always at least 3 birds cooked on Thanksgiving, because turkey sandwiches are almost as anticipated as the actual dinner, but we don't really have a special recipe for the turkey.  Gammy usually brine's at least one of the birds.  We always have 2 homemade stuffing's that we insist on stuffing the bird with.  (so much more moist! The key is to wait to stuff the bird until right before you put it in the oven.  No problem.)  I make the old-fashioned stuffing and Carolyn B (Gammy) makes the apple and sausage version.  Katie H. makes wild rice with water chestnuts, garlic mashed potatoes and gravy enhanced by William and Sonoma's turkey gravy in a jar. ( It gives the gravy richness and a delicious undertone.  No need to reinvent the wheel.)  Patrick and Katie Z. tag-team with the praline sweet potatoes and various appetizers for the day.  I have taken to making Potato Squash soup to see us through the day until dinner time and have found it works really well because it's satisfying without being too heavy.  It's also nice because we can make it ahead and reheat it, 'cause God knows we don't need any more activity going on in the kitchen! Then one of us makes another batch of mashed potatoes (2-10lb. bags  Remember I told you, we're a brood!), a dish of traditional yams and marshmallows, 2 dishes of green bean casserole, oven heated rolls (often slightly burned because someone always forgets about them), cranberry sauce, and a relish of celery, carrots and black olives, to round out the perfect meal.  Last, but certainly not least, Bee brings up the rear with delicate pumpkin, and pecan pies, served with fresh whipped cream and pipping hot coffee.  "There's a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy, as we pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie.  It'll nearly be like a picture print by Currier & Ives. These wonderful things are the things we'll remember all through our lives."( Sleigh Ride by Arthur Fieldler)

LD (Gammpy), Me and Carolyn B (Gammy)

Katie Z. and Madsen

Michelle and Maddie

Lizzie and Daddy (Dave)

Patrick, Natalie and Madsen

Melinda (Bee) and Tony Borgerding

My dear old (97 years) Nana Buckelew

   Wishing you all the joys of a traditional Thanksgiving.

    

...and a little rest for your barking dogs.

Fall's Breeze

Fall's breeze reminds me of home.

The fire 'a cookin', with Mama baking.

With the windows 'a open 

I can hear the leaves rustlin' in the trees.

 Raking the front, and jumping in piles

With my three sisters,

Hand in hand.

Written by Elizabeth (Lizzie) Middlesworth Goss

Age 9

Lizzie at Lane Farms picking the perfect pumpkin

Various brown transferware dishes

"Charlotte" brown transferware

"Charlotte" with special Clarice Cliff Signiture

Notice how all the beautiful baskets are different

A rare Charlotte covered cheese dish in multi-color

My dining room

Harvest Table Recipes

Roasted Pork Loin
-serves 6 healthy eaters
2-3 lb. pork loins, butterflied (ask your butcher to do this for you)
1 stick unsalted butter
8 celery stalks cleaned and diced
1 med. sweet onion diced
1 med apple (I used gala) peeled ans sliced into small pieces
kosher salt
pepper
ground sage
dried thyme
beef bouillon (I use Better Than Bouillon, found in most grocery stores with the other bouillon)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan, being careful not to burn it.  Add celery and onion and cook till soft, then add apple and cook until slightly browned.  Remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper & thyme and 1-11/2 tsp. ground sage.  Set aside.  Lay out pork loins on cutting board and liberally salt and pepper top surface of meat.  Stuff the pork loin with apple mixture lengthwise, roll it up, jellyroll style and tie with cooking string every couple of inches.  Repeat with other roast.  Set roasts on a lightly greased sheet pan. (I recommend using a backing rack, if you have one.) Liberally cover meat with beef bouillon.  About 2 tbsp  for each roast.  Roast @ 425 degrees for 30 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 20 minutes more.  Remove from oven and wrap meat in foil for at least 15 minutes.
Make red wine reduction.

Red Wine Reduction
Remove pork loin from roasting pan, wrap in foil and set aside.  Deglaze pan over a medium heat by pouring 1 cup good red wine, (I used Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon), into pan scraping up all the little bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  I like to transfer the contents into a smaller pan, at this point, cooking constantly to reduce by half.

Meanwhile, slice pork into medallions and place on a serving platter, pouring wine reduction over the meat.  Yum!

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and quartered
1 stick butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
salt and pepper

Cover potatoes with water in a stock pot, adding 1 tsp. salt.  Boil until fork tender.  Drain water.  Cut butter into pieces and add to potatoes.  Using a hand mixer, mix while adding warmed buttermilk.  Whip to desired consistency and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve

Homemade Applesauce
6 assorted apples (I used Gala)
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water
Peel, core and dice apples and place in heavy sauce pan.  Add rest of ingredients and cook and stir until mushy.  Remove cinnamon stick and enjoy.

Arugula Salad compliments of Pam Abkin
4 cups organic arugula (I make it easy by buying it bagged at Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered and toasted almonds
3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Trader Joe's Balsamic Dressing
Toss together and enjoy.

Gather Round The Table

Raiding the china cabinet

     Recently, we gained an hour of sleep as we rolled our clocks back.  I think everyone likes the extra hour in the morning, but many of us complain about the early nightfall/darkness.  As for me, I love the changing seasons and the return to hearth and home that this time change brings.  As it gets darker and colder, earlier and earlier, I am inspired to cook up a savory feast for my family. This is the time of year when a fire in the fireplace reminds me of my youth, and the comfort of the wonderful home my mother made for me and my siblings and even harkens back to a time I can only imagine, when my ancestors cooked dinner over an open flame. This is a nostalgic time of year.  I want to draw my children close and play the music of bygone days, as we settle into our nightly routines, awaiting the satisfaction of a meal made slowly, teasing us with salivating smells.
     This year, the time change came late, after Halloween, so as I put away my ever expanding collection of Halloween paraphernalia , and modify my fall decor with pumpkins and turkeys, versus jack 'o lanterns and graveyards, I feel the desire to set a harvest table.  Collecting is a passion for me and one of my favorite collections is my transferware dishes.  Transferware, also known as Straffordshire, is a type of tableware that was made by tranferring an image from a template onto the pottery pieces, as opposed to hand painting, enabling the maker to reproduce the pattern over and over quickly and inexpensively.  In essence, transferware was the poor woman's china, and another reason it can be rare, as it was used by everyday people who set their own tables and washed their own dishes, and another reason I love it. Harken back, baby, harken back.  Feel the connection.  I love many genres of transferware but my favorite pattern is Charlotte by Clarice Cliff.  I have some pieces in red, brown and multi-color.  Tonight I'll use the brown.  I will set the dining room table for 6, using the "good" silver and stemware.  Don't leave that stuff packed away waiting for posterity, use it! Set a beautiful table and often.  Make a nice table part of your weekly or monthly routine.  Your family will benefit from the gatherings and like John Keats said, "a thing of beauty is a joy forever".  Tradition, my friends, tradition! That's what makes life beautiful and memorable, and anchors us to our past while linking us to the future.  Enough of my rant, back to the table, literally and figuratively.  What shall I serve? Roasted pork loin with caramelized apple and onion stuffing, red wine reduction, buttermilk mashed potatoes, homemade apple sauce and dried cranberry, feta and slivered almond arugula salad with balsamic dressing. (recipes following)  Is your mouth watering? Well you should smell it cooking.  They say we would all be better served to return to the days when our appetites were not immediately gratified.  A time when we awaited a meal, tortured by the tantalizing smell of supper cooking, stomach growling and mouth watering.  Who knew that those uncomfortable feelings were actually helping our digestion, readying our systems for a well-digested meal? Years of adapting shouldn't be so easily discarded...we need to anticipate our food, wait for gratification and try to savor the meal.  Maybe our girths will diminish as our patience grows.

Harvest table

  As my family members draw chairs up to the table, ready to share the end of the day together, I stop to say a prayer of thanks for a blessed and abundant life.  Celebrate home and family and your returns will be many. Bon apetite!

Art work by Natalie Goss

I LIKE FALL

I like Fall

It smells smokey

Chimneys wake early

the sun is poky

Folks go past

In a hustle and bustle

And when I scuff

In the leaves, they rustle

I like Fall

All the hills are hazy

And after a frost

The puddles look glazy,

And nuts rustle down

where nobody's living

and pretty soon

It will be Thanksgiving

-unknown