Thanksgiving is here and The Rutledges are hosting for the first time! Luckily, my siblings love me and they aren’t too harsh of critics. I’ve also taken the approach “divide and conquer.”
My family loves to get together and just be bums (play
games, watch movies, take naps, laugh at each other and EAT)! This year is no
different, my dad’s parents, dad and siblings will all be in town for the Texas
Tech vs. Baylor game. Loser does dishes.
Mr. Rutledge feels like we should discuss some ground rules for a Trout family holiday. There are a few things that one can always expect when Trouts get together:
- Meals will be skipped. We almost never get up and around in time to have three square meals a day. However, we make sure everyone gets in plenty of calories in two meals. Plus snacks. And desserts.
- There will be naps. We Trouts get really excited to watch a football game, golf tournament or movie. Then we promptly pass out.
- Memaw will offend someone. She is pretty funny, but she doesn’t always mean to be. She is genuinely the most loved person I’ve ever known. Every person who has ever met her has adored her, but she still somehow manages to put her foot in her mouth. I’m certain I inherited this quality of hers, but pray I inherit more of her traits. Here is a picture of Memaw not cooking in the kitchen. Instead, she is dancing with my daddy.
- Papa Jack will tell every single one of his grandkids to “Get somewheres!” Growing up, we thought that “Grumpy Old Men” was based on Papa. He’s cantankerous, but it’s all an act. One of his favorite tricks is to pretend to be annoyed any time someone steps around him or gets between him and the television. Here is a picture of him at our wedding not following his own advice. There are at least a dozen photos like this.
- Mr. Rutledge will come to the rescue. I perpetually bite off more than I can chew and I’m a perfectionist, but he always covers my mistakes and calms my nerves. Since the very first time he met my family, he fit right in and became one of my favorite things about this family. A part.
So this week, I’m sharing some of our family’s favorites.
Let’s be honest, you’re not going to cook anything else this week! I am not
going to tell you how to make a turkey or a ham for a couple of reasons. One:
can’t you just buy a spiral ham that just has to be warmed up? Two: I’ve only
made one turkey in my life. It had great taste, but I did whatever Memaw told
me to do. So, you’re on your own there! And though I’ll admit I’m no turkey
expert, I’ll keep a very watchful eye on Mr. Rutledge while he preps ours.
Dressing: Everyone (pictured above) at my house loves my Nanny Harvey’s dressing. Me? Not so much. Don’t tell them. Please. As for me, I prefer this sweeter option. This is my friend Kayla’s family recipe.
Ingredients:
9x9 inch
cornbread, crumbled
Few pieces
of wheat bread
1 onion
1 apple,
chopped
Poultry
seasoning
Pepper
Cinnamon
Fresh
rosemary
Fresh sage
2
Tablespoons maple syrup
1 can
chicken broth
1 egg
Directions: Crumble, tear bread. Sauté onion and apple in
olive oil until tender. Season to taste with dried, fresh seasonings. Add
veggies, syrup and seasonings to bread mixture. Add broth. Give it a quick
taste. If you like it, go ahead and add egg. You want to be sure you like the
taste before you add in the egg. Pour into greased baking dish (9x13” inches).
Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Then, remove foil and
bake another 30 minutes.
Yummy Sweet Potato Casserole:
Once upon a time, we had candied yams at Thanksgiving. Then, I met Mallory and
she changed my life. She introduced me to this dream recipe! This Trout family
substitute is much less controversial than the dressing sub above.
Ingredients:
4 cups of
sweet potatoes, cubed
½ cup of
white sugar
2 eggs,
beaten
7
tablespoons butter, softened
½ teaspoon
of salt
½ cup of
milk
½ teaspoon
of vanilla extract
½ cup of
packed brown sugar
1/3 cup of
all-purpose flour
½ cup of
chopped pecans
Directions: Preheat oven to 325. In a sauce pan cover sweet
potatoes with water and cook over medium heat until tender; drain. In a mixing
bowl, add potatoes, white sugar, eggs, 4 tablespoons of butter, salt, milk and
vanilla. Mix until smooth. Transfer mixture to a 9x13” baking dish. In a small
mixing bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. Then, cut in the butter until the
mixture is course. Then stir in the pecans. Sprinkle this mixture over the
sweet potato mixture. Bake in a pre-heated oven 30 minutes or until the topping
is lightly browned.
Uncle Rob’s Layered
Peas Salad: My Uncle Rob makes this salad better than anyone I know! It is
fantastic. I pretend he makes it just for me. This recipe is best if you make
it the day before and let it hang out in the fridge overnight.
Layer a 9x13 inch glass dish or trifle in this order: 1 head
of lettuce (chopped or shredded), 1 cup of chopped celery; 1/2 green bell
pepper chopped; 1 bunch of chopped green onions; 4 boiled eggs chopped and 1
package of frozen peas. Follow with dressing (1 pint mayo and 2 tablespoons of
sugar- well-mixed). Top with 1 package of low-fat shredded cheddar cheese and 5
pieces of cooked, crumbled bacon. Cover tightly and refrigerate.
Broccoli cheese
casserole: Now, I don’t know if she reads this blog, but if she does she
should know this is coming… My Great-Aunt Darla is a special lady. My first
memory of her is the time I asked her what made her so great! I couldn’t figure
out why I had all these Aunts and then Great Aunt Darla. Then, one year, she
was in charge of this casserole. She totally botched it up and forgot to add
the rice. No one noticed the folly until half-way through the family dinner.
She still gets grief, but I choose to believe this grief is well-deserved.
Ingredients:
½ cup
chopped celery
½ cup
chopped onion
1 stick of
butter
1 package
frozen broccoli
8 oz cheese
whiz
1 can of
cream of mushroom soup
1 small can
pet milk or regular milk
¾ cup cooked
rice
Shredded
cheddar cheese
Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350. In a large skillet, cook
celery, onions and butter until clear. Add package of frozen broccoli and cook
until tender. Then, add cheese whiz, mushroom soup, pet milk and rice. Mix well
with spoon and transfer to a greased 9x13 inch dish. Top with cheese and bake
until cheese melts.
*I have no idea how long that is because Memaw didn’t say.
Please note, this is the real reason why I did not use Nanny Harvey’s dressing
recipe. The directions are not exact and I have OCD. Also, Memaw has been
assigned to bring the dressing and she will cook it perfectly.
Nanny Harvey’s crust-
This is the best crust for ANYTHING. Quiche, pies or pot pies. Nanny Harvey was
my Great-great-grandmother. She lived to see 5 generations, just like her
mother Pemaw. It was so incredible to grow up with Nanny Harvey. I have so many
priceless memories in the kitchen and on the back porch with her. I never baked
a pie with her, but Memaw shared the recipe with me. My crusts never look
pretty like theirs but not for lack of effort!
Ingredients:
1/3 cup
plus 1 Tablespoon of shortening
1 cup of
all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons
of salt
2 to 3
tablespoons cold water
Directions: Cut shortening into flour and salt until
particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle in water (1 tablespoon at a time)
tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of
bowl. Shape into a ball. Place on floured counter and roll pastry 2 inches
larger than inverted pie plate with a flour-covered pin. Fold pastry into
fourths; unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.
Heat oven to 475. Prick bottom and side of crust thoroughly with fork. Bake
until light brown (8 to 10 minutes).
Memaw’s Cream Pie-
Memaw loves to make pies for any occasion, but especially holidays. She will
make 6 or 7 pies if you don’t want her. Literally, she will make a whole pie
for every person expected at the table. I took a poll from family members and
these were the most popular pies.
Ingredients:
¾ cup sugar
3 egg yolks
½ cup flour
2 cups milk
2
tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon
vanilla
In a saucepan, stir egg yolk into sugar and flour. Add milk.
Cook until thick Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. For
chocolate, add 1/3 cup cocoa to sugar and flour mixture. For coconut, put in 1
cup of coconut. Add to pie crust. Bake at 350 for 12 to 16 minutes until golden
brown.
Good luck and remember to thank God for all your blessings this year!
No comments:
Post a Comment