11/20/2005

Diversity

Since my family is quite diverse, it is no surprise that I find myself cooking for a vegetarian or two. This time of year seems to be dominated by "THE TURKEY", so it takes some creative thinking to pull off a meal that is successful for all tastes. With a few minor changes I am able to prepare a feast that can be enjoyed by everyone. First of all I substitute vegetable broth for turkey or chicken stock when preparing the stuffing, and this does not affect the taste in the end, because my stuffing is highly seasoned.

In the kosher section of your supermarket, you will find a gravy mix that has no meat in it, and the turkey gravy mix is a good base for a vegetarian gravy. I am hesitant to give a brand name so I will give you a few clues. It comes in a black box with white lines, and the name of the product is in white on red. "Serv a -----" gravy mix for turkey. To make a more spectacular gravy, I sautee portabello mushroom slices in a little butter until tender, and then add the mushrooms as well as the cooking juices to the prepared gravy mix. A little red wine is also a nice addition. Next I grill some extra firm tofu, seasoned to taste, and serve this in place of the turkey. Then as we all give thanks for all of our blessings, we pass the mashed potatoes, corn custard, green beans with almonds, stuffing, creamed onions, candied yams, biscuits, gravy, turkey, or tofu, and special cranberry sauce. WOW!

Of course there are lots of desserts, but we usually wait a while before we feel we can eat anything more! That gives the cleanup crew {consisting of thosewhot did NOT cook!} time to tackle the dishes, etcetera. Then the choices are many. We always have pumpkin pie {made with molasses}, apple pie, and mince pie served with the lemon sauce I have been making for at least forty five years. We also have apple cake, and homemade cookies. Don't forget the whipped cream! Whew!

Now, I mentioned that we have a "special cranberry sauce" and I will find the recipe and get it to you in time for Thanksgiving, I promise. {If I were more organized this would be easy!} {Notice that I said "IF"} Check back later for the recipe. I'm back!!

Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish Recipe
2 cups raw cranberries
1 small onion
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. horseradish

Grind the cranberries & onion together...Add remaining ingredients and mix. Put in a plastic container and freeze. An hour before serving, move the container from the freezer to the refrigerator compartment to thaw. The relish will be thick, creamy, and shocking pink. Makes 1 1/2 pints!

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