'Twas the day before Thanksgiving ... family traditions

'Twas the day before Thanksgiving and all through the house
Lots of goodies were cooking (but not the mouse). 
The pies were all set on the counter to cool
While Ma in her apron was a holiday-cooking fool.

My sad attempt at putting a poetic spin on the holiday as I swirl around the house on Thanksgiving Eve ... LOL. Like many, I'm in the kitchen today prepping for tomorrow's big meal with family. My sister and I traditionally take on the cooking and baking, something we both enjoy, as we incorporate old favorites along with the occasional new dish.

We broke tradition last year when we roasted a chicken, a tradition that will continue this year. She's cooking the bird and adding her dishes. As for me, I make passed-down family favorites from aunts who are no longer with us: macaroni and cheese and chocolate pies. I've added to that Virginia Bread Pudding with caramel sauce, Thalhimer's Richmond Room Spoonbread, very veggie garden salad and dressing, steamed broccoli crowns, and "skinny" mashed potatoes (made with fat free chicken broth instead of butter and milk -- they're yummy).

Can you tell I like staying in touch with family and Southern traditions? Thalhimer's Richmond Room was a popular gathering place in its day when Thalhimer's and Miller & Rhoads were destination department stores in downtown Richmond. Virginia Bread Pudding is a nod to my husband's childhood when his mother used old bread to make dessert for her small brood so it's one part emotional memories for him and one part delicious dessert.

My Aunt Ola on my mother's side made the best baked mac and cheese so I began to use her recipe after going out on my own. It's a lot of cheese and many memories, a reminder of fun family dinners at her house when there were so many of us that we barely fit, and we had a children's table in the kitchen and a grown-up table in the dining room. I think I was in my 30s before ever graduating from the children's table which, sadly, meant the grown-ups were growing older and leaving us. There's many happy memories of those years at the children's table especially once I had my own children so we were sitting in there together.

The chocolate pies were always anticipated at holidays from my Aunt Ruth on my mother's side. These aren't pudding-from-a-box pies. These are -- pardon my cursing -- "stir-your-damn-arm-off" (as it was deemed by my sisters and me because it took forever to thicken and you couldn't leave it unattended or it would stick to the bottom and burn) real chocolate filling that was poured into a homemade crust. I fudge on the crust -- I don't like making it and really don't want to spend the time after being at the stove so long stirring -- and this year I made phyllo pastry crust for something new and a little -- emphasis on "little" -- healthier. It is a meringue-topped decadent chocolate fantasy so after Aunt Ruth passed away 16 years ago, I carried on the chocolate pie tradition.

That's what holidays are -- traditions carried on by families from generation to generation. My aunts were fantastic cooks from a large family and my sisters and I learned their tricks of the trade. One slice of pie or a serving of macaroni and cheese unlocks special memories, and tomorrow that will be going on all over America.

The food is delicious, the baking is fun, but the best part of Thanksgiving is being with family. Though my father passed away years ago leaving daughters who were 13, 20, and 22 at the time, another dad came into our lives when he married our mother, and so we are grateful to celebrate with the two of them who are now at the youthful ages of 86 and 87.

And to the military members who are stationed around the world and away from their families, a special thanks and prayers for them and their loved ones. We can never repay their dedication and service to our country which allows us the freedom to celebrate Thanksgiving in a peaceful land.

As I head back to the kitchen to finish food prep, here's wishing a Happy Thanksgiving with gratitude for our friends ... and to those who are traveling for the holiday, be safe out there.

Fall Cooking: What to do with a butternut squash?

My sisters and I love to cook so when my Richmond sister married a guy from Colorado who also loved to cook, he fit right in. Jon regularly adds dishes to family get-togethers, or grills some delicious outdoor fare, or whips up new recipes.

This morning he sent a recipe for cooking butternut squash in a humorous email that made me laugh as I read it -- I've never cooked butternut squash -- so asked if I could share it on my blog complete with his commentary. With his permission, here it is for those who like recipes (especially all those homeschool moms out there).

Jon's Fall Butternut Squash
by Jon Phillips

Jon says, "What happens when you decide to buy a butternut squash for no particular reason? Use this for a fall-ish dinner side dish instead of potatoes!"  

You’ll need: 1 butternut squash, olive oil, pumpkin pie spice,* salt and pepper

Preparation: First off, getting the skin off of the beast is like whittling the bark off of a log. Thankfully, the bark is not too thick. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the rind. Cut the ends off of the squash, then cut in half both directions. Remove the seeds and the softish stuff around the seeds, then chop into 1” squares.

Place the chopped-up squash into a 9x11 baking pan with a little sprinkling of salt and cover tightly. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

Heat some olive oil in a skillet and add the baked squash in a single layer. Unless you have a giant skillet, you will have leftover baked squash chunks. No worries, we can deal with those in the morning.

After you have the squash sizzling in the olive oil, sprinkle some pumpkin pie spice* on the squash and some salt and pepper (a little cayenne would probably be a good addition). Don’t be too heavy-handed with the pumpkin pie spice ... we are not trying to make a pie here. Cook the chunks until browned and slightly crispy on all sides.

Serve with roasted chicken or pork chops or whatever. (This was perfect with leftover roasted chicken from the store.)

Jon adds, "Now for the leftover Squash chunks...."

Jon's Butternut Squash Breakfast Hash Browns
Don’t be scared, this is really good!

Stuff to have: 1 butternut squash, tart green apple, 1 fresh green chile, onion, bacon, salt, pepper and pumpkin pie spice.

Preparation: Cook some bacon until crispy.

While the bacon is cooking; dice up some of the squash (1/4” - 3/8” cubes). Dice some onion and one green chile. The ratio should be about 2-to-1 squash to onion. Also dice up a half of a green tart apple. Drain the bacon on paper towel and drain off most of the grease.

In the same pan you used for the bacon, saute the onion and chile until soft. Add the diced squash and apple. Add salt and pepper, cook until brown and crispy (it should look like hash browns).

Add in 2 slices of crumbled bacon. Serve with eggs. WOW!

*Homemade pumpkin pie spice:
Much better than premixed and you probably already have everything. 4 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, 3 teaspoons ground nutmeg, 3 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons allspice, 2 teaspoons ground clove. Mix together in an airtight container and store with other spices.

"Two Gourds Up" review from my sister: "The crazy breakfast 'hash' was delish! I was totally leery when he told me about it. It was better than the squash last night (which was good) . I give it 'two gourds up.' "

Southern Living: '101 crisp and juicy apple recipes'

Pies, cakes, dumplings, salad dressings, crisps, cobblers, cheesecake, muffins, tarts, bread,  applesauce, and candied apples ... they're all among Southern Living's "101 Crisp and Juicy Apple Recipes." It's September -- apple season -- a great time to try new recipes.

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
Nichols Apple Barn
Middletown, Va