Off to See the Wizard

One of my family's after-Thanksgiving rituals is watching The Wizard of Oz on TV.  We started this back when my parents owned a black-and-white television; I was in seventh grade before I realized that Oz was supposed to be in color.  Even in black-and-white, though, the Wicked Witch of the West and her flying monkeys scared the crap out of me.

By now familiarity has neutralized the terror, but I love the movie even more than I did at the age of eight.  I don't know just why it has such a hold on me.  I read the book and didn't like it nearly as well, although the part where the ants (not a snowstorm) rescue Dorothy and her friends from the poisoned poppy field was pretty cool.  I guess I love the part-deco, part cartoon sets and costumes, the slightly hammy acting, and all the accumulated lore surrounding the film.  Did you know that the studio originally wanted Buddy Ebsen to play the Scarecrow?  He wanted to be the Tin Man instead, but had to bow out entirely when he was hospitalized for a reaction to the silver makeup.  I also think it's hysterical that the actors had to drink their lunches so they wouldn't mess up their face prostheses.  You can't make this stuff up.

This year was special because Barry and I watched the show on our giant new high-definition television.  All the colors were much brighter;  I always thought the Horse of a Different Color was a washed-out lavender, but this year it was a rich purple, and the greens in Emerald City were almost painfully bright. We also saw the toucan perched in the apple orchard and the crane flapping around next to the Tin Man's house for the first time.  Amazing detail.

Last year I read Wicked by Gregory Maguire.  It was well-written and did a good job of rehabilitating the Wicked Witch's reputation.  What a downer.  The witch I want is Margaret Hamilton, complete with hooked nose, clawlike fingernails and unforgettable laugh.  After all, without her, the trip down the Yellow Brick Road would have been just a walk in the park, and where's the fun in that?

"It's not subtle or restrained. It's not any of the things you like to think apply to your acting. " ~Margaret Hamilton

Have You Seen the Muffin Man?

Today was the day I popped the turkey carcass into the stockpot to make, yes, turkey stock.  (Normally I would do this the day after Thanksgiving, but this cold has really slowed me down.)  I froze most of the stock but kept out enough to make turkey stew for dinner.  I don't have a standard turkey soup recipe - I just throw in whatever's hanging around the refrigerator and the pantry.  I had some leftover fennel from the holiday sausage and fennel stuffing makings, so the stew tonight featured fresh fennel, mixed mushrooms, scallions, and a blend of wild and brown rice.  We rounded out dinner with a tossed salad and some zippy corn muffins.

Spicy Double Corn Muffins

1 cup frozen corn
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons minced canned or bottled jalapeno peppers
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil

Cook the frozen corn according to the instructions on the package (I usually microwave it).  Grease muffin pan.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full (this is a dense batter and the muffins won't rise much).  Bake about 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Serve with honey.

"I believe the world to be a muffin pan, and there certainly are a lot of muffins here." ~Aaron Funk

Throw Miracle Whip from the Train

I think most of us consider the phrase "turkey leftovers" to be more or less synonymous with "turkey sandwich." When I was growing up, our family ate turkey salad sandwiches lubricated with Miracle Whip on spongy white bread. Here's a healthier version that includes just a little light mayo for flavor.

Turkey Salad

1 cup shredded turkey
1/2 cup sliced grapes
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 chopped scallion (green onion)
1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
Black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients.  We eat this on mixed greens as a salad, on 7-grain bread as sandwiches, or in whole-wheat tortillas as wraps.

“In Spain, attempting to obtain a chicken salad sandwich, you wind up with a dish whose name, when you look it up in your Spanish-English dictionary, turns out to mean: Eel with big abscess.” ~Dave Barry

The Morning After

Hosting one of the three holidays when my family gets together has definite benefits.  The occasion usually provides the impetus for a thorough housecleaning and a quick clip for any overgrown shrubbery.  The silverplate flatware I inherited from my grandparents gets its annual polishing.  We hurriedly finish any half-done home improvement or decorating projects.  Best of all, though, are the leftover food and wine when the festivities are done.  My family always cooks for an army, and hearty eaters though we are, we never manage to finish everything.  Barry and I have enough goodies in the refrigerator now to keep us going for about a week.

Our first real meal after a gigantic turkey pigout is often brunch the next day.


Mimosas

Mimosas are a classic brunch drink and the perfect way to use up the last of the Thanksgiving champagne.  The only two ingredients are orange juice and champagne; proportions vary according to the mixer's preference.  I like a half and half mixture - just enough champagne to add a little lightness and fizz to the oj.  Best with fresh-squeezed orange juice or a high-quality commercial juice like Simply Orange.


Scrambled Eggs with Giblets

This dish is an adaptation of a recipe from the long-defunct Apartment Life magazine.  Their version used regular bacon and chicken livers.  I use turkey bacon and giblets to cut the overall fat content.

Vegetable oil spray (like PAM)
2 slices turkey bacon
Turkey giblets (liver, gizzard, heart)
4 eggs
Pepper and salt to taste

Spray a frying pan with the vegetable oil and heat on a medium low burner.  Coarsely chop the bacon and giblets.  Add the bacon to the pan.  If you roasted the giblets with the turkey, temporarily set them to one side; if they are raw, add them to the pan with the bacon and saute until almost fully cooked.  Shove to one side of the pan.  Whisk the eggs together in a bowl and pour into the empty side of the frying pan.  Scramble with a fork; when almost done, fold in the bacon and giblets (this is when you add the giblets if they were already cooked) and season to taste with pepper and salt.

Serve with whole-grain toast.



"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."  ~John Gunther

Cool Pumpkin Pie

When I was a child, all our close relatives who lived in eastern South Dakota gathered together for dinner on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Over the past 10 years, many of them, like me, have migrated to the Phoenix area, where we are once again getting together for three major holidays every year.  My two cousins, my sister and I are now rotating host duties, and this was my year for Thanksgiving.  I made the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and my cousins, my sister, my mother and my aunt brought the rest of the fixings.  Mom did dessert and brought one of my childhood favorites instead of pie.  I think she got the original recipe from the newspaper (the Sioux Falls Argus Leader) about 40 years ago.  This tastes like pumpkin ice cream in a graham cracker crust, and was a refreshing end to dinner on a warm Arizona Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Scrumptious

Filling
1 cup canned pumpkin (or use pumpkin pie filling and omit the spices below)
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Crust (this part of the recipe from Betty Crocker's Cookbook)
1 3/4 cups crushed graham crackers (about 24 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the crust ingredients.  Press into a 10 inch deep dish pie pan or an 8 x 8 square baking pan.  Bake 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.  Mix together the filling ingredients.  Press into the crust and freeze.  Serve plain or with whipped cream.

“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” ~ Jim Davis