FLASHBACK 1924

"when i was...a young boy...my father...took me into the city...to see a marching band..."

fun history lesson!! in the 1920's, macy's department store employed, mostly, first~generation immigrants to america. and, as proud americans, they wanted to celebrate the united states day of thanksgiving with a parade. so...in 1924, the first macy's thanksgiving day parade made it's way from 145th street, in harlem, to macy's on 34th street. employees and professional entertainers made up the procession. there were floats. there were animals. there were professional bands. and, of course, santa claus!! in 1927, the first balloon was designed by tony sarg (a marionette maker). that first balloon you ask? felix the cat. in 1929, the cast of balloons had expanded. address labels were sewn into the balloons. at the end of the parade, the balloons were released. anyone finding and returning a balloon was given a gift from macy's. this practice stopped in 1931, after a few close calls with aviators attempting to catch the balloons mid~air! the parade as gone on every thanksgiving since 1924, with the exception of a short suspension from 1942~1944 (during WWII). 
FLASH FORWARD today
the macy's thanksgiving day parade is now a staple in many homes on thanksgiving morning. it's definitely on in my house while i'm cooking and getting ready for the day. every year, new balloons are added, usually pop culture icons. most recently, paul frank's sock monkey and tim burton's balloon boy. this year you can expect to see a 2nd version of hello kitty and elf on the shelf. there will be live music by marching bands from all over the country. and some of your favorite artists will lip~synch holiday songs to get you in the spirit of the holidays. i know what you're thinking...LIP~SYNCH?!! yeah. they lip~synch. but, only because of the technical difficulties of using wireless microphones on a moving float and not because they can't really sing. although, i'm sure that's true in some cases *cough cough carly rae jepson cough cough*.
so, this thanksgiving...while your dressing your turkey and candying your yams...turn the tv to your local nbc channel...and get pumped up for the holiday!!

            

 

                                

 

FLASHBACK 1621

"turkey lurkey doo and turkey lurky dap...i eat the turkey and i take a nap..."
history lesson!!
the pilgrims and wampanoag sit down to a feast of thanksgiving...being thankful for the pilgrims first successful harvest. did they fill up on sweet potato casseroles and pumpkin pie? did they deep fry their turkey? ummmmm...no. just no. though no one is positive what was on the menu, it is thought that they feasted on fish and lobster, rabbit, chicken, squashes, beans, nuts, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and honey.
FLASH FORWARD today
on thanksgiving day, americans will consume approximately 675 MILLION pounds of turkey. along with the turkey, they will have sweet potato casseroles, mashed potatoes and gravy, green been casseroles, corn puddings, broccoli casseroles, dressings, ham, cranberries (both fresh and jellied)...noticing the theme with all the casseroles? crazy...there will also be pies. pumpkin. pecan. mincemeat. rhubarb. apple. so, IF we are supposed to be celebrating the first thanksgiving, why are we NOT eating what the pilgrims ate? thank sarah josepha hale for that. not only did sarah (the author of "mary had a little lamb") campaign for 20 years before she convinced president lincoln to make thanksgiving a national holiday, she also provided recipes for dishes she thought we should eat that day. those dishes (turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie) became staples for the holiday!

need recipes for the big day? well...i can't cook a turkey...but i CAN help you with the 3 most important:

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

ingredients:


4 c sweet potatoes, cubed              1/2 c milk
1/2 c white sugar                           1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten                                1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt                                      1/3 c all~purpose flour
4 tbsp butter, softened                    1/2 c chopped pecans

preheat oven to 325. place potatoes in medium saucepan, with water to cover, and cook on medium to tender. drain and mash. mix together the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla extract. mix until smooth. place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. mix the brown sugar and flour. cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. stir in the pecans. sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture. bake for 30 minutes, or until topping is slightly browned. 

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE


ingredients:

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup (i use the reduced fat type)

3/4 cup milk

1/8 tsp. black pepper

2 (9 oz. each) pkgs. frozen cut green beans, thawed*

1 1/3 cups durkee french fried onions

mix soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2 -qt. baking dish. stir in beans and 2/3 cup french fried onions. bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until hot. stir. top with remaining onions. bake 5 minutes.

PUMPKIN PIE

ingredients:

9" frozen deep dish pie crust

3/4 c sugar

i tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz) libby's pure pumpkin (not pie mix)

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. beat eggs in large bowl. stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. gradually stir in evaporated milk. pour into pie shell. bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. cool on wire rack for 2 hours. serve immediately or refrigerate. top with whipped cream before serving...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

FLASHBACK 1620

"rockin' and a-rollin', splishin' and a-splashin', over the horizon, what can it be?"

history lesson!! we all know the story...the pilgrims were a group of people who felt it was necessary to separate from the church of england. so they jumped on some ships...the most famous being the mayflower...and took off for the "new world". when they landed in provincetown harbor, some of the passengers were all "you're not the boss of me!" and the groups leaders were all "respect my authorty!" and the passengers were all "ain't gonna happen". then, they all realized this wasn't working so, together, they drew up an agreement to stay together in a "civil body politic"...the mayflower compact...sort of an early example of democracy. because they didn't plan this out very well and landed in the late fall, it was hard to find food and build shelter. the wampanoag...you know? people that didn't consider the area "the new world"...taught them about local crops and helped them survive their first winter...so, in 1621, after their first successful harvest...the 53 pilgrims, that didn't starve or succumb to disease, celebrated with a feast of thanksgiving with the wampanoag... 

FLASH FORWARD today
here, in america, we celebrate that "first" thanksgiving with humongous meals...turkey, sweet potato casseroles, corn puddings, and pumpkin pies...parades, football, and prepping for the upcoming christmas holiday. and, even though we don't have to be thankful for great harvests...unless you are, in fact, a farmer...we all have quite a bit to be thankful for. so, this year, while you're carving the turkey and watching the parade, don't forget to be thankful.