No one can cook the Thanksgiving dinner so well as mother does. But no one cooks any dinner so well as she and as a result most of the dinners of the year are prepared by her loving hands. Let us give her a surprise this year the girls will go to mother and tell her that if she is willing they will cook the Thanksgiving dinner. Mother will enjoy the holiday and the girls will find this a happy Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving Feast.

Naturally the first thing we are to decide is what we are to cook. Thanksgiving dinners are very much the same all over the United States so there won t be much difficulty in that. We will select a typical menu and one so simple that any girl can prepare the dinner and anyone can eat of it without the Thanksgiving nightmare that usually follows the more elaborate menu.

THE MENU

I.

Corn Soup Crackers

II.

Roast Turkey

Stuffing  Cranberry Sauce

Mashed Potatoes  Parsnip Fritters

III.

Dressed Celery

Wafers Cheese

IV

Steamed Fruit Pudding

Hard Sauce

Corn Soup:

6 ears sweet corn or enough to make 1 pt pulp

1 pt milk or cream

1 T salt 1/2 tsp white pepper

1 T sugar

1 T flour

1 Tb butter

Take a very sharp knife and shave the outside bit of skin from each row of corn on the cob, with the back of the knife scrape out the pulp leaving the hull on the cob. Break the cobs and put them to boil with enough cold water to cover boil thirty minutes strain. There should be about 1 pt of water after straining. Put this corn water on to boil again and when boiling add the corn pulp. Cook fifteen minutes add salt pepper sugar and the boiling milk. In a separate saucepan melt butter add flour stir to smooth paste and pour on to this the corn pulp and milk from other kettle. Boil five minutes. Corn that is too old for the table is better for this soup and in case it is made in winter canned corn pulp will serve just as well.

Roast Turkey

To Prepare for Stuffing:

After foul has been cleaned thoroughly of feathers and pin feathers singe by holding over a roll of lighted paper to remove all the hairs. With & sharp knife cut the skin at the back of the neck never in front. If foul is to be stuffed remove head and neck close to the body leaving a long piece of skin that is whole in front and cut up the back. Remove windpipe and crop do not tear the skin. Remove the legs by cutting about two inches below leg joint and then break the bone.  At this point with a little care all the thick tendons of the leg may be pulled out from this point one at a time. If once cut across they must remain in and that joint is undesirable when cooked because of the tough tendons. Next dress the foul by removing the entrails from an incision made near the vent. This must be done carefully that the gall bladder which lies just under the liver be not broken. Every thing that can be taken out must be removed. Care must be taken to remove the oil bag just at the tip of the back bone.

Next wash the fowl carefully and quickly inside and outside never allow water to stand on it as some of the juice and flavor is lost thereby wipe thoroughly with a dry clean towel.

To Stuff:

Place in a bowl and put stuffing in at the neck fill out the breast until even. Bring the skin loosely over and drawing the ends of neck skin together sew it over on the back. Then fold the wings over on to the back.  Fill the body with the stuffing but do not crowd or pound it in it must be piled lightly as it always swells a little while cooking and if too full the stuffing will be soggy. Sew the opening with coarse thread.

To Truss:

Draw thighs up closely to body cross legs over tail and tie firmly with twine. Put a long

skewer through thighs another one through the wings holding them close to the body. Bring string from tail tie close to thigh on skewer at right side thence to wing cross the back to the other wing then to opposite thigh and tie firmly round the tail. If you have no skewers the string must be passed round the body at parts mentioned but care must be taken in removing it that the skin is not broken. Fowls are trussed to prevent limbs from spreading from body during cooking

Stuffing for Turkey:

To 1 c soft bread or cracker crumbs add

1-3 c melted butter.

Season with sage thyme salt and pepper.

2 Tb minced onion

1 Tb finely chopped suet,

1/2 egg beaten.

Oysters or chopped celery make a pleasing variety. The onions may be omitted if preferred. Mix the ingredients in order given and lightly stuff the turkey. This stuffing is not soggy nor indigestible and if once tried will prove a delicious and satisfactory accompaniment to the turkey.

To Roast Turkey:

After turkey has been dressed stuffed and trussed put it on a rack in a baking pan rub well with butter dredge with salt pepper and flour. Put in hot oven and when flour is lightly browned reduce the heat add a pint of water to keep from burning. Baste often with butter until nicely browned then with the fat in the pan after every basting dredge with salt and flour. Allow three hours in a moderate oven for an eight pound turkey cook till legs will separate from the body. Remove strings and serve with a garnish of parsley or celery leaves.

Cranberry Sauce:

Put three pints of washed cranberries in a granite stew pan on top put three cups granulated sugar and 3 cup water. After they begin to boil cook them ten minutes closely covered do not stir them. They will jelly when cool and the skins will be soft and tender.

Parsnip Fritters:

Wash and scrub thoroughly but do not peel till after boiling. Place in boiling water and boil till tender. Plunge into cold water and skins will slip off easily. Mash them well season to taste with butter salt and pepper. Flour the hands and shape the mashed parsnips into small flat oval cakes roll them in flour and fry in butter until brown.

Dressed Celery:

Prepare the dressing first as follows

1 c vinegar, not too strong.

3 T sugar,

1/2 each of salt and mustard,

1/2 tsp pepper,

1 c butter,

1 T flour,

1 egg well beaten.

Boil the vinegar sugar salt mustard and pepper together. Rub the butter to a cream add the flour pour the boiling vinegar over this .Cook five minutes. Then pour it over the beaten egg and cook over hot water until thick like custard. Care must be taken not to cook too long after egg is in else it will curdle. Should this happen place the sauce pan in cold water immediately and beat with an egg beater till smooth. Cut the celery after being washed and scraped into very thin slices. Mix with the dressing and serve with a garnish of crisp celery leaves.

Steamed Fruit Pudding

1 pt flour

2 T baking powder

1 T salt

1 cup milk

2 Tb melted butter

2 eggs

1/2 c sugar

1 pt cut fruit or

1 c stoned and cut raisins

Sift the salt and baking powder with the flour add the milk and melted butter. Beat the yolks till creamy and thick add sugar slowly thoroughly beat this mixture into the dough. Add the whites of the eggs beaten stiff.  After cleaning the fruit roll it in flour and add lastly to the dough. Butter a tin pudding mold and pour in the mixture leaving room enough for it to swell in cooking. If you have no special mold use a small tin bucket with a tight fitting lid. Place flat iron on lid. Then put bucket in a pot and pour in boiling water until it comes within one inch of the rim of the bucket keep the water at this height. Steam from two to two and one half hours. Serve with hard sauce.

Hard Sauce

1/4 c butter

1/2 c powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon or vanilla or a little nutmeg.

Rub butter to a cream add sugar slowly then the flavoring. Serve with hot pudding

~The young woman’s journal, Volume 9