Why do we eat so much mush on Thanksgiving?

[NYCgrrl]

We did ham. It was 9.68 lbs. Yet they say minus almost half the weight for the bone with turkey or ham. The 4 of us ate 2-3 slivers of ham. Did traditional sides, I even downsized those from the year before and still have so much leftover. I literally have probably 5lbs of ham and almost 4lbs of sides that are leftover.

I think we have all oversized at some point in time. Errr and sometimes we undersize.You probably only needed a 1.5 lb boneless ham for the 4 of you maybe 2 lbs to have leftovers; if bone in 2 lbs would have been fine or 2.25 lbs with leftovers.

So now it's time to figure out what to do with those leftovers. Slice the meat off the bone in large pieces and off to the freezer they go. Leave some meat on the bone and make a nice pot of beans..whatever kind you like! lentil or split pea soup is the norm on my end but that doesn't mean one couldn't use the bone in black or white Northern beans instead. Make a quiche for dinner some night with your fav veggie added, I'm partial to broccoli or asparagus but there is a big veggie world out there. Serve ham steaks as a quick meal. Make a ham pie and include some of the sides as a pie base a la shepherd's pie. Reheat some ham slices with a cider vinegar sauce and serve with your fav cheeses, a pear, maybe some slices of a Granny Smith apple, a bit of whole seed mustard, bread, a green salad and you will think you are dining @ Wilderness Lodge.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I will have to try that, thanks! Dh would probably enjoy them.

I have been accused of being un-southern due to not eating collards or turnip greens. Lol. May try them again though.

"Don't you worry about a thing, prissy mama" and thank you for that line, Stevie Wonder, LOL.

I used to tell my mother that I grew up in a West Indian ghetto with only Nana who was raised in northern VA to change the narrative.
DM took offense at the term "ghetto" which I further explained originally meant a group of like minded people clustered together: the Amish, well to do on Park Avenue, etc. She wasn't having any of that sooo I stopped telling her about the ghetto and little Caribbean I grew up in and saved the convo for elder sister, LOL.

Back to Nana, the self proclaimed CT Yankee, said with a giggle and Southern drawl by she. She was born in CT but grew up near Richmond, VA. And much like the other part of the family ensured if anyone was visiting "home" they brought back "foreign" food ingredients like White Lily cake flour, dry cured smoked ham and stone-ground cornmeal. Fortunately this only required a Greyhound bus ride as opposed to the barrels regularly shipped from the US to the Caribbeans that took months to arrive. She dinna grow up making collard greens since that wasn't known in her nook of the South. She learned how to make them up North courtesy of various church members and the dish delighted my Bajan grandfather, Papa, who said they reminded him of calaloo, a traditional eastern Caribbean veggie dish.

So my point being you don't have to step foot in Birmingham, Atlanta, or Biloxi , to know how to make good greens.

 

[msjprincess]

APPLE CIDER SANGRIA

1 bottle of Pinot Grigio (standard size)
2 1/2 cups of Fresh Apple Cider
1 cup of Club Soda
1/2 cup of Ginger Brandy
3 Honey Crisp Apples, chopped
3 Pears, Chopped

Mix all ingredients & stir. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Doesn't this just look like Thanksgiving in a glass?

https://www.musely.com/tips/Apple-Cider-Sangria/4721784

I make a similar sangria for Thanksgiving. Instead of Ginger Brandy though I use Caramel Vodka and a little Jack Daniel's Tennessee Fire. I mix the fruit with the vodka and cinnamon whiskey and let it sit overnight. I add the wine club soda half hour or so before serving.

 

[ronandannette]

I'll put 'em on my fancy bone plate.

Sure, sure, that might work for the bones, but WTH are we gonna do with the eyes, Tipsy, the eyes?!?

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Ok is the northeast the only spot that doesn’t do punch? There is sangria, I went to an October fest with an apple cider sangria, maybe a signature cocktail, but no punch (or punch bowl, just a container of some sort with a spout).

I’m in NJ and the only person i know that makes a punch bowl is my grandma and it’s for the kids. I’ve been to tons of parties and get togrthers and never see punch.

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh, I get that; I'm not talking about unhealthy. Sure we all indulge in a lot more calories and junk on a holiday, but food doesn't have to be mushy to be deliciously unhealthy.

Honestly, I look over at others' plates at a typical Thanksgiving meal, and I'm literally looking at a pile of goo. I find it very unappetizing.

Then I guess it's good that you only have to eat what's on your own plate.

I came in here to read this thread and contribute, but I'm only a few pages in and now I'm hungry...so I'm just going to leave. Thanks a lot, gang...

EDIT: Seriously, as I've said in many other threads, I'm pretty health conscious. However, for Thanksgiving Day itself, all bets are off. We're here in WDW and are having dinner in the rental house, ordered from Publix. Dark meat turkey...yep. Maybe even a little skin too. Mashed potatoes...pile 'em on...with gravy please. Stuffing...yes, I'd love some. Green beans? Nah...that's healthy food, I eat that the rest of the year. Rolls. Sure, why not. Dessert...well, if you insist.

Pepto-Bismol on Friday morning? Yes, please.

Now you're talking. Now pass the stuffing. Quit hogging all the good stuff down on your end of the table. You brought the pecan pie, right?

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I’m in NJ and the only person i know that makes a punch bowl is my grandma and it’s for the kids. I’ve been to tons of parties and get togrthers and never see punch.

We have a punch bowl or two for Christmas. I don’t think it’s a NE thing... I think we just like to drink

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Tell us more! What are your favorite combinations?

Yes Amber do share.

We do a delicious champagne/Grand Marnier punch for Christmas.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We have a punch bowl or two for Christmas. I don’t think it’s a NE thing... I think we just like to drink

Lol. So do we but we drink lots of coquito around the holidays. Then there’s vodka, Bacardi and wine. Go hard or go home i guess.

 

[amberpi]

Yes Amber do share.

We do a delicious champagne/Grand Marnier punch for Christmas.

That sounds awesome - percentages? Garnish?

I included a couple earlier in the thread. I will say when I say "punch" - its a generic term for large batches of cocktails. Most folks don't use/make actual punches around here, I've referred to pitchers of martini's as "punch" - maybe it's a weird colloquialism on my part? In summer I do make "summer punch" a couple of different ways and serve it from a punch bowl, which is whiskey with either fresh pomegranite/orange juices or with fresh made lemonade, instead of, for instance sweet and sour mix, or sometimes mixed together or mixed with tea, like a whiskeyed Arnold Palmer.

 

[L&Lfan]

I understand....but I never would have guessed pitchers of cocktails would be referred to as punch. Punch to me is either a spiked or non-spiked fruity concoction that may or may not be mixed with a carbonated beverage. One of the events to which I was invited years ago used to mix Hawaiian punch with Sprite and put a carton of lime sherbet floating on top. That to me defines a punch like drink which I don't run into at all anymore.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I understand....but I never would have guessed pitchers of cocktails would be referred to as punch. Punch to me is either a spiked or non-spiked fruity concoction that may or may not be mixed with a carbonated beverage. One of the events to which I was invited years ago used to mix Hawaiian punch with Sprite and put a carton of lime sherbet floating on top. That to me defines a punch like drink which I don't run into at all anymore.

Yes that's what I think of when people say punch. My grandma does a Hawaiian punch/sprite mix with cut up fruit in it for the kids. I've never seen a spiked punch bowl in my life but I know they do exist. I've just never had the pleasure of having friends or family that make them.

 

[Wendy31]

I'm doing a "Harvest Punch" in my punch bowl for the kids at our Thanksgiving on Friday - apple juice, cranberry juice, & Sprite, and then I'll throw some orange slices in there to make it pretty.

I've done the juice + Sprite or gingerale + sherbert punch for various birthday parties over the years.

And I have an awesome coffee punch that I trot out for breakfast/brunch gatherings.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I've never been a huge fan of the traditional components of the American Thanksgiving meal (except for the turkey -- I LOOVVVEE turkey), and a few years ago I realized why: it's almost all mushy, and unless it's dairy, I don't care for that texture.

Seems like every veggie on the table is prepared "en casserole" Even the cranberries are reduced to jelly. The most traditional pie: smooth pumpkin custard. Mashed potatoes. Bread stuffing. I could go on forever.

How on earth did this meal end up this way? It's as if we were all hosting guests who are unable to chew.

IDK
I do our dressing (not in the turkey, so not stuffing) so that it's not as wet. Veggies are served steamed, and still a bit crunchy, or roasted and still a bit crunchy. Veggie tray and salad are crunchy. Pecan and apple pies are crunchy.

I'm not a big fan of just mushy.

 

[marlynnp]

I understand....but I never would have guessed pitchers of cocktails would be referred to as punch. Punch to me is either a spiked or non-spiked fruity concoction that may or may not be mixed with a carbonated beverage. One of the events to which I was invited years ago used to mix Hawaiian punch with Sprite and put a carton of lime sherbet floating on top. That to me defines a punch like drink which I don't run into at all anymore.

Yes that's what I think of when people say punch. My grandma does a Hawaiian punch/sprite mix with cut up fruit in it for the kids. I've never seen a spiked punch bowl in my life but I know they do exist. I've just never had the pleasure of having friends or family that make them.

I'm in PA and make punch. It's a combo of frozen concentrated juices (including fruit punch) and ginger ale.
Instead of sherbet I usually dump a large bag of frozen strawberries in the bowl - they're like ice cubes.

And I forget who was complaining about the husband eating one slice of pumpkin pie - SPEND MORE than $6 or $7 for a pie, I bet it tastes like horsepucky. Get the man a decent pie for crying out loud.

 

[AnnaS]

Besides the mashed potatoes and stuffing, we will have stuffed mushrooms (not mushy) and boiled and stuffed artichokes (not mushy). But seriously, for every holiday - I say the same thing - why do we make triple/quadruple the amount of food we would normally eat on any given day.........

 

[tasha99]

I can only handle so much mush myself. And our Thanksgiving table has enough mush already because Thursday's menu includes:

honey-brined turkey
gravy
mashed potatoes
stuffing/dressing
cranberry sauce
carrots
apple pie
some sort of gluten-free dessert for 1 of our guests who has celiac disease

Every year, my DH wants pumpkin pie also (more mush). Every year, I get a pumpkin pie and he's the only person to eat a piece. So I plunk down something like $6-$7 for one piece of pie and after a couple of days, I throw the rest out. This year, I'm not even going to bother with pumpkin pie.

Slimy and/or mushy stuff I used to have to eat on Thanksgiving as a kid but I refuse to make:
mashed turnips
mashed butternut squash - my grandmother would whip it up with a hand mixer so it was the consistency of baby food
white pearl onions (this is the slimy part)
green bean casserole w/cream of mushroom soup & french onions on top - BLEH!

Aww . . . get him a pumpkin pie. I think a good one costs more than $6-$7 dollars, though. I make one every year for DS. He's 19 now, but I've been making him his pumpkin pie every year for a decade. The rest of us all find it gross, but he loves it.

As I prep all my mushy Thanksgiving food, I've realized the casserole aspect takes almost all the "last minute" out of a Thanksgiving dinner. It's really an easy dinner to prepare for a crowd. And, if grandma lost her teeth or has a swallowing disorder, she will likely still be able to eat it. Though we normally don't eat casseroles at all, I'm okay with them on Thanksgiving. They're a once a year tradition.

 

[amberpi]

Yes that's what I think of when people say punch. My grandma does a Hawaiian punch/sprite mix with cut up fruit in it for the kids. I've never seen a spiked punch bowl in my life but I know they do exist. I've just never had the pleasure of having friends or family that make them.

I think that "punch" has become a word to describe large batch booziness goodness, because saying "signature cocktail" for folks just coming over for a party/gathering seems like overkill...also, there's lot of speech patterns re-emerging here in Nashville which call back to old country/rural idiomatic speech. "Ya'll" is more prevalent than ever, "reckon" is resurgent, "folks," and generally more colloquial phrases is kinda happening and it's really neat. I pay too much attention to such though. I think we've all read too much Flannery O'Connor or something. So saying "oh, who's making punch?" is a thing; it also kinda works in a 20's way too. I know that sprite and sherbet or whatever exist, that's not my punch With the way my friends drink, I could NEVER keep up with fixing their drinks. This summer I had friends who made "punch pops" - frozen ice pops with booze which were great for porch sitting. I could never mine to get mine to set - apparently I used too much alcohol, they came out more like slushies...lol.

 

[CarolAnn856]

Aww . . . get him a pumpkin pie. I think a good one costs more than $6-$7 dollars, though. I make one every year for DS. He's 19 now, but I've been making him his pumpkin pie every year for a decade. The rest of us all find it gross, but he loves it.

I agree! There are plenty of foods I don't like but someone else in my family does. I'm happy to serve those dishes, especially for a holiday, and even if not much of it gets eaten. Who cares? If it makes someone I love happy, then how can I go wrong serving it? OP, if having the leftovers bothers you so much, you or your husband could take the remaining pie into work. Food never lasts long where I work!

 

[L&Lfan]

We had Paula Deen's pumpkin pecan pie and it was fab. Two of my fave flavors in one.