Thanksgiving in July

Who says Thanksgiving comes in the Fall?

Why not celebrate Thanksgiving in July

- and write about it in August, to boot?

To explain: Our youngest child is home for her first visit in several years - the military gave her a month off and a round trip ticket from Israel. And high on her want list was a "real" Thanksgiving dinner, an American treat that its tough (though not absolutely impossible) to duplicate anywhere else in the world, Israel included.

So ... the menu is Thanksgiving in July. And as a Friday night Shabbat dinner, no less ... and yes, I know that traditionally Thanksgiving is on Thursday. But many years ago we switched to Pizza on Thursday, and Turkey on Friday night, combining the celebration and sanctity of the Sabbath with American tradition -- and as a Jewish U.S. Army combat veteran, I think I'm more than entitled to do that. (Okay, this past Thanksgiving we were invited to friends for Thursday night, so we actually had TWO Thanksgiving dinners. And with the one we just did in July, that makes THREE this year.)

What we had was an almost traditional Thanksgiving menu... with just a few caveats. The first is that Kosher turkey in this part of the country now runs $60-$80, up from $15-$20 for the exact same bird, on sale, just three or four years ago, which is a bit pricey So for this dinner we went with just Turkey breast (bought on sale frozen some months ago) ... actually two of them ... which turned out to be not such a bad choice at all.

But on with the meal:

It being Shabbat Kiddush comes first - for this meal we used a nice Merlot as our kiddush wine.

Next, of course, comes HaMotzi - wonderful home made Challah. I must admit that I didn't make the Challah. That was my wife's doing, with my grandson's happy hands helping (he was in town visiting too!). But at least the recipe was my doing, a classic Challah recipe I modified both to work a bit better given the high altitude at which we live, and to cheat a bit by using a bread machine for the initial steps. But more on that recipe in some future post.

So far, you might complain, there's been no sign of "Thanksgiving," nor is there for our next course - Gefilte Fish, which is definitely not a dish I would imagine that the Pilgrims made. But what the heck, it is Friday night, and maybe the Pilgrims DID eat some kind of fish at their meal. (And I bet it was fresh, not the pre-chopped frozen stuff we made.)

Oh, well. Perhaps some of the Chamutzim we had on the side - Pickles, Olives and Roasted Sweet Red Peppers - were on the "real" Thanksgiving menu.

But wait, now we finally come to our first sign of Thanksgiving - the L'Chaim, made over a drink called a "Turkeyball." For those who have never heard of the Turkeyball - which I suspect is just about everybody - it's a cocktail based on Wild Turkey bourbon. You take an ounce of Wild Turkey, 3/4 of an ounce of Amaretto, and a "splash" of Pineapple juice (1/4ounce to be strict, as much as you'd like is perfectly fine). Shake them all with ice, and then either strain into a little glass, or pour over crushed ice and garnish with a mint leaf or two (fresh from our weed patch out back).

Next - the soup. I'll discuss my classic Chicken Soup recipe some time in the future, but let it be said that the Pilgrims may well have had some type of soup made with fowl. Of course I doubt they had matzoh balls in it, as we did. But hey, it WAS a Shabbat dinner.


Finally ... after a tossed green salad ... the main attraction: Turkey.

The trick is to keep the Turkey breast moist and juicy while cooking it thoroughly. The secret these days is to use an oven roasting bag. Indeed with the bag you can even let the Turkey sit keeping warm for an hour or more without it drying out.

The recipe I used: Rub the Turkey breast with a blend of spices (I used one tablespoon each of garlic powder, poultry seasoning, sage, and thyme) mixed with two tablespoons of Olive Oil (did I mention Extra Virgin?). Put a tablespoon of flour into the cooking bag (they claim this keeps it from exploding), then the Turkey breast. Finally, for obvious reasons holding the bag opening up, pour in a cup of chicken broth (okay, I used powdered mix to make it, shame on me, and kind of dumb to boot considering the fact that I had a big pot of fresh chicken soup simmering right there in the kitchen) to which you have added a quarter cup each of chopped celery, onion and carrots.

Now, tie up the bag, make a few slits in the top, and roast at 325F. It will probably take at least 2-2 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the Turkey breast.

As for the rest of our meal, that was indeed "pure" Thanksgiving.

On the side a cranberry-orange sauce: One bag of cranberries (craftily bought cheaply after the "real" Thanksgiving and frozen for just such a critical time of need such as this), a cup of sugar, and a cup of liquid. The liquid is the juice of an orange, and enough water to make up a cup. Before juicing the orange wash it, zest it, and throw the zest into the cranberry pot. Bring to a boil, cook 10 minutes, and refrigerate overnight. Pure Cranberry delight, far better than your basic sauce, which is made without the orange.

Also on the side: a sweet potato-pineapple casserole with marshmallow fluff. A friend with whom we traditionally share Thanksgiving is the specialist in this dish, so I won't (well, I can't) detail how it was made.


For desert, our friend brought Pumpkin pie. After all, what's a Thanksgiving dinner without Pumpkin Pie?

But, not wanting to be outdone, I finished off with a chocolate pie - using a marvelous non-dairy (Pareve) recipe I found years ago and which has become a family tradition. Next time I make it, I'll reveal the recipe, which is so simple its almost criminal that the pie is so good.

The Kosher Kook's Inkredible Pareve Chocolate Silk Pie

Organic Outrage

It's erev Shabbat and I'm not cooking! We've been invited out by friends for both dinner and lunch!

So there's time for me to comment briefly on an ad brochure that came in the mail from our local supermarket, King Soopers, which is part of the Kroger family of stores. We shop there quite often for a series of reasons, starting with the store being the closest to our house. Added to that, most recently, they opened a nice sized kosher section, although it does have its warts - not an ounce of fresh meat to be found, and outrageously high prices for the frozen. Only one brand of Borscht to choose from (ah, what do American goyim know from Borscht) but a whole aisle of Gefilte Fish that I can't afford to buy any more at current prices. But on the good side, when the store remodeled they put in a new bakery which is kosher, under the local Va'ad, even producing some items that are Pat Yisrael, for those who hold by that chumra (of which I am not one).

Perhaps most laudable, the store employs a significant number of handicapped folks. I'm sure it costs them a bit extra, but I don't mind paying a bit extra for that particular reason. What they're doing is important and indeed demanded by Jewish Law. After all, enabling someone to earn a living is the highest form of charity -Tzedakah.

Anyway, back to the ad - it was a "magazine" entitled "Exploring Your Organic Options," and including, of course, a bunch of coupons for various high-priced organic offerings.

Now don't get me wrong, I agree that in some cases organic choices are better, sometimes much better. But what King Soopers sent is in part outrageous, and in part amusing, and very typical of the health food scams sweeping America.

As is very often the case, the difference between what's organic, whats "healthy" and what's seen as "health food" is carefully blurred. And the pitches for mascara and pet food that include some organic ingredients would be laughable, if it weren't sad that some people may actually spend extra money on those - rather than perhaps donating the extra gelt to help feed less fortunate human beings ... an Organic Outrage, if you ask me.

To continue, the idea of food without pesticides is highly appealing. After all, mankind evolved eating food without pesticides. On the other hand, the issue of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) leaves me a bit cold. After all, evolution is based on genetic modification - that's the way Hashem created the universe to eventually lead to the emergence of man.

And as for fertilizers, no distinction is made between different fertilizers, but even organic food has to be and is fertilized. Otherwise the soil will rather quickly be depleted of its nutrients.

Finally, there is the issue of the recipes in the organic book.

Some of the ingredients are available organic, but not kosher. At least not in these parts. Others I'm not sure where to find them organically, kosher or not.

For instance organic yogurt (our local "organic" yogurt is made with gelatin derived from animals). Although I suppose that such yogurt is made with organic milk from organic cows (ever see a non-organic cow? Made of plastic, metal, nuts and bolts, no doubt.) Okay, okay all you organic fans - I know that if a cow eats feed with pesticide residue, maybe that residue will show up in the milk. But I also know that if you take gelatin made from perhaps a pig, or a cow that was diseased enough not be be kosher, and mix it with milk ... well that's just not the best way to keep kosher (please, I'll delve into all those intricacies some other year, just let it be said that we don't).

And organic canned pumpkin ... I know there is such a thing, but not here with kosher certification that I can find. Organic sweetened coconut flakes? Not likely here in the Rocky Mountains, far from the nearest palm tree.

And how about organic confectioner's sugar. I've never seen that. Or organic "whipped topping." Gee Mr. Sooper, if you're writing an "organic" recipe didn't it occur to you that the whipped topping in the store has ingredients that come right out of a mad chemist's lab? Couldn't you have maybe suggested organic whipped cream? Or isn't that socially correct, since the butterfat content of real cream is high and thus less healthy than a blend of: Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Coconut and Palm Kernel Oils), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sodium Caseinate (from Milk) Natural and Artificial Flavor, Xanthan and Guar Gums, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Monostearate, Beta Carotene (Color). (That's what's in Kool Whip. Wonder if the mysterious secret 'Artificial Flavor' is organic.)

And my favorite in the organic recipes in the booklet ... a half cup of Kentucky Bourbon in the sweet potato crunch (um...there are no organic sweet potatoes at King Soopers either, or weren't this week). Is there an "organic" Kentucky Bourbon?. If so, please send a bottle for me to share at kiddush in shul.

No matter, the recipe calls for two organic eggs, which I can get - at $3.49 a dozen, compared to the 98 cents for regular eggs this week. Gosh, some of this organic stuff costs even more than keeping kosher (though organic milk, I note, is fresher and cheaper that the non-organic and often pre-soured so-called Chalav Yisrael we get in these parts.)

Anyway, time to go ...