Jeanne's Thanksgiving-It's my party and I'll cook if I want to!

Because my birthday is at the very end of November, we have always celebrated it on Thanksgiving. What better time to have friends and family over and have all your favorite dishes!  For me it has also always meant being thankful for my garden: having the good health to work in the sun and the dirt and bringing as much as possible of the harvest to the table.

I’ve never raised my own turkey and I follow the directions on the bird as closely as possible. As far as the rest of the meal, I like to do things my own way. I love looking through cookbooks at Samuels and gathering recipes, but I always seem to change them a bit, just to suit me.

I start making the gravy early in the morning a few days before Thanksgiving. If it sits in the refrigerator for a day or two, the grease can rise to the surface and be skimmed off.  The best results come from roasting necks and wings and any other spare parts at 350°. A dear friend of my mother shared that secret with me. Once they’re golden brown, boil them with a bouillon cube or two and enough water to cover.  After an hour or so, I add celery, carrots, onion, garlic and as many herbs as I can gather from the garden. Parsley, rosemary, thyme, tarragon and at least one bay leaf all get thrown in the pot and boiled for at least two hours, making sure to add water to keep covered. When the turkey broth has cooled, it can be strained and set in the refrigerator to wait for the turkey and its pan drippings on Thanksgiving Day and made into gravy.

The green beans can also be made ahead and reheated, but there is no canned mushroom soup in my recipe.  My father taught me this recipe when I was a child and it is still my favorite.  I’ve been very lucky to always grow my own beans, but frozen will be tasty, too. Briefly boil them, rinse in cool water and set aside. In a skillet melt some butter and sauté lots of garlic. When the garlic is barely golden add some fresh, sliced mushrooms. When the mushrooms are cooked, add fresh parsley, the beans and a pinch of salt and heat until everything is warm.

There must also be sweet potatoes.  I’ve grown them once with no success at all, but fresh ones are plentiful this time of year. They are easy to bake in the oven and this can also be done ahead of time.  When they are cool enough to peel and slice, put them in a buttered pan with sliced apples, of course locally grown, and dot with butter.  If a family member insists, brown sugar and cinnamon may also be added.

Some of my other Thanksgiving favorites have been found in many of the beautiful cookbooks at Samuels Library.

The Sweet Potato Cookbook by Lyniece N. Talmadge

This is a unique collection of more than one hundred tantalizing recipes for dishes to serve at breakfast, lunch, or dinner with chapters on appetizers, beverages, soups, main courses, side dishes, and even desserts.

Seriously Simple Holidays by Diane R. Worthington

This book will show you how to entertain with style and ease by keeping things simple with wonderful, festive recipes and ideas for hosing the perfect holiday gathering.

Too Many Tomatoes, Squash, Beans and Other Good Things by Lois M. Landau

An unusual and classic cookbook with hundreds of savory and delectable recipes that will help every gardener find ample ways to make use of the riches the garden provides.

Gifts from a Country Kitchen by Marion Ham

This is a beautiful collection of over 160 recipes that have been handed down through generations of American home cooks.

Faye Levy’s International Vegetable Cookbook

The author has combed the kitchens of the world to find inspired, mouth-watering – yet still healthful – ways to prepare vegetables.  It is the definitive volume on vegetable cooking by the award-winning author featuring hundreds of wholesome internationally-flavored recipes.

Southern Living Home Cooking Basics

This lavishly illustrated guide to all things culinary offers a colorfully compelling approach for cooks to try the delights of the American southern table.

Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer

This new edition continues the vision of American cooking that began with the first edition of Joy. It is still the book you can turn to for perfect Beef Wellington and Baked Macaroni and Cheese. It's also the book where you can now find Turkey on the Grill, Spicy Peanut Sesame Noodles, and vegetarian meals.

Reading lists - Julia Child

Normally we stick to fiction and narrative non-fiction on this blog, but it's a special occasion! Today would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday. To celebrate, why not read a biography about the great lady? How about cooking something special from one of her groundbreaking cookbooks, such as Mastering the Art of French Cooking? If you're in the mood for a laugh, you may want to read or watch Julie & Julia. Bon appétit!

Biography

Appetite for Life by Noel Riley Fitch

An account of Julia Child's life, from her youth as a California girl, to her years at Smith College and as a volunteer during World War II where she met her husband who introduced her to the art of French cuisine. (Bio Child Julia)

As Always, Julia by Julia Child and Avis DeVoto

Shares the previously unpublished correspondence between the iconic celebrity chef and her unofficial literary agent from 1952 to 1965, offering insight Julia's early experiences as a new bride in Paris, her support of her diplomat husband, and her views on period politics. (641.5092 Rea)

Dearie by Bob Spitz

Draws on the iconic culinary figure's personal diaries and letters to present a one-hundredth birthday commemoration that offers insight into her role in shaping women's views and influencing American approaches to cooking.(Bio Child Julia)

My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

Here is the captivating story of Julia Child's years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found "her true calling." From the moment she and her husband Paul, who worked for the USIS, arrived in the fall of 1948, Julia had an awakening that changed her life. Filled with her husband's beautiful black-and-white photographs as well as family snapshots.(Bio Child Julia)

Cooking

From Julia Child’s Kitchen by Julia Child

One of Child’s first—and most successful—cookbooks. Using a very accessible approach to French cooking from an American point of view, here are recipes and techniques for the beginner as well as the more advanced cook, using easily available ingredients for everything from soups and appetizers to dessert. (641.5 Chi)

In Julia’s Kitchen with Master Chefs by Julia Child

The popular television chef joined forces with twenty-six master cooks from across the country to present a collection of 150 recipes representing a variety of American and ethnic cuisine. (641.5 Ch)

Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child and Jacques Pépin

Two legendary cooks invited readers into their kitchen to learn the basics of good home cooking. Readers will sense the pleasure the two are having cooking together, tasting, exchanging ideas, joshing with each other, and raising a glass to savor the fruits of their labor. They demonstrate that cooking is endlessly fascinating and challenging and, while ultimately personal, it is a joy to be shared. (641.5944 Chi)

Julia Child & Company by Julia Child

Julia Child's inimitable ways of coping with common kitchen dilemmas are shared along with menus and recipes that range from a vegetarian caper and lobster soufflé to a country dinner of leek and rabbit pie. (641.5 Ch)

Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom by Julia Child

Julia Child gave extensive answers to countless common kitchen questions over the course of her career. Over the years she also developed some new approaches to old problems, using time-saving equipment and more readily available products. Find decades’ worth of answers compiled here. (641.5 Chi)

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

“Anyone can cook in the French manner anywhere,” wrote Mesdames Beck, Bertholle, and Child, “with the right instruction.” And here is the book that, for more than 50 years, has been teaching Americans how. (641.5944 Chi)

The Way to Cook by Julia Child

Child blended classic techniques with free-style American cooking and with added emphasis on lightness, freshness, and simpler preparations. To help readers who lack the most basic knowledge, she organized the book by techniques rather than by ingredients. (641.5 Ch)

Julie & Julia

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

The blogger recounts how she escaped the doldrums of an unpromising career by mastering every recipe in Julia Child's 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a year-long endeavor that transformed her life. (641.5 Pow)

Julie & Julia

In the 2009 movie based on the book, Meryl Streep plays Julia Child and Amy Adams plays Julie Powell. The movie also draws inspiration from Child’s My Life in France. (DVD F Jul)