There are a lot of moving parts to our holiday feasts. How can we make them more sustainable? We have several suggestions. Please take them as they suit you. Then as has been requested, my holiday recipes, hot off the presses!
First, get back into the fight tomorrow and keep your eyes on *Rump: Editors in chief of 6 major scientific review journals denounce *Rump's environmental "reform" plans. https://phys.org/…
Secondly, let’s not forget that this holiday is a bit more problematic for native Americans and those of American Indian heritage:
The Wampanoag should be honored for their role in the survival of some of the first European settlers, and their contributions noted throughout America’s history. These include perspectives on environmental activism up to the struggle against the Dakota pipeline.
Nevertheless, despite an often tragic history, native Americans often do celebrate Thanksgiving. Likewise, we all have something to be thankful for.
Other things for non-natives to do on T day and beyond: https://www.huffpost.com/…
And if you’re able, to support Indian artists and cultures, perhaps you would like to buy native gifts for your host or hostess: https://www.huffpost.com/…
Next, think about your holiday preparation: How to have a sustainable Thanksgiving applies to other holidays as well, from correct recycling to careful selection of whom to invite or where to go (since travel is carbon-expensive) to cutting down on food waste.
Also, as most of you probably know, plastics recycling isn’t working out so well!
So here are 15 ways to shrink your plastic footprint:
Only 9% of plastics get recycled, and significant reductions will require systemic change – but there are easy tips for individuals to cut back
On the other hand, aluminum and glass aren’t carbon-free or recycling dreams either! What’s the best buy in beverage containers? It depends. If you can find them, buy recycled aluminum cans; second best choice is probably glass. https://earth911.com/…
Saving food and eating leftovers is climate friendly, so it helps to have a plan for leftover foods. Here are some more non-plastic “eco-friendly” ways to save leftovers.
Foil is not the answer, https://curiosity.com/...
Unless you wash and reuse it and/or buy recycled, https://science.howstuffworks.com/…
Even washing reusables needs to be done efficiently to not waste too much water! https://www.inputfortwayne.com/...
Choice of Turkey
Note that meat is generally more carbon expensive than poultry, which is generally more carbon expensive than plant-based foods.
If you’re going to have turkey, look for a local sustainable humane farm. We are close enough to be able to buy a Plainville Farms turkey, but they don’t deliver everywhere! So be sure to check your area. Also, buy a turkey based on your needs — the bigger the bird, the longer it has to cook, and if you end up throwing some out, you’ve wasted that energy!
Follow directions for roasting and basting; ours took about 3 hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, but it varies greatly depending on size.
The carving has begun!
If you want to try vegetarian or vegan substitutes for turkey, just click this link! If you are going to be a vegetarian at someone else’s house, check your no-turkey etiquette!
These tips are a group effort. Many thanks to Angmar, Mokurai, strawbale, Portlaw, and Besame for links and discussion!
Now, to the Dinner!
menu:
Turkey
Bourbon gravy
Hawaiian rolls (sweet rolls, bought from local bakery)
Cranberry-orange relish
Broccoli-cauliflower casserole
Peach cheesecake
(We decided against dressing, since we have it a lot, had another starch, and wanted to keep the leftovers manageable!)
bourbon turkey gravy
Ingredients
Turkey giblets that came from whole turkey, except not the liver
Drippings from roasted turkey
Chicken or vegetable broth if needed
Cornstarch for thickening
1/2 cup+ bourbon
Start this about 2 hours before turkey is scheduled to be done. Place giblets in medium saucepan. Add cold water just to cover. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Cover pan and reduce heat to low. Simmer until giblets are tender, about 1-2 hours. Remove from heat and pour through colander, reserving liquid. Chop giblets quite small, or mix with liquids in blender when cool. When the turkey is done, remove turkey to cutting board. Add liquid and giblets to pan drippings. Add a bit of cornstarch to thicken. Add bourbon for flavor. Heat to boiling, stir, adjust liquids as desired. May also add salt, pepper, and herbs such as sage, but we like it plain (and we had plenty without added broth). Boil longer if want to lower alcohol content.
Ready to serve!
fresh cranberry-orange relish
Recommend making this ahead; it is one less thing to think about on the holiday and will keep for days, may even get better with time!
Ingredients
1 package cranberries (they should be bright red and not mushy)
1 large seedless navel orange (pick the sweetest-smelling you can find)
1 cup Triple Sec or Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur (optional)
Sugar to taste (white, turbinado, or brown)
Cranberry juice or orange juice as desired
1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Save a few berries or bits of orange peel for garnish, if desired
To boil off alcohol (optional): Place liqueur in saucepan. Place over medium-high heat. Bring to a rolling boil. Boil until reduced by about half (took me about 20 minutes).
(I was originally going to leave the alcohol in for the adults, but the kids invited themselves this week, so I boiled off the alcohol — the Triple Sec still added a great flavor note!)
Meanwhile: Empty cranberries into colander. Rinse thoroughly under cold water. Sort. Remove any stems.
Let alcohol cool. Meanwhile: Wash orange thoroughly. Cut orange open, remove the white fibers from center, check for and remove any seeds. Cut off stem. Cut up remainder into pieces.
Ready to blend!
Add all to blender or food processor: Begin with liqueur, then cranberries, finally oranges on top (I figured the oranges would be the toughest to blend; they were! But having liquid on the bottom seems to help the blender do its business). Blend slowly from low speed to high speed. Turn off. Stir. Taste test. Add about half of planned sugar. If you want it more liquidy or it’s not blending well, add a splash or two of cranberry juice. Blend again. Turn off. Stir. Taste test. Add more sugar as needed, cinnamon if desired. Blend a final time. Check with spoon that it seems uniform. Done blending when it’s well mixed.
Ready to save!
(The recipe I started with suggested 1.5 cups of white sugar! I always use turbinado, but it’s less sweet. Still, the first taste test showed me that it was already pretty sweet, so I just added about 1/4 cup. After the second taste test, I added another ~1/4 cup plus about 1/4 tsp cinnamon. After the final blend, it seemed perfect! It didn’t need additional juice, just stirring with a spoon to gradually move the oranges toward the bottom.Your taste buds may vary; it also depends on how sweet and/or juicy your fruit happens to be, and the power of your food processor or blender.)
Pour into storage container. Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
To serve: Stir, taste test one last time, and adjust as needed. Ladle into individual dishes. Garnish with berries or orange peel if desired. Or pour into serving bowl and place on table for everyone to help themselves!
broccoli-cauliflower-cheese casserole
This can be made with broccoli and/or cauliflower. We like both. This can also be made ahead up until it’s ready to be baked in the oven.
Ingredients
One large package broccoli and/or cauliflower, fresh or frozen
One onion, chopped
One can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can mayonnaise
1/2 soup can plain yogurt
12-16 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Potato chips
In large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add broccoli and/or cauliflower. Cook over high heat until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain.
In medium frying pan, saute onion until golden brown.
In large saucepan, mix together cream of mushroom soup, mayo and yogurt. Stir and heat over medium heat until begins to boil, about 3 minutes. Taste test, adjust mayo and yogurt as needed. Add 1/2 of Cheddar cheese. Stir constantly until it melts. Adjust for desired cheesiness of sauce (I used about 2/3 of package in the sauce). Add vegetables and stir.
Sauce with cheese, before adding veggies
Lightly butter large casserole dish. Turn vegetables and cheese into dish. Smooth surface. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover with remaining cheese.
Mom has this neat little brush that allows for spreading a little butter all around. Highly recommended!
Veggies in casserole and paprikaed
Carefully crush potato chips between layers of wax paper using rolling pin. Cover top of casserole with crushed potato chips. Spritz lightly with butter. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to bake.
Ready to cover and store!
When the turkey is within 45 minutes of coming out of the oven, add the broccoli-cauliflower casserole to the oven. Bake covered at 350 for 45 minutes. When the turkey is removed, uncover the casserole and increase heat to 400. Bake for 15 more minutes while slicing turkey and finishing gravy. Remove from oven and serve!
Fresh out of the oven and ready to serve!
Peach (caramel) no-bake cheesecake
I commented about this on several food blogs. Unfortunately, this idea did not work! The caramel made a HUGE mess!
A cautionary tale!
Suggest plain peach cheesecake using my no-bake recipe, substituting peach yogurt for the raspberry, graham cracker crust for the Oreo, and peach schnapps for the raspberry liqueur! Top with diced peaches, fresh or canned in 100% juice.
We couldn’t find fresh peaches, but these make a nice light topping!
What To Do With The Leftovers
Check with homeless shelters, see if they’ll let you drop them off.
Take them to an elderly or disabled neighbor who you know doesn’t do much home cooking.
Have a repeat dinner in a few days.
Use them as ingredients in new recipes!
Suggestions:
Use cranberry-orange relish as puree in muffins.
Use turkey and/or dressing and/or gravy in open-faced sandwiches. And/or chop up leftover veggies from veggie tray and add with turkey to make turkey noodle soup.
Add milk and herbs to broccoli-cauliflower-cheese casserole to make broccoli-cauliflower-cheese soup. And/or use casserole as filling in omelets or crepes.
Top cereal with leftover diced peaches.
And finally: If you want to make your climate-denying relatives a little nuts, how about a singalong? (Thank you, Bob Dylan! And officebss!)
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the climes they are a-changin'.
I hope everyone has/had a Very Happy Thanksgiving! The Open Thread is now open! What’s on your minds tonight?
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