About Thanksgiving Day!

jessie9903

Thanksgiving Day is the most truly American of the national Holidays in the United States and is most closely connected with the earliest history of the country.

In 1620, the settlers, or Pilgrims, they sailed to America on the May flower, seeking a place where they could have freedom of worship. After a tempestuous two-month voyage they landed at in icy November, what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.

During their first winter, over half of the settlers died of starvation or epidemics. Those who survived began sowing in the first spring.

All summer long they waited for the harvests with great anxiety, knowing that their lives and the future existence of the colony depended on the coming harvest. Finally the fields produced a yield rich beyond expectations. And therefore it was decided that a day of thanksgiving to the Lord be fixed.Years later, President of the United States proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day every year. The celebration of Thanksgiving Day has been observed on that date until today.

The pattern of the Thanksgiving celebration has never changed through the years. The big family dinner is planned months ahead. On the dinner table, people will find apples, oranges, chestnuts, walnuts and grapes. There will be plum pudding, mince pie, other varieties of food and cranberry juice and squash. The best and most attractive among them are roast turkey and pumpkin pie. They have been the most traditional and favorite food on Thanksgiving Day throughout the years.

Everyone agrees the dinner must be built around roast turkey stuffed with a bread dressing to absorb the tasty juices as it roasts. But as cooking varies with families and with the regions where one lives, it is not easy to get a consensus on  the precise kind of stuffing for the royal bird.

Thanksgiving today is, in every sense, a national annual holiday on which Americans of all faiths and backgrounds join in to express their thanks for the year' s bounty and reverently ask for continued  blessings.

jessie9903

[fly]Thanksgiving Food[/fly]

The most important part of Thanksgiving is the food! There are three essential parts of the traditional Thanksgiving meal:
Stuffed Turkey, Sweet Potatoes and Pumpkin Pie
Of course, there are lots of things people eat at Thanksgiving, and not everybody eats Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and Pumpkin Pie. But, when Americans think about Thanksgiving, they usually think about these three foods.
So, if you want to experience an American tradition you should learn how to make and enjoy all three of them!
Other common Thanksgiving foods include Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, Biscuits, Wine, Vegetables and Squash.
Here are some easy Thanksgiving recipes:
Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing Recipe
1 x 12 lb Turkey
1 x Chestnut filling recipe (as follows)
1/2 cup Butter
1/4 cup Flour
Salt
Dress and clean turkey and fill with Chestnut Stuffing.
Cream together the butter and flour and rub the legs,
wings, and breast of the turkey with the mixture.
Place in oven (400-F) for 15 minutes. Season with salt.
Reduce the heat to 350-F and finish roasting
for 3-1/2 hours or until tender.
Chestnut Dressing Recipe
Boiling water
1 1/2 lb Chestnuts
1/3 cup Butter Salt and pepper
1 cup Dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup hot Milk
Pour boiling water over chestnuts and let stand 5 minutes;Remove skin with fingers and a knife.
Cook nuts about 1/2 hour in boiling salted water.
Drain, mash and add butter and seasonings.
Pour milk over crumbs and add to nut mixture.
Mix well, then stuff it inside the turkey.
Garlic Mashed Sweet Potatoes
2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Cook unpeeled sweet potatoes, covered, in boiling salted water, 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, saute garlic in 1 tablespoon butter for 2 minutes. When potatoes are fully cooked, drain thoroughly. Peel and dice and return to pan. Add sauteed garlic, remaining butter, sour cream and salt. Mash thoroughly. Fold in cilantro. Transfer to serving bowl and garnish withadditional cilantro if desired.
Baked Carrots Recipe
18 Carrots, small
1/3 cup Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1/3 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/3 cup Boiling water
Scrape or pare carrots and place in baking dish. Cream butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon together; add water and blend well. Pour over carrots, cover and bake in moderate 350F oven 1 1/2 hours.
Really Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe
1 1/3 cup Pumpkin; cooked & pureed
1 1/3 cup Condensed milk
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground
1/2 teaspoon Ginger, ground
1/4 teaspoon Cloves, ground
1 cup Water, hot

Beat all ingredients together. Pour into a 9-inch pastry shell. Bake at 375F for 55 to 65 minutes.