Do with what you have at Thanksgiving

During a recent conversation with a reader, I was asked about my most memorable Thanksgiving during the early years of my marriage. I thought for a minute and remembered a Thanksgiving with four small ones and them discussing who was going to get the drumsticks. With pennies being tight … I had not planned to have turkey. I had chicken … not the same.

Suddenly I had a light-bulb-turn-on moment … I thawed hamburger, made it into an almost meatloaf-like mixture and shaped it into a bird with four chicken drumsticks. The bird was dressed in bacon and roasted. I served it with little paper flowers and cumquats on the ends of the legs. Everyone had a drumstick and was happy and thankful for such a blessed Thanksgiving.

Remember: It is not what you have that matters but what you do with what you have that counts … I’ll be seeing you around … Agnes

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Here are some Thanks-giving requests:

Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow Meringue Topping

1 1/2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup whipping cream

3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the mashed sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar, whipping cream, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, mace and salt until smooth and evenly blended. Pour the sweet potato mixture into a greased baking dish. Bake the pie in the preheated oven until the center is set (about 45 minutes). Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

Meringue Topping:

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 tablespoon milk

2 egg whites

¼ cup white sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the marshmallows and milk in a pan; cook over low heat, folding mixture gently until marshmallows are half melted. Remove pan from the heat. Continue folding until marshmallows melt completely, and the mixture becomes smooth and fluffy. Place the egg whites in a separate mixing bowl, and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add ¼ cup white sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla and salt. Gently fold the egg whites into the marshmallow mixture, and spread over the top of the potatoes. Return to oven and cook until meringue is light brown, 5 to 10 minutes.

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Broccoli Salad

4 cups small broccoli flowerets

½ cup sliced red onion

1 cup soft raisins

½ cup real mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

Mix all together and refrigerate for a couple of hours. When ready to serve, chop and fry 8 to 10 slices of bacon. Cool bacon and sprinkle on top of salad.

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Lime Jell-O Holiday Salad

1 large package of Lime Jell-O

1 large package cream cheese, room temperature

1 can (medium size) crushed pineapple, drained (reserve juice)

1 small bag of miniature marshmallows

1 large container frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 cups boiling water

Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water and beat in marshmallows until almost melted. Beat in cream cheese until smooth. Stir in reserved (1 cup) pineapple juice and chill until slightly congealed. Fold in pineapple and whipped topping. Pour in a lightly oiled mold or 9 x 13 dish. Refrigerate till serving.

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A dish to share: Bouilla-baisse

(This is delicious!)

1 cup chopped onion

¼ cup minced carrot

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup olive or salad oil

3 pounds fish fillets cut into 3 inch pieces (Use haddock, pike, or sole)

6 lobster tails – cut in half

1 can whole tomatoes (16 ounce size), chopped with a spatula

2 bay leaves, crushed

2 quarts water

1 pound cleaned raw shrimp

1 dozen clams, shucked or 10 ounce can, un-drained

1 can beef broth (10 ½ ounce size)

½ cup chopped pimiento

¼ cup parsley

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon saffron

Dash freshly ground black pepper

In a large kettle, heat oil and stir in onion, carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring until onion is tender. Add fish, lobster, tomatoes, bay leaves and water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except shrimp and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer for 5 minutes or until shrimp is done.

To serve: Remove fish to a heated bowl and strain the broth. Put slices of toasted garlic bread in individual serving bowls and pour the strained broth over bread. Divide fish among the bowls and serve with lemon slices and more garlic bread.

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Real life stories teach you many things in life.

Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother’s hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply said, “I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more often.” (Remember your family this Thanksgiving.)

• Today, when I witnessed a 27-year-old breast cancer patient laughing hysterically at her 2-year-old daughter’s antics, I suddenly realized that I need to stop complaining about my life and start celebrating it again. (Remember, you are not the center of this universe.)

• Today, I was feeling down because the results of a biopsy came back malignant. When I got home, I opened an e-mail that said, “Thinking of you today. If you need me, I’m a phone call away.” It was from a high school friend I hadn’t seen in 10 years. (Remember, someone is always thinking of you.)

– Author unknown

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