TURKEY THOUGHTS - JUST FOR FUN!

From a turkey…

Ahem.

Today, just a few days from Thanksgiving, I thought it might be fun to write about the various *traditional* things that we eat on that special day.

Let the frivolity commence!


1)  Turkey –

Wild turkeys have very powerful legs and can run at speeds up to 25 miles per hour.  Their top speed in flight is 55 miles per hour.  (I don’t want to mention the other guys who don't get away…)  Also, evidently they eventually get their revenge in the speed department – for, after eating turkey, we are usually rendered semi-conscious in a tryptophan stupor and can NOT move off the couch.  0 mph.


2)  Mashed potatoes –

Did you know that potato plants are usually pollinated by insects such as bumblebees?  Me neither.

OK, this is a bit long, but I found this information from Wikipedia fascinating:

Antoine-Augustin Parmentier is remembered as a vocal promoter of the potato as a food source for humans in France and throughout Europe.  Thanks largely to his efforts, the Paris Faculty of Medicine declared potatoes edible in 1772. Still, resistance continued, and Parmentier therefore began a series of publicity stunts for which he remains notable today, often hosting dinners at which potato dishes featured prominently.  It is said that he ran a competition for various recipes using the potato. He then went on to win it apparently (cheeky fellow!) with his recipe for mashed potato.

Another tidbit: What song do these lyrics come from?  "I can mash-potato…And I can do the twist…"

Potato nicknames include: tater, spud, tuber.

(Answer: "Do You Love Me?" by The Contours)


3)  Yam or Sweet Potato –

What's the difference?  Found these interesting facts:  Although yams and sweet potatoes are both angiosperms (flowering plants), they are not related botanically.  Yams are closely related to lilies and grasses.  Sweet potatoes are members of the morning glory family.  And, unless you specifically search for yams, which are usually found in an international market, you are probably eating sweet potatoes!  Which might not really matter to you, but the "I Yam What I Yam Society" is up in arms over the confusion.  (Popeye is the unofficial spokesperson…)


4)  Green Bean Casserole –

This seems to be a favorite at many Thanksgiving tables.  My family loves it – except "The Hub."  He is what I like to call "texturally challenged" – and anything that has soup involved is on his DO NOT EAT LIST.  He will not come near soup, even struggles with holding a ladle.  He'll do it, in an emergency, but only at arm's length.  As for the rest of the family – an extra can of French-fried onions is usually bought, just for random munching.


5)  Jello –

A lot of people also have some sort of Jello salad at Thanksgiving.  However, this is also another of "The Hub's" DO NOT EAT foods.  He says it looks slimy and reminds him of the hospital.  I've always liked Jello, except my love for it has been compromised by recent pre-procedure prep diets.

Also, did you know that Jello should be more accurately termed gelatin?  Jello is in fact a brand name.  Other brand names that have come to mean the thing they represent:  Bandaid, Kleenex, Xerox, Jeep, Boogie Board, Levis, Frisbee, Jacuzzi, Q-Tip, Styrofoam, and Vaseline – just to name a few.  Bonus points if you can think of others.  And a huge Extra Credit if you know the *grammar* name for these.

(Answer: Eponyms)


6)  Corn –

A fun corn fact?  Did you know corn has an incredibly long shelf life? Archeologists have been able to pop 1,000-year-old popcorn!  Orville Redenbacher, watch out!  Cleopatra might give you some competition in the crunchy corn snack department.  Sometimes my family also includes corn along with the Green Bean Casserole.  It's a nice alternative for "The Hub." However, creamed corn must NEVER come near – either for him OR for me. Major yuck.


7)  Stuffing/dressing –

A favorite!!  I have been known to make an entire meal out of leftover stuffing.  Cold, reheated, I'm not particular.  I've even resorted to Stove-Top. It's all good.  Have you ever tried putting stuffing in between two slices of bread?  A stuffing sandwich?  I have – delish!  However, if you eat too much you just might end up feeling...wait for it...STUFFED.  (I hear a collective groan out there.  C'mon people, puns are good for you).


8)  Gravy –

Again, gravy is not on "The Hub's" plate.  But, I have been known to put *boatloads* on mine.  (Get the pun – gravy boat-loads?)  A fun personal family fact.  One year my mom just got sick and tired of slaving over gravy made from scratch – only to have my dad complain about the lumps.  So, one year she swore me to secrecy, and got the gravy in bottles.  (The bottled evidence was quickly bussed directly into the trash cans outside).  She poured the bottled gravy into the saucepan, added some turkey drippings, and stirred and stirred and stirred.   That year, my dad RAVED about Mom's gravy.  I'll forgive her the deception.  She deserved the accolades after the "joys" of preparing a meal with my dad.  "The turkey's gonna dry out if everything else isn't ready on time!" (Repeat 50 times).  He was a mechanical engineer.  'Nuff said.


9)  Cranberry –

Got these fun facts from the Ocean Spray website: The cranberry gets its name from Dutch and German settlers, who nicknamed it the "crane berry." When cranberry vines bloom in the late spring, the pale flowers resemble the head and bill of a crane.  The cranberry is one of only a handful of major fruits native to North America.  Others include the blueberry and Concord grape. Also, cranberries bounce!  (Oh great, I can see it now – cranberry-bouncing to accompany the roll-tossing that already occurs).


10)  Dinner Rolls –

So yes, we have rolls at our Thanksgiving table.  As if we needed some more carbs.  And yes, one year the rolls did not get passed around the table – they got *passed* – as in quarterback – heaved to the proper receiver.  I am embarrassed to say that this did not happen years ago when my kids and their cousins were young.  Nope, this happened with six teenagers and 20-somethings who knew better.  And one 50-something, I'm embarrassed to say.  Though I did discover that I have a very good arm.  (Call me the Peyton Manning of the bread world).


11)  Pickles and Olives –

No, this is not a traditional addition to the Thanksgiving table, unless you grew up in my personal family.  My boys and I LOVE sweet pickles and black olives to accompany our Thanksgiving meal.  The boys traditionally bring this as their participation in the meal.  Mostly because we eat almost all of them by ourselves.  And yes, adults still love putting olives on the tips of fingers, and wiggling them around before ingesting.  (That would be me!)


12)  Ham –

Some people also have ham at Thanksgiving.  My family does not.  We have ham at Christmas.  And our favorite, hands down, is the honey-baked variety. With the champagne mustard.  But, I'm wondering something.  If potatoes are pollinated by bumblebees, do honey-baked hams come from bee-stung pigs?  Poor piggies – sort of a double whammie if you ask me.


13)  Pumpkin Pie –

A long-standing tradition.  I'm not a big fan of pumpkin pie, though I have grown to like it better recently.  (Do I even need to tell you about "The Hub's" opinion on this?  He has NEVER taken a bite of ANY sort of pie in his ENTIRE life.  Like I said, texturally challenged).  I think I was initially put off by the appearance of pumpkin pie.  It's not a particularly pretty pie.  Neither is mincemeat, rhubarb, or pecan pie.  They all sorta remind me of fruitcake – which I think is icky-looking.  Not good, except for maybe using as a doorstop. (And I sincerely apologize to all of you out there who choose to disagree with me!)

Interesting trivia fact: The pie that made the Guinness Book of World Records weighed a whopping 3,699 pounds after it was baked by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in New Bremen, Ohio in 2010.  The unveiling of the monster pumpkin pie attracted a crowd of thousands. The finished pie spanned 20 feet.  The ingredients used to make it included 1,212 pounds of pumpkins, 109 gallons of evaporated milk, 7 pounds of salt, 233 dozen eggs, 525 pounds of sugar, and 14.5 pounds of cinnamon.  (I shudder at the thought of the winner of the "Biggest Fruitcake Contest").


14)  Other –

And, last but not least, two others from a list I looked up: Turducken – a concoction of a turkey stuffed with duck and chicken.  A proverbial favorite of John Madden – (former NFL football coach).  And, bread pudding – something that also makes "The Hub's" AND my DO NOT EAT LIST.  Even though I am a much-more omnivorous eater than my husband, some things remain texturally-unsound even for me.  Bread pudding is right up there with creamed corn…and Brussels sprouts…and lima beans.  Just sayin'...


So, just some FUN for Thanksgiving.

No message today, other than this…

May we all be conscious of the many, many things we have to be thankful for on this coming Thanksgiving Day.  And may we never forget that all that we have, and all that we are, comes from the Giver of All Blessings – our precious Lord.


The Bread of Life.

Our Provider.

The Source of Grace and Love and Salvation.


The One who nourishes us now, and will feed us forever from His Tree of Life.

On each side of the river grew a tree of life,
bearing twelve crops of fruit,
with a fresh crop each month.
No longer will anything be cursed.
For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there,
and his servants will worship him.
And they will see his face...

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT)

"And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:20, NLT)

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17, ESV)

"I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalm 34:1, NASB)



Two questions today:

What are you most grateful for this year?

Is there something on your Thanksgiving table that I haven't mentioned?
                                         

Linked today with:

Joan at SHARING HIS BEAUTY
Michelle at HEAR IT ON SUNDAY, USE IT ON MONDAY
Hazel at TELL ME A TRUE STORY
Jen at UNITE
Darlene at TITUS 2SDAYS
Laura at PLAYDATES WITH GOD
Rosilind at A LITTLE R & R WEDNESDAYS
Judith at WHOLEHEARTED WEDNESDAYS 
Rachel at WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAYS
Tracy at WINSOME WEDNESDAY
Jacqueline at ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER
Jenifer at WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY
Laura at FAITH FILLED FRIDAY
Mel at ESSENTIAL FRIDAYS
Leslie at FAITHFUL FRIDAY
Charlotte at SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS
Barbie at WEEKEND BREW
Sandy at STILL SATURDAY
Janis at SUNDAY STILLNESS


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