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Family Traditions

Every family has its holiday traditions. It’s part of what makes the season so special.  In my wife’s family, one of their traditions is the dressing that goes along with the turkey on Thanksgiving.  Now some people prefer to cook their dressing inside the cavity of the bird, but at that point, I guess it technically becomes stuffing.

The recipe for this special Thanksgiving side dish has been passed down from generation to generation.  As you can see from the well-worn recipe card below, this dish is officially called ‘Mothers Dressing’.  The mother in the title is technically my wife’s maternal grandmother Marilyn.  This was the dressing she served and passed down to my wife’s mother Nancy many years ago.

This year, the making of Mothers Dressing will be handled by my wife, Susan, and my sister-in-law, Alisan. It’s the one job they never wanted at Thanksgiving. And that’s not because they don’t love this dressing. The making of the dressing was always handled by their mother who we lost unexpectedly back in May.

This year, it looks like Mothers Dressing will take on a whole new meaning for the family. It will be tough giving thanks this year, but at least we still have each other and some wonderful memories.

This one’s for you, Nancy…

 

Mother’s Dressing

12 cups cubed bread (dried)
Melt 1 cup butter in a skillet
Brown 3/4 cup chopped onion and 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
2 teaspoons of salt
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
Add poultry seasoning to taste

To moisten the dressing, add broth or water as needed

Use regular white bread, purchase bread a few days in advance, and leave out to dry

(Makes 3 quarts for a 12 lb turkey)

Happy National Cheesecake Day!

In honor of National Cheesecake Day, I wanted to do something special.  So I decided to share with you the best cheesecake that I have ever had.  It is the recipe passed down to me from my maternal grandmother.  Dorothy passed away in 1972, but this wonderful cheesecake is a beautiful tribute.  I first shared this with friends about a dozen years ago as part of a charity cookbook.  Enjoy!

Grandma Dorothy’s Cheesecake

Crust
12 whole Graham Crackers
1/4 lb butter

Filling
2 large pkg. cream cheese
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
1/2 pt sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 375.  Melt butter in saucepan.  Crush graham crackers in a bowl.  Combine melted butter and graham crackers.  Place mixture (minus 2 tablespoons) into a 9 inch circular spring pan.  In a large mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese, using a fork.  Combine cream cheese with sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Pour mixture into the graham cracker lined pan.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  After removing from the oven, allow to cool for an additional 20 minutes.  Then combine sour cream, sugar, and vanilla for the topping.  Spread topping onto cooled cheesecake, then sprinkle the top with the remaining  2 tablespoons of graham crack mixture.  Bake for an additional 7 minutes at 400.  Place in refrigerator and serve chilled.

Russian Tea

Do you remember a concoction that we used to drink called Russian Tea?  It was made with Tang, and I remember drinking it back in high school and college… so it had to be pretty popular back in the 1970’s and 1980’s.  Well, I tracked down an old recipe and thought I’d have a cup… or two… or three.  Some recipes call for instant lemonade to be added, but the version I used to drink didn’t include lemonade…

1-1/3 cups Tang Orange Flavor Drink Mix
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup instant tea (unsweetened 100% tea)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Mix Tang, sugar, tea and spices in medium bowl. Store in tightly covered jar. For 1 serving, place 1 Tbsp. mix in large cup or mug. Add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir until mix is dissolved.

Note… to make this a wee bit healthier, you could always substitute sugar-free Tang and Splenda for the regular Tang and sugar.

Tang