Thanksgiving

[Jenise]

Gee, the baked truffle sounds interesting. Might be more gimick than idealic, though. Just bake the potato, saute sliced truffle in butter to marry those flavors over heat, and ladle that over the finished potato.

If I ever mention truffle oil, I'm talking about the real deal.

Dan, it's so hard to figure out how to go on by yourself. The loss of highly valued traditions is very much part of the vacuum; I'm sorry your family hasn't risen to the occasion of picking up where you and Katie left off. After my mother passed away and my father remarried, once I had a home of my own I did Thanksgiving most years--everyone stayed in the area and were available. After Bob and I got transferred to Alaska, that was the end of it. No one else had the wherewithall or stability for entertaining at home.

IIRC the truffle is enveloped by the potato and the potato is placed in the coals of a fire. When the potato has basically blackened and ried out, they pull it out and break it open and reveal the nicely sous vided truffle - or should that be sous tater? Of course miscalculating the cooking time needed could be an expensive mistake.

Couldn't find a reference for the truffle part but see this for cooking the potato.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/101 ... d-potatoes

Over the years, everything was perfected, and it was a wonderful meal. ... Imagine my surprise when I found out we were having tacos on Thanksgiving! .... I kept my mouth shut but gradually, as the grandkids started working, college, things changed, now we all stay home. Gene and I have a small Thanksgiving dinner at home and each family does their own thing.

This makes me sad.

Jeff, no reason to be sad...we had many wonderful years as we have been doing Thanksgiving for 58 years. Wonderful years, but things change, families grow up and get their own busy lives. Grandkids go off to jobs and or college. Two grandkids have moved here because they enjoyed their time with us in Redding. They are from Ohio. So life is good, just different. Frankly, I am tired of massive cooking. Two sons married wonderful, smart ladies, but neither are kitchen orientated, so asking them to bring something for Thanksgiving was a bit overwhelming, I think. Thankfully, I taught the children how to cook before they left home, and they all still cook and do it well.

[Jenise]

"So life is good, just different."

Things change, and we have to accept it. Your acceptance is admirable, and what a bonus getting two grandkids back. Are those recent, pandemic-fueled moves?

[quote=]

Traditional English Christmas pudding is almost unknown in the US. I've only ever had it when celebrating Christmas with ex-patriot British friends. BTW, what coin do you use in Christmas pud in Oz in place of the traditional threepenny bit? For that matter, what replaced the threepenny bit after decimalisation in the UK?

-Paul W.[/quote]

Decimal currency certainly cruelled the coins in the pud. Particularly as the metal was unsuitable.
Variously we used mum’s saved threepenny and sixpenny pieces and “traded” them in, or decimal currency wrapped in greaseproof paper. Faded out as we got older. Found the threepenny pieces still tucked away when Mum died.

"So life is good, just different."

Things change, and we have to accept it. Your acceptance is admirable, and what a bonus getting two grandkids back. Are those recent, pandemic-fueled moves?

Nope, both are from Ohio, grandson, came out 8 years ago at 23 years old, is now working for a contractor, and wants to get his CA contractors license. His sister is 19, a recent high school graduate is living with her brother and got a job within 2 weeks. Wants to become a CA resident, and attend Shasta College.

When they were little, Gene and I would fly them out to CA for a week or two. We picked them up at various airports, did a road trip, saw the sights along the way home. They loved CA as youngsters. One time we took them to Disneyland, they had no interest, wanted to get to Redding and get out into nature. It was so weird, but I must say Disneyland was not appealing to me either...too many people, long lines, very tiring event. Made a stop in San Franciso at a Disneystore and got the same reaction. They just wanted to go fishing or water skiing on grandpa's boat!!

Mint sauce? Gak. Never understood it but I expect Commonwealth members to chime in.

Few times I have had lamb in USA it's come with mint jelly -- very sweet.

Lamb is a fatty meat, needs acidity which is what you get in mint sauce with the lovely taste of mint. During summer when the mint is growing I pick the brightest leaves and finely chop them, steep in a little boiling water and then add a little wine or sherry vinegar.

There's no point in mint jelly - only proximity to mint is that it is green....

Traditional English Christmas pudding is almost unknown in the US. I've only ever had it when celebrating Christmas with ex-patriot British friends. BTW, what coin do you use in Christmas pud in Oz in place of the traditional threepenny bit? For that matter, what replaced the threepenny bit after decimalisation in the UK?

Money in the Christmas cake is a family tradition; my Mum used a sixpence, which was small, thin (unlike the thruppence which was thick) and was once real silver. There was only supposed to be one, thus one lucky slice, but my Mum used two and it magically worked out that both my brother and I each got a slice containing a sixpenny coin.

My mum also made Christmas pudding.

We still make a Christmas cake, but buy a small Christmas pudding.

as to what coin was used after decimalisation, probably saved pre-decimal coins.. we stopped putting a coin in our cake years ago

BTW - I think you mean ex-patriate rather than ex-patriot. One can be both a patriot and an ex-patriate.

We got the coins as well including inside birthday cakes, but my father (who was an MD) frowned on it as a ploy to line the pockets of dentists. I tended to agree with his view on adulterating food with metallic objects.

See https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/chr ... uld%20take,)%20were%20revealed'%20explains%20Annie.

for some history on Xmas puds.

There is also King Cake, served in New Orleans around the time of Epiphany, which has a figurine hidden in it.

[Jenise]

Few times I have had lamb in USA it's come with mint jelly -- very sweet.

Very strange. I've lived here most of my life and have NEVER been served mint jelly. American restaurants don't serve roast lamb (or roast meat of any kind, really, except prime rib) and Americans in general don't like the jelly and don't serve it in private homes. Where in the heck were you eating?

The mint jelly is/was definitely alive here in Canada. Came out whenever lamb did, just like the dreaded tinned cranberry stodge with turkey. Maybe it was a Commonwealth conspiracy against good taste....

BTW - I think you mean ex-patriate rather than ex-patriot. One can be both a patriot and an ex-patriate.

Yes, that is of course what I meant. Fixed; thanks.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

The mint jelly is/was definitely alive here in Canada. Came out whenever lamb did, just like the dreaded tinned cranberry stodge with turkey. Maybe it was a Commonwealth conspiracy against good taste....

It's really dreadful. I experienced it in England, of course, but never on this side of the pond though lamb with mint in other ways, good ways, is not unheard of. A pan gravy with fresh mint added at the end to spoon over lamb chops is wonderful.

Where in the heck were you eating?

It was a very long time ago. Only place I can name that served lamb was Clint Eastwood's Hogs Breath Inn in Carmel CA.

I'd never seen mint jelly before, and only saw it in USA, but in recent times it has appeared in UK supermarkets.

[Jenise]

I'd never seen mint jelly before, and only saw it in USA, but in recent times it has appeared in UK supermarkets.

What? I lived in northern England in '79-80, and lamb was never served without it!

A good reason then to live in the South!

I never encountered mint jelly until the US and, as said earlier, it's only appeared in the supermarkets in the last decade. But that's in the South of the country

I never serve lamb without mint sauce and have been using Cross and Blackwell Mint Sauce for over 50 years. My aunt who was a stellar cook used it too and it is why I learned about it. I also marinated lamb chops in it. One time, Gene saw mint, apple jelly in the store and wanted to try it on the lamb roast. He really liked it but it was too sweet for me. Now I cannot find it in the stores anymore, so the mint sauce is all I use.

I never particularly liked the sort of mint sauce you mention, but I appreciated that some would. It is the jelly I find ridiculous.

Just for fun I looked up the apple and mint and came up with this:

https://www.amazon.ca/Barkers-Geraldine ... 282&sr=8-1

Price on this New Zealand product is $37 Can. plus another $18 shipping. Guess what it sells for in NZ? $4.79 NZ dollars

https://www.barkers.co.nz/shop/chutneys ... ple-jelly/

Beware of Amazon!!

Your example is unfair. Smucker's makes a mint-apple jelly, as do Crosse and Blackwell, as do lots of smaller labels, and it isn't that hard to make yourself, for that matter. You chose a NZ-based brand because it supports the shade you want to throw.

Amazon deserves some slams but you don't have to setup a straw man to do so.

You chose a NZ-based brand because it supports the shade you want to throw.
.

Actually, no, it wasn't. It just happened to be the one that popped up. Go to Amazon.ca and search on "apple mint jelly) and this is what you get. https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=apple+mint+je ... nb_sb_noss

In fact I bypassed the first entry, a Crosse and Blackwell because the price on it was absurd - $77.15. They were the only two that showed up with those search terms.

Had I been angling for particular result I would certainly admit it, but in this case I plead not guilty.

OK, understood. But your browser must be configured funny or else Canadian import tariffs are totally wacky: when I go to amazon.com the first result for "mint apple jelly" -- Amazon's Choice, it says -- is the Cross and Blackwell for $13.75. The entire first row, taken together, doesn't come to $77.

Oddly, in the second row there is an iphone 11 case... it's the mint green color of a jelly case for an Apple phone.

Now, for some legitimate shade, let's observe that, if you're going to buy a commercial brand of mint apple jelly -- technically, mint-flavored apple jelly -- I'd think the first choice would be Smucker's, a reputable brand and under $2/jar.

We're not mint jelly fans here, nor even mint sauce fans (though I do recall one really good rather savory one), but I imagine I'd buy from a jam-maker (jamist?) at one of green markets.