Cooking with Chef Jo: Thanksgiving Dinner Revisited

 We enjoy turkey many times during the year (on average of once a month). It's not just at Thanksgiving. But I do make my cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving and can it for the rest of the year. With just the two of us, there was no need for a whole turkey. Besides, we like the dark meat so the hugest portion of meat is the white meat breast. It's far easier to buy legs and thighs for us. We also don't have months of leftovers to go through. Once a year, I'll take all the leg and thigh bones and make several pints of broth with it.

Now this year, having no propane for our oven, posed a problem. I couldn't roast my bird, or could I? There was a plan brewing in my head. 

I have a Coleman oven in my collection of gadgets I brought with me. This thing was old. It was bought in the 1960s, but still works as advertised.  You can't say that about many products you buy today. Now the 1 lb propane cylinder wouldn't roast the legs and thighs by itself, but it would put a nice color on the meat. The fact that it was chilly outside, we had our wood stove cranked up to a roaring blaze. Why couldn't I put the portable oven on it to heat up and roast the meat? I actually got the internal temperature of the oven up to 300 degrees! But it would be hard to maintain that heat over the two hours for the meat to cook through so I'd just brown the pieces in the oven on the wood stove. I could also use the oven for dinner rolls later. 

I made a key lime pie for dessert. Untraditional, but I had the limes and they had to be used. I also made some cheesecake for later in the week. I baked off the shortbread and the lard pie crusts in the oven on Wednesday so I could fill them and let them cool. Did I tell you that I bake my pies in muffin tins? They are perfect single serving size.

I decided to make most of Thanksgiving dinner a hands off affair. Instead of breaking out my slow cooker, I'd use a modernized hay box to finish the cooking for me. You don't know what a hay box cooker is? Let me explain the concept to you. You have a box stuffed with hay or other materials that insulates and retains the heat to continue the cooking process. It was our pioneer forefather's version of an electric slow cooker. Neat, huh?

Now my modernized version of a hay box (my foremothers used wooden boxes or hay bales) uses an old Coleman, metal ice chest. It has rusted out in spots and the liner is cracked in various spots so it can no longer be used as an ice chest. This was another item bought in the 60s, and still useful today. Remember, we recycle and repurpose everything on this homestead. It ain't discarded unless we can't use it anymore. Think very tiny bits and pieces.

Now, normally when I use the hay box, I'll use my cast iron Dutch oven, but this time I was using my Crockpot insert. Both materials are conducive holding heat for a long time. But I was concerned whether my oyster cornbread dressing would take on a metallic taste so I opted for the insert. I put the insert on top of the oven to heat while I browned off the turkey pieces.

I crumbled the dried cornbread and whole wheat bread (fresh made a few days earlier), spices, herbs, and sautéed in butter vegetables, in the bottom leaving one side clear for green beans. I poured enough broth to moisten the dressing knowing the turkey juices would add their own moist yumminess as it cooked. I put the turkey pieces on top of the dressing, added the green beans in their spot. Lastly, I poured a cup of my homemade cream of mushroom soup over the green beans. I snuggled two small, foil wrapped sweet potatoes around the edges. Finally, the lid went on and it was placed in the hole dug out in the center of the hay. More hay was added on top. It had 3"-6" of hay all around the liner. The lid was closed and latched. We left it alone to do it's thing for four hours.

As tempting as it was to peek, I didn't. Opening the hay box to peek would have meant a loss of heat. A big no-no with this type of cooking. Our foremothers carried these boxes of food to barn raisings and get togethers. They were ideal for traveling and cooking at the same time. It could take hours until it was meal time and hot foods were served hot or at least very warm.

So when it comes to cooking things without propane or electricity, I return to my grandma's journals for stories from her mother's time. I remember being a pre-teen listening to the old stories around a quilt frame. That's what the wives would do while the men folk built a barn. The younger women and older girls usually took care of the children playing games with them in the fields. But me, I knew my way around a quilt frame from a very young age so I was tolerated to either quilt along with them, or be allowed to sit nearby embroidering sheets and pillow cases. I kept in mind that children should be seen and not heard, so I quietly listened soaking in all the stories of how things used to be.

I continue keeping the old ways still alive. I taught my children and grandchildren in turn so that the knowledge wouldn't be lost. Of course, I'll use modern conveniences and gadgets when I can, but it's nice also practicing doing without. Not that I believe it will happen in what's left of my lifetime, but just in case it does, I'm prepared. Knowledge is never lost if you take the time to listen.

It's Wednesday, I'll bet you are wondering where your recipe is, aren't you? I've talked about tons of food and how I cooked it this year. Or, I'll betcha thought I forgot. I didn't. I made it in half pint jars this year. It's just enough for one meal for two. Here it is.

Chef Jo's Cranberry Sauce Jelly/Jam

It's pulpy like a jam, but it sets like jelly. It is also a no pectin set.

8 half pint jars plus 1 cup for instant service

What you'll need

24 oz fresh cranberries, whole washed

1 1/2 cups orange juice, freshly squeezed

1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 TBS lemon zest, finely grated

3 cups sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground

1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground

1/8 tsp cloves, ground

Putting it all together

• Place juices and zest in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan.
• Add sugar and spices.
• Stir over medium heat until sugar is melted. Do not scorch the sugar.
• Add cranberries and continue to stir.
• The cranberries will pop releasing their juices.
• Bring mixture to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
• Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve crushing pulp through it but catching most of the seeds and skin of the cranberries. do not be concerned if most of the spices are caught by the sieve. They've done their job.
• Pour strained liquid into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/4" headspace, wipe, lid, and ring them. 
• Water bath for 10 minutes.

Think three cups of sugar is too much? You can reduce it to 1 cup and have a 

reduce yield. It will still set. I haven't tried this recipe with a sugar substitute, nor no sugar although I've read it can be done. The combination of lemon juice and cranberries is just too tart for me. You are welcome to try it if you like. Enjoy!

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo