Dorothy was right. Sure, we’ve been holed up in this bunker we call home for 8 months, but honestly, where would I rather be? Answer: nowhere. It’s just the four of us; Phil, Sophia, Ben and me, but it is enough. Of course, we miss our normal Thanksgiving guests like crazy, but this year is not normal. There will be other years. We’re playing the long game.
Rather than dwelling on what we miss, it seems like a good time to recognize what we have. (It’s right in the name – Thanksgiving.)
Traditionally, our guests would begin arriving late Wednesday afternoon for some raucous conversation, laughter, carrying on, maybe a kitchen dance party, dinner production, eating, and music. This year, Joel came over for a socially distanced, masked jam session with Sophia in the late afternoon. It was exactly what we needed.For dinner I made stir fried udon noodles, one of Sophia’s favorites. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/better-than-takeout-stir-fried-udonWe started our Thanksgiving Day with homemade bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon. Mmmmmm…..Usually, Phil’s sister, Mary, brings snacking fare: a block of Dubliner Cheddar cheese as big as your head, along with grapes, and Emma’s famous pumpkin mini muffins. I did manage to keep the cheddar tradition alive (though our brick was tiny, in comparison), but we never did get to the pumpkin muffins. Ben was not happy about the muffin omission. After zooming with all of our Thanksgiving people, Phil and I snacked on cheese, crackers, and pears around noon. Ben, of course, had a full-on lunch of leftovers.Sophia made a delicious green bean shiitake mushroom dish.I made stuffing. Ben had fourths.
Since this is a year of switching things up, we went with a non-traditional menu. Phil’s duck breasts were outstanding.
In place of our traditional pre-dessert round of Guesstures (like charades) we went with playing Chronology – a Sprunger family favorite. In a surprising twist, I actually won this time! (Usually, I don’t stand a chance in a room full of history PhDs.)
Sophia made pumpkin pie. Phil plated. It has been suggested that I don’t give Phil’s plating skills enough credit. Fair enough. Maybe this is what you would serve someone you’re trying to break up with?I made my mom’s cranberry dessert cake with hot butter sauce. The contrast of sour cranberries with sweet cake and rich, sweet butter sauce is perfect.My mom has been making this cake around the holidays for as long as I can remember. She typed up the recipe for me years ago, and when I asked about the origins of this wonderful family tradition, I was amused (and a little deflated) to find that she had copied it off a baking powder canister.Our nephew and his girlfriend messaged me from the Czech Republic for the particulars on the traditional Friday morning cinnamon rolls. Their batch looked great, and ours was awesome, too! The cinnamon roll recipe is my mom’s too, and all my aunts make them exactly the same way, so I’m inclined to think they have more noble family origins than the cranberry cake. If you are looking for something to be thankful about, make these rolls. I have tweaked the recipe just the tiniest bit, but I still guarantee the results.
Cinnamon Rolls
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups warm water
1 1/2 tablespoon yeast
9-10 cups flour
1/4 cup butter, softened
Brown sugar to taste
Cinnamon to taste
Penuche Frosting
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup powdered sugar
In large bowl mix sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and water. Mixture should be warm enough to melt butter. When it has cooled to lukewarm, add yeast. Gradually mix in flour. On floured surface, knead dough until it is soft, elastic, and no longer sticky. Loosely cover, and allow to rise about 30 minutes. Roll out on floured surface, in a 32” X 10” rectangle. Spread with softened butter, and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up beginning at the 32” side. Cut into 24 1 1/2” pieces and place in greased sheet pan, spiral sides up. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350º approximately 25 minutes.
While baking, make frosting. Melt butter in saucepan, stir in brown sugar, stirring and heating 2 minutes, until sugar is dissolved. Stir in milk and bring to boil. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in powdered sugar. Beat until smooth, and spread on warm cinnamon rolls.
Chef Ben is always happy to serve in a supporting role (roll?) as a discerning taste tester. Hope you all had as wonderful a holiday as we did!
We certainly missed all of the Thanksgiving shenanigans and delicious food at your home this year! We have been going there on a regular basis for Thanksgiving for at least 20 years (probably more), and I’m pretty sure I was there your first year in Williamsport as well.
We missed the normal hubbub! It has been a tradition for so long that I can’t remember the first time, but it probably has been 27 years or so. I don’t remember when we added the Witwer Rios contingency, but that has been a while too. We sure do look forward to gathering again when we can.
We certainly missed all of the Thanksgiving shenanigans and delicious food at your home this year! We have been going there on a regular basis for Thanksgiving for at least 20 years (probably more), and I’m pretty sure I was there your first year in Williamsport as well.
We missed the normal hubbub! It has been a tradition for so long that I can’t remember the first time, but it probably has been 27 years or so. I don’t remember when we added the Witwer Rios contingency, but that has been a while too. We sure do look forward to gathering again when we can.