Granny Lessons: Nov 6, 2010

Momma's Thanksgiving Table 2007

In the early days on Thanksgiving Day we were usually at home with Granny and Grandpa. Aunt Ruby and Aunt Bertha came over to our house, and sometimes, Aunt June and Uncle Bob and Mick and Sandra came too. Momma, Aunt Bertha and Granny cooked enough food for an army. They served cornbread dressing, with giblet gravy, chicken and dumplings, fresh peas, potato salad, baked ham, baked turkey, sweet potato casserole, collards and/or turnips with mustard, with fried corn bread. For desserts there were cakes, pies, and cookies. Momma usually made a coconut cake with a 7 minuet frosting, and a lemon cheese cake. Aunt Bertha often made a Japanese Fruit Cake and Granny usually made a German Chocolate cake for Thanksgiving.

Steve left standing, Keith right standing,
Mickey Wayne holding Teresa and Daddy, 1978

Aunt Bertha made the chicken and dumplings, Granny and Momma both made a pan of dressing. And they each cooked meat and vegtables. There was alot of food. But there were alot of hungry guys to feed! We ate left overs and made turkey and ham sandwiches the next day while we watched the Alabama/Auburn football game.

I'm not sure where to start. This is a big task because they didn't measure things except in baking. Baking measurements had to be exact. Aunt Bertha's chicken and dumplings were so good. She made the dumplings from scratch. Her dumplings were the best of all the Aunts! Sorry Aunts! Every Holland Family reunion I always made it a point to ask Aunt Bertha which pot of dumplings she made so I could be sure to eat hers! It's going to be hard to tell you how to do this because there are no measurements, but I will try to explain it. "Practice makes Perfect applies here. I think she had a lot of practice!

Steve about 6 yrs old and Aunt Bertha

Holland Family
Standing Left to Right Naomi, Lena Mae, Jessie, Bertha about 7 years old, Seated are Oree left and Hubert my grandfather Right

Momma dictated the following directions to me, without measurements of course. I tried to pin her down to approximate measures for the oil and buttermilk:) She said "You just have to do it and you will know how!" So here we go lets see how we do.......

Bertha's Chicken and Dumplings

Self Rising Flour
Buttermilk
Vegtable oil
Large Hen
3 Stalks of chopped celery
1 large yellow onion

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, stainless dutch oven is best, cook a large hen, salted and covered with water, with 3 stalks of celery, and 1 large onion chopped. Cook for 2 hours on medium low heat. Watch the hen and when the legs and thighs begin to separate from the breast it's done. You want it to hold together while you take it out of the water, so don't over cook it. Let the hen cool and then remove from the pot and remove the skin, and bones, pull the breast meat apart and reserve for later use in the dressing and the giblet gravy. At this point it's best to make your dressing. When you have the dressing almost cooked return the broth to stove and bring to a boil. Make sure the pot is about 1/2 full of broth if not add some water, this would be about 4-5 qts of broth.

In a bowl of self rising flour make a well and put 3 tablespoons of vegtable oil, and about 1 cup of buttermilk in the well. With your hand flip the flour from the sides of the well into the buttermilk and mix it until you have a dough ball big enough to make about 10 to 12 biscuits. If you need more just add more buttermilk and flour.

When you have a ball that is thick enough you can pick up, transfer it to a floured surface. Kneed until it is soft and smooth. You may need to add flour to get it smooth and not sticky. Then flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a thin sheet, 1/8" thick or less. Take a knife and cut the sheet of dough into strips about 1 1/2 inches wide, about the width of lasagna noodles or a little less, then cut them again into pieces about 2 to 3 inches long. You can lay the long strips in stacks and then cut the whole stack into the smaller pieces.... it's a little faster.

Pick up a stack of the cut dumplings and lay the dough in the boiling broth in single layers. After you add each layer of dumplings sprinkle the top of each layer with black pepper until you have added all of the slices. Do Not Stir!!!! Press dumplings down in broth with the back of a spoon. (Very Important). Cook only for 1 or 2 min. and then turn the heat off and let the pot sit for at least 5 min. on the cooling eye of the stove. Remove from the eye and let stand or serve DO NOT COVER WITH LID and DO NOT STIR.

Corn Bread Dressing with Giblet Gravy

3 cups of medium grind corn meal
10 pieces of white bread for bread crumbs
2 tsp. of salt
3 eggs
2 1/4 cup milk
3 Stalks of celery sautee until tender in 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 large onion chopped
7 eggs boiled and chipped (reserve 3 eggs chipped for gravy)
Hen meat previously cooked with celery and onion, deboned and shredded

For Cornbread:

Heat oven to 450
Pour 1/4 cup vegtable oil in 10" cast iron skillet set aside.

Mix cornmeal, salt, 3 eggs and milk. Place in skillet in 3 pones. With a spoon take the oil that comes up the sides of the pan and dab the tops of the pones. Bake in 450 degree oven for 30 min or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool. You can make cornbread the night or day before and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before crumbling.

Toast the white bread until crunchy. Let cool and roll toast with rolling pin into fine bread crumbs.

Ok now you are ready to combine everything and make your dressing. At this point you can refrigerate everything and assemble the next morning.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine crumbled cornbread with sauteed celery and onions, 4 sliced and chopped boiled eggs, ( chop eggs into slices about 1/4 inch thick or less and then cut in half. You don't want to smash the eggs or cut them too small they will break up when you start mixing it all together), add the bread crumbs, and reserved chicken and season with black pepper. Pour some chicken broth into the cornbread mixture and mix with spoon until well blended. The dressing should appear wet and pour easily into a 13 x9 baking dish. Bake 45 min at 400 degress until golden brown.

Giblet Gravy

3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons of flour
3 to 4 cups warm chicken broth
2 cups dark meat chicken diced
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
3 chipped boiled eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet and add flour stir until brown add warm broth and season with salt and pepper, add celery, onions, chopped chicken and chipped boiled eggs. Cook on medium for about 10 to 15 min. until thickened. If too thick add more broth. This gravy should be medium to thin....not thick.

Gosh I sure am looking forward to seeing everyone. I found some pictures from Thanksgiving 2007. We were all together in Rabun Gap. It was a really nice Thanksgiving. Our last with Momma Peacock and Daddy. I can't find any of Momma Peacock except her back! She must have been doing that on purpose. Amber may have some more she had her camera. I will post them if she does.

Happy Birthday Baby Hudson. Hudson Smith is 1 year old today! We are so thankful for you!

Daddy Nov. 27, 2007