WE WERE ONLY MISSING THE MAYFLOWER!

There is nothing like visiting Manhattan during the Thanksgiving Holiday.  This is the time to pay respect to our forefathers and conduct the annual pilgrimage to reminisce about the hardships they endured.  As the name clearly states “Thanksgiving”; we should do as stated and recreate the same steps they took on this glorious day!  Talking of hardships, have you tried to navigate yourselves through the streets of Manhattan during this holiday weekend?  I am sure the Pilgrims, or as we call them today, “illegal immigrants”, “aliens”, or just “foreigners” did not have to deal with so many people on the streets.

As we all know a ritual is a set of actions performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community.   And as I will call them… or “US”, “The Manhattanites Thanksgivingners” (people that visit New York during the Thanksgiving holidays) have their own rituals.  Every religious ritual has specific steps to follow and this group is no exception! The flocks of “Thanksgivingner’s” start arriving into the “Big Apple” by Wednesday morning in order to enjoy and participate in all the ceremonial activities. 

THE FIRST STOP must be “The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular”:  This is an annual musical holiday stage show presented at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The show features over 140 performers, lavish sets and costumes, and an original musical score. The 90 minute revue combines singing, dancing, and humor, with traditional scenes in spectacular stage settings. The star performers are the women's precision dance troupe known as the Rockettes. Since the first version was presented in 1933, the show has become a New York Christmas tradition seen by more than a million visitors a year.   Yes, a million people; and all are travelling store to store through the congested streets … well, not on the same day! There we were, Carrie, Eric and Me between thousands of Out-of-Towner’s and children, enjoying the pre-show; the organ man on the far left corner of the stage and all of us ready for the grand entrance of the “Rockettes”.  Every year you can imagine what is coming next on the show; and it never disappoints you. It’s like you are seeing it for the first time!  The Nativity Scene at the end of the program is always breathtaking and yes, it has live animals; this is Eric’s favorite part.  It is great that this country celebrates the Pilgrims, and dedicates a special day for them.  But, I cannot understand why they are the ones who were working on this Holiday… Yes, they were everywhere! Cooking at the restaurants, selling food on the street, attendants at the stores, and even at the skating rink at Rockefeller Center! Pilgrims are very industrious people.

SECOND STOP - the windows at Saks Fifth Avenue, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Rockefeller Center.  I remember going to these same sites with my family when I was a young lad.   It is always exciting, no matter how old of a child you are, to go from window to window to see the new decorations, walk around Rockefeller Center and see the skaters, the million of lights twinkling all around you and the enormous tree standing strong. In order to escape from the cold for a few minutes, we will visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral, light a candle and thank the Lord (whomever you pray to) for the blessings of life.

THIRD STOP Macy’s It is traditional to go to the shrine to pay your respects before visiting the Animated Balloons at Central Park.  Considered one of the wonders of the world, this ten floor store, plus a basement sanctuary, houses miracles produced by the world’s top designers.  Remember in order to have a pleasant experience you have to know where to locate the sale tables and purchase plenty of newspapers for the 50% off coupons.  The balloons for the parade are inflated the night before the parade on both sides of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The balloons are split between 77th and 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. The inflation team consists of various volunteers from Macy's as well as students from Stevens Institute of Technology, a local university in Hoboken, NJ where the balloons and floats are designed and built. Dubbed "Thanksgiving Eve Inflation Celebration", the lines to enter the site goes for miles during the day, we always go late at night and have no problem; lines are short and you are able to see all of the balloons at once.  This year the newcomers were the Millennium Snoopy (5th version), Honey Nut Cheerios Bee, Blue's Clues, and Petulia Pig.

Last Stop of the night Fourth Stop:  After walking all day among the Pilgrims and the “Manhattanites Thanksgivingners” we stopped at a local Bistro for a nice cup of hot chocolate…. It sounds nice, but it’s really not. We stopped at the Russian Tea Room for pome-fritz and a large glass of iced Coca-Cola.  Yes, it was freezing outside and we needed something cold to equalize the body temperature.   Everybody was so elegantly dressed, with their vintage faces, stomping up and down the restaurant with their pickle-stabbers(stiletto heels), bespoke formals, (made-to-measure tuxedos), minks, diamonds, and emeralds. It was the Mecca of the glamouristas, and Eric and I, always on trend, were modeling the latest fashions from a sales rack…we were the envy of the room. Wait!…. I see a pilgrim! He is clearing table number five…. what a holiday!  Well in the true sense, the Pilgrims were the English Puritans who sailed on the Mayflower to New England, where they founded Plymouth Colony in SE Massachusetts (1620).  In modern days, they come from all around the world, work extremely hard, trying to achieve the American dream, sometimes shipping their belongings using the Mayflower Moving Company and settle all around the United States.

THANKS GIVING DAY we made our tribute to the local Goldenberg’s Bagel shop to meet with the local scholars(erudite).  It is common to hear a conversation that goes like this:

            Shop attendant: What are you having today?         

            Scholar: not sure!

            Shop attendant: What about a bagel?         

            Scholar: not sure

            Shop attendant: What about a bagel?         

            Scholar: could be

            Shop attendant: What about a bagel?

            Scholar: maybe

            Shop attendant: What about a bagel?         

            Scholar: that might be interesting

            Shop attendant: What about a bagel?

            Scholar: that sounds good!

            Ten minutes later…….

            Shop attendant: What about a bagel?         

            Scholar: not sure

            Shop attendant: What about a bagel?         

            Scholar: could be

            Shop attendant: What about a bagel?

            Scholar: maybe

            Shop attendant: What about a bagel?         

            Scholar: that might be interesting

            Shop attendant: What about a bagel?

            Scholar: I will have one of those!

            Shop attendant: Would you like that bagel toasted or not toasted? We have plain, cinnamon raisin, Russian, salt, sun dried tomato, asiago, sesame, poppy seed….would you like cream cheese or butter, lox, veggie, Honey walnut, scallions…..and so on… I imagine the scholar is still at the shop!

We had matinee tickets for the recently released holiday movie “Sleepy Hollow” directed by Tim Burton. Based on the Washington Irving story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, the film starred Johnny Deep and Christina Ricci. The plot follows the curse of the headless horseman in the small town of Sleepy Hollow.  The historic Village of Sleepy Hollow is located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River, 25 miles north of Manhattan.   And that is where I was going to have Thanksgiving dinner!!!!

The sun started to set and we needed to arrive at Sleepy Hollow by 4:30 PM. We were going to Fred’s and Georgettes (Eric and Carrie’s cousins) for dinner.. Excitement was in the air, it was my first Thanksgiving at the Historical Village of Sleepy Hollow. What could be better for this modern day Pilgrim!  Carrie wanted it to be as authentic as possible; she wanted everything home cooked, and from scratch! So she ordered the pies from the fund raiser at her school and the soup was coming from the local Diner just like they did in the original dinner at the Plymouth Colony.  Eric and I went to hunt a fruit salad and pastries at the recently opened “STEW LEONARD'S” in Yonkers. And yes I saw the baker scratching himself!

We arrived to the Meyerowitz Manor, the sun was almost consumed by the earth; slowly the fog was rising in the stillness of the night. At a non recognizable distance you could see the silhouette of a non identifiable object; a screech was heard and a deafening Boom, Boom, Boom, just like the galloping of a horse… TERROR…well not really, it was not a horse; it was more like a kid in a Chevy Camaro!  And the galloping was more like a super hyped sound system in the car.  But so far, there were no headless horseman, angry natives, or people in black and white outfits.

 As we approached the door, we were greeted by three beautiful “Stallions”…. ok…..they were big dogs!; Fred and Georgette, Sharon and Steven, Fred’s sister, son and husband (the plot thickens) …..a Native American …”wow.. A real Native American… I was in awe…pinch me… a child’s dream come true! Well, he was from Canada; that is just on the other side of the border; well, we can’t have it all and Canada is just attached to the north.  Sir Seymour Jaffee, and his wife,  (Stephen’s parents) (Seymour was talking about the old country…MMM); cousin Steven and Nancy, his girlfriend, had just come back from New Orleans (that is like a foreign country).  I see a common thread…

OK, let’s recap:  We were among family and friends (like at the original Thanks giving) at Sleepy hollow (like in the movie), galloping horses were all around us…(ok it was just the dogs)…. We had a Native American sitting at the table (WOW) and Pilgrims!; yes Pilgrims! We were at the table (me and all the others that came from another country or New Jersey), and an amazing dinner that was prepared with love and served with the upmost care! What a perfect day!… The only thing that was missing was the Mayflower! We only saw a moving truck named “Father and Son Movers” I guess this will suffice.  We had an old fashioned, original and autochthonous Thanksgiving Dinner!  Arriving to a house of friends that you have not yet met and to be received with open arms and hearts; it’s the best gift anybody can receive and it is the real meaning of Thanksgiving!  And there was a real Native American…Sweet!

Spiced Cup Cakes

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup milk

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup unsalted butter, softened until easily spreadable

2 cups dark brown sugar

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare Cup Cake pan with liners. Whisk dry ingredients and spices in a large bowl. Mix milk, eggs and vanilla extract in a 2-cup measuring cup.

Beat softened butter into dry ingredients, first on low, then medium, until mixture forms pebble-sized pieces. Add about 1/3 of the milk mixture and beat on low until smooth. Add remaining milk mixture in two stages; beat on medium speed until batter is just smooth. Add the sugar; beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Pour batter into pan.

Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the cake's center comes out clean, about18 - 20 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Let cool.

Butter Cream Frosting

      1/2 cup Crisco

      1/2 stick butter.

      I cup Powder Sugar

      2/3 cup canned milk

      1 tsp. vanilla

      3 Tbls. flour

      Cream butter and Crisco.

      Add sugar and beat for 12 minutes.

      Then add remaining ingredients and beat well.

     

Old Fashioned Puerto Rico's Turkey Stuffing (Mom’s recipe)

This “Relleno Para El Pavo” (Turkey Stuffing) is a basic rendition of the recipe we use in Puerto Rico. It can be prepared on the evening before Thanksgiving, and removed from the refrigerator early the next day, to give it time to return to room temperature before stuffing the turkey with it.

Ingredients: (For a 12-16 pound turkey)
3/4 lb. ground beef
3/4 lb. ground pork

½ lb. ground Ham

½ lb. ground Veal
1 onion, chopped up

½ green pepper chopped

½ yellow pepper chopped

½ red pepper chopped
½ cup seedless golden raisins
1 small can (4 oz.) pimientos, chopped up
1 tablespoon salt
¼ cup chopped up olives, discard the pits
¼ cup alcaparras (capers)
1/2 cup Achiote Tinted Oil (you can use a mixture of olive oil and an envelope of Sazón con Culantro y Achiote) or tomato sauce
½ a cup of White dry Wine

2 cups of whole almonds (your favorite flavored or plain)

1¼ lbs. regular potatoes (NOT baking potatoes).After the 60th my mother used bread stuffing that was sold at the newly inaugurated supermarkets.

Method:
a) - Cut the potatoes in half each, leaving the skin on.
b) - Bring to a boil and continue cooking until tender but still firm.
c) - Place in cold water to cover, to stop the cooking process. Remove the skins from the potatoes and discard. Now cut the potatoes into small cubes. Leave in water until you're ready to use them.
d) - In a bowl, mix the ground meats, salt, pimientos morrones, raisins, olives and capers.
e) - Place the oil in a heavy pot, over medium heat. Add the onions and stir-fry until almost translucent (about 5 - 6 minutes).
f) - Raise the heat to medium-high, and add the meat mixture. Continue cooking and stirring for 5 more minutes, uncovered.
g) - Add the completely drained cubed potatoes, and when the mixture has begun to bubble again, lower the heat to medium. Continue cooking, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
h) - If you are preparing this stuffing on the same day that you're going to roast the turkey, just make sure the mixture is completely at room temperature before stuffing the turkey with it.

Adobo Rub for Roast Turkey - Adobo Para Pavo Asado

Here is a basic Adobo Rub for Roast Turkey, using the signature Puerto Rican blend of seasonings, vinegar and oil. Just weigh the Big Bird, and multiply the following ingredients by the total pounds. Then allow the magic of an overnight marinade to turn this into a Tropical paradise.

Ingredients: For each pound of turkey:
1 pinch of salt
1 small whole black pepper
1 small clove of garlic
1/8 teaspoon dry powdered oregano
1 pinch of cumin
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
Achiote Tinted Oil (you can use a mixture of olive oil and an envelope of Sazón con Culantro y Achiote to rub the turkey for color

Method:
a) - Using a mortar and pestle, crush up the garlic, and then pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend very well. Test the salt content by using the tip of your finger. Adjust to your satisfaction.
b) - Rub this adobo all over the turkey, including the inside cavity.
c) - Do NOT puncture the skin. Remember, the turkey meat gives the juices, and the skin contains the fat. So keep the skin as intact as possible, to help moisturize the turkey meat.
d) - Refrigerate overnight, and take it out with about an hour's anticipation before roasting. This will warm up the chill factor to room temperature.
e) - I've heard of the variation that adds Sazón packets to the adobo rub, to give the turkey color. I add some Bijol (ground annato seeds) to the mix.

Turkey Injection Solution

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can chicken broth
• 3 fluid ounces infused garlic/olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ cup white dry wine
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

PREPARATION:

Mix all ingredients. Using a coarse needle inject liquid into the turkey throughout all the meaty portions. Do this about 24 hours before you cook the turkey.

Coconut “Cuatro Leches”

This super easy cake, soaked with a milky mixture laced with brandy and coconut milk, is one of our most popular recipes. We’ve tested it at several parties and have yet to take home anything but an empty baking dish and a whole bunch of recipe requests. So here it is! Be sure to make it well before you want to serve it—the longer it sits, the better it gets. And don’t skip the toasted coconut!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 box of instant flan
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk (not nonfat)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk
• ½ cup of heavy cream
• 3 tablespoon brandy
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon of brandy
• White vanilla (or regular)
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Butter a bundt cake baking pan. Separate eggs, and place yolks in a large mixing bowl. Reserve whites in a separate mixing bowl.
2. Add sugar to yolks, and beat on high speed with an electric mixer until pale yellow and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Clean beaters, and whip egg whites to medium peaks, about 1 1/2 minutes.
3. Using a rubber spatula, stir about 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Then gently fold in remaining whites.
4. Add 3 tablespoon of brandy
5. Whisk flour with a dry whisk to aerate and break up any lumps, then sprinkle it over egg mixture. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold flour into egg mixture, just until there are no more white flour streaks. Don’t over mix.
6. Pour batter into the buttered baking dish, and bake until cake is puffed and golden and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, about 20 to 25 minutes.
7. Remove cake from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. With a toothpick, poke holes all over the cake. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
8. In a medium bowl, whisk together four milks the instant Flan mix and the rum, and pour mixture evenly over cake. Continue cooling cake, about 45 minutes more, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
9. For toasted coconut, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add coconut and spread it in an even layer. Cook, stirring often, until coconut is lightly toasted and browned. If coconut begins to burn, reduce heat. Remove from the pan immediately.
10. To serve the cake, whip heavy cream, white vanilla, 1 tbsp brandy and powdered sugar to medium peaks. Top each cake slice with a mound of whipped cream, and garnish with toasted coconut.