THANKSGIVING IN THE UNITED STATES

A day that celebrates PLENTY.  

In the United States there are many Thanksgiving meals that are given freely at churches, homeless shelters, senior centers, and other food distributions or outreaches.

 

HUNGARIAN PUMPKIN or BUTTERNUT SQUASH and POPPYSEED STRUDEL

HUNGARIAN PUMPKIN AND POPPYSEED STRUDEL

Tökös-Mákos Rétes

1 small pie pumpkin (or butternut squash) - about 2 pounds

3/4 cup ground poppyseed

2/3 cup sugar, or to taste
2/3 cup sour cream (more or less. This is included to bind the poppy seeds and quite possibly plain yogurt drained of liquid can be used - spoon into the mixture gently and don't use too much.)
1 lemon. First use a grater to get the zest, then squeeze to get the juice.
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup of stick butter, also melted.

For the pastry and finish:8–10 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp breadcrumbs (optional, to absorb excess moisture)
Powdered sugar for dusting

 
PUMPKIN FILLING:

Peel and coarsely grate the fresh pumpkin. Toss it lightly with a pinch of salt and let it sit in a sieve a while so any excess moisture can drain. Squeeze the pumpkin to remove as much liquid as possible. If using canned pumpkin, make sure it's not too watery. Generally canned pumpkin is usually good as is.

POPPYSEED MIXTURE:

In a bowl, mix the ground poppy seeds, sugar, sour cream, lemon zest and juice. The mixture should not be runny, so add that sour cream gently and by the spoonful.

Then stir in the 2 tbsp of melted butter and cinnamon.

COMBINE THE TWO MIXTURES

***
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). (Note the higher temperature than the last recipe.)

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

***

PHYLLO DOUGH TECHNIQUE

Phyllo can be purchased at the market. It needs to be defrosted when bought frozen.

On flat surface, lay out a clean cloth and carefully place one sheet of the phyllo dough on it. Brush it lightly with melted butter.

Place a second sheet of phyllo on top of the first sheet, and also brush with butter.
Continue until you have eight players of phyllo. (Note that this is two sheets more than the last recipe, probably to accommodate the poppyseed mixture.)

Spoon the pumpkin mixture on the phyllo dough and evenly spread it, leaving a two inch border on all sides so that dough will stick together.

Roll the strudel. First fold the sides of the phyllo dough inward to enclose the filling. Then roll the strudel tightly into a log shape, starting from the filled end - which will be in the center.

Carefully place the rolled phyllo dough strudel seam down on the baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let the strudel cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Dust generously with powdered sugar just before serving.

***


C 2025 Magyar-American

THANK YOU - Köszönöm

 

THANKSGIVING

 So much to be thankful for....

Annyira hálásnak kell lenni

LET US GIVE THANKS

 

THANKSGIVING

THE MOST AMERICAN OF HOLIDAYS!

COUNT YOUR BLESSSINGS

I'M THANKFUL FOR...

My dog, who is sleeping at my feet at the moment.





The surprise $100 that a Minister gave me from a Deacon's Fund due to an emergency.


And that I'm going to see some relatives that I haven't seen in 18 years, a whole generation grown up without my being part of that, but, I look forward to it.




We told my dog that she's going to have a whole lot more people loving her and that she will get to see the ocean.

THANKSGIVING

MAY PROSPERITY BE YOURS!

THANKS GIVING - FOR FOOD, SHELTER, CLOTHING, and ahmmm MEDICAL CARE

I'm not one to give thanks on a daily basis, but I've been thinking about my life in the United States and what I/we have to be thankful for.  It's easy to be a citizen of the United States and feel confident that we have it better than the majority of the world when it comes to food, shelter, clothing, medical care... Well, I do anyway.

Right now we are as a nation dealing with the implementation of Obamacare, as it's called, health care for well, everyone.  It's not working out too well so far.  Poor people are signing up to get the benefits that they have gone without, rich people are angry at higher rates, youth are skipping it because they can't afford it and are mostly healthy and would rather pay the IRS fine for going without.  It's government supplemental medical care for many, and the loss of insurance plans and doctors one trusts for some others.  And the illegal immigrants are going to get free medical care anyway in California so, that's got a lot of anti illegal immigration people crazy mad.

I'm thankful I'm not dealing with these choices, this transition, while sick!

As for shelter, my place is drafty and too expensive to keep warm with a single gas wall heater which costs about $20 a day just to kill the dampness, but I do wear sweaters and sometimes knit hats indoors.  (Even my dog wears sweaters and gets under the covers.)  We are thankful for the roof over our heads at a time when the average one bedroom apartment in our city goes for $1000 a month and we see so many families living in RV's, Vans, and Cars, parked in the lots of 24 hour Ralphs grocery or a big box store that has lights on at night, and thankful that six months out of the year the place is just fine without heat, and that we didn't stick like glue to the sheets in the summer when we had temperatures that convince you of Global Warming and Earth Changes, even when tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, tsunami, and storms should be enough.  We are thankful we don't live in the Philippines where they are still finding bodies in the rubble.

As for clothing (and whatnot), I was fortunate enough to put a lot of things I no longer wanted out on the sidewalk with a sign that said "FREE STUFF" rather than have a yard sale last week.  The dog and I went for our 40 minute walk around the block and by the time we came back IT WAS ALL GONE.  I was fortunate enough to take a bag of Christmas decorations I don't need to a senior center and fortunate enough to take a bag of children's toys to the Police Department, where they will be wrapped and distributed to kids whose parents can't afford gifts for them.  I have spare so I must have plenty.

As for food, guess who needs to loose ten pounds?

I'm thankful that I have so very many choices about what I eat, that I can go to a Farmer's Market that features free range chicken eggs and Organics, to Trader Joes, where I buy cheeses and their canned Turkey Chili, which I have a hankering for.  I'm making Apple Crumble with fresh apples and brown sugar for my Thanksgiving meal contribution.  My dog recently indulged in Paul Newman's Organic Chicken dog food.  Some people don't eat as well as my dog.

And you?

THANKSGIVING - TURKEY IS A BIRD NATIVE OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENT

I would like to hear from some readers in Eastern and Central Europe about TURKEY. Has turkey meat made it's way to you?

Early American colonial settlers were more likely to serve a duck or goose for a fancy meal a couple hundred years ago.

The Thanksgiving holiday and turkey as the bird to serve came long after the establishment of the United States. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the President who created Social Security and other governmental plans to help the United States of America get out of the Great Depression of the 20th century established Thanksgiving as an official American Holiday.

Americans often love Thanksgiving above all other holidays for one reason; it is spiritual without being religious, and it is in inclusive of all people. In fact, it is inclusive of those who are not citizens. Tradition is that we must invite someone to our meal of plenty who might have no family or nowhere else to go. So several years ago I was elected to cook the bird at a dinner attended by people from Canada, China, and many other countries.

It used to be that the only time I ate Turkey was on Thanksgiving. Then, I noticed, some of my friends were also serving a turkey for Christmas. These days turkey has a year round following not only for it's flavor but the lack of fat in the meat. It's almost health food.

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ARE HUNGARIAN AMERICANS ADDING PEPPERS TO THEIR TURKEY? : THANKSGIVING UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 2012

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States of America, 2012.  Our modern traditional feast begins with a turkey that is stuffed,  yams - often with marshmellows toasted in the oven on top, with pumpkin pies - often with a whirl of whipped cream,  vegetables - in particular green beans, sometimes squash or gourds.  Some people also have a ham, though I think ham is more popular at Christmas.

I have now attended some "ethnic" Thanksgiving feasts at other people's homes where Ecuadorian tamales, or Italian Lasagna, as examples, were served, and I was thinking about HUNGARIAN FOOD, and how Hungarian Americans might cook for a Thanksgiving holiday.

ARE WE 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation HUNGARIAN AMERICANS AMERICANIZED when it comes to this very American HOLIDAY?  Are we adding peppers, cabbage, pork, or other popular Hungarian ingredients to our meals?  WHAT ABOUT DESSERTS?!