I had a solid New England Thanksgiving....two families (Steinberg/Schlichtman and neighbors), four generations, cast iron pots filled with delicious turkey stew, beats with cranberries, and more root veggies while cranberry cornbread baked in a Dutch Oven - all cooked over an outside fire started earlier that morning. Mead and apple cider were the drinks of choice. I brought sweet potatoes cooked with orange juice and cooked apples on top. Pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread finished us off with a glass of Madeira..........have mercy.
I didn't know the story of Madeira wine....that is was America's first wine. In 1665 the British authorities banned the importation of products made or grown in Europe, unless shipped on British vessels from British ports. Products from Madeira were specifically exempted. British merchants in Madeira took full advantage of this by establishing close ties with merchants in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston and Savannah. A steady trade developed in which wine from Madeira was traded for such American products as indigo, corn and cotton. [ thank you wikipedia:)]
Interesting facts of the day: Francis Scott Keyes is said to have penned the Star Spangled Banner, sipping from a glass of Madeira....and George Washington's inauguration was toasted with Madeira, as was the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Ok...now detouring back to the current New England, we settled our full stomachs outside with a croquet match (I thought, "how much more New England can we get here?") After the sun had set, we took a night walk to the back shore and out onto a small peninsula called Picnic Point were the moon brilliantly reflected on the water. Gorgeous, cold night.
The day after Thanksgiving, I was invited by the Steinberg/Schlichtman family to watch the AL/Auburn game with another Alabama family in Brunswick, a town just 20 minutes north of Portland. Their house sits on the ege of a crystal clear lake where summer must seem like a true utopia. The day was nice.....little kids grils running around in Bama cheerleading outfits, their parents in matching Bama sweaters....."kind of" like being back at home, expect for the snow on the ground and lack of raging football fans in my front yard. :)
New and old traditions. New wonderful and familiar people to spend my first Thanksgiving away from home.
I didn't know the story of Madeira wine....that is was America's first wine. In 1665 the British authorities banned the importation of products made or grown in Europe, unless shipped on British vessels from British ports. Products from Madeira were specifically exempted. British merchants in Madeira took full advantage of this by establishing close ties with merchants in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston and Savannah. A steady trade developed in which wine from Madeira was traded for such American products as indigo, corn and cotton. [ thank you wikipedia:)]
Interesting facts of the day: Francis Scott Keyes is said to have penned the Star Spangled Banner, sipping from a glass of Madeira....and George Washington's inauguration was toasted with Madeira, as was the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Ok...now detouring back to the current New England, we settled our full stomachs outside with a croquet match (I thought, "how much more New England can we get here?") After the sun had set, we took a night walk to the back shore and out onto a small peninsula called Picnic Point were the moon brilliantly reflected on the water. Gorgeous, cold night.
The day after Thanksgiving, I was invited by the Steinberg/Schlichtman family to watch the AL/Auburn game with another Alabama family in Brunswick, a town just 20 minutes north of Portland. Their house sits on the ege of a crystal clear lake where summer must seem like a true utopia. The day was nice.....little kids grils running around in Bama cheerleading outfits, their parents in matching Bama sweaters....."kind of" like being back at home, expect for the snow on the ground and lack of raging football fans in my front yard. :)
New and old traditions. New wonderful and familiar people to spend my first Thanksgiving away from home.