Kentucky
Kentucky by Heart: The unique flavors of Kyians’ Thanksgiving feasts connect past and present
By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune Columnist
Grandma Fryer might all the time be counted on to serve “ribbon salad” at Thanksgiving, together with on different holidays, particularly Christmas. We ate it as both a facet dish with the entrée or, due to its sweetness, typically as a dessert.
Lengthy after Grandma handed, the purple and inexperienced layered gelatin delicacy with cream cheese within the center layer together with traces of pineapple, continued to seek out its technique to the desk of our meal gatherings. And although Grandma actually didn’t “invent” ribbon salad, we felt like she might need.
Roger Garrison’s broccoli casserole dish (Submitted picture by Roger Garrison)
Being curious concerning the particular dishes of different Kentucky households, I checked round to see. I couldn’t discover others naming ours however discovered loads of fascinating variety in responses, and I’d need to strive a number of of them.
Roger Garrison, of Nicholasville, stated his household’s featured meals was a transplanted one.
“My aunt in Florida began the custom by bringing her broccoli casserole to Thanksgiving dinner,” stated Roger. “To the very best of my recollection, it first appeared after we celebrated Thanksgiving on the dwelling of my grandparents. This was a proper affair with linen, china, a lot of silver, and an enormous fowl, carved by Pawpaw.
“It was Pawpaw, Grandmother Garrison (not simply “Grandmother,” he famous), Fowwie (the aunt in Florida), my dad and mom and 5 children.” It grew to become a staple of Thanksgiving and different Garrison vacation gathering dinners. “I bear in mind the time that the broccoli casserole didn’t seem at Thanksgiving,” he stated with a smile. “I threw a match! It’s my job to convey broccoli casserole now.”
As a teenager at about seven or eight, Brooke Corridor appreciated her grandmother’s “inexperienced jello salad in a jello mould” each vacation and she or he acquired “upset if individuals ate a lot of it as a result of it will be much less for me.” As an grownup, she purchased a mould and has her grandmother’s hand-written recipe to hold on the custom.
Many people get pleasure from recreating the distinctive and genuine style of a household meals favourite. Not simply any will do. Carrie Thomas, a Grant’s Lick Elementary trainer who grew up in Pendleton County, acquired excited way back concerning the particular rolls served at their desk. “My Grandma all the time made her do-it-yourself yeast rolls with strawberry preserves,” she stated. “We as soon as requested her to jot down out the recipe for us so we might make them. Her measurements had been troublesome to observe since she stated to make use of (phrases like) ‘sufficient’ flour and she or he used oleo as an alternative of butter.
“We tried however might by no means grasp them like she made them. The women then requested her to make them and so they watched and took notes, however nonetheless, her particular contact was wanted to get them excellent. Now that she is gone, her great-grandchildren get pleasure from making them and naturally consuming them for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They style similar to I bear in mind!”
Miche Branscum, of Frankfort, famous that her grandmother all the time had jello slush punch and a dried apple stack cake, calling the punch “superb.” In Henderson, Stephanie Brown talked about that Granny all the time had a cannery of dumplings on prime and a roasting pan stuffed with cornbread dressing contained in the range.
It was do-it-yourself oyster stew for Erlanger resident Lucy Riffle’s people and candy potato souffle for Lexington-raised Susan Gall’s kin. Not removed from Erlanger, in Walton, Janet Windgassen-Prepare dinner grew up consuming oyster stew and oyster dressing at Thanksgiving, and the household of Mary Lynn Collins, of Frankfort, most well-liked scalloped oysters.
On the day earlier than Thanksgiving, Darlene Godman, of Falmouth, stated that her mom made do-it-yourself biscuits for the dressing.
“She would crumble up the biscuits to dry out for the dressing she made on Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Darlene defined. “I assume she did this so the crumbles would soak up the scrumptious turkey broth. One of the best half was she made an additional pan of biscuits for nation ham and biscuits for breakfast.”
Susan Gall factors to her household’s conventional dish, candy potato souffle (Submitted picture by Susan Gall)
One other Falmouth resident, Fran Carr, supplied pretzel salad, inexperienced bean casserole, and pumpkin torte as meals which have stood her lineage’s check of time.
Possible a favourite for a lot of is what former Fayette County trainer Jenny Bronaugh talked about.
“For 5 generations, our household all the time had and continues to have candy potato casserole topped with mini marshmallows,” stated Jenny. “As a toddler, I didn’t look after the candy potatoes however was allowed to eat these completely browned, melted marshmallows, solely on Thanksgiving. I grew to like your complete casserole and nonetheless make it, now including a jigger of bourbon, which was all the time an ingredient within the authentic recipe.”
Observe, additionally, that Jenny replaces her marshmallows when reheating leftover casserole.
Lexingtonian Foster Ockerman Jr. insists that his favourite whereas rising up was a turkey and cranberry sandwich the day after Thanksgiving. Sharon Turner, of Versailles, remembers her “superior” household’s dressing/stuffing.
“Mom would save bits of bread for 2 weeks and let it dry out earlier than breaking it into crumbs, including chopped onions and celery, melted butter and broth from cooking the neck and giblets,” she stated.
Apart from the oyster dishes, for which I by no means acquired a style, my mouth begins watering when Kentuckians sit down for this week’s feast. Could all of us be lucky and grateful to be well-fed for this particular time.
Joyful Thanksgiving, y’all!