The Home Front
What can I say about Momma Holt? She was a marvel to me. When I married into David’s family thirty-eight years ago, she took me in as a grandchild even though she had a multitude of grandchildren already, and I had plenty of grandmothers. She had an amazing gift of acceptance and warmly welcomed others into her family circle with joy. Now that’s not to say that things were always perfect in her life. Momma Holt had many trials and tribulations, just like we all do. She birthed eleven children and raised twelve and loved them all dearly. That in itself is a feat with which to contend. Heavenly days, can you imagine raising twelve children? Can you imagine how much food she cooked on a daily basis? And the laundry…yikes!
One Thanksgiving back in the 1950s, when she had all the children at home, she told her husband, “Now, Pop, go down to the store and get the biggest turkey you can find.” She had a lot of mouths to feed. Well, Pop Holt bought the absolute largest turkey in the county! That thing weighed in between 35 and 40 pounds, depending on who is telling the story. Well, it just took her breath away to look at it. It was so big that there wasn’t one pan in her kitchen that would hold it. Well, now what was she to do? So, she sent Pop back to the store to buy something large enough to cook the bird in. He came back with a bathtub! You know, those white porcelain baby bathtubs that had the red rim around the edge? Yep, that’s what she cooked her turkey in on that particular Thanksgiving. After solving that dilemma, she soon realized they had another situation. The turkey was so big it wouldn’t fit in their oven! The door wouldn’t close. Momma Holt was gifted with a big supply of good ol’ common sense, which came in handy considering how many kids she was raising. She concocted a set-up where half the turkey was in the oven and the other half was sticking out of the door. Then she closed the oven door as far as it would go and propped the door up with a kitchen chair. But that turkey was never going to get done with the door half open. What to do? Pop Holt had many talents, so he made a covering of some sort to keep the heat in, and it went all the way around the oven opening. To cook the bird, Momma Holt rotated it continuously throughout the cooking time so that the entire ginormous bird was finally roasted and ready for Thanksgiving dinner. She told me that rotating that turkey all day liked to have worked her to death.
Now that was a whole lot of turkey. And the whole family relished it the first day. And the second day, too, for every meal. Momma Holt made turkey hash, turkey salad, and turkey sandwiches, among other turkey dishes. She was gifted with stretching the family budget and keeping the food as tasty as she could for her family. But on the fourth day, Pop Holt said, “Ruby, how much of that turkey do you have left?” She said, “Still got enough for a few more meals.” Keep in mind that her family was not used to having leftovers at all because it just didn’t happen with that many mouths to feed. It was at that point that Pop Holt decided he had taken his last bite of turkey for the year. He said, “Throw it out, give it away, go bury it or something! I don’t want to taste another bite of turkey till next Thanksgiving!” And so, they did. And it is now a treasured family story that’s been told and passed down through the family since the 1950s. Whether you are serving a turkey or a ham this holiday season, enjoy our family’s favorite side dish for Christmas and Thanksgiving- Cranberries in the Snow.
-Danna Standridge, Author of Happiness is Homemade Y’all! For speaking engagements and cooking demonstrations, email [email protected]. Join her in the kitchen on Facebook @DannaSwannStandridge and YouTube @dannastandridge8749.
Cranberries in the Snow
“This recipe is from Mrs. Connie, my friend in Illinois. It’s a constant favorite on social media, is fun to make and eat, and is always found on my Thanksgiving and Christmas table.” Danna Standridge
Ingredients:
- 1 package fresh cranberries
- ¾ cups water
- 6 oz cherry Jello
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- 20 oz crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 can mandarin oranges, cut in half and drained
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
In a saucepan, cook the cranberries in the water over medium heat until they pop. Add the Jello and sugar. Stir till all is dissolved. Add 2 cups of water and stir. Cool slightly. Add pineapples, mandarin oranges, and nuts. Stir. Pour into a 9 x 13 glass dish. DO NOT USE COOKING SPRAY! Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
