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| Little Billy Webb sat at the big table. Lucky. |
Four years ago I told my mother I wanted to put Christmas Dinner on the table...the only way to truly get the full scope of how my mother gets through dinner is to just do it myself. Now, my mother just does it...it's rote. Me...I need details...and lots of them!
To prepare...I interrogated my mother. Her idea of a recipe is..."Well, I just cut enough bell pepper until it looks pretty". (All said with right hand daintily over her clavicle in that "bless your heart" way and thinking...she has NO IDEA what she is getting into!) I poked around enough and finally got some recipes, but more importantly...I'm detailing the events leading up to the meal...it's fascinating...the amount of preparation that goes on before hand.
I know everyone has their traditions, but mine is much too long, strange, organized and truthful not to preserve. Below is the complete list of To Dos, Honey Dos, etc...to be honest...this is more of cheat sheet for me. I've volunteered to be help Mama put dinner on the table this year... and I need all the help I can get. This list will mean nothing to the commoner, but for the Lott or Franklin...I hope you get a chuckle out of it!
Mama, I am most impressed with your strength of tradition. You have certainly passed a piece of that on to me and to Webster and we will do the same. You make our family what it is and I love you more than you will ever know. Be home Friday to help the preparation... Daddy...DON'T FORGET THE OYSTERS! Love.
The Lott Family Christmas Dinner Menu
Turkey
Dressing
Rice
Gravy Giblet
Gravy plain
Cauliflower with Hollandaise
Oyster Casserole
Green Peas with Mushrooms (or pimentos)
Rolls
Cranberry Jelly
Coffee
Coconut Cake
Two weeks before Christmas
– Order oysters from Bowie’s Seafood Market in Greenwood. Every year Bowie's closes at noon on the 23rd. You must pick the oysters up before then. Daily reminders are posted all over my father's room so that he will not forget this task as Bowie's is on the way home from the Country Club where Daddy plays golf.
– Make sure the Christmas tablecloth is pressed and ready.
– Begin polishing all silver.
– Order the turkey, this is usually from the local grocery store and about 20 or so pounds.
– Order Homemade rolls from Marie. Marie who works for my cousin Ann has been making the rolls for years, they are divine! 2011 UPDATE: Marie no longer makes them, but her granddaughter does!
– Order a coconut cake from Crosstown. We have this discussion every year. Mama wants to order a cake. Daddy says EVERY year, "Now why would we order a cake when you know David Hicks is going to give us a coconut cake?". Let's put it this way, we always end up with two coconut cakes. You see who wins! 2011 UPDATE: David Hicks is no longer with us.
December 20th: Grocery Shopping
Get a check from Daddy and go grocery shopping:
Turkey, a big one 20 Lbs (if have not purchased previously)
2 bunches celery
bag of yellow onions
2 green bell peppers (even though you will only use one)
8 cans chicken stock
3 packages turkey gravy (just in case)
cornmeal for dressing
sage*
thyme*
poultry seasoning*
white bread
3 heads cauliflower, pretty with no spots
5 pounds butter
bag of lemons
5 cans Leisure green peas
3 small cans mushrooms
1 jar pimentos
2 cans cranberry jelly, open both ends w/can opener and push it out
kitchen bouquet
Ruby Red Grapefruit
Alligator Pear Avocados
Green leaf lettuce for salad
Saltines
Large container half and half
Rice
Coffee
Pink, blue, yellow and sugar
3 bunches of parsley
* My mother buys sage, thyme and poultry seasoning every year for this meal, she does not use it for anything else. One year we cleaned out the spice cabinet and I found 6 small tin's of McCormicks Sage, 6 Thyme and 6 Poultry Seasoning.
December 21st: Linens
Make sure linen napkins are washed, rolled and in the freezer. This is a tip from my Godmother's household. Napkins are easier to iron when frozen. Wash napkins, roll them up (so you don't have any creases) throw in the freezer. When ready to iron, take them out and start steaming. The napkins will keep their shape and be beautifully pressed. Thanks to Mamie and Debbra for this little tip.
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| Set the table. Silver is polished. |
Set Table.
Willie Bee (my parents maid for the past 35 years) makes cornbread for dressing.
Start unthawing turkey. Tip on turkey thawing from my sister-in-law, Penny...Use the bathtub. Fill tub up with cold water. Let turkey sit for a day. It's the best way to thaw a turkey and it's out of the kitchen.
December 24th
On the morning of Christmas Eve, Willie Bee and Daddy take the inside of the turkey out. Willie Bee makes the turkey stock with the neck then boils and chops giblets.
By noon the turkey stock is ready and so is my father's lunch...The neck.
Let the Christmas panic voice from my mother begin... "Webb, you eat that neck in the breakfast room, do NOT take it into the parlor, you are so messy and it gets everywhere. We are having the Cascio's over later and I don't have time to clean up after you." And every year Daddy eats in the parlor and in fact gets crumbs everywhere. A quick clean up is done before the Cascio's arrive.
– Make Dressing.
– Make Hollandaise and put in thermas
– Cut grapefruit.
– Wash lettuce, pick the good pieces out for each salad plate, stack each piece with a paper towel then put all in zip lock bag.
– Make Poppy Seed Dressing.
– Daddy checks the poundage of the turkey, creates a timeline and lets Willie Bee know when to put the turkey in. Willie Bee doesn't arrive on Christmas until 5 o'clock, so she needs to call Daddy to remind him what time to get the bird in the oven..Daddy would never remember something like that on his own!
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| Christmas Turkey |
After Santa Claus has arrived and stockings and presents are opened, the meal preparation begins. Willie Bee calls and tells Daddy when to put the turkey in (around 2:00 or 3:00).
– Get big green pot, fill with water, put on back right eye of stove so it is ready to cook the cauliflower. – All peas and mushrooms in a pot and on back left eye of stove, ready to heat.
– Cook three cups of white rice. It sounds like we are feeding the masses, but rice is my mother's favorite food and will eat it for days after Christmas. Wash rice in colander and separate into two round Pyrex dishes with lid. Put one in the microwave and let it sit until time to cook.
– Lay salad plates on kitchen table.
– Cut as many butter pats needed for each plate. This is so everyone starts off with butter on their bread and butter plate and doesn't have to wait for the butter to be passed, quite genius if you ask me.
– Cake, dessert forks, dessert plates, coffee cups and saucers and spoons on breakfast room table.
– Prepare the coffee in industrial sized coffee pot (makes 36 cups). Place the big urn in a breakfast room chair (the cord only reaches so far and this is the only place it will work, believe me, we've tried many methods.)
– Silver Service should be stocked with sugar, yellow, blue and pink.
– Crack Crackers for oysters and have casserole ready and buttered. Make right before you put in oven.
– Turkey comes out of oven in the afternoon and Daddy slices and plates. Place the turkey in the dining room with "pretty bird presentation". My father is the only one that can do this. He cuts one side of the turkey, uses that for serving then turns the bird around so you can see the half not cut, it's quite gorgeous with crispy brown skin. Daddy puts parsley and lemons around for garnish and it looks amazing.
– Get rolls ready…Place in tin foil for small oven tray. (2 sets at least).
– Put red and white wine in carafes.
– Put dressing in oven 1 hour before serving meal.
– Put oysters in oven 45 min before serving meal.
– Boil cauliflower…takes 25 minutes to cook.
– Make salad.
– Microwave Rice.
– Heat peas.
– Put rolls in oven.
– Before people sit: Webster or Rich must be sommelier…ask all guests if they want Red or White and pour at appropriate place setting...not from carafes, no one will see.
– Get someone to pour water.
– Put Cranberry Jelly on table.
– Put Butter pats on butter plates.
– Put salad on table. Rich does not get avocado.
– Put scalding hot water in silver service after first round of rolls are passed.
– Turn coffee on when scalding water is added to silver service.
If all of the above happens...a beautiful Christmas Dinner will be had! I plan on taking photos this year and will add to this post once done.
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| Mama's Hollandaise on Cauliflower. My Fave. |
A few recipes......
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Poppy Seed Dressing
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This recipe comes from Frances Lott Williams, my aunt and mamma’s sister. She did not like a vinaigrette dressing with the grapefruit avocado salad, so she started using this one instead.
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons onion juice
2/3 cup vinegar
2 cups wesson oil
3 tablespoons poppyseed
Mix in blender and add oil slowly. Can 1/2 the recipe.
Serve on Alligator Pear Salad.
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Scalloped Oyster
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This is from the Joy of Cooking. It’s made every Christmas and a few Thanksgivings too.
2 pints oysters, drained well
1/2 juice of one lemon
2 sleeves of saltines
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup half and half
Salt
Pepper
Assemble this right before putting in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.
Spray 2 quart casserole with Pam. Add about a 3 inch layer of crushed saltines with drained oysters on top. Salt and pepper then add a layer of crackers. Top with lemon-butter mixture. Add enough half and half to fill casserole about 1/2 way. Bake and EAT....Mamma does not use the lemon juice.
