Happy Thanksgiving: A Day of Thanks

Thanksgiving Day is the oldest holiday in America, and for me anyway, it is certainly the most popular. Most Americans know the story of the English colonists known as Pilgrims, who in pursuit of religious freedom, fled their homeland in 1620 to settle in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts. A year later, in gratefulness for a successful harvest, they held a huge feast with the local Indians, the Wampanoag. The famous feast became known as Thanksgiving Day. 

Some may be surprised to learn that this particular feast was not a religious celebration. The Pilgrims did not believe in public display of their religion. Although they were surely thankful, the feast was strictly a non-religious affair, and included game playing and even drinking of liquor. I was also surprised to learn that the 1621 feast is not considered the origin of Thanksgiving Day.

Another feast held on June 30, 1623, is thought to be the real origin of Thanksgiving Day. As the story goes, the Plymouth colony had just endured a terrible drought. Crops were dying in the ground and there appeared to be no relief in sight for the Pilgrims. After much fasting and praying, the rains finally came, followed by a rescue operation from England. Captain Miles Standish miraculously sailed into the harbor with fresh supplies. The shouts of joy that filled the harbor that day must have been heard for miles and miles. A day of thanksgiving and prayer was declared that was both a social and religious celebration.

The standard modern-day meal in America goes something like this: Roasted whole turkey with stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping, green bean casserole, vegetable trays and/or salad (including jello and fruit), pumpkin bread, olives, pickles and other condiments, and last but not least, pumpkin pie. 

Well, it was hardly the menu of the Pilgrims. A standard 1623 menu would have been: roasted duck, corn porridge, venison or deer meat, seafood, onions, squash, and corn. I'll take the modern version any day, but it is a lot of eating for one sitting, which is why I love leftovers the best.

Personally, in spite of an elaborate menu, I love the simplicity of this holiday. We give thanks to God, plain and simple. Many will bow in prayer around the table with a table grace. Or, if nothing else, they will think about something they can be thankful for this year. One tradition is to go around the table and share one thing you are thankful for. If you have never done this, I urge you to try. It really sets the mood, and those beautiful candles you set on the table to glow warmly will make the moment all the more meaningful, too. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!  

Sources: http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/thanks.htm; 
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/feast/slideshow.htm; 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim_Fathers 

A-Z Theme Reveal: Yummy Fruits

A day late on my A-Z reveal. 

After last year 's success with Stereoviews A-Z, I wasn't sure if I could come up with anything  as entertaining and fun. Well, as is always the case in the blog world, I found something I could wrap my thoughts and (ahem) stomach around for 26 days.  

Announcing YUMMY FRUITS A-Z!

Join me in April for a bit of fun, as I choose a representative fruit (out of many!). I guarantee a Free Recipe, some fruit facts and history, songs, books, and movies with said fruit in the titles, and even a joke or two. A light-hearted way to enjoy fruit, one of my favorite foods to eat....and hopefully yours, too! For those of you who have never done the A-Z before, hold onto your computer chairs. You are in for quite a ride. See you there!! 

A is for Apple

B is for Banana

C is for Cantaloupe

D is for Durian

E is for Elephant Apple

F is for Fig

G is for Grapefruit

H is for Huckleberry

I is for Ice Cream Bean

J is for Japanese Persimmon

K is for Kiwifruit

L is for Lime

M is for Mango

N is for Nutmeg

O is for Orange

P is for Peach

Q is for Quince

R is for Rhubarb

S is for Strawberry

T is for Thimbleberry

U is for Ugniberry

V is for Vanilla

W is for Wax Jambu

X is for Xigua

Y is for Yantok

Z is for Zig Zag Fruit

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

Winter Entertainment: TV, Exercise & Popcorn

Well, winter is upon us and television viewing just went up a notch in  my home. It's cheap entertainment and with down streaming we can watch a commercial-free series on our schedule, and many of us are on Christmas vacation right now. I love what writers and actors do in these series. You can learn so much about character development and scenes. But mostly I watch for pleasure or to relax, and also for daily exercise. At around forty-five minutes an episode, you can get a good workout on the treadmill.



So replace the TV remote's batteries, lower the shades, add a large bowl of low fat popcorn and sparkling water, pull out the ottoman for your feet or jump on the treadmill and go! Here are the series I watch and recommend.

Currently watching: (update 12/23/13)

Heartland 

Continuum

Once

Alphas

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Dollhouse

Saving Grace
Lilyhammer
H20 Just Add Water
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones
Glee

1/3 cup popcorn, 1 TB peanut oil in
popper. Season with (fine) popcorn
 salt. Servings: 2 large bowls.
(WW 2.5 points)
Sparkling water (selser) 0 points

Waiting for a new season

Hart of Dixie
The Lying Game

Doc Martin 

The Walking Dead

Downton Abbey

Warehouse 13

Dance Academy

Watched in the past:

Flying Wild Alaska

Life Unexpected

A Gifted Man

Bramwell

Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Voyager

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Heroes

Eureka

Jericho

Survivors

Lost

So what do you watch in your spare time? Also, do you have a favorite Christmas movie you like to watch? My husband and I happen to like While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman and Peter Gallagher.

Or maybe . . . you are one of those 'rare birds' who never succumbed to watching television (or even movies). Can you recommend a good book instead, or another activity?

Years ago, when first married, I suggested to Vince that we never buy a television and take advantage of the local library instead. I fantasized reading my heart out and wandering through tall aisles of books like a kid in a candy store. His fantasies were a bit different from mine back then, to say the least. His mouth dropped . . . he was speechless beyond compare. Who was this 19-year old girl he had just married? Had he missed something? We laugh about it now, and you can see who won the argument . . . but no regrets. If not for television (and favorite movies), our dialogue today would lack a certain spark. We can quote lines from  movies and TV series that sometimes only resonate with us. It happens when you have been married thirty plus years.  

Copyright 2013 © Sharon Himsl

The Peanut Butter Sandwich: An American Tradition

Ever since reading about peanut butter and zucchini sandwiches in Deborah Wiles's adorable Love, Ruby Lavender (MG), I have been intrigued with peanut butter

sandwiches  in general. The peanut butter sandwich has been around for as long as I can remember. I ate them as a kid, my own kids ate them, and now my grandchildren do. And since March is National Peanut Month, I thought it would be fun to talk about this simple easy-to-make sandwich, because from what I can tell, it has long been an American tradition.



Believe it or not, peanut butter was once a delicacy in the United States. In the early 1900s, you could only find it in fancy New York City tearooms, where it was served on crackers with pimentos, nasturtium, cheese, celery or watercress. But as far back as 1896, Good Housekeeping magazine had suggested that women grind peanuts into a spread for bread. Later that year, another magazine, Table Talk, printed a recipe for a peanut butter sandwich. However, it was not until the late 1920s that peanut butter became affordable and, therefore, available to the general public. Peanut butter soon became a staple and quite popular with children. During WWII, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich was added to military rations. It had come a long way from the tearooms of New York.

Common peanut butter sandwiches in my kitchen:

Peanut butter and...
- jelly (or jam, preserves, marmalade)
- honey
- pickles
- bananas
- potato chips

Peanut butter and zucchini, on the other hand, opens up a way to add more vegetables to the diet. My husband volunteered for the experiment. Well, to be precise . . . he went along, since he prefers I do most of the cooking. Here is what we have tried so far:

- Peanut butter and sliced apples (with peelings). I added sliced almonds one day, and after being assured the 'crunchy part' was edible, he liked it.
- Peanut butter and cucumbers. He liked it.
- Peanut butter and left-over salad. Hmm....this was a bit of a stretch, but it too was good. The salad had leaf lettuce, kale, yellow pepper, broccoli and carrot slaw, dried cranberries and walnuts.

After that last one, I decided the possibilities were endless. Candidates for research include fresh:
- zucchini (have not tried yet; it grows here like weeds during the summer)
- parsley
- grated carrots
- mint
- spinach and other greens
- pineapple slices
- sliced strawberries
- blueberries
- other berries

And from the tearoom list above, I may try:
- pimento
- nasturtium
- cheese
- celery
- watercress

From online, here are some more to try:
- raisins
- bacon
- chocolate 
- maple syrup
- hazelnut-chocolate spread
- marshmallows

I am a really big fan of nuts, so I would add other nuts to any of these combinations.

Any other ideas out there? Are you a peanut butter "nut" too?



Copyright 2013 © Sharon Himsl
[History Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter_and_jelly_sandwich].