The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

thanksgiving

Feast with Presence: I Won’t Waste My Thanksgiving

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I love Thanksgiving!  Getting together with family and friends, expressing our gratitude for all we have and…the food!!!  But up until six years ago, when the film Wasted! The Story of Food Waste came out, I never gave much thought to all the food that we don’t eat (apart from leftovers–I just love leftovers!). When I was younger and didn’t clean my plate, my dad would say, “people are starving in China…” but I never really thought that was a great argument for me to finish my dinner!

In the U.S., up to 40% of our food ends up in the trash, even as 34 million people in this country go hungry (including 1 in 5 Westchester residents). As a public health nutritionist and sustainability advocate, I find this ironic and upsetting, but also empowering. Vegetables and fruit are some of the foods most often wasted. This represents nutrients missed out by [non]consumers, plus all the wasted resources and energy that went into producing them. And when we waste meat like turkey, that means an animal gave its life for no reason!

Food waste that ends up in landfills rots to produce methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in our atmosphere. In North Castle, the food we throw in the garbage goes to the Covanta facility in Newark, an incinerator that burns our trash, producing some electrical energy (they call it “waste-to-fuel”) and, apparently, some suspicious pink smoke.

But think of the potential! Food waste creates 6% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. That’s three times the emissions from aviation. That’s also resources that could have somehow been redistributed to get food to hungry people. That’s inefficiencies that, if resolved, could make a huge dent in our climate efforts–with zero adverse effects on us.

In terms of household budget, it seems a waste (pun intended) to throw out food (have you noticed the price of groceries?).  But sometimes, despite our efforts to plan appropriately, we’re still left with food waste that is no longer edible. In that case, our town pays Suburban Carting to haul away garbage that could well stay in our backyard as vitamins for the soil. Taking food out of the waste stream not only saves the tax money (yes, North Castle pays for garbage by weight), but also leaves you with a much less smelly garbage can at the end of the week. It’s so easy to start a composting bin at home, but if you’re reluctant, there’s a new option here in town (see sidebar).

Did you know that at the first recorded religious Thanksgiving Day in 1623, the colonists were actually giving thanks for rain after a two-month drought?  I guess early settlers realized that water was the most important part of a healthy diet! Today, our culture emphasizes abundance, and not just on Thanksgiving. But what if we decided to give thanks for “enough”? To me, the true meaning of Thanksgiving is appreciating all we have and being mindful of our impact on every living thing. That includes our “foodprint”.

Gandhi said, “Live simply so that others may simply live.” I have something to add to that.  It’s not about restriction. In fact, I’ve found that having less [food or stuff] actually makes it easier to enjoy.  You could have it all: the pumpkin, apple and coconut cream pies, but you’d never savor them the way you would a single choice of dessert.  This Thanksgiving, I’m attempting to be more mindful in my planning, shopping, cooking and eating. Being present is the gift I plan to give myself.

North Castle is making it easier for you to take action now!  Check out the Food Scraps Recycling Center at Lombardi Park.  Purchase a composting kit from Town Hall or any member of the North Castle Sustainability Committee for only $25, collect your food scraps and drop off at any time.

Take action on food waste

  • Think about the entire life cycle of your food before you buy it.
  • Shop the bulk section and purchase only as much as you need.
  • Shop your pantry before heading to the supermarket.
  • Plan weekly meals around expiration dates.
  • Learn to love (or re-purpose) leftovers.
  • Home composters are easy to build or buy.
  • Consume mindfully!

A Thanksgiving Toast to Appreciation and Understanding

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“It wasn’t just about us and our festivities. It was about everyone else who is now missing someone at their table.”

My earliest memory of Thanksgiving isn’t of all of us sitting around a table, playing football outside or baking with my mom. It’s mini hotdogs.

Yup. That’s right. Little pigs in a blanket with ketchup and mustard. I’m not even sure if that is a normal Turkey Day delicacy, but for my family it sure is.

This has been my favorite holiday forever and ever and ever. We normally wake up and eat cinnamon buns, watch the parade, go on a hike and then go to our cousins for a big Turkey Day celebration. I’m that girl who shops for a new “Thanksgiving sweater” every year. I’m also that girl who scrapes the marshmallows off the sweet potato casserole, guilty as charged. I’m so sorry to anyone who gets in line behind me. Snooze you lose Uncle Stu!

For some people, the food is what makes this their favorite holiday. But honestly, it’s just another day in the life for me.

I eat stuffing all the time when I’m home because I am obsessed with the box mix. I eat roasted veggies almost every night for dinner when I am at school. I don’t like mashed potatoes or cornbread and my typical evening ends with a nice amount of dessert.

What makes the holiday so special to me is being with my family. I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again: if you know me, you know how important family is. There are some relatives that we really only see once or twice a year, this holiday being one of those times. It’s the time where I fill them in on how school is going, what my favorite classes are, how the boyfriend I don’t have is doing, etc.

So when my dad texted me a few weeks ago saying that Thanksgiving wasn’t happening, I had a moment. I sat on my bed in my towel dress and hair wrap (two amazing investments for any college gal to have) and shed a few tears. I got really worked up. No Thanksgiving? Just Mom, Dad and Alexis? But why can’t we all just get COVID tested before?

It was no use. It just wasn’t going to work. But after my five-minute breakdown and a few deep breaths later, I realized that it was okay. That was just the way it was going to have to be.

Did I have the CUTEST Thanksgiving sweater and boots all ready to go? Yes.

Was I worried about how the turkey would come out because my Aunt Kara normally cooks it and my mom is a pescatarian? Yes. (It ended up being fabulous.)

But, was this the responsible thing to do amidst the pandemic? Absolutely. It wasn’t just about us and our festivities. It was about everyone else who is now missing someone at their table.

While the day might’ve looked a lot different than normal, at least I could count on one thing: the mini hotdogs. Grandma delivered a tray to our cousins and us the day before. Don’t worry she had some for herself too.

Instead of sitting on my cousin’s couch after three rounds of dinner regretting that extra helping of stuffing, we were all wrapped up, like pigs in a blanket, in our living room all safe and sound by 4 pm because we ate at 3. Plus, I was already wearing sweatpants so I didn’t even have to change after dinner! It was perfect.

I hope everyone was able to celebrate in some way, shape or form. Whether it was Facetiming, Zooming or calling a loved one or eating a whole pie by yourself (you deserve it.) I’m so lucky that I was able to come home from school and spend the day – and the next two months – with my family and that is something that I appreciate and understand now more than ever.

Happy Holidays and stay safe. Like Governor Cuomo said, “Don’t be a turkey. Wear a mask!”

 

 

 

 

Advice to Help Everyone Stay Safe From Covid Infection through this Year’s Thanksgiving Gathering

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Recommendations from the Westchester County Executive to stay safe and still enjoy the holiday together. 

Here is the food and home safety advisory shared by Westchester County Executive George Latimer who encourages residents to keep their Thanksgiving celebrations small and as safe as possible this year and to follow the Health Department’s tips for a healthier holiday.

Latimer said: “This is the year to make your Thanksgiving gathering more intimate, and to cherish your immediate family members and traditions. Consider setting time for a virtual visit with distant relatives and friends. If you do invite others to your holiday table, spend some time outdoors and keep the windows open when you’re inside.”

Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD, offered some extra advice to reduce Covid-19 exposure:

  • Open the windows — the wider the better and as many as possible — to promote cross-ventilation.
  • Run your kitchen exhaust fan.
  • Keep guests out of the kitchen.
  • Wash or sanitize hands frequently.
  • Have your guests wear a mask unless they are eating or drinking.
  • Avoid passing platters from person to person.
  • Designate one person with gloved hands to serve buffet style from a central location.
  • Consider making side dishes in single-serve ramekins and using single service plates and utensils.
  • Ask your guests to reduce their contacts and potential exposures for the two weeks prior to their visit.
  • Remind your guests to stay home if they have any COVID symptoms or a fever, are awaiting COVID test results, or are under quarantine or isolation orders.
  • Have your returning college student limit his or her exposure to others and get tested this week, next week and a day or two before returning home, wear a mask throughout their travel home when around others, whether by plane, train or car, with windows open.
  • Invite your guests to wear masks and meet you for a walk, a turkey trot or a hike in a park.

Amler said: “It is especially important to keep uninvited germs out of your holiday meal, so wash your hands thoroughly when you arrive and before you take that first bite. Good hand hygiene can help reduce the risk of flu, Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses.”

Restaurants have taken steps to increase safety, but outdoor dining remains preferable to indoors. When dining out, if you do not see a permit, contact the Health Department to assure the restaurant complies with State and County sanitary codes.

At home, when you remove your fresh or defrosted turkey from the refrigerator, do not wash it — this spreads pathogens onto kitchen surfaces. Fully cook the turkey to kill bacteria that causes foodborne illness. The Health Department recommends holiday hosts and their helpers follow these 10 food safety tips:

  • Wash hands and food-contact surfaces with hot water and soap thoroughly and often.
  • Thaw turkey in a pan in the refrigerator, allowing 24 hours for every 5 pounds.
  • Keep raw meat, poultry and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods.
  • Use separate cutting boards, plates and utensils when handling raw turkey to avoid cross-contamination.
  • Wash items that have touched raw meat with hot water and soap, or place them in a dishwasher.
  • Rinse all fruits and vegetables in cool running water and remove surface dirt.
  • Cook turkey and stuffing to 165°F, as measured by a food thermometer. Check the turkey’s temperature by inserting the thermometer in three places: the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh and the innermost part of the wing.
  • When preparing the meal, cut down on the amount of fat and sugar in recipes and boost flavor with fresh herbs instead of salt.
  • Refrigerate turkey, stuffing and sides within two hours.
  • Reheat leftovers to at least at least 165°F before serving. (Check the temperature with a metal probe thermometer.)

 

For more food preparation safety tips, go to www.westchestergov.com/health. SDA Meat & Poultry Hotline: 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) USDA-FSIS: Chat live with a food safety specialist in English or Spanish at AskKaren.gov (En Español), 10 a.m.–6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Web-based automated response system available 24/7.

News courtesy of the Westchester County Executive

A Search for Joy in ‘Something New’

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Contemplating the Holidays Without My Extended Family

One of my brothers-in-law recently noted that the lack of family gatherings over the last seven months has thrown off his internal calendar. We have a large extended family–and it’s the celebrations and gatherings with those relatives that help mark the passage of time and distinguish one week, one month, one season from another.

If ever there was a time that we could benefit from the rhythm and joy of family gatherings, it’s now. And yet, if ever there was a time that we could benefit from staying away from each other, it’s now.

In past years: The author’s extended family at Christmas

So, what to do with the holidays? In normal years, we would host anywhere from 20 to 30-something on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Our mid-century modern house isn’t huge, but its open floor plan allows everyone to be together in the same space whether cooking or engrossed in conversation. On Thanksgiving, we drag extra tables and chairs up from the garage, and each individual family contributes dishes and their labor to the effort. On Christmas, the base of the tree is smothered in gifts we exchange through Secret Santa and a hilarious Yankee Swap. I love watching the cousins of my children’s generation curl up together on our wraparound sofa like one long genetic sequence.

We are lucky: there is no embarrassing drunk uncle disrupting dinner. I am lucky: I never feel burdened by the toll of the work because there are so many hands offering help. If it sounds nauseatingly civilized, I suppose it is. I embrace the winter holidays with a passion that would provoke eye rolling among cynics, an association to which I belong the other ten months of the year.

This year with the pandemic still raging and travel fraught with peril, some of our family members are spread far enough away that they might as well live on another planet. My daughter, who just graduated from college in May, will be spending Thanksgiving in Alaska where she currently lives, returning for a week or two at Christmas. My son, a sophomore in college, is not allowed to come home for Thanksgiving unless he stays here through Christmas and winter break. So, we will be empty nesters for the first time ever at Thanksgiving. My sister recently moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to be with her daughter. I have two sisters-in-law who, with their families, live flights away, one in Europe. They haven’t seen any of their siblings (there are seven) or their ninety-three-year-old dad in nearly a year.

We’ve had a few conversations about the possibility of mini gatherings of six-ten. We’ve also considered the question, could Thanksgiving be held outdoors? We bought a restaurant-grade deck heater that could warm a handful of guests. But what if it rains or snows? We’re fortunate that our kids will be able to return home for Christmas. But because one will have been on a plane, the other on campus, we will likely stay clear of our extended family in December.

None of this is tragic of course–we are healthy, for now. More intimate versions of yearly traditions are hardly a disaster. The upside: a reasonable size turkey, one less tray of stuffing and more in-depth conversation.

I’ve noticed that my family and friends are careful not to complain too much about their pandemic malaise, acutely aware of the kind of emotional, physical and economic suffering that plagues so much of the country. There is guilt attached to wallowing when others have it worse. But perhaps one holiday gift we can give ourselves and those in our orbit is the freedom to acknowledge how much this has impacted us–changed us–left us without many simple joys, like connecting over a turkey and stuffing, around a tree, or to light candles.

As anyone who has had a birthday in this pandemic season understands, our celebrations this holiday season will be different–or at least they should be. And while they will be stunted, we may find in them something new, and some familiar comfort in their rhythms and joy.

Adding a Personal Touch to Turkey Day

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There’s something almost primal about Thanksgiving in our country. Who among us doesn’t have at least some early memories of the day be it related to travel, cousins, football, parades and, stating the obvious, food! Sure, there’s a lot to be said about the meaning of this wonderful non-denominational holiday. The importance of family/friends gathering and showing gratitude for the bountiful meal and what it represents is a powerful and meaningful tradition. The holiday even has a nice story about pilgrims and native Americans initially appreciating the beautiful land and its kind abundance together. But I digress, for the purpose of this story, dear reader, you can undo the top button on your trousers, dip a cinnamon stick into your apple cider and care not about the burnt marshmallow at the bottom of the oven.

The day begins really early in our house. My wife Laurie handles the turkey expertly and in a stress-free manner. When it emerges many hours later it will be juicy, golden brown and so excessively large that I had wondered if it would actually fit in the oven. My childhood memories of Thanksgiving in no way involve how the table may have looked but as a modern host the “table-scape” has become an important element. I’m not involved in this in any manner other than posterity related photography (see below) and (sincerely) praising my bride’s fine eye as the table looks clean yet absolutely autumnal with orange/red/brown details. There might even be a few pinecones involved.


As Laurie crafts her turkey magic, I am tasked with preparing the stuffing and having it done before the bird goes in the oven. I make a lot of it. Enough to fill the bird and lots more as a supplement. Is there any more subjectively controversial food item than stuffing? It’s quite personal and it’s connected to the version one’s been most exposed to. When we first hosted the holiday years ago we’d have several different types of stuffing represented from both sides of the family. Inevitably (barely) civil debates would arise about which was superior. Every year my simple recipe (cornbread, onions, seasoning and an absurd amount of chicken stock) is exactly the same and our regular annual guests are now addicted. The other stuffing’s are now but a culinary memory. Another Pavlovian success story!

Speaking of subjectivity, I love the unique dishes of different family’s versions of the feast. Somewhere along the way I started making chopped liver (!) on Thanksgiving. Initially, it was just an appetizer that I enjoy and wanted to try making. People seemed to like it and Aunt Sally, a respected elder of our clan, would request it so now it is firmly entrenched in our delicious ritual. I did think that, perhaps, this ethnically defined dish might be contrary to the spirit of the day. However, when I learned that our friend Shira makes stuffed cabbage (really good!) for Thanksgiving, I concluded that slightly off-message dishes add depth to the experience.


Dessert on the big day can be complicated. Too many times after overeating, I had been rendered into submission by the time dessert was served. (*Note to young over-eaters from a seasoned veteran: Go easy on the appetizers, mashed potatoes, stuffing and biscuits ). I’m a traditional dessert guy. Love the pumpkin pie. Our one departure is an ice cream turkey which is an ice cream cake shaped like a turkey with caramel skin, waffle-cone drumsticks and two flavors of ice cream representing white & dark meat (mint chocolate chip & rocky road respectively). Some consider it kitschy, I embrace it as a fully legitimate annual dessert item.

A happy element of the day is working with Laurie hosting. One of my duties is preparing two gravies. One is a light au jus that comes directly from the pan and the other a more formal gravy which is silky and luxuriant. One Thanksgiving, I looked in our fridge and saw a container of store prepared gravy! Was I insulted? Yes. Was I going to confront my wife while she was preparing a meal for 25 people? No. I may be sensitive but I’m not crazy. The “back-up” gravy controversy has faded, this year’s feast is fast approaching and I cannot wait!

Our beloved caramel coated ice cream turkey cake PHOTOS BY DAN LEVITZ