Happy Thanksgiving
PLUG IN Pest Free November Newsletter
November is here and Thanksgiving is near. Thanksgiving dates back to October 1621 when the pilgrims celebrated their first harvest in the New World. The Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This feast lasted three days and was attended by 90 Wampanoag Native American people and 53 Pilgrims (survivors of the Mayflower). Thanksgiving has been celebrated for over two centuries since.
On Thursday November 26, 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation for “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.” Beginning in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln encouraged Americans to recognize the last Thursday of November as “a day of Thanksgiving.” A few years later in 1870, Congress followed suit by passing legislation making Thanksgiving (along with Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Independence Day) a national holiday. However, unlike the other holidays in the bill, the President had the discretion to set the date for Thanksgiving. With few exceptions, each President until Franklin D. Roosevelt followed Lincoln’s lead by declaring the last Thursday of November a national day of thanks. President Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November to extend the Christmas shopping season in order to help businesses still suffering from the lingering effects of the Great Depression. Despite widespread criticism from many who had grown accustomed to the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving later in November, the President moved up the holiday again in 1940.
Many families try to spend their Thanksgiving with each other. This causes a surge in travel activities, whether by road, rail, or air. If you are traveling by road this year, please slow down and take care. Leave earlier than normal for your trip so you can take it easy out there on the road, allowing for traffic and other delays. This will help keep your patience in check. Don’t become an aggressor or victim of road rage! It’s truly not worth it. If you are traveling by air, expect delays and cancellations, especially if traveling to and from the northern states due to weather conditions. Over the years we have seen many winter weather events causing mass flight cancellations. Try to have a Plan B in place just in case.
Tip: Wear your comfortable stretchy pants for your Thanksgiving feast…
Black Friday Sales
- Businesses made an estimated $30 to $40 Billion in sales during the 2021 Black Friday
- Nearly 13% of all retail sales in the United States occur between Black Friday and Christmas
- 43% of Black Friday sales happened through mobile phones in 2021
- Shoppers spent $8.9 billion online during Black Friday in 2021
- There were 155 million shoppers in the United States on Black Friday in 2021
When purchasing online this Black Friday, or at anytime, be sure you are placing orders with reputable companies with proven track records. Double check the URL and security at check-out. Many scammers are standing by waiting to pounce on unsuspecting shoppers. When placing orders online, be sure you receive your tracking number for your shipment, and check the shipping status often. Mail theft usually increases around this time of the year. If you don’t think you will be home when the package is scheduled to arrive, consider having your goods shipped to an alternative address where somebody will be home all day to collect, your place of work where the package can be dropped off at the front desk, an authorized collection point, or at your local post office. The additional travel time could well be worth the hassle to ensure your receive your purchased goods.
If you are going to be shopping in-person at Black Friday sales events, have a plan in place.
- Do your research before time
- Know where the items you want to purchase are located
- List them in number of importance
- Try to know how much inventory is being offered for the sale (some stores may limit items to a specific number for the sale)
- Do your best to remain courteous and polite to other shoppers
Honey-Chipotle Glazed Turkey with Gravy
Photo by: David Malosh. Recipe by: https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a41994504/honey-chipotle-glazed-turkey-with-gravy-recipe/
What is a Thanksgiving feast without a turkey? Here is another fantastic recipe by the very talented Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond.
Prep time for this recipe is approximately 45 minutes. Total time – 3hrs 15mins. Serves 8-10.
- 12- to 14-pound turkey, thawed if frozen, neck and giblets removed
- stick salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp. minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 1 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves, chopped, plus 2 sprigs
- 2 tsp. honey
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 3 c. low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
- 1/4 c. orange juice
- 2 tbsp. adobo sauce (from the can of chipotles)
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 2-3 c. low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
- 1/2 c. dry white wine
- 2 tbsp. instant flour (such as Wondra)
- 1 tsp. adobo sauce (from the can of chipotles), optional
- For the turkey: Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the turkey on a rack set in a roasting pan. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Combine the butter, chipotles, chopped oregano, honey, cumin, and garlic in a small bowl and mix well. Gently loosen the skin from the turkey breast and legs with your fingers. Spread the butter mixture evenly under the skin. Stuff the onion and oregano sprigs in the cavity. Tuck in the wing tips and tie the legs together with twine. Rub the turkey all over with the vegetable oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Loosely cover the turkey with foil and roast for 1 hour. Remove the foil and roast until the skin is well browned and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 120°, about 1 more hour.
- For the glaze: Whisk the orange juice, adobo sauce and honey in a small bowl. Pour half into a second small bowl and set aside. Brush the remaining glaze all over the turkey and continue roasting until the thermometer registers 160 ̊ in the thickest part of the thigh, about 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and brush with the reserved glaze. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest, at least 30 minutes.
- For the gravy: Carefully strain the pan drippings into a large measuring cup. Spoon off as much fat from the top of the drippings as you can. Add enough broth to the drippings to equal 3 cups of liquid. Place the roasting pan over a burner set to medium-high heat. Add the wine and cook, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until reduced by two-thirds, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the drippings mixture to the roasting pan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the instant flour until combined. Simmer until starting to thicken, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the adobo sauce, if desired. If the gravy is lumpy, strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.
Be sure to check out other delicious recipes by Ree Drummond – The Pioneer Woman here: https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/
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