Page 38 November 2015 By Josh Cutlip November is finally here and it’s one of my favorite months. Not only is the weather nice, but it also means that another school semester is coming to an end, football season is going strong and Thanksgiving is approaching. It seems that most people will choose Christmas when asked, “What is your favorite holiday?” I have always loved Thanksgiving. Yes, the food is amazing, but it’s more than that. And for me, it’s all about the memories that come from the fourth Thursday of every November. Here are my top five Thanksgiving memories (with some stuffing on the side). 5. Games with the family Growing up, my family was pretty spread out across the country, so when it came to a holiday like Thanksgiving where I got to see my extended family, it was always a fun time. When we had a big group, we played different card games, Apples to Apples, Catch Phrase and even Polish Golf (also known as Ladder Golf). I never really cared where we were for Thanksgiving dinner; it was all about whom I was with. 4. Fiesta stuffing Because what’s Thanksgiving without a little fiesta? In 2007, my mom created one of the best side dishes I have ever tasted. Stuffing was always my favorite part about Thanksgiving dinner, but eight years ago my mother decided to spice things up – literally. She added peppers, chorizo and green apple to a traditional stuffing mix, and just like that the fiesta stuffing was born, and it graced the Cutlip Thanksgiving table for the next seven years. If you are a fan of chorizo, and breaking away from the traditional stuffing, I highly recommend serving this at your Thanksgiving dinner this year: FIESTA STUFFING • 1 pound pork chorizo • 1 medium onion, chopped • 1 red bell pepper, chopped • 1 green apple, cored and chopped • 1 cup frozen corn • one 15-ounce can chicken broth • 1 box corn bread stuffing mix • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro • 1 tablespoon chili powder • 1 teaspoon salt Heat the oven to 350 F. In a pan, brown chorizo and add onion about halfway. Remove from heat and drain. Using a bowl, combine all ingredients, including browned chorizo and onion. Add more chicken broth if needed. Place in the oven and heat through. (Recipe from Lisa Fogel Cutlip) 3. Running Last year I ran the Road Racers Thanksgiving Classic 10-mile race at the Peoria Sports Complex. Although it was odd missing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (another Cutlip tradition), it was a great experience and I encourage anyone who is up for the challenge to do a run on Thanksgiving morning. There are plenty of Turkey Trots and 5K races on Thanksgiving, and it’s a great way to boost your appetite for the big meal. Plus you can get home just in time to watch the Dog Show on TV right after the parade! Go schnauzers! 2. Limpa bread When I was younger, my mom suggested we make limpa bread for Thanksgiving dinner. For those of you who aren’t bread enthusiasts, limpa bread is a dense, Swedish bread. Not only is this fun to make, you will get a quality forearm workout and burn some calories kneading the dough. If you don’t believe me, try it out yourself! It’s a great addition to any turkey dinner, and it goes great with havarti or cheddar cheese. LIMPA BREAD • 1/2 cup light-brown sugar, packed • 1/4 cup light or dark molasses • 1/4 cup butter • 1 tablespoon salt • 1 teaspoon anise or caraway seed • 2 tablespoons grated orange peel • 1 cup boiling water • 1 cup warm water (105- 115 degrees F) • 2 packages active dry yeast • 5 cups unsifted all-purpose flour • 4 cups unsifted rye flour, separated • cornmeal • 2 tablespoons butter, melted In large bowl, combine sugar, molasses, butter, salt, anise and orange peel. Add boiling water; stir until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Add warm water. Cool to lukewarm. Check temperature of warm water with thermometer. Sprinkle yeast over water in measuring cup; stir until dissolved. Add to molasses mixture; mix well with dough hooks. Gradually add all-purpose flour and 1 cup rye flour; beat vigorously until smooth and dough leaves the side of the bowl. Gradually add 3 cups rye flour. Mix in the last of flour by hand until dough leaves the side of the bowl. Dough will be stiff. Turn out onto lightly floured pastry cloth or board. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in lightly greased large bowl; turn dough to bring up the greased side. Cover the bowl with a towel; let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until its doubles in bulk – about 1.5 hours. Grease a large cookie sheet and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Punch down dough, and turn out onto lightly floured pastry cloth or board. Cut in half. Shape each half into an oval. With palms of hands, on lightly floured surface, roll each half into a loaf, 12 inches long, tapering ends. Place them on the prepared cookie sheet, 5 inches apart. With sharp knife make four diagonal slashes on top of the loaf, a quarter-inch deep. Cover with a towel; let rise in warm place until double in size. Heat oven to 375 F. Bake on middle shelf for 35 minutes. Cover with foil for the last 10 minutes, if necessary. Brush with remaining butter. Serve warm, or cool on rack. Makes two loaves. (Recipe from 1981 issue of McCall’s magazine ) 1. Thankful notes There have been variations of this tradition in my family over the years, but the most recent was thankful notes. Throughout the day, we wrote anything we were thankful for on little notes, and then we place them in a bowl to be read later on at dinner. These notes can be anything from little thank you letters to notes of appreciation toward anyone in your life. To me, Thanksgiving is about the memories. I hope you have the opportunity this year to create memories to last a lifetime. Gimme 5 – writer’s favorite Thanksgiving memories

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