{"id":63577,"date":"2018-12-12T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-12T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/millennials-bring-new-takes-on-holiday-meals\/"},"modified":"2018-12-12T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-12-12T12:00:00","slug":"millennials-bring-new-takes-on-holiday-meals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/millennials-bring-new-takes-on-holiday-meals\/","title":{"rendered":"Millennials bring new takes on holiday meals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"A
A more than 17-pound organic turkey roasted to perfection using Gordon Ramsay\u2019s holiday turkey recipe. The bacon was removed to add into the gravy, and the turkey \u201crested\u201d for 2-3 hours. The meat was tender, flavorful and juicy \u2013 and remained that way as leftovers.<\/span>Sue McMillin\/Special to The Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A few years ago, I gave both my millennial daughters cookbook albums with family recipes \u2013 most handwritten on recipe or note cards, including a few in the hand of their grandmother or great-grandmothers. They love them.<\/p>\n

They also love cooking shows, food photos and discovering recipes online, including on YouTube and food blogs.<\/p>\n

They got me hooked on \u201cThe Great British Baking Show\u201d \u2013 I\u2019ve baked all my life and fancy myself a decent baker. But I\u2019ve learned a few things from that show.<\/p>\n

Yet, when my younger daughter, Eila, sent me a link this fall to a Gordon Ramsay video on how to cook a holiday turkey<\/a>, it gave me pause.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve cooked the turkey for the family Thanksgiving celebration pretty much the same way for more than 30 years, and she wants me to change things up?<\/p>\n

Well, she said, you don\u2019t have to. But it looks interesting. Maybe just the butter under the skin. And the bacon.<\/p>\n

I watched the video.<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t stuff the bird, I told her, suggesting that if \u201cwe\u201d were going to try this recipe that I cook the stuffing separately.<\/p>\n

No, I like it baked in the turkey, she responded.<\/p>\n

I fretted. It will take longer with stuffing inside. We might have to get up at the crack of dawn to have dinner on the table before dark because Ramsay says you\u2019ve got to let the turkey \u201crest\u201d for the same length of time it was in the oven. As I calculated the time, I was wishing that I\u2019d ordered a smaller turkey.<\/p>\n

\"Sue
Sue McMillin and her daughter Eila put the finishing touches of butter flavored with lemon, garlic and parsley on the Thanksgiving turkey. It went into a 450-degree oven for 15 minutes or so before the bacon strips were added across the breast.<\/span>Courtesy of Sue McMillin<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Despite my misgivings, I was intrigued. We decided to try it \u2013 although I brought my trusty Reynold\u2019s cooking bag along (we\u2019ve celebrated Thanksgiving at a mountain cabin or house for about 30 years) for backup. I didn\u2019t use it \u2013 and probably never will need a turkey-size cooking bag again.<\/p>\n

It was that good.<\/p>\n

The great turkey-cooking experiment was fun for the onlookers, too, especially the long-simmering gravy mixture<\/a>. Along with stuffing the bird, we made only a couple of other minor changes \u2013 no walnuts in the gravy, and because I added some extra stock, I also used a bit of cornstarch to thicken. And we ate at the usual mid-afternoon time. And I didn\u2019t lose any sleep.<\/p>\n

Mom would\u2019ve loved it.<\/p>\n

She taught me to cook \u2013 and to love cooking. She shared that love with her mother and sister, too.<\/p>\n

While plenty of old recipes from family and friends have been passed on to the younger generations, the elder family cooks always welcomed adaptations and new ideas. My mom loved my Asian and Middle Eastern recipes \u2013 things she didn\u2019t grow up with.<\/p>\n

My girls were surprised to learn that some recipes I\u2019ve made for as long as they can remember are not family hand-me-downs. My Winter White casserole (a puree of parsnips, turnips, cauliflower and an apple with butter and cream) is from a 1990 newspaper food page, and my mom\u2019s Porcupine Meatballs are in the old Betty Crocker cookbook.<\/p>\n

Our annual batch of lebkuchen comes from a recipe from Auntie Frey \u2013 a woman from Germany who was a friend of my grandmother. I never met her, but two of her old metal cookie cutters are prized among my cookie-cutter collection.<\/p>\n

Along with such sacred recipe cards, newspaper and magazine clippings fill our old recipe boxes and are stuck in the pages of holiday cookbooks.<\/p>\n

In the internet age, there\u2019s just so many more ideas \u2013 and photos and videos \u2013 available.<\/p>\n

Millennial are bringing their own twists to the table, and we should embrace them. I was surprised when Eila mentioned that older folks like to \u201chate on avocado toast\u201d because it\u2019s a millennial thing. They\u2019re missing out, I thought. I love avocado toast, and her recent rendition topped with cloud eggs was right up there with the best-ever brunch items I\u2019ve had.<\/p>\n

I love that my older daughter, Amy, took my basic granola recipe up a notch with such flavors as salted caramel almond, lemon rosemary, vanilla orange, key lime pie and pumpkin pecan. She sends me samples. And sometimes recipe cards.<\/p>\n

\"Amy
Amy McMillin makes a fresh batch of pumpkin pecan granola in her Seattle apartment. Using her mom\u2019s basic granola recipe she has experimented with a variety of flavors and ingredients. An avid outdoorswoman and adventurer, she eats it daily for breakfast atop Greek yogurt mixed with protein powder.<\/span>Amy McMillin\/Special to The Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Ever the scientist, she also has an ongoing \u201cgreat pie crust\u201d experiment comparing several crust recipes using lard, butter or a mixture. Results are pending, but I believe an ale crust is a top contender.<\/p>\n

Will I give up my tried-and-true Nebraska pie crust? Time \u2013 and taste \u2013 will tell.<\/p>\n

During a recent visit with her in Seattle, we went to the Ballard Market and went home with a red kuri squash for South American soup and a bag of mixed fungi \u2013 including lion\u2019s mane \u2013 to try.<\/p>\n

I have more opportunities to cook with Eila these days because she lives nearby; but the three of us manage to exchange ideas and recipes regardless of the distance.<\/p>\n

We have discovered that Meyer lemons truly are wonderful, and that one of us must travel overseas periodically to buy saffron at reasonable prices. (I discovered that while I browsed shops during a layover at a Dubai airport; we since have purchased it at bargain prices in Greece and India. The woman in the shop in Greece commented that I was wise to stock up as it\u2019s \u201cterribly expensive\u201d in the U.S.)<\/p>\n

Eila tipped me off to key limes, which add a brightness that you don\u2019t get with a regular lime (at least the ones available in Colorado). Unfortunately, they\u2019re not always available.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re more likely to buy herbs and spices at specialty shops where they are fresher \u2013 and where you can smell them before you buy. We\u2019ve grown our own sage, basil and rosemary successfully.<\/p>\n

We are regular patrons at farmers markets. We roast chiles and corn and freeze them, can farm-fresh tomatoes and make jams, chutneys and pickled beets.<\/p>\n

Incidentally, the Gordon Ramsay turkey experiment wasn\u2019t the first time Eila enticed me to change my longstanding ways.<\/p>\n

My annual tomato canning ritual abruptly changed a couple of years ago when she suggested I try roasting the tomatoes. That year, half were stewed as I had done for more than 30 years (including in all-day canning marathons with my mother and sister), and half were roasted. This year, I roasted them all.<\/p>\n

They still learn from me, too, and I love phone calls and texts with \u201ccooking questions.\u201d But when I\u2019m stumped occasionally, I just tell them to ask Google.<\/p>\n

Sue McMillin, a long-time journalist and former city editor at The Durango Herald, is a freelance writer and editor living in Victor, Colorado. Amy McMillin, 30, is a geologist and lives in Seattle. Eila McMillin, 27, is a teacher and lives in Colorado Springs.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s Basic Granola<\/em><\/p>\n

Servings:<\/em> 15 1\/3 cup servings<\/p>\n

This recipe is customizable in that you can change the \u201cdry stuff\u201d out for whatever you want. Here, the default is: oats, nuts, seeds and coconut (Try 3 cups of oats and 2 cups of a mix of raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds, coconut and almonds or walnuts; if I add dried fruit, I mix it in during the last 10 minutes of baking so it doesn\u2019t become brittle). The beauty of this is that you can put in what you like and try new flavors.<\/em>Ingredients:<\/em>5-6 cups of \u201cdry stuff\u201d (See HEADNOTE)<\/em>\u00bc cup coconut oil (or other oil or butter)<\/em>\u00bd cup honey or maple syrup<\/em>\u00bc cup brown sugar<\/em>\u00bd teaspoon salt<\/em>Method:<\/em>Mix and heat oil (or butter), honey or maple syrup, brown sugar and salt together until warm and sugar and fat (if using butter or coconut oil) are dissolved.<\/p>\n

Pour over the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet and bake in preheated 300-degree oven for 45 minutes, stirring once about halfway through the time.<\/p>\n

Amy\u2019s Salted Caramel Almond Granola<\/em><\/p>\n

Servings:<\/em> 15 1\/3 cup servings<\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/em>For salted caramel sauce:<\/em>1 cup granulated sugar<\/em>6 tablespoons butter, cut in chunks<\/em>\u00bd cup heavy cream<\/em>1 teaspoon vanilla<\/em>1 teaspoon salt<\/em>For granola:<\/em>3 cups oats<\/em>1 cup chopped or sliced almonds<\/em>1 cup mixed seeds and coconut<\/em>\u00bc cup sugar<\/em>Method:<\/em>For salted caramel sauce:<\/p>\n

Heat sugar in saucepan over medium heat, stirring to ensure it doesn\u2019t burn, until completely dissolved. Add butter and stir until melted. Slowly add cream, stir for 1 minute and remove from heat; immediately add vanilla and salt.<\/p>\n

(Leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator; warm in a pan of hot water and drizzle over sliced apple for a quick dessert.)<\/p>\n

For granola:<\/p>\n

Heat together \u00bd cup of the salted caramel sauce and \u00bc cup sugar until warm and sugar is dissolved.<\/p>\n

Pour over the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss to coat; spread on a baking sheet and bake in preheated 300-degree oven for 45 minutes, stirring once about halfway through the time.<\/p>\n

\"Eila
Eila McMillin combined a couple of ideas to create cloud eggs on avocado toast, sure to be a crowd-pleaser among millennials. Serve with baked bacon, fresh fruit and mimosas or Bloody Marys for a lovely brunch.<\/span>Sue McMillin\/Special to The Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Eila\u2019s Cloud Eggs on Avocado Toast<\/p>\n

Servings:<\/em> 4 eggs<\/p>\n

If serving with other brunch items, plan on one egg per person.<\/em>Ingredients:<\/em>For avocado toast<\/em>1\u00bd avocados, mashed with the juice of half a lime<\/em>4 slices whole grain bread, toast<\/em>For cloud Eggs:<\/em>4 eggs, separated (place yolks in individual bowls or shot glasses and the whites in a small mixing bowl)<\/em>\u00bc cup finely shredded parmesan cheese<\/em>1 teaspoon of dried lemon peel<\/em>Method:<\/em>For Avocado Toast:<\/p>\n

Spread mashed avocado onto the toast.<\/p>\n

For Cloud Eggs:<\/p>\n

Preheat oven to 450 degrees; use a stoneware baking sheet or line a metal baking sheet with parchment paper.<\/p>\n

Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold in the cheese and lemon peel. Divide into four mounds on the prepared baking sheet and use a spoon to make a well in the center. Bake for about 3 minutes \u2013 until just starting to brown. Remove from oven and gently slide a yolk into each well \u2013 if it has filled in, use a spoon to enlarge slightly before adding the yolks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or paprika if desired and return to the oven for 3-5 minutes.<\/p>\n

Use a spatula to carefully lift the egg clouds and slide them onto the prepared avocado toast and serve immediately.<\/p>\n

\"These
These German lebkuchen have been a family favorite for three generations. The original recipe makes about 18 dozen cookies, which often were made at a baking get-together well ahead of Christmas so the flavor would have time to enhance by the holidays. They will keep in a tin for several months, and make excellent gifts.<\/span>Sue McMillin\/Special to The Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Auntie Frey\u2019s Lebkuchen<\/p>\n

Servings:<\/em> About 9 dozen cookies.<\/p>\n

The flavor of the cookies improves with age and they\u2019ll keep for 3 to 4 months in a cookie tin. To keep them soft, put a quarter of an apple in a folded foil cup and place it inside the tin.<\/em>The dough is left to rest overnight in a cool place and baked the following day.<\/em>Ingredients:<\/em>For cookies:<\/em>1 pint light molasses<\/em>\u00bd pound brown sugar (about 1 cup)<\/em>\u00bc pound lard (about \u00bd cup)<\/em>2 tablespoons baking soda<\/em>\u00bd pint sour cream<\/em>\u00bd pound walnuts, chopped<\/em>\u00bd pound glazed mixed peel<\/em>\u00bd tablespoons cinnamon<\/em>1 teaspoon ground cloves<\/em>8 cups of flour<\/em>1 tsp salt<\/em>For glaze:<\/em>1 cup powdered sugar<\/em>1 tablespoon butter, melted<\/em>1 teaspoon vanilla <\/em>1 tablespoon warm water<\/em>Method:<\/em>Put the molasses, brown sugar and lard in a large, deep saucepan and bring to a boil but don\u2019t let it boil. Add the baking soda \u2013 the mixture will foam up, so be sure the saucepan is deep. Let it cool and pour into a large mixing bowl.<\/p>\n

Add the sour cream, nuts, fruit and spices and mix well. Add the flour a cup at a time; the dough will become quite stiff. Cover and let stand in a cool place overnight.<\/p>\n

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use stoneware baking sheets, or lightly greased metal cookie sheets.<\/p>\n

Roll about 1\/3 of the dough at a time fairly thick (about 1\/4-1\/3 inches) on a baking cloth and cut into shapes (animal shapes are traditional). Place on bottom rack in the oven and move to top rack when they become puffy. Bake until just set \u2013 about 5-8 minutes total. Cool on racks and glaze with mixture of powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla and warm water (add water as needed to thin). A small craft paintbrush works well for glazing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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