The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

"The Mountaineer" invited all professional cooks in Big Sandy to participate in a special Thanksgiving interview. Most accepted. A few did not. Answers were very revealing. For instance many cooks like to cook alone. What does that do to the open concept living that is so popular these days? Some cooks said the best short cut to cooking is not to cook at all. Go somewhere else and bring something.

Most all had bad experiences in cooking for Thanksgiving dinner. One of the best answers of all concerned whether to stuff the dressing in the bird or serve dressing that has not gone in the turkey. Her answer was why stuff it in, then stuff it out. Leave it out completely and make it simple! Good advice. You will find plenty of it in this Thanksgiving interview series.

Much thanks to Tammy Houle, Steve Stiles, Crystal Geyer, Kandi Marino, Cheryl Ostrom, Linda Schwarzbach, Donna Jenkins, Carla Courtnage and Linda Rutledge.

The most memorable Thanksgiving dinner you have ever cooked?

Crystal: This is also my worst disaster. I bought a deep fat fryer for cooking our turkey. We started to get the oil hot. All was going well. I brought out the turkey and put it on the stick to dunk it into the oil. I started to put it in the oil and all was well. I put down the lid, turned down the burner and went inside to start the timer. There were some kids outside playing and I asked them to keep an eye on the pot. Not more than five minutes went by and the turkey and the yard were on fire. Got all the flames out and started over.

Tammy: I would say the first one. Didn't have a clue as to what I was doing...Lots of calls to mom. Everything turned out great. I didn't make anyone sick so it was a good day!

Kandi: When all my family members were here there were eighteen people and I loved it!

Cheryl: The First one

Linda S: It was 1993 and my mother was very sick with cancer. The whole family wanted to be with her at her house in Lakeside but we knew putting on a turkey dinner would be too hard on her. I cooked and made several desserts and salads here in Big Sandy, and my family loaded the meal in our car and transported it to Lakeside. My mother passed three weeks later so the time spent with her and the extended family was very special.

Carla: 11 years ago when my daughter announced I was going to be a grandmother.

Steve: Smoked turkey!

Linda R: First year married for both sides of the family. Lots of people and a little house.

What is your best Thanksgiving short cut?

Crystal: There is no short cut in any holiday cooking unless you are not the one that has to cook.

Tammy: If you are having ham and turkey, slice ham and heat in crock pot on low. Saves oven space and turns out great.

Kandi: It never happens in my kitchen.

Cheryl: "Over the river and through the woods"

Linda S.: I like using crock pots for side dishes and appetizers.

Donna: Go to a friend's house or relatives! Take a salad or dessert of course.

Carla: Make mashed potatoes early and have them ready in crock pot with butter. Set table day before.

Steve: For oven cooked turkey, use oven cooking bags.

What was your worst disaster ever?

Kandi: One year my kids say the turkey was a little too dry.

Linda S.: The first turkey I cooked without my mother's help. I did the typical new wife's trick of cooking the neck and bags of liver and giblets right in the turkey.

Donna: When I was a young girl we had a family gathering at my grandmother's home in Havre. My aunt cooked the turkey and left all the bags of giblets, neck etc. because she could not find them. It wasn't my worst disaster but it taught me to check carefully before baking the turkey!

Steve: Turned heat too high in oven and burned turkey.

Linda R.: Cooked a turkey and people had a hangover and didn't eat. A waste of time and money!

What words of advice do you have for young cooks?

Crystal: Learn from your mistakes and ask if you don't know.

Tammy: Lots of calls to mom!

Kandi: Check inside the turkey and be sure you have a list of what you are going to do.

Cheryl: Always remove giblets from turkey

Linda S. : Give the turkey a lot of time to cook. You can always turn it down but when you have a house full of hungry guests it gets scary if you make them wait for dinner.

Donna: Prepare as much of the dinner beforehand (pies, desserts, salad, buns) Try to relax and enjoy your company. (A little glass of sparkly doesn't hurt either!!) Ed. note...How about a large glass of brandy!

Carla: Have your husband get out of bed and put the turkey in the oven.

Steve: Start early

Linda R.: Take your time. Don't do more than you can handle. Ask others to bring salads and desserts to help you.

Stuffing or dressing? (Stuffing goes in the turkey. Dressing stays out.)

Crystal: Why do you want to stuff your turkey? You have to dig all the stuff out.

Tammy: Dressing, it just sounds better. When I use the word stuff, it is in a different context.

Kandi: I stuff the turkey and make the dressing in a bowl because to make everyone happy, especially my grand kids, they do not like the turkey stuffing from the turkey.

Cheryl: Dressing.

Linda S.: Stuffing. It is what you do and how you feel after a big meal!

Donna: To stuff the turkey, mix dressing up and put in cavity of bird. Never put warm dressing in a cold bird unless you are cooking it right away. For dressing I would think you would cook it in a casserole dish. It takes less time and if you love dressing, you could cook it both ways and have leftovers for the next day.

Carla: Dressing seems to be more moist.

Steve: Stuffing. It takes the taste from the turkey when it is cooking.

Linda R.: I call them both the same.

What is the all time best Thanksgiving dessert?

Linda R: Mine is the worst because it was the time I forgot to put sugar in the pumpkin pies. Cool Whip helped the pies.

Steve: Cherry Pie

Tammy: Cherry Cheese Cake

Carla: Pecan Pie

Donna: I think one of my favorites would be one I get from my sister-in-law Renee. It was Pistachio Dessert.

Linda S: Chef Pierre frozen Pumpkin Dessert!

Kandi: At my house it is like a short order cook. My daughter makes pecan. Then there is pumpkin, lemon meringue, chocolate and that pretty much makes everyone happy.

Crystal: Any dessert is the best!

Sweet potatoes, or yams or none?

Crystal: How about both?

Kandi: I prefer to make yams.

Cheryl: Sweet potatoes

Tammy: ying or yang. Either one.

Linda S: I usually fix yams with brown sugar, butter and marshmallows.

Donna: Very seldom do I have either.

Carla: Sweet Potatoes

Steve: I fix either. Both taste great if you fix them right.

Linda R.: none.

What is the secret ingredient in your mashed potatoes?

Linda R.: none.

Tammy: sour cream

Steve: sour cream

Carla: lots of butter

Donna: I like plain home cooked mashed potatoes with milk, lots of butter and salt and pepper to taste and good old turkey gravy.

Linda S.:Cream cheese and sour cream. It keeps them moist in the crock pot.

Cheryl: None

Kandi: I have to peel ten pounds of real potatoes with lots of butter and cream or half and half. That is the way that my kids love them.

Do you prefer lots of folks in your kitchen while you are cooking?

Crystal: It all depends. If you are helping, stay, if not, get out.

Kandi: That would never happen at my house.

Tammy: I would like folks but everyone seems to disappear when the cooking starts. They are there when it is done. Magic? Hmmmmm.

Cheryl: I prefer lots of people. It is a great time to visit.

Linda S: I have a big kitchen but I would rather cook it myself. As far as dishes though, the more the merrier.

Donna: Everyone who can fit in our kitchen does! Wouldn't it be boring if no one was there to visit with? Besides lots of them pitch in to help!!! Makes it more fun.

Carla: No folks at all.

Steve: No folks at all.

Linda R.: Not a lot of people, mostly myself.

Best cranberry recipe of all time

Steve: Don't have one. I don't care for cranberries.

Tammy: One can and one can opener.

Carla: Cranberry Jell-o--fresh cranberries and nuts with cream cheese topping.

Donna: My favorite is my cousin Tana Rai's Cranberry Sauce. It is in the cookbook, "Montana legacy of Love" on page 205. It is very good.

Linda S.: Cranberry relish salad with pineapple Jell-o and whipped topping.

Kandi: No recipe. No one eats that at our house so I don't put it on the table and the table still looks complete.

Crystal: The one that comes from a can and saves me time.

Do you feed your guests and then they go or do they continue to stay and you feed them again? Why?

Linda R: Stay and visit, watch football and feed them again.

Tammy: Some stay and some go. They all get their fill and take all the leftovers they want.

Steve: It all depends on how long we visit afterwards.

Carla: We eat at 1pm because we want to keep the children on schedule. Then we play games and visit and eat again at 6pm and continue to play cards but we graze all day.

Donna: We usually have everyone for dinner meal then early in the evening we bring out the leftovers and go at it again. Not sure who is more stuffed, us or the turkey.

Linda S: We watch a movie (Remember "Mama Mia" family rated) or we play games and snack whenever anyone gets hungry.

Cheryl: We eat later in the afternoon so we have our meal, visit and then it is coffee and dessert.

Kandi: They continue to stay.

Crystal: We go to my dad's house in Loma and eat all day. Our big meal is served at 1pm and then we sit around and wait for all the football to be done and then we all go home. The kids play games, hunt or go sledding if there is snow.

You cook all the time, why tackle this meal on top of all the rest that you do?

Crystal: You don't cook all the meal; you give each family something to bring. Why should you miss out and be in the kitchen all day and night? Everyone should do their part so you can all enjoy the time and meal.

Tammy: Holidays are one of the few times of the year I get to cook special things for my family and get to enjoy them.

Kandi: Yes I love cooking. I would rather be cooking.

Cheryl: For the family gathering.

Linda S: I enjoy cooking and I love having all the family and friends together. Everyone helps and it is a great day.

Donna: I guess Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for all we have, for friends and loved ones and what better way to do this than have a time to share a special meal together. As long as I have a day or two to get it together, it is fun.

Carla: It has been a tradition in my family that I cook Thanksgiving. I have the biggest house to fit all the relatives.

Steve: I enjoy cooking the meat and the other stuff, not so much.

Linda R: To be with family and enjoy each other's company and be thankful for what we have.

Have you ever made a mincemeat pie? Do you yet? Do you use venison?

Linda R: No, I buy a mincemeat pie.

Tammy: No! No! And Heck No!

Steve: Only once. It was a wreck.

Donna: I don't think I have ever made a mincemeat pie. It was never one of my favorites. My Mom, Inez and mother-in-law, Gert used to make mincemeat pie and it was good but not my favorite.

Linda S: I helped my mother cook one when I was young but I have never made one on my own. We used venison.

Cheryl: No.

Kandi: I have never made a mincemeat pie. I think that one was before my time.

Crystal: Mincemeat pie? What, why? So no to all of the above.

Which is your favorite meal to cook, Christmas or Thanksgiving?

Crystal: Any meal that I don't have to cook is my favorite.

Kandi: I love doing both. I never give the kids their choice. I just say my house for dinner.

Tammy: Christmas. With the grand kids there is just more excitement that day.

Cheryl: Christmas because everyone is in a holly, jolly mood.

Linda S: Thanksgiving. At Christmas I usually cook Christmas Eve and we have soup and sandwiches after church. My son and his wife do Christmas dinner and Marilyn helps put it all together.

Donna: I think both are special. Some guy on TV said Thanksgiving was better because you didn't have to buy everyone a gift and could just concentrate on your meal. It makes sense.

Steve: I enjoy cooking at Thanksgiving. It is more relaxed than Christmas.

Carla: Thanksgiving. Christmas seems so rushed attending services and tending to family.

The Big Sandy Senior Citizen's Cooks, l to r: Donna Jenkins, Kandi Marino, Cryatal Geyer, Linda Rutledge.

Linda R.: Christmas because the family gets together and we think about the real meaning of Christmas.

Do you have a Christmas message for young cooks?

Carla: Be prepared. Lots of things you can do before hand.

Steve: Plan ahead. Start early and enjoy the day.

Tammy: Cook with love and everything will turn out fine...and if that fails, call mom!

Donna: If in doubt, call your mother!

Linda S.: Don't stress too much. Everyone is willing to help. Have fun and enjoy your friends and family.

Kandi: Just make sure to keep your hands clean and the food is fresh and enjoy your day with your family and friends and eat until you pass out!

Crystal: Enjoy and learn from your mistakes. But most of all just have fun and enjoy the holidays. If you don't know the answer to your cooking question, just Google it!