The Dodds Family Food Traditions

 

 

It occurs to me that, if anyone was interested in old family traditions, I might want to write down what I believe are the Dodds family food traditions, specifically focused on food served at 15 Justina Street in the 1970s and 1980s. You see, I live there now and at the drop of a hat, I'll tell you all about how Thanksgiving SHOULD be done. In detail. With recipes.

How did this blog post come about? I've been reading In Defense of Food and I'm thinking about that line "Eat food your great grandmother would recognize".

That could be:

Edna Francis Price, 1886 - 1947, Gouveneur, New York

 

Or 

Emma Francis Boyd, 1885 - 1949, Lisbon, New York

I'm happy to say that 'people eating in groups' has a history down the Dodds line, (photos next) and down the line I even gathered a subset of photos of 'people eating in garages' since that's how Family Reunions of the 1970-80s were done.

 Caption: Adam Scott Family Reunion, Adam Scott would be Emma's grandfather (mother's father).

 

 

Hands down: One of my most favorite photos I discovered when I inherited several families' worth of photo collections.

 

Left to right is:

My grandmother Helen Elizabeth Crowe Dodds, then my Great Aunts Eunice Dodds Garrett and Eula Matilda Dodds Colby, and an unknown women whom I'm guessing is Edna Francis Price Dodds.

Unknown photo but just guessing: Edna Francis Price Dodds preparing another dining table, covered with a table cloth. Behind looks like my Great Uncle Kenneth Colby and further behind is a man reading a newspaper, who could be my Great Grandfather Murray Adebert Dodds

My Great Aunt Eula standing next to a remarkable Easter Candy display at what I think was the A&P grocery store in Massena, New York. My great Aunt and Uncle ran that store for many years.

 

 

Not that the family are not gardeners - we are! Here's my Great Uncle Ken Colby and his brother Melvin Colby sorting potatoes on Andrews Street in Massena, NY in 1977.

 

 

I asked my brother Mike once why I have SO MANY PHOTOS of him with birthday cake.  He said "Because Grandma made good cake!"  Unfortunately, I have none of my grandmother Helen's cookbooks.

 

 

Here is the birthday idea combined with "outside" I think this was on Lisbon Street in Heuvelton, New York, ~1969?

 

 

 

And we arrive at eating in garages! This is actually a barn, my current barn, and it was a family reunion. I remember this was the time my chain was yanked because back then, I did NOT like pie. But I had some pie I liked. I was told it was Farkelberry Pie. (I think it was raspberry.) 

Now one of the best old photos of my current dining room. I have it set to seat 8 but we've fit in 10 before. If you crack out card tables, there is room for even more!

So far, I won't cover summer food because the traditions are NOT as strong. But as promised, here comes Thanksgiving. I hope you are writing this down!

Thanksgiving, the Fourth Thursday in November 

First, you must procure some Macadam's Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese and leave it out to get to room temperature. We are a cheese-with-pie family and the cheese needs to room temperature for dessert.

Next, we don't do appetizers technically. All of that would take up room later where you are going to put mashed potatoes. Neither either on alcohol. It's just not the Dodds family way.

Here is the traditional menu:

Turkey 

Roasted. The bigger the better. Everyone leaves with leftovers. And don't worry about fitting it back into the fridge. We store the leftovers on the porch you see just at the back of the photo above. I call that porch "Grandma's Refrigerator".  By Thanksgiving, it's going to be at least 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit out there at night, so it's good.

Mashed Potatoes

Purist? No skins.  But if it were just me, I'm OK with skins.

Gravy.  

One time I measured it. I was amazed to realize that we don't even go through 2 cups in one meal. Wow, it feels like more. Oh well. Don't worry. Gravy keeps and we'll need to for Hot Turkey sandwiches starting on the Friday after Thanksgiving!

Stuffing

Which we call stuffing, not dressing. And the recipe is drop dead simple-- the one from the red and white checkered cookbook (otherwise known as the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.) Close to this one. But please do not add any other funky ingredients to it! I'm looking at you, Delaware and your clams!  Ditto for adding raisins or mashed potatoes. As Sam The Eagle would say, "weirdos"

Green beans

Plain, nothing added. I'm not even a fan of putting butter on it in the kitchen. Keeping them warm, however, still eludes me. I'm totally interested in the "hot water" pans of the 1960s.

Cranberry sauce

Jelly kind, NOT with berries. I prefer this to cut into circles and fanned out.

Rolls

Yeast, small & humble in size. Can be store bought. I do not condone using King's Hawaiian though - too sweet for this meal.

Butter 

Straight up plain salted butter. Don't mess with this. Don't.

Pickles

If you can. Must be homemade. The more variety, the better. Yes, a pickle plate, definitely.

Water with ice

We're not fans of drinking our calories here.

Actions

Food gets passed at my table. So you reach out (we don't say grace) and take some food of whatever is in front of you, then you pass it. We usually call out "To the Left" or "To the Right", whichever makes sense. Big items like the Turkey platter stay put and folks pass their plates to get a serving. Later when the platter is less full, it will be passed.

You will be pumped to fill up.  When I was a kid, if I protested that I was full, I was told to "Go outside and run around the house three times. Then you'll have more room."  I never took up that offer.

 

The Dodds family way is to eat at 1 p.m. then let the meal "settle in your stomach" or rest. Then eat dessert around 2:30 or 3 p.m. and get leftovers packed up so that folks can start traveling and get home before dark. 

Desserts

Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie. Generally the pattern is Pumpkin plus one other pie, so the apple could change out possibly, but that's rare. Both of these pies are relatively plain, no messing with them.

Cheddar cheese.

Cream puffs, preferably stuffed with Cool Whip.

Leftovers

Everyone leaves with some.