Turkey Day with The Clampetts

Weeeell Doggies!

One of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions is to watch The Beverly Hillbillies 'Turkey Day' episode which first aired November 27, 1963.  

A few days before Thanksgiving Hubbs starts singing in his best Granny voice "Can you stuff a turkey good Billy Boy, Billy Boy..."

The episode goes a little something like this:

Elly has done gone and gotten friendly with their main course, the turkey (name's Herman).  She learns him to shake hands with everyone which makes doing him in a difficult job for everyone to take on. The fancy eating table is getting prepared for the feast, which is actually a billiard table. It has a large stuffed head of a rhinoceros above it framed on the wall.  The Clampett clan figure that big rascal must be a billiard and reckon that's why there's an extra strong table for serving it.  Meanwhile over at the Drysdale's they have hired a couple of guys dressed up in Native American wear for a photo shoot. Comedy and confusion between these two story lines collide with everyone involved taking their Thanksgiving vittles at the fancy eating table together.   The Native Americans are actually Jewish, as are all the vittles, because Herman didn't become the main course but a guest at the table dressed in pilgrim attire.

I decided this year we ought to have a Beverly Hillbillies inspired Thanksgiving and  'put on the dog' in our fancy eating room.

Jed and all his kin:

Elly and Granny.

I decorated the sideboard with our own turkey, Herman, along with printouts of vintage Beverly Hillbillies paper dolls.  I doubt that jug Granny's holding has syrup in it though!

Jethro, Jed, and Duke.

I included an ax in the setting, similar to one Jed was sharpening to do in poor old Herman.  The ax is from our Halloween stuff.

I put a green tablecloth on the fancy eating table to resemble a billiard table.  I also made a center piece having a mini billiard table (from dollar tree) with a billiard (rhinoceros) on it. I picked up a few black cooking pots as serving dishes.  Also know as Halloween plastic cauldrons I got on clearance.

I put our Thanksgiving vittles in the pots and we used our own pot passers (actually pool sticks on the show).  In the background it is kinda make-out-able that I placed circular black pieces of paper to resemble billiard table holes.  I don't know their official name.  I would guess the Clampett's used them as drink holders.  We drank out of mason jars and ate out of metal pie pans.  We played the 'Turkey Day' episode along with a mess of other Beverly Hillbillies shows throughout the day.  I even dressed up in my overalls, Soggy Bottom Boy style.

For dessert I decided to reference the episode and make a traditional Jewish dish, Noodle Kugel.

I looked up several versions and came up with my own between them all.  I felt the Kugel was kinda dry, "pitiful' as Jed would say, so I had the idea of adding a sauce to it.  It's now a dern heap improved!  Maybe it has something to do with the firewater I added.

By doggies, we hope you all had a Happy Turkey Day!

Ya'll come back now, ya hear!

Have a heaping helping of Noodle Kugel!

Noodle Kugel

8 oz wide egg noodles
6 tbsp soft butter
6 eggs separated
1/4 tsp almond extract
8 oz soft cream cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Crumb topping:
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar

Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup amaretto
1 egg yolk

Addition topping:
Chopped pecans
Dried cranberries



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.   Cook the noodles in boiling water until barely al dente.  Drain well, transfer to a large bowl and toss with 6 tbsp of soft butter and set aside.  In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks, almond extract,  cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, sugar and salt with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add cranberries and mix all in with the noodle mixture by hand.  In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold into noodle mixture.  Spread everything into the baking dish.  Mix together the crumb topping and place on top of the kugel.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until set.

To make the sauce:
Over low heat melt butter and sugar together in a pot.  Add amaretto and egg yolk.  Heat slowly whisking for 1-2 minutes to set. To serve,  drizzle a couple of spoonfuls over each helping of warm kugel.  Top with addition pecans and dried cranberries.

*****************************
Good Grief!

 Check out another of our Thanksgiving shindigs:

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving