Gobble, Gobble, Gobble Up That Dinner

The first Thanksgiving may be significant for bringing together the Pilgrims and Native Americans, but the feast we celebrate today wasn’t recognized as a holiday until Honest Abe, our 16th president, took office.

President Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday on October 3, 1863, hoping to bring two warring factions to the table. He hoped all Americans, from both the North and South, would use the holiday to “heal the wounds of the nation”, caught up in the Civil War.

For most people today, Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season of eating and socializing with family and friends.
The turkey takes center stage at most Thanksgiving dinners, and most recipes are passed down through generations. After all, who can resist your mother’s traditional bird, bursting with grandma’s chestnut stuffing, surrounded by bogs of cranberries, veggies and the rest?
Retail experts estimate that more than 7 million turkeys are sold in New York City in the weeks and days leading to Thanksgiving. The average family, with three children and two adults, typically has a turkey weighing between 20 and 22 pounds. Even after sharing the bird with Fido, that leaves a lot of turkey to be turned into leftovers.

Did you know that the typical meal on Thanksgiving could tally more than 3,000 calories?

Officials at the City Department of Health have once again released the following list of traditional Thanksgiving dinner items and their caloric intake to use in computing the calories of your holiday meal. Even though the list does not include hors d’oeuvres, cheese and crackers, cheese platters, crudités or other food items, Thanksgiving is the one day each year when we can overeat without feeling guilty. For that reason take pleasure in your meal, enjoy your family and friends, and have a very joyous Thanksgiving holiday.
Liquors    125 per oz.
White Wine    20 per oz.
Soup    150 per cup
Turkey    40 per oz.
Stuffing    400 per cup
Gravy    800 per cup
Mashed Potatoes    300 per cup
Baked Potato    20 per oz.
Sour Cream    30 per tbsp.
Mixed Vegetables    80 per cup
Candied Sweet Potatoes    45 per oz.
Cranberry Sauce    30 per tbsp.
Green Bean Casserole    250 per cup
Dry Tossed Salad    40 per cup
Salad Dressing     70 per tbsp.
Croutons    10 per oz.
Rolls, Bread    80 per oz.
Fruit Salad    100 per cup
Egg Nog    300 per cup
Pecan Pie    130 per oz.
Whipped Cream    40 per tbsp.
Chocolate    150 per oz.
Fudge    145 per oz.
Ice Cream (Not gourmet)    300 per cup.
Popcorn (Air Popped)    25 per cup
Popcorn (Bagged, Salted)    75 per cup
Potato Chips    150 per oz.
Onion Dip    30 per tbsp.
Mixed Nuts    800 per cup
Cookies    140 per oz.
Cake    110 per oz.