(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . A Place to Share Thanksgiving Menus & Thanksgiving with Dysphagia [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-11-20 Happy Thanksgiving all! I love reading what people are having for their Thanksgiving meals. Generally, it all sounds so good, I want to make that too! So please share below. But this year, as last, our menu must accommodate a stroke victim who still suffers from some dysphagia. What is dysphagia, many may ask? Well, according to aphasia.org: Dysphagia is a disorder described as a regular difficulty swallowing or moving food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach. This is opposed to dysphasia, which is a speech disorder. However, both can be common after a stroke, which is why a speech therapist is the one who usually administers swallow tests. The anatomy for speaking and swallowing is very much related. Depending on the type and location of a stroke, some people cannot swallow at all. Sometimes the ability to swallow can be regained partially or fully. One of the typical types of partial swallowing ability is the ability to be able to swallow thickened liquids and soft, pureed foods. And that’s where we are! So everything on our menu is made to have a soft texture, with not a lot of food bits that can get stuck somewhere in the throat. Except the turkey. But it was fine last year with the way I did the turkey (brined overnight and then in the pressure cooker). It was moist, and, cut very small and ingested in very small bites, was able to be chewed to the correct consistency and successfully swallowed. We tend to like to have a more “traditional” Thanksgiving menu. Fortunately, that lends itself well to a lot of soft food options. I always like to have something turkey, something potato, something corn, something cranberry, and something pumpkin, as well as gravy and some sort of stuffing (or dressing if you like. Please, no stuffing vs. dressing wars!). So here’s our menus. For Breakfast: Pumpkin Crepes — With pumpkin cream cheese and cranberry puree Pomegranate Mimosas — Thickened with SimplyThick (a magic but not cheap liquid that can thicken anything, hot or cold, without any discernible change in taste. You can even have wine and beer, but ya gotta let the beer get a little flat first. Or it’s a foamy mess). For Dinner: 3lb Turkey Breast — Brined and pressure cooked with rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, and onion. Mashed potatoes and gravy — From KFC! Saves me time and perfect for people with dysphagia. Sweet Potato — Can’t decide whether to go more sweet, like brown sugar-cinnamon, or more savory, like onion-sage. But no marshmallows. While delicious, those sticky things are a throat menace. Corn Souffle — Recipe has creamed corn and regular canned corn, but is pulverized in a blender with cream cheese and evaporated milk, and has a very smooth texture. Stuffing — Yeah, I’m doing Stove Top (for Pork, for no reason I can think of) and will add extra water and/or Kerrygold butter to make it extremely moist. Ginger Orange Cranberries — If you boil them long enough, they mush up and it creates its own sauce, soft enough to be swallowed easily. The ginger is Da Bomb in this recipe. For Dessert: Pumpkin Ice Cream Parfait — With whipped cream and some of those cranberries. Key Lime Pie — A tradition in the family going back many years. Hey, it’s Florida. That’s it! Share yours below, whether dysphagia-friendly or not. Share any hints and tips, let’s just have some fun. Happy Happy Thanksgiving! [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/11/20/2207016/-A-Place-to-Share-Thanksgiving-Menus-Thanksgiving-with-Dysphagia?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/