Do yourself a favor and buy a fresh turkey at Frank's Market (750 Fulton St W). This Westside landmark has been serving its mostly Polish community for three generations. With its wooden floor and staff in white aprons, this is an old-fashioned butcher where meat is the star, my pets. Piles of breakfast sausage redolent with sage, slabs of porterhouse steaks, and stuffed pork chops the size of your fist will set your heart, and your cardiologist, aflutter. Every Thanksgiving, owner Fritz Stanitzek sets aside more than 100 fresh, natural turkeys from local farmers. People come from all over to buy these tasty birds, which range in size from 12¬-24 pounds ($1.89/lb.) and are great deep-fried. Fritz was more excited to talk about the piles of kielbasa ($3.19/lb. "on the rope"), made with whole cloves of garlic and other fresh ingredients. The protean Miss Carolita prefers to slow bake her meaty ropes of kielbasa in water-never beer-and serve it sliced into chunks with sauerkraut as her second meat on Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes. Dump the stale bread cubes this year and reach for Randy's Granola (Marne, Mich.). This new company is making a name for itself with its tasty and wholesome granola. Take a 12 oz. bag of Original Granola ($5.99), pour half into a bowl, drizzle it with butter, add chopped apples and onions, and then stuff the mixture into your turkey. While it's roasting, you can make a dozen Southwestern Corn Muffins. Mix the other half of the granola in with a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, another Michigan tradition. Add one egg, 1/3 cup of milk, ¾ cup of white cheddar cheese, chopped jalapeños, and a couple dashes of chipotle and ancho chili powders. Scoop into a muffin mold and sprinkle with Super Premium 92 Octane Hot Sauce from the Detroit Spice Company. Bake for 15 minutes. Now that'll wake up Grandma! You can buy the Original and Lotsa Chocolat versions of Randy's Granola downtown at Grand Central Market (57 Monroe Center St NW).
For dessert, every week and not just on Thanksgiving, try Wednesday Evening Cookies. Baker Matthew Russell is a Grand Rapids original. According to Russell, his cookie delivery service "strengthens the community through tasty ideas and warm friendships, dig?" He began baking cookies for his friends who meet downtown for the Wednesday evening bike rides. The cookies became so popular, that more people began asking for the all-natural treats. Matt is more of a mad scientist than a Betty Crocker, so he tries to bake different types of cookies every week, like adding a touch of cayenne and some cinnamon to the chocolate batter of a Mayan Chocolate Cookie. Or a ginger thumbprint cookie topped with lime jam has a refreshing zing. There's even no-bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Asteroids. All deliveries are done by bicycle, so weather can occasionally delay drop-offs. Everything is vegan and he tries to use as many local ingredients as possible, from fruit to packaging. Most cookies are $6 a dozen, with larger cookies and pies having higher prices.
Thanksgiving has a more nuanced meaning for Native Americans, so help celebrate Native American Month this November. "Native American Culture Days" will be Nov. 5 and 6 at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (272 Pearl Street NW). Children can construct a wigwam, play Native American games, and complete a traditional craft. Adults will enjoy "Our Voices, Our Journey: Researching Michigan Indians" at the Grand Rapids Pubic Library's Main Branch (111 Library St NE) on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. James McClurken's free presentation will discuss how to restore the public's knowledge about the history and culture of the Michigan Indians. Feeling adventurous? You should visit Jason Quigno's art studio (1111 Godfrey Ave SW). Jason is a sculptor who carves animal and heroic figures out of sandstone and basalt rock. These massive pieces depict the stories of his Saginaw Chippewa tribe, keeping his history alive.
