Miscellaneous Thoughts on Thanksgiving Morning

 

I'm a little late this morning even though the sun's just rising. The Big Guy and I enjoyed an early morning coffee and 2 hour long cuddle in bed with our little family of 3 - the woofs Max and Finnigan and Georgie the feral cat who has decided being feral may not be all it's cracked up to be. 

We're pretty well set in this house with the dinner plans - of course I say that in confidence now after 2 days of preparing for our very "simple" dinner, but I'm sure there'll be a panic of some sort when it gets closer to serving time. Speaking of panic, I just did a quick review of today's visitors so far and I've a sneaking suspicion there's a lot of madness going on out there in kitchens across the country. To be honest I'm a little worried and wish I could answer some of the questions I see - like ...

Where do I find the neck and giblets in turkey
How do I take a turkey neck out
How do I clean out a turkey
What do I pull out of a turkey
How do I carve a turkey
How do I make gravy
How long does it take to cook a 13.6 pound turkey; and
Tons of searches on "Dead Turkey" which brings them conveniently to Big Guy's Turkey Deboning 101 from last year

I sure wish there was some way I could contact everyone and to answer their questions. Course that's coming from someone that's likely had about all the catastrophic turkey cooking events known to man in the 50 odd years I've been cookin' including but not limited to a fire in the oven, dropping a perfectly roasted bird when it was coming out of the oven (made carving it a cinch), and of course the time my sister and I fell into a pail of wine and forgot to put the darn thing in the oven in the first place. Now that was memorable!

 

As for us - the turkey's been in a brining bucket in the refrigerator for almost 24 hours and the Big Guy will be cooking it later on the Weber rotisserie - told you it was simple. We're expecting a 75 degree day here in Tucson so we'll be heating up the outside kitchen rather than the inside one.

We'll be setting the harvest table outside provided we can keep Georgie happy in her favorite chair and raiding our container garden for herbs and lettuce for a salad too, unless the dogs get to it first. Believe me it's a fight just growing the stuff because they'd rather have lettuce than cookies - well kinda' sorta' almost. 

The pomegranates have been harvested and will in all likelihood end up in a martini or two, never mind as a stellar garnish on our bowl of brussels sprouts. The sprouts were so good last year with pomegranate arils and vanilla butter, we'll just have to do it again this year.

The cranberry sauce is made although I'm thinking of making another one with raspberries and habenero peppers to honor our location, although throwing a couple of kumquats into the mix might not be a bad idea either. Can you believe the kumquats? I'll be making lots of marmalade this year.

So, I've simply the potatoes left to cook and stuffing to pull together and rolls to make and the dessert to brulee and salad dressing to concoct and the table to set and spots to clean off the wineglasses and a table center to worry about and napkins to starch and ....good heavens now who's in a panic?

Just remember when all is said and done and the table's groaning under your handiwork, don't forget to give thanks ... "For fragrant air and cooling breeze, for beauty of the blooming trees...for this new morning with its light...for rest and shelter of the night... for health and food, for love and friends, for everything Thy goodness sends, Father in heaven, we thank Thee." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

 
 

 

 

 

Comments

[Lea]

What a lovely post! I am thankful for that and for you!

The day is flowing smoothly here - lunch will happen at noonish - then relaxation and tree trimming later this evening! Much to be thankful for!

[June]

And I am very thankful for you my friend Lea. You're sunshine and light and sweetness and all that's good and true and kind! So glad your day is going well. I'll think of you at noon as you're feasting and can't wait to see the tree pictures.

[Nancy]

It sounds like a wonderful dinner. Happy Thanksgiving!

[June]

Thanks Nancy. Part of me still thinks we should be celebrating it in October instead of November, and that's after 11 years. Go figure!