One of the things that makes SB the snuggle bug that I love is that he has a sensitive and kind soul underneath all that chest hair and oafishness. I was content to let Thanksgiving pass without too much of a big to do when he began showing signs of wistfulness. He also had resigned himself to passing on the holiday, and was relaying his sadness about it. Thanksgiving is the one big holiday in the States that has not been overwhelmed by commercial trappings. In the end, we all remember that Thanksgiving is not about what we have and what we want, but what we are thankful for. It is a time when families get together and spend time cooking and feasting and socializing. I think that perhaps the shortness of the holiday and the fact that it falls on a Thursday helps to keep it sweet, and conflict free. At least with my family the holiday has perfect timing because it isn't long enough for us to begin feeling.. unthankful for each others' company.
SB's family returns to the Adirondack mountains every year where they, and other families that are part of the tradition, share in a feast and spend time together in the woods. They are far from modern electronics and it is a time where everything can slow down and return to the pace of another era where there is time to play with your children in the snow and share stories and exchange news. When SB was on the phone forlornly wishing his sister a happy Thanksgiving my little heart cracked just a bit and I decided that I was going to provide him with a proper feast even if the effort drove me to insanity.
Due to scheduling and work conflicts we pushed our Thanksgiving to Saturday so that Cousin Shirley and her husband Steve would come over. Our shoebox is too small to host more; otherwise we would have gladly fed more people. Also, we did not even have enough dishes for the four of us and I had to quickly run out and buy more equipment. Even then, Cousin Shirley and Steve were asked to bring a bread knife and a turkey carving knife.
When I surveyed our tiny oven I realized that if there was a turkey, only it would fit in the oven. I pondered not roasting a turkey, but it is a staple of the feast and SB was looking so uncharacteristically homesick. I then had to think about what I could make that could either be reheated without losing its tastiness, or perhaps even cooked partially and finished off in the thirty minutes that the turkey needed to rest. Yes, this would require planning. So this is what I came up with for my menu:
turkey
cornbread and sage sausage stuffing
maple mashed sweet potatoes
roasted veggies: asparagus, aubergine, carrots, peppers
fruit salad
french bread with garlic butter
pumpkin pie
The plan was that I was to make the stuffing, sweet potatoes, roasted veggies, and pie in the morning, and stop baking them at twenty minutes to completion. Then I would start the turkey. While the turkey rested I would finish off the rest and everything would be ready at the same time. Genius!
Then the hitch: SB and I both had rugby matches, mine at 3pm in Aberdeen, and his at 6pm in So Kon Po (yeah, Saturday wasn't so ideal for dinner but Steve works for the Jockey Club so he could not do dinner on Sunday while races were happening). I timed it so that I got everything done but the turkey. I left him with very specific instructions about how to start roasting the turkey at 4:00 pm and when he had to leave at 4:30 I would be thirty minutes from arrival back at home. Then the turkey would be ready to serve at 8pm. I happily went off to the match and discovered that our game had been pushed back to 4:30, the time that I has assumed I would be heading home! AAAAAAAH!!!
I realized that I had no choice; I had to take another risk. We would half cook the turkey (can't leave it alone in the oven from 4:30-6:30). I called SB and begged him to throw the turkey into the oven immediately and cook it until he had to go, then wrap it carefully in foil to keep it from drying. I would cook it the remaining time when I got home.
In the end it all worked out beautifully. The sides came out almost perfectly with the exception that the asparagus was not as crisp as I would have liked. The turkey was better than any I had ever roasted. My secret was that I melted half a stick of butter with a half cup of white wine and soaked a cheesecloth in it, and then draped it over the turkey for all but the last 30 minutes of the roasting. I kept basting the cloth and it yielded an exceptionally juicy turkey with crisp, golden skin. The hardest part of the dinner was the stuffing, only because I had to make my own cornbread to put into it and I had to mince all the celery and onions by hand.
I forgot to take any pictures :( but we had a wonderful time. SB had a huge smile on his adorable face and Shoils and Steve, being Hong-couverans, knew what Thanksgiving was all about even if they celebrate it a month early in Canada. Shoils was impressed that I had managed to find a turkey, pumpkin puree, and other accouterments. They also brought some lovely wine and chocolate chip cookies. Yummy!
On the actual day of Thanksgiving as we were going to sleep, I told SB that I was thankful for having him and I meant it with all of my heart. My life is brighter with him in it. In these tough times it helps to remember all that you have to be thankful for.
SB's family returns to the Adirondack mountains every year where they, and other families that are part of the tradition, share in a feast and spend time together in the woods. They are far from modern electronics and it is a time where everything can slow down and return to the pace of another era where there is time to play with your children in the snow and share stories and exchange news. When SB was on the phone forlornly wishing his sister a happy Thanksgiving my little heart cracked just a bit and I decided that I was going to provide him with a proper feast even if the effort drove me to insanity.
Due to scheduling and work conflicts we pushed our Thanksgiving to Saturday so that Cousin Shirley and her husband Steve would come over. Our shoebox is too small to host more; otherwise we would have gladly fed more people. Also, we did not even have enough dishes for the four of us and I had to quickly run out and buy more equipment. Even then, Cousin Shirley and Steve were asked to bring a bread knife and a turkey carving knife.
When I surveyed our tiny oven I realized that if there was a turkey, only it would fit in the oven. I pondered not roasting a turkey, but it is a staple of the feast and SB was looking so uncharacteristically homesick. I then had to think about what I could make that could either be reheated without losing its tastiness, or perhaps even cooked partially and finished off in the thirty minutes that the turkey needed to rest. Yes, this would require planning. So this is what I came up with for my menu:
turkey
cornbread and sage sausage stuffing
maple mashed sweet potatoes
roasted veggies: asparagus, aubergine, carrots, peppers
fruit salad
french bread with garlic butter
pumpkin pie
The plan was that I was to make the stuffing, sweet potatoes, roasted veggies, and pie in the morning, and stop baking them at twenty minutes to completion. Then I would start the turkey. While the turkey rested I would finish off the rest and everything would be ready at the same time. Genius!
Then the hitch: SB and I both had rugby matches, mine at 3pm in Aberdeen, and his at 6pm in So Kon Po (yeah, Saturday wasn't so ideal for dinner but Steve works for the Jockey Club so he could not do dinner on Sunday while races were happening). I timed it so that I got everything done but the turkey. I left him with very specific instructions about how to start roasting the turkey at 4:00 pm and when he had to leave at 4:30 I would be thirty minutes from arrival back at home. Then the turkey would be ready to serve at 8pm. I happily went off to the match and discovered that our game had been pushed back to 4:30, the time that I has assumed I would be heading home! AAAAAAAH!!!
I realized that I had no choice; I had to take another risk. We would half cook the turkey (can't leave it alone in the oven from 4:30-6:30). I called SB and begged him to throw the turkey into the oven immediately and cook it until he had to go, then wrap it carefully in foil to keep it from drying. I would cook it the remaining time when I got home.
In the end it all worked out beautifully. The sides came out almost perfectly with the exception that the asparagus was not as crisp as I would have liked. The turkey was better than any I had ever roasted. My secret was that I melted half a stick of butter with a half cup of white wine and soaked a cheesecloth in it, and then draped it over the turkey for all but the last 30 minutes of the roasting. I kept basting the cloth and it yielded an exceptionally juicy turkey with crisp, golden skin. The hardest part of the dinner was the stuffing, only because I had to make my own cornbread to put into it and I had to mince all the celery and onions by hand.
I forgot to take any pictures :( but we had a wonderful time. SB had a huge smile on his adorable face and Shoils and Steve, being Hong-couverans, knew what Thanksgiving was all about even if they celebrate it a month early in Canada. Shoils was impressed that I had managed to find a turkey, pumpkin puree, and other accouterments. They also brought some lovely wine and chocolate chip cookies. Yummy!
On the actual day of Thanksgiving as we were going to sleep, I told SB that I was thankful for having him and I meant it with all of my heart. My life is brighter with him in it. In these tough times it helps to remember all that you have to be thankful for.
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