I am just getting around to writing this now; we had a quiet but enjoyable Thanksgiving. I arose around 8:15 AM, later than I have in previous years, but I was only cooking for five; Scott, Danielle, myself, and Mon and Dad (The X's folks). The X elected to go out of town for the holiday and Chris had to work.
I prepared the following meal with Danielle acting as assistant chef ,(a role formerly held by my brother Rick who, along with his wife, my Dad, and Julie his girlfriend were sorely missed!) for much of the preparations.
- A 15 Pound Butterball turkey
- Sausage and cornbread stuffing with onions using chicken broth, seasoned with assorted spices including hot Chili
- Onions roasted in with the Turkey
- Fresh button mushrooms sauteed with a bit of the sausage drippings
- Mashed Potatoes
- Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce
- Gelled Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce (one of Scott's favorites)
- Corn Bread
- Biscuits
- Niblets corn with butter sauce
- Gravy made from pan drippings, milk, chicken broth, and assorted spices. Thickened just a bit with a small amount of corn starch. Also a dash of hot chili powder here and fresh ground pepper.
For Dessert (Many thanks to Mom)
- Brownies with icing and half topped with marshmallows (Danielle likes this Scott does not)
- A Mrs. Smith's Blueberry pie
- Vanilla Ice Cream (went great with the slightly warmed pie)
I had the stuffed Turkey in the oven by 9:45AM. All my life I have feasted on Turkeys prepared the way my mom had made them; cooked in a covered roasting pan and over the years I have used the same method. This year I followed the Butterball method and used a 325 degree oven and had the bird uncovered. I had also rubbed the bird down with some of the sausage drippings.
Mom and Dad arrived around 2PM and after some frenzied last minute finishing up of the dinner, such as cornbread, biscuits, gravy and mashed potato creation, we sat down to eat.
Tails instantly became a royal pain jumping up on the table and everyone's laps so she was banished to the basement until we we were nearly done. She then received a bowl of sliced turkey, a dollop of stuffing making sure there was sausage in it, a bit of cranberry sauce, and a few nibblets of corn. She ate it all.
After dinner we watched thanksgiving episodes from Dharma and Greg, Everybody Loves Raymond, and the Cosby Show, plus a thanksgiving episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
We then sat down to dessert which was very good. Mom and Dad left around 7PM. It was a very enjoyable day.
I always like to give thanks for something special on Thanksgiving. This year I give thanks to Mom and Dad, my former in laws, who, are still like family to me. I love them very much and I am so pleased to have them as grandparents for my kids.
Oh! Below is a picture of me getting ready to enjoy a small portion of Turkey, followed by one of Tails enjoying an appetizer before dinner. You may click on either for a much larger version in a new window.
A note about Tails; when I started this post I had to stop twice to get her out of the kitchen sink, then out of the planter by the stairs. She then found her way on the couch playing and biting at my arm, then onto the back of the of the couch sitting by my head. Purring now she has ended up on my chest where she demands petting, stroking, and scratching under the chin!
It may look like I am licking the bird but I am not! I swear!!
A note about Tails; when I started this post I had to stop twice to get her out of the kitchen sink, then out of the planter by the stairs. She then found her way on the couch playing and biting at my arm, then onto the back of the of the couch sitting by my head. Purring now she has ended up on my chest where she demands petting, stroking, and scratching under the chin!
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