The big day

There are few things in life for which I will get out of bed at 5:30 in the morning after going to bed around 3 or so. Since I’d not done a lot of the things I had wanted to do earlier in the week, there was quite a lot of prep and cooking to be done on the big day. I hauled myself out of bed and got my thoughts together.

One of the benefits of getting up before the sun is watching the sun come up over the barn and trees. On this particular morning, the colors were even more striking, as we were expecting rain and this lent an extra vivid start to the day.

Thanksgiving sunrise

The colors faded rapidly as the clouds moved in, and that was my hint to get started on what would be the real show of the day: the food.

Our family gatherings for Thanksgiving tend to be huge. Between family, friends, and assorted guests, in the past we’ve had up to 80 people at any one meal. This year, we were expecting to have somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 people. Between moves, sudden other engagements, scheduling conflicts, and miscellaneous issues like flat tires, we wound up with a much smaller, much more intimate gathering: 12 people, four animals.

This, when you think about it, can be a good thing, really. At times when there are dozens and dozens of people wandering around, sometimes it’s difficult to really touch base with some people you might not see very often. Now that we’re living further out in the country, it makes it doubly so.

The amount of food I’d planned did not change. That is, after all, one of the joys of a holiday like Thanksgiving: leftovers. Fewer people equals bigger doggie bags.

As I was spending most of my time cooking, one of my sisters wound up with the camera for much of the evening, so many of the photos here were ones she took throughout the festivities.

Mom had the right idea to start the day: coffee first, before anything.

There must be coffee

Through the window, we could see the rain beginning to fall. Since we weren’t really planning anything outside, this was not weighing too heavily on our minds.

Fat Man was up first. Like Little Boy, he had spent a luxurious evening soaking in the brine. After a shower…

Cleanliness is important!

he was ready to meet his match: aromatics.

Something to stuff you with, my dear

I like to keep it simple, and I don’t like to stuff my bird with stuffing (dressing, to those of us down here). Aromatics only, please, along with a good dose of this

Herby, buttery goodness

under the skin. Finish with a nice rub of various spices, and the big guy is ready to go.

Ready for your closeup?

Except that we discovered a 20 pound bird will not fit into our standard roasting pans. A little improv, maestro, if you please: a giant steam tray, with racks in the bottom, made for a nice bed for the bird. And then, another problem: no twine. No problem.

Non-cheesy cloth

Some judicious use of cheesecloth to tie the legs, a little tuck of the wings underneath, and we were okay to go.

Low and slow

Low and slow: the bird went in for his marathon cooking at 8 AM.

After some hours, his tan was shaping up nicely.

Roasting

Not to mention creating some great drippings for gravy later.

Drippings

Little Boy went on the smoker about half an hour after the big guy went into the oven for roasting. But the day is not just all about turkey, of course. There were also rolls to be made.

Golden orbs

Fresh, day-of-event, pull-apart rolls.

UFOs

Seriously, though, it’s the people. What would happen to all the food if they weren’t around?

Susi and Samir took a stroll about the grounds.

Susi and Samir

Gabrielle stayed inside and kept us company.

Gabs

While Ricky and Mom also took a stroll outside and then came back in…

Mom and Ricky

Gabs showed us how she was enjoying the mushroom turnovers.

You gonna eat that?

Then she showed us all how to be quietly beautiful.

Gabs again

Ricky was very serious, or just looked like he was about to go into a coma, probably because he and Gabs had been at his mom’s earlier for an early dinner.

Serious Ricky

Barb arrived, alone, a few hours after her own early dinner with her group.

Barb and Samir

Frank arrived, either a bit out of focus, or the recipient of my sister dashing around snapping pictures right in everyone’s face. Probably the latter.

Frank

Angie looked fabulous, as usual.

Angie

All, right, I hear you: enough with the people. Where’s the food?

Tarragon pickled mushrooms and onions, crabcakes, mushroom turnovers.

Let’s eat

These didn’t last long.

Crabcakes

Or these.

Pickled

Or those.

Turnovers

Or even those.

Rolling

We also had assorted other stuff: sweet potato casserole, shrimp, stuffing (with and without sausage), mashed potatoes,apricot glazed carrots…

Weighed down

broccoli gratin , cranberry compote, brussels sprouts, those aforementioned rolls, crabcakes, and pickles. Everything was labeled.

Labels

Because you have to know what you’re eating. The ham is hiding over there on the right. The butternut squash soup is in the crock on the left.

Turkey

There was also focaccia, which disappeared before a good picture could be taken, a hawaiian dessert that mom made that likewise disappeared, cinnamon raisin bread…

Cinnamon raisin bread

assorted cookies, fudge, pie.

Dessert

After stuffing ourselves and watching more football, things finally broke up and everyone went home, no doubt to sleep and then get up in the middle of the night to tear off a piece of turkey as a midnight snack.

Overall, a highly successful evening. From this dinner, and for the next four days, I ate turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry compote, and gravy. Over and over, for each meal. Not a bad way to get some food into yourself.

4 thoughts on “The big day”

  1. gee i’m wondering why you don’t just toss the hosting and just open a restaurant! i mean dang woman – you’re a bloomin’ dynamo!

  2. Funny that you say that, as it’s been suggested several times – mostly after people have sucked down some of the barbeque or smoked stuff I’ve done. In fact, on Sunday, I smoked another turkey breast and a couple of pork tenderloins for about 10 hours, and today Mom commented that it was the “best smoked turkey” I’ve done yet. And I do love to do it. I think if anything, I’d be more inclined toward catering. Restaurants are an even larger pain in the ass than trying to explain random minor technical things to people who don’t want to listen to what you’re saying as you give them their username and password for the third time in two tickets.

  3. I’m reading this post, saying aloud “man that was so good” man that was so good.” What a dork.
    I guess I need to go eat some dinner. But it sure won’t be as good as that day. Yum.
    And P.S. Stop posting my ugly face all over the internet.

  4. To Gabs: Your face is not ugly – it’s a beautiful face. The food was fantastic, the rolls great, the company wonderful.

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