I guess Thanksgiving is really tomorrow, but most people around here are working or in school tomorrow.
So – the food started in the previous post was all coming together. Some faster than expected. The turkey was at the appointed temperature before any guests had arrived (not by much though). Mark H was in the kitchen – he had made the gravy which was waiting on the stove, and then generally helping out. I was in the kitchen “carving” the turkey. [Really ripping and shredding the pieces onto the platter.]
Also on the stove was the stuffing. The stuffing this year was completely outside of the turkey. We could not find any little stuffing cubes (really – look for something that is not pre-seasoned stuff right now), so decided to make our own. Carl got a baguette and a loaf of french bread. I cubed the baguette and half of the other loaf yesterday. Sauted them briefly in butter (in the wok), and then baked them for 5 minutes. Added some sage and thyme, and set them aside for today. Today I put the stuffing together with onions, celery, (noted now that I forgot the egg), some chicken broth, and into a Pyrex casserole. In the oven, and out after 45 minutes.
And then. The stuffing exploded. Literally.
The Pyrex casserole was in pieces, and there was a mound of stuffing sitting on the stove top, and some on the ground. The kitchen was declared off limits for anyone except Mark, myself, and then Carl – with shoes on. We picked up the casserole bits and the stuffing, into a bag – destined for the garbage.
Luckily the gravy, which was just one burner away, had a skim on the surface. We could see no dents or holes in the skim and determined the gravy was safe to consume. We quickly finished up the turkey shredding, put the gravy into a bowl, and loaded the table with all of the food that was still available to eat.
It was all good and I believe everybody had enough to eat. Turkey, fruit salad, pumpkin soup, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry-orange relish, and a few different salads that were great. [We never got the rolls out either, and with the stuffing gone the mashed potatoes had to hold up the carbohydrate end of the evening.]
Once again the meal was started with a chorus of Oh, Canada. And after the dinner we all stood and sang Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the mid-7th inning of the Phillies v Reds game. And because it is a school and work night here in the states, everybody was on their way by 7:30.
It felt like 10 PM to be truthful, but starting in the late afternoon will do that.
I am going to get the recipe for the cranberry relish we had tonight. Too good to not try to recreate.
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