December 25, 2024: Christmas in Dallas
	October 26 - November 17, 2024: Our Fall Trip to Fort Lauderdale
	Return to the Index for 2024

On our return from Florida, it was time to get ready for Thanksgiving. In the last few years, we've done Thanksgiving in San Antonio, but this year, a number of factors (primarily the fact that Prudence did not have a functioning kitchen due to her complete renovation of her old one) we decided to stay in Dallas and have our traditional Thanksgiving with our friends.

We had four guests this year- our good friend and cat sitter Lynne, our longtime friend Lou, and the couple of Justin and Gary- also longtime friends.

But I want to begin with the guest of honor, for whom today was a real transformation to all 25 pounds of her:

Before

After

As with other Thanksgivings, we had our human guests arrive early so we could all chat and catch up, and so I could finish my preparations for the meal. Here they are, sitting at the breakfast table, having some wine and chatting:

Clockwise from left: Gary Cathey, Lou Acevedo, Justin Normand, and Lynne Richardson

The other friends we often have at our gatherings, Mario and Steve, were actually in Florida for Thanksgiving; both of their families live between Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Fred snapped a picture of me in the kitchen, as I am trying to bring everything to completion at about the same time. I've made the salad, which is on the counter behind me, and we'll be starting on that soon. Our guests contributed a casserole, homemade devilled eggs, and wine.

But Thanksgiving is all about the turkey, and I'm in charge of that. The acquisition process begins ten days before Thanksgiving when I usually go to the store next door and chat with the Meat Department manager. I always ask him to watch out for the "outlier" turkey, one that it larger than the 20-22 pounders that fill the display case. This year, he was able to accommodate me right away, as he went back to the freezer and found a 25-pounder- just what I was looking for. He was also very accommodating in that he held it for me for a few days until I could return with my Thanksgiving shopping list. Getting the turkey for free when you spend $75 is always a good deal, and with prices what they are nowadays, all the fixings I need for the Thanksgiving meal (and a few stock-up items) come to that figure pretty easily.

Then the turkey takes up residence in the fridge to thaw, although I usually hurry the process along by submerging it in cold water in one of the sinks overnight.

I like my mother's stuffing recipe, but following it is a real production- especially with my tremor getting in the way. The most time-consuming part is cutting an entire bunch of celery into small cubes a few millimeters on a side. The onions are easier to cut into the same-size cubes, and the parsley is easiest of all because it can be done in a food processor. Then there is the bread. I have to buy it days ahead of time, take the slices out of the wrapper and lay them out in the oven to kind of dry out. This usually takes 48 hours or so, but I have to be careful not to let it get too dry, or when I cube it, I will get way more crumbs than cubes.

I usually do all the cutting and cubing and processing the day before, and then get up early to actually mix up the stuffing. All the bread and onions and celery and parsley are combined with spices, melted butter, and chicken broth in my big stockpot. Then I have to get my hands into it as I stuff the turkey at both ends. This is one reason why the finished bird looks so plump. I always have more stuffing than will fit in the bird, because what fits in the bird is not all that much. The rest of it is just baked in a big piece of Corningware, so there is plenty for everyone.

The mashed potatoes and yams are easy to do, but the gravy is another production. Years ago, I had to wait to make the gravy until after the bird was almost done, because I needed the fat and drippings from the bird to make the gravy. The fat and some flour make a roux, and then one adds all the juices (with chicken broth if needed). Then the gravy takes a while to thicken up when I add some spices and Kitchen Bouquet, and finally the shredded giblets, which had been cooking earlier in the day. I always found that this was a hassle when the meal was almost ready, so a few years ago I hit on a different method.

One year, I made just enough gravy for the meal, which meant that I had lots of fat and drippings left over. I put the fat in some freezer containers, and the drippings in other containers. I even put the leftover shredded giblets in their own containers. Then, during the year when Fred and I thawed out packages of frozen turkey and dressing, I could make a bit of gravy by using some of the frozen ingredients. But the real benefit was the next Thanksgiving. I did not have to collect the fat and drippings during the day or when the turkey finished cooking. I simply thawed out enough fat and drippings for the amount of gravy I needed (usually using up all of what I'd frozen a year earlier). Chicken broth stood in for turkey juices and to make the gravy all I had to do was make the roux, add the broth and drippings, and let it simmer for a while. Then, the next day, I replenish the frozen gravy ingredients with what came out of and off of that year's turkey. This made the whole process much easier and means I have lot less to go when guests are in attendance.

This year went very smoothly, and we sat down right on time to the salad I'd made and the rolls that Fred had baked:

When we were one with salad and devilled eggs, I brought out the turkey:

After picturs with the guest of honor in her 8-hour baked glory, I could carve:

Even with a large dining room table, with six people there is not enough room in the center of the table, so the turkey goes back in the kitchen where all the other dishes are set up buffet-style. Only the rolls, butter, cranberry sauce, and condiments are on the table, and this works fine.

After the meal, Fred served the desserts he had made- a pumpkin pie and a pecan pie. These put the finishing touch on a great meal. Everyone stayed for a while afterwards, engrossed on conversation. Much of that conversation related to November 5th, as we were all still a bit shellshocked at the results of that day. But that was the only "downer" element to what was, on the whole, a great Thanksgiving with our closest friends.

You can use the links below to continue to another photo album page.

	December 25, 2024: Christmas in Dallas
	October 26 - November 17, 2024: Our Fall Trip to Fort Lauderdale
	Return to the Index for 2024