1. I had a stellar morning. My responsibility for Thanksgiving dinner was to roast a turkey, make the gravy, put the final touches on the dressing, and make sure the orange cranberry ginger sauce was in good shape. I had put a dry brine on the turkey on Wednesday, took the turkey out of the bag it had been in sitting in overnight, let it dry in the fridge, and, lastly, set it out to warm up to room temperature. I put melted butter and some rosemary on the turkey and, with the turkey neck and some celery and onions, I made a stock to use in making the gravy. I roasted the turkey in an oven bag at a lower temperature, cooking it somewhat slowly. When it was done, I let it rest in the bag, cut the bag open, and released the drippings from the bag. I combined the drippings with melted butter, some of the stock I made, flour, meat from the turkey's neck, and a little half and half and made a smooth and delicious gravy.
2. Oddly enough, I enjoy cooking more than I enjoy eating. I wonder if others who enjoy cooking feel this way. I love knowing other people are enjoying what I fixed and today I experienced the satisfaction of hearing Christy, Everett, Travis, Molly, and Cosette say that they enjoyed the food I prepared.
Don't get me wrong. We had a superb dinner. Christy was the consummate host. She had sidecar cocktails ready for us before dinner, set up the dinner table in her living room, and had a bottle of red wine and sparkling white wine at the table for us to enjoy with our dinner.
Christy made bourbon maple glazed carrots, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, and heated up some Killer Dave pumpkin rolls. Cosette and Molly teamed up to make a vegetable tray so that it looked like a turkey. Christy also baked a pear mince meat pie and a pumpkin pie. (If I forgot anything, please forgive me.)
The dinner was awesome. After we'd eaten, thanks to the technology of Facebook, Carol joined our table via some kind of feature that allows people to talk to each other over the phone and simultaneously appear on the cell phone screen. We were suddenly having a Jetson's Thanksgiving.
I'm afraid I was the first of our family to crap out after dinner. The cooking, the drinks, and the food all combined to make me sleepy and I slipped out, sauntered home, and took a nap.
3. I started the day thinking I would cook, eat dinner at Christy's, and then head up to the Inland Lounge where Cas hosts Thanksgiving dinner annually.
Those plans changed.
I returned home and napped, got my second wind, and decided that rather than head uptown, I'd finish carving the turkey, get a turkey stock going in the crock pot, and finish cleaning up the kitchen while listening to string music featuring artists like Jerry Douglas, Tony Furtado, Bela Fleck, Mark O'Connor, Edgar Meyer, and many others on the Tribute to Peador O'Donnell station on Pandora. (If you enjoy hearing brilliant string musicians playing tunes without vocalists and if you are a Pandora listener, you might want to give this Pandora station a try.)
I would have enjoyed a visit to the Lounge, but I am very glad I stayed home with the promise that I'd be waking up to the smell of turkey stock bubbling away and a clean kitchen.
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