[Sca-cooks] Thanksgiving dinner

[Stefan li Rous]

Huette replied to me with:
> --- Stefan li Rous <StefanliRous at austin.rr.com>
> wrote:
> > Huette commented:
> > > Me, I am making a pumpkin cheesecake and my
> > Mom,
> > > brother and I are eating at a cousin's house.
> > > This will be the first Thanksgiving since I
> > > graduated from college where I didn't cook
> > > Thanksgiving dinner.
> > Is this good or bad?
> > Stefan
>
> Do you really need to ask?
Well...yes. Unless you are saying I shouldn't ask this. Then I 
apologize.
But perhaps I'm just missing things at times, but I really wasn't sure 
if you meant this was good or bad. From your answer here, I assume that 
yes, you like having the break. But I've seen some really fancy meals 
prepared by folks on this list, sometimes for just a few people. 
Adamantius' Chinese New Years feasts being just one that comes easily 
to mind. People that seem to wish they had a few people to cook for and 
folks who seem to speaking with pride of what they will be making for 
Thanksgiving even if it just a dish or two. And yes, folks that seem to 
be happy to be going somewhere else and letting someone else shoulder 
the burden for a change. Bear, which seemed a bit surprising because of 
the feasts he has done and the food knowledge and interest he obviously 
has, being one of these. So yes, I was just being my usual, curious 
self.

After hosting the big family Thanksgiving dinner over here, I can 
certainly see the latter viewpoint. Had a bunch of "you really should 
have done this or that". "You are cooking the turkey too fast. Most 
people only cook it at 350 degrees." No matter that I was trying to 
follow the recent recipe in Cooks Illustrated for "Spice-rubbed 
Turkey". And don't bother with the spices since they won't affect the 
taste. (I misread the recipe and we only had an hour or two for the 
spices to sit on the turkey instead of the 8 to 24 they said). And 
people asking for various pots and dishes while I was trying to get 
something else cooked. And "You really need a smaller saucepan", etc.

Some of my problem was that having just moved into the house I had 
trouble locating some items. I must have one of my boxes of spices 
still packed away somewhere. No whole mustard seed to be found. Made 
due with ground mustard seed. I *definitely* need to get my spices 
organized and probably enlarge the area some how.

As to the result, we got a lot of compliments on the meal and folks 
liked both the turkey and the dressing. And the spices did add flavor 
to the turkey. But cooking the turkey in the roaster, as some folks 
mentioned earlier on this list, the turkey cooked much faster than it 
would have in the oven. It was falling apart. I had prepped the cheese 
disks for the Baked Goat Cheese salad, and then in the commotion of 
people arriving, finishing up the cooking and such I forgot to get them 
out of the freezer to bake them. Didn't really need them though. Two 
turkeys and two pans of dressing (Mine was Southwest Dressing) and 
various other items filled folks up.

The Plantation Pecan Balls also went over well. Ground Vanilla wafers 
and ground pecans mixed with a can of sweetened evaporated milk and 
then chilled. Also a cheese spread (appetizer) went over well, although 
some of them said it was "too blue". Blue cheese, butter and ground 
almonds mixed together and chilled.

Oh yes, the rest of the appetizer could have been period. Quince paste 
and Manchago (sp?) cheese. Both from Spain.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
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