Thanksgiving weekend

Over the years, I’ve streamlined my Thanksgiving menu so it almost seems easy. To be honest, any meal that centers on roasting a big ol’ hunk of meat seems the least fussy thing you can do. On Wednesday, I made the pie crust, rolled it, and put it in the pie plate to chill overnight. I made the cranberry sauce and mixed up the stuffing. I measured the sugars (brown and white) and spices for the pumpkin pie. Hilda was in charge of the mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. All that remained on Thanksgiving day was to bake the pie early enough to get the turkey in the oven at 9:00.

The pie was done in plenty of time.

Baking the pie was the first order of business Thanksgiving morning

I started the turkey breast side down so the legs and thighs would get cooked before the white meat turned to sawdust. Doug and Pam arrived at noon, just as I was getting ready to flip the bird, so to speak. I put on clean rubberized gardening gloves, grabbed the turkey by the tail and the wishbone and turned it breast side up to finish baking. Apparently, I did not get a picture of the bird when it came out of the oven. You’ll have to take my word that it was a thing of beauty.

Jane arrived soon after Doug and Pam. I had put out a jigsaw puzzle for us to work on while we waited for dinner to finish. I didn’t exactly remember that Pam loved puzzles, but she certainly does, just as much as Jane. We worked on the puzzle while Doug prepared hors d’oeuvres of an assortment of charcuterie (capicola, salami, prosciutto) and cheeses along with a heat-n-eat loaf of bread. He also brought a bottle of champagne. Terry took off the foil and the wire and, setting the bottle on the counter, and walked to the trash can to throw them away. The champagne uncorked itself with enthusiasm. Champagne seemed to go everywhere, but actually, very little was lost from the bottle. Good thing! We would have had to lick it up from the floor.

At 1:00, the turkey was done. It was a bit ahead of schedule, since I planned service at 2:00. Turkey stays hot a long time, though, and I was unconcerned about letting it rest for an hour. Jane got busy on the gravy.

Jane makes gravy

I carved the turkey in my kitchen downstairs. You have to be really confident to carve at the table. In any case, there is no way to do it without making a mess. I consider the kitchen the better choice. No one knows when you just start ripping the legs off with your (impeccably clean) hands. It’s the easiest way. Hands are the cook’s best tools.

When I got upstairs, Hilda was putting the crispy onions on top of the green bean casserole (made from scratch, BTW—no canned mushroom soup here!).

Hilda puts the finishing touches on the green bean casserole

We tucked in, eating too much as the occasion required. We were at table an hour, talking, eating, and drinking fine wine from Doug’s cellar. It was good to have everyone together.

The holiday spread

We took a short break before dessert while Hilda made coffee and I ran downstairs to whip the cream and get the Bailey’s. Jane and Pam went back to the puzzle.

After pie, Pam was reluctant to leave the puzzle undone. Just a few more pieces… But they had to get back to Chicago, and the traffic was only going to get worse. Jane, Terry, and I finished it up. I took a picture and texted it to Pam so she would have closure.

The finished puzzle

Friday was tree cutting day. Pat and Nancy picked up pizza and wings on their way from Mundelein, arriving at 1:30. Jane came up too. After lunch, we turned our attention to Christmas trees. Hilda had picked out her tree earlier. It was growing in a pot out by the creek. Terry dug it out and brought it to the house in the Gator. He and Pat brought it into the house.

Pat and Terry bring Hilda's tree in from the Gator

We went out to consider our options. Terry was wound up tight for some reason. He got his measuring stick and launched into explaining our options. We could cut two short trees or cut the tops of two tall trees. The tall trees had diameters that seemed unlikely to fit in a Christmas tree stand. “I can cut that down,” Terry explained. And then he started over from the beginning in spite of the fact that we had made our decisions. It seemed to me that he was intent on talking until the trees died and fell over on their own. I finally impressed upon him that maybe he should get a saw.

Terry explains our tree options (repeatedly)

I was surprised when he got a chainsaw. In past years, he’d cut trees with a handsaw. Well. It went quickly, that’s for sure.

Terry, his chainsaw, and Pat and Nancy's tree

And here we are with our trees.

All of us with our trees

Jane does not put a tree inside because her cat, Skippy, chews on wires. Terry gave her a pot of Michigan holly. She cut some pine boughs to dress it up for her front porch.

Jane adds pine boughs to her pot of Michigan holly

Pretty soon it was time to leave for Janesville for the holiday lights at the Rotary Gardens. Last year we went to a fancy dinner in a special members-only event and had the place to ourselves. The dinner was a financial loser for the Gardens, however, so this year we had to go with the rabble. I left my camera at home and just enjoyed the experience. It was spectacular, even with the rabble.