Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Your assistance is requested

Every year the holidays have been a juggling act between my husband's and my families. After my sister, his brother and we all had our children, it got even more complicated. We had to coordinate the schedules of five families to make sure that everybody fit into the schedule. Work schedules, divorce, deaths, fatigue, squabbles all eventually narrowed down the holiday schedule to something resembling sanity.
I almost expected the holiday to drop off the map this year, since it's just the womanchild and me at home now.

Despite the pretty good relationship we're enjoying during our separation, I wasn't so sure that I'd be invited to the in-law's holiday dinner, but I got surprised. Accomodating the brother-in-law's family schedule, that will be Friday. Then a friend asked us to join her family for a casual Thanksgiving evening meal where everyone joins in and cooks their favorite dish at her house that afternoon. It's fun and wild with around 10 cooks ranging from elementary school age to senior citizen all in the kitchen at once. This is the new version of family -- people you love who aren't family by bloodline or law but hold that place in your heart. Then another friend asked us to join with her family and some of our church friends for a Thanksgiving noon time meal. That's three holiday meals now, Thursday lunch, Thursday supper and Friday supper. Oh, and the womanchild is going to her boyfriend's grandmother's house for an early afternoon meal.

Then yesterday, I was given a 15 pound turkey that's now defrosting in my refrigerator! I'm obviously not going to cook another traditional Thanksgiving supper, but I love turkey, and I'd love to do something different with it. I don't have the equipment to fry it or properly barbecue it, but I would love something besides the traditional Southern sage and onion turkey with cornbread dressing. Got recipes? I need them bad.


6 Comments:

Blogger Cynnie said...

Cooking light has a recipe that calls for maple syrup..
Its a wonderful recipe and i haven't used it in forever..
But cooking light magazine has really great and different recipes for a lot of stuff.
( but it's not all that light..I could easily gain a trillion lbs eating off their recipes )
Its just me this year..
I'm going to a neighbors house and eat..but
I think I'll play xbox in my underwear..

November 21, 2006 4:30 AM  
Blogger alphawoman said...

I love turkey also. Ihave one dethawing in the ice box too. I just cook it the traditional way (in a bag, my tradition) and then after we have it I make Hot Browns....oh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about them.

November 21, 2006 4:35 AM  
Blogger whispers said...

family of choice is so much easier to spend time with :)

i dont have a recipe for non-traditional bird cos I love it plain and simple...I jazz up my sides.

Have a GREAT non-traditional holiday!

November 21, 2006 8:39 AM  
Blogger Lisa :-] said...

Good lord! Try to keep the diet...in mind? at all these feasts. Or chuck it out the window and resume it on Monday...LOL! You're not going to gain 31 pounds back in one weekend.

November 21, 2006 2:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No recipes, but HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

November 23, 2006 12:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mmmmm... stuff it with halved apples, maple syrup and apple brandy; coat the turkey in butter; and stick the whole thing in a roasting bag... you'll end up with the most tender, amazing tasting turkey ever.

I put apples and pecans in my dressing to complement the flavor, by the way... it's delicious!

November 24, 2006 1:13 AM  

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