The Ghosts of Thanksgivings Past

I've cooked a lot of turkeys in my lifetime, but every one  of them has a special place in my heart.

Before The Husband came on the scene, our Thanksgiving dinners were quiet. Mom and Dad did the dishes and put away the food faster than I could finish my pumpkin pie. With no siblings around I pretty much did all the talking.

I still do.

But once I met The Husband all bets were off. Two loud, rowdy, ribald (look it up) brothers and an ex-Marine dad, and you have  recipe for a kick-ass Thanksgiving dinner.

My mother-in-law- God bless her soul- tried for class and decorum, but rarely succeeded.

In my second or so year of marriage I took over the festivities.

And the tradition began. Tables were set with china, tablecloths and candles. Mom made the gravy (a seemingly week-long recipe. But so, so worth it.) Bocce balls were tossed in the front yard and football was on the TV in two rooms. We always ate outside...except once when it actually rained.

Mom making the gravy.
 

But, as in life, there are back-stories to perfection.

That time the green bean casserole flew out of the oven and on to the floor. And my sister-in-laws and I scooped it all up and put in back in the dish and served it with a smile.

Thanksgiving in Vista, CA.

My second year of hosting when the day before Thanksgiving as I prepared the food I let a just released lady prisoner into my home to wait for her friends to pick her up. She happily, and very detailed, told me how she had tried to kill her husband...while showing me her cool brass knuckles.

The Husband finally came home and escorted her out the door.

And that first year when we moved into our new house in Vista and realized...too late... that we had propane to heat the water. And we were out. Of hot water.

We bathed in the hot tub and boiled a crap-load of water to wash the dishes. ( The Realtor -not Laurie- might have mentioned the propane to me but she was too busy trying to seduce The Husband while showing him the house. Sheesh, and I paid her a commission!)

Al fresco Thanksgiving dining.

A few years ago the tradition ended,  as traditions often do. Family members passed away. Others grew less rowdy. We moved out of the state. We flew to Canada to be with the son for the holiday. (Another story; I once accidentally poured the boiling water that was cooking the beans- it involved talking- onto my leg. Instead of going to the hospital, I drank more wine. My scar is almost gone. My  son and Miss Lydia are most likely still scarred.)

Samuel carving a Canadian turkey.

We moved to Washington five years ago and had friends over for indoor golf , turkey and mac n cheese, which was great, but we missed the rest of the crew.

This year we  returned to California and had an early dinner with the relatives and the daughter, serving it on a door covered with a tablecloth.

This week (actually Friday. Sigh.)  we will do it again in Canada with the son  and a group of his friends in a hotel in downtown Vancouver. (Please be a regular-sized oven!)

But no matter the day or time or size of the crowd, it's still Thanksgiving for the Laughing Matriarch.

The great thing about this holiday is that I get to pour my heart and soul into the pies and stuffing and turkey...and wine. Sometimes it turns out, sometimes it doesn't.

You know what the  best thing about our big-ass, oddball, non-traditional family is? (Get ready to call the cornball police)

 We always have leftovers of hugs and laughter.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

xxoo

" Isn’t it peculiar, Charlie Brown, how some traditions just slowly fade away?" Lucy Van Pelt

Book Club: Our Motto- "Wine a Bit- You'll Feel Better."

Last week was our book club meeting and we were the lucky hosts!
Our friends Craig, Carolee, Pam and Pete flew from San Diego to our lake house in Washington state on Lake Chelan, AKA Reed's Last Resort, and spent four days drinking wine, eating, laughing, tasting wine and oh yes, discussing books.

The book club I belonged to back in 2002 (I'm making the year up- as if I remember!) we were all women who shared a passion for books, never agreed on politics, gossiped about marriages and divorces and ended up not speaking to a few gals who continued to piss us off. But I digress. The one thing we all enjoyed was entertaining and cooking. We would read a book and pick recipes from the setting of the story. We overspent on entertaining and drank a lot, but it usually kept us from arguing. But not always.

Anyway, back to me.

This past week I cooked for the six of us. Nothing too fancy- by order of the husband who is cheap and thinks I go overboard- as if.

To prepare I made home made apple sauce and apple butter. I brought out the peaches I had canned and the strawberry-rhubarb jam. I served all this in the morning with yogurt and fresh picked blueberries.

One morning I made my own refried beans and Machaca con Huevos, a recipe from my former San Diego B&B, The Reed Ranchero. Another morning I put out my Banana Fosters Bread and the sweetest cantaloupe you've ever tasted! We stood around the kitchen- counter eating and planning our day. Oh, we had a couple of Bloody Mary's in our hands, but that makes everything so much more fun!

  Dinner was simple, peel and eat shrimp (I bought the shrimp at Pike's Place Market-yummy!) with a spicy chilpolte sauce and an even hotter chili wine. BBQ steaks and fresh salmon (Pikes Place again- don't ya love Washington!) Fresh asparagus, salad and garlic risotto. (OK, maybe not that simple.) Dessert really was simple: coffee ice cream and biscotti.


This was just a sample of the menu. I made Dagwood sandwiches with roasted turkey and roast beef on thick whole-grain bread in our van while we drove across the border into Okanagan, BC, Canada for wine tasting (10 wineries in 2 days, not bad for old people.) and another dinner and more breakfast dishes, but that's all for another day.

" I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage." Erma Bombeck. 

Reed Ranchero Machaca Con Huevos- serves 12

(Cook at least one day ahead. Can be cooked and frozen until you need it.)

1 5lb brisket or rump roast.

2 cans of  Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with chilis

3 Onions

Garlic clove

2 large cans of beer

Olive oil

Garlic salt, pepper, kosher salt, any kind of Mexican spices you want.

Braise the beef in olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large pan with a lid. After both sides are brown add all the other stuff. Cover and cook on low for 8 or so hours, pretty much until it falls apart.

Shred the beef and add to 8-10 eggs that have been scrambled with  half cup of half and half, salt and pepper. Serve with beans, salsa and tortillas and if you wish, Bloody Mary's.

Next up: Preparing and canning California Chica Mexican Salsa.