Happy Thanksgiving!

I woke up at an incredibly late 8:00 AM. I blame Missy, of course (but then I blame her for lots of things, LOL). I made a cup of coffee, wrote the Blog and posted it. Then I started my day. I ate breakfast, downed my pills, shaved and showered.

All the while, I had the traditional Detroit Thanksgiving parade on TV. I watched parts of it as I went about the morning.

Jake called to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving while he and Carla were out for a walk with Whiskey. They are going to her brother’s mother-in-law’s house for dinner. She was born in Japan, so the menu will be traditional Thanksgiving fare, plus egg rolls! I was sooo jealous. Why the hell didn’t I think of egg rolls?

I called Sadie to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving as well and learned she is into her own DIY project: enclosing the front porch with windows to keep more heat in the house.

I called B___ and just got his voicemail. I assume he’s busy with Thanksgiving dinner for his family. I left a message that he didn’t have to call me back, just wanted to wish him and his family a Happy Thanksgiving.

Finally at noon, I got off my lazy ass and got to work. I cut 3/4 of the skillet cornbread into 1/2-inch cubes. Then (shades of childhood) I took off the crust of eight slices of sourdough bread (nothing special, its what I always have on hand) and cut them into 1/2-nch cubes as well. These all went into a pre-heated 375 degree F. oven on two half-sheet pans to dry out and get golden. I set the timer for 15 minutes.

I took the time to put the cabbage casserole into two big containers (to freeze) and one little one (to eat sometime soon). Then I soaked the pan. I pulled out the half-sheet pans and let them cool.

Next I diced a small onion, two stalks of celery and minced two cloves of garlic. I cooked them in bacon grease (having baked the bacon before) until the onions were translucent (about four minutes). I pulled them off and added the four strips of bacon (cut into 1-inch pieces) and one tablespoon of my home-grown fresh sage leaves (yes, I went outside to harvest them and the weather was fantastic – had I known this, I might have been tempted to smoke the turkey breast outside. (Hmm… maybe covered with bacon again?)

While I was out there. I threw out the bread crusts and refilled the bird feeder and squirrel feeder. So, yes, I have friends over for Thanksgiving dinner.

Next, I put the cornbread and bread into a large bowl and added in the skillet stuff and 2 3/4 cups of chicken stock, two large eggs (lightly beaten) and two pinches of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper.

Then I went back outside and harvested more herbs, because I need 1/2 cup (1/2 cup!) of fresh parsley. I added that in and tossed it all to combine. I let it sit for five minutes and then tossed it again.

[Sidebar: at this point I was regretting turning down Hannah’s invitation of eating with her family and my Brother Carl.]

I put the stuffing (no, dressing! It’s only “stuffing” if you stick it in the turkey!) into my casserole dish and into the preheated 375 degrees F. oven. I set the timer for 25 minutes.

When 10 minutes had passed I stuck in the potatoes (that I had previously taken out to let come to room temp). While I was waiting, I finely chopped another two tablespoons of sage leaves and combined that with two tablespoons of softened butter.

I spread the butter and sage mixture on top of the potatoes. I let them cook another 10 minutes. When the timer went off, I pulled them out, covered them with foil and set them on the stove top to keep warm. Here’s one of the areas I screwed up on: I should have checked to make sure they were done! But, I was busy and it slipped my mind.

Meanwhile, I peeled two sweet potatoes (the recipe called for about 5 or 2 1/2 pounds, but I cut back on that part) and cut them into 3/4 inch wedges. I combined 1/2 cup of honey, 1/2 stick of butter and two fresh (the recipe calls for four dried, BTW) finely chopped bay leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons of allspice and a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper in a small saucepan. I put the sweet potato wedges on a half sheet pan and brushed them with the sauce. I stuck them in the oven for 10 minutes.

When the timer went off, I flipped them over and re-glazed them. I put them back in the 450 degree oven for another 10 minutes. When that timer went off, I pulled them out and put them in a small pan, covered with foil and left them on the stovetop as well. I left the stove door open so it would cool down a bit to the 325 degrees F. I need for the turkey breast.

The phone kept ringing and I kept ignoring it. When I finally had a chance, I checked and found Thanksgiving well-wishes messages from B___, my brother Jim and Lu.

I had the Lion’s football game on (hey, it’s a Michigan tradition). I checked and for a change, they were winning!

So, finally, I was ready for my turkey. I went back outside and gathered some rosemary, and thyme (my herb garden was really getting a workout). I made a paste (per an Ina Garten recipe) of one teaspoon of fresh chopped rosemary leaves, one teaspoon of fresh chopped sage leaves, one teaspoon of fresh chopped thyme leaves, three cloves of minced garlic, two teaspoons of dry mustard, two teaspoon of kosher salt, one teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, two tablespoons of good olive oil and two tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice.

[Why am I not eating at Hannah’s house?]

Then I worked that paste under the turkey skin as much as I could and spread the rest on top of the skin.

Here’s where I varied from her recipe. I always roast a turkey breast on top of two rough chopped carrots, two stalks of celery and an onion, not peeled, just cut in half. I think it gives you the “flavor” of stuffing, without any health risk. I added a cup of dry white wine and the rest of the box of chicken stock I opened for the dressing to the pan.

I stuck the thermometer into the thickest part and set the alarm for 165 degrees F. I set the stove timer for two hours.

Then I went back to the TV and watched the Lions get beat in overtime (another tradition).

About a half hour before I thought the turkey would be done, I made my last side dish. I blanched a pound of trimmed green beans in boiling water for five minutes, then shocked them in an ice bath (to stop the cooking and keep the green color). Meanwhile, I trimmed a pound of button mushroom and then sliced them 1/4 inch thick. I sautéed them in olive oil and added in two cloves of garlic, thinly sliced. When the mushrooms were golden, I added in one teaspoon of ground coriander, some salt and pepper.

I cooked that a minute and added in 1/4 cup of dry white wine. I cooked that until it reduced and then added two tablespoons of water, a tablespoon of sherry vinegar and 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley. I mixed that into the drained green beans and let that get happy.

The thermometer alarm finally went off, (about 2 1/2 hours) so I pulled the turkey breast out, covered it with tinfoil and set the stove timer for 20 minutes for it to rest. I stuck everything else back in the turned-off oven to warm up.

I used the pan drippings to make a quick “gravy” with a little cornstarch. When the turkey was done resting, I cut off one half of the breast and cut it in slices, so there was skin on each piece. Then I got everything out and made myself a plate.

I was eating it when Jake called to ask how my dinner was. I told him the green beans were great, as were the sweet potatoes (I highly recommend these two recipes). The turkey was just how you would want it with a crisp, herb-covered skin and moist meat. However, the accordion potato was undercooked and the dressing was too dry. He said I needed to put more gravy on the dressing and mix it with the cranberry relish. Damn! I forgot the cranberry relish in the fridge!!

I did ask him how the egg rolls were and he said they were excellent and gone within minutes. He said he’d let me get back to my dinner and hung up. I was sure glad he called, since my next move was to get out the cranberry relish and add some to the plate. Excellent as always!

I tried more gravy on the dressing, but nope, it was still too dry. I think I put too much cornbread in it.

I was stuffed, though. So, I decided against baking my pumpkin pie and making whipped cream to top it with. I’ll do that later in the weekend.

At one point or another during my trips back and forth from the bedroom to the kitchen, I glanced through the door towards the picture window and noticed the pavement was wet from rain. It wasn’t raining when I looked, though.

My kitchen was in shambles and the food still too warm to put away yet. So, I went and watched part two of the Dust Bowl (that Ken Burns documentary I told you about).

When it was over, I cut off the other half of the turkey breast and put it in a Zip Lock bag in the fridge. I must admit I was tempted to make a turkey sandwich, but I was still too full from dinner. I put the rest of the food away, except for the dressing. I’ll put that in the trash in the morning.

I walked away from all the dirty pots, pans and dishes and went to bed, instead.