Thursday, November 22, 2007

Cookin' a turkey

Today Americans celebrate a historical harvest feast on a wildly improbable date and tell historically flattering foundational tales that hide a whole host of crimes. It's also a day famously characterized by gluttony and waste. But, really, so what? Thanksgiving is not about the history for most Americans and, despite the name, it's not a religious holiday for most of us. Thanksgiving is a holiday when we are supposed to get together with our loved ones (presumably that means family for most of us) and have a civilized sit-down meal. Most of us need to do more of that, so we shouldn't feel guilty today.

Clever wife and I are staying home by ourselves today. I'm not sure, but I think this is only the second Thanksgiving that we've spent with just us and the cats. I thought about cooking something non-traditional like salmon, but the fact is, we both really like the basic turkey dinner. When I got to the store the other day and saw that they had small turkeys, the decision was a no-brainer. So I'm roasting a turkey, making wild rice and mushroom stuffing, mashed potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce, and chocolate pecan pie. We will cover everything except the pie with a generous layer of gravy and wash the meal down with cider and strong coffee laced with whole cream. The dinner alone should have more calories than we take in during three regular days, and that's not counting breakfast and snacking. Today our motto is "eat, drink. and be happy for tomorrow we diet."

Give something to your local foodbank, don't waste the leftovers, and enjoy yourself today.

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