I Love Thanksgiving

This year, I didn't think I had much to be thankful for. I've been dreading the holidays, dreading spending them alone, or surrounded by well-meaning family and friends, fielding questions about what I'm doing right now and feeling awkward about the significant absence by my side.

But, he invited me to Thanksgiving, and it wasn't awkward at all. In fact, it was probably the best Thanksgiving I've had in a long time. We cooked together and chatted with his mother and siblings. Seth did a great job on the turkey:

Everyone was in a good mood, and the food was great -- nothing fancy, just well-seasoned and delicious. My pecan sticky buns came out PERFECTLY and were a big hit:

Check out this fantastic cheese platter that Alicia put together:

Alicia's boyfriend and his mother came over, and we chatted with amicable dismay about the strange allure of the deep-fried turkey. To most of us, that just seems like an abomination. Our friend Kavita came over too and entertained us with news about her upcoming Indian wedding taking place in a few weeks in Bombay (with a guest list of 800!!). It made me a little sad, of course, because I won't be going to India for the wedding, though Seth will be there for the entire month of December. Maybe the spirit of India will heal what ails him . . . .

After a romantic evening (which included cuddling and watching "Dead Like Me" -- who says dark comedies can't be romantic?), we made crepes sucrees this morning. I used Julia Child's recipe from her famous work, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. We filled the crepes with bananas, melted semi-sweet chocolate and meringue. I didn't have any orange liqueur, rum or brandy, so, since I was using chocolate anyway, I used Godiva chocolate liqueur. I was nervous, but the effect was brilliant. The crepe batter had a wonderful, indulgent scent, but the cooked crepes were not "chocolatey" tasting in a gross way. They were incredibly delicate and sweet. Unfortunately, I don't exactly have the best pan for crepes, and this was a very experimental, virginal fumbling, so the results, though decadent, filling and luscious, were not really photo-worthy.

Now, I'm in the process of making turkey stock. I've boiled the carcass, strained in, and now I'm simmering the stock with onion, garlic, and herbs. The last time I made turkey stock, I used it in my pumpkin soup and it was the best soup I've ever made/ate. I highly recommend making your own stock.
****
So. What will be the result of all this good cheer and effort? Sometimes, you just don't know, and you wonder if all your effort is worth it. Will it pay off? I'm trying not to think that way. It seems that that just isn't very productive, to worry about being productive or having some kind of goal. I just want to enjoy the times I spend with my loved ones and hope that there will be many more.

Thanksgiving Breakfast *UPDATED*

I'm going to my sweetheart's house tomorrow, and HE'S doing the cooking; this time, I'm just doing the helping. We'll see how that goes. He's a great cook, but sometimes he gets a little ambitious and plans too many complicated dishes all at once. Well, I do that too, sometimes.

The pecan sticky buns have been rolled, cut, covered and set to rise. Tomorrow morning, I'll get up, pop 'em in the oven at 350 for 25-30, and we'll have a delicious treat to keep us full while we cook. The recipe comes from Christina Pirello, a vegetarian cook who is sometimes featured on PBS. What's great about this recipe is that it's rather wholesome; it uses whole wheat flour and NO WHITE SUGAR. Brown rice syrup instead. I've tried this one several times, and it's always been just as delicious -- even more delicious -- than the "regular" sticky buns. Because of the rice syrup, the buns have a lower glycemic index than many other breakfast treats, and the whole wheat flour is better for you than white flour, too. The only thing I refuse to do is use soy margarine -- quel horreur -- so I use good, old-fashioned butter. This time, I've used Cabot's farmhouse butter, which is a speciality they only sell at their farm and a few other locations.

Well, it's off to bed for me. I'll let you know how the sticky buns turn out and will try to post some highlights from our meal tomorrow. If I don't hear from any you out there before the end of the day, have a great Thanksgiving!