74 replies to this topic

[canucklehead]

After hemming and hawing - my brother is going to provide an clear alternative to Turkey and the fixings - a Chinese Hot Pot! His friends love it and it is a nice change from the usual. When the weather gets cool - Hot Pots are so warming.

I am not sure if I will be home.

[fud]

After hemming and hawing - my brother is going to provide an clear alternative to Turkey and the fixings - a Chinese Hot Pot! His friends love it and it is a nice change from the usual.  When the weather gets cool - Hot Pots are so warming.

I am not sure if I will be home.

I'd love to have a hot pot on the roof of my building.maybe next no non rainy fall day i should get some foodies together :)

[Zucchini Mama]

After hemming and hawing - my brother is going to provide an clear alternative to Turkey and the fixings - a Chinese Hot Pot! His friends love it and it is a nice change from the usual.  When the weather gets cool - Hot Pots are so warming.

I am not sure if I will be home.

I'd love to have a hot pot on the roof of my building.maybe next no non rainy fall day i should get some foodies together :)

So do you guys use the traditional charcoal hotpot that sits in the middle of the table? My Malaysian Auntie used to do that for special occasions. I love the smell of the burning charcoal.
Is there a restaurant in Vancouver that does this, or is it more of a home cookin' kind of thing here?

Zuke

[fud]

So do you guys use the traditional charcoal hotpot that sits in the middle of the table? My Malaysian Auntie used to do that for special occasions. I love the smell of the burning charcoal.
Is there a restaurant in Vancouver that does this, or is it more of a home cookin' kind of thing here?

Zuke

Actually we just use the portable stoves and the split sided pot (one side for satay sauce and the other with a broth of sorts). Hmm I don't think I've ever used the charcoal hotpot!

[CanadianBakin']

For Dessert this year, I am thinking of going with a Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel and Pecan Sauce but I may cop out and go for the standard pumpkin pie.

Oh you've got to make Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake. It tastes amazing! Much better than pumkin pie in my mind. My husband's family doesn't like pumpkin but there will be a few outsiders this year so I'm going to make a 6" one in hopes someone will share it with me as well as a pear tart of some kind.
My husband's family also doesn't like turkey so roast pork is usually made but this year I'm vetoing(sp?) that since I haven't had turkey for years. I haven't told my husband and he hasn't asked... I did check with my sister-in-law and she said she likes the breast and as long as there was lots of potatoes and gravy she figured it would be fine. Also, my mother-in-law's sage & onion stuffing, glazed carrots, brussel sprouts with a cream and pinenut sauce, roasted cauliflower, broccoli and red pepper for colour as well as cranberry sauce.

Edited by CanadianBakin', 04 October 2005 - 08:27 AM.

[canucklehead]

[So do you guys use the traditional charcoal hotpot that sits in the middle of the table? My Malaysian Auntie used to do that for special occasions. I love the smell of the burning charcoal.
Is there a restaurant in Vancouver that does this, or is it more of a home cookin' kind of thing here?
Zuke

When I was a kid - we used to have a brass charcoal mongolian hot pot. The first time we set it up - we did inside the house (cause it was too cold outside). Not sure if this was such a smart move - I am sure that I still have some carbon monoxide damage issues.

One of my favorite food memories was having an outdoor lamb hot pot in Beijing (I think that it was during Thanksgiving). My friends and I had just returned from the Great Wall - and it was snowing. We sat outside on a low rooftop. There was a charcoal hot pot and the broth was boiling and steaming - it was like a little steam engine. We sat there under the cover of night with snow drifting down - dipping thinly sliced lamb into hot broth and then selection of sauces. It was like something out of a movie.

My Vancouver Thanksgivings tend to be like the ones Ling describes - a mixture of West and East. My mother's side of the family is huge - so there was always a huge spread. Turkey and Roast Beef, mashed potatoes, vegetables, fried rice and noodles. I've read about people stuffing their birds with sticky rice and chinese sausage - that sounds soo good it makes my head swim...

[Zucchini Mama]

[So do you guys use the traditional charcoal hotpot that sits in the middle of the table? My Malaysian Auntie used to do that for special occasions. I love the smell of the burning charcoal.
Is there a restaurant in Vancouver that does this, or is it more of a home cookin' kind of thing here?
Zuke

When I was a kid - we used to have a brass charcoal mongolian hot pot. The first time we set it up - we did inside the house (cause it was too cold outside). Not sure if this was such a smart move - I am sure that I still have some carbon monoxide damage issues.

One of my favorite food memories was having an outdoor lamb hot pot in Beijing (I think that it was during Thanksgiving). My friends and I had just returned from the Great Wall - and it was snowing. We sat outside on a low rooftop. There was a charcoal hot pot and the broth was boiling and steaming - it was like a little steam engine. We sat there under the cover of night with snow drifting down - dipping thinly sliced lamb into hot broth and then selection of sauces. It was like something out of a movie.

My Vancouver Thanksgivings tend to be like the ones Ling describes - a mixture of West and East. My mother's side of the family is huge - so there was always a huge spread. Turkey and Roast Beef, mashed potatoes, vegetables, fried rice and noodles. I've read about people stuffing their birds with sticky rice and chinese sausage - that sounds soo good it makes my head swim...

I've always had the charcoal inside-at my aunt's house and in restaurants in Saskatoon.
Love the story of you and your mom-I can just picture it. And I want to try the sticky rice stuffing idea-we're going to have to do it ourselves, since I just found out MIL is NOT making a turkey this year. She wants her roast beef. As long as there's Yorkshire pudding, I say. This means the wines will be serious.

Zuke

[Paul B]

I'm a bit stymied about this year's Thanksgiving. Normally we have my in-laws and other friends over and I roast a huge turkey. This year no one is going to be around so it's just me, my wife, and the boys. I've ordered a small organic turkey from Windsor Meat, but can't imagine that I'll make the full meal I usually crank out: roasted turkey (brined before hand); stuffing with dried cranberries; garlic mashed potatoes; glazed carrots; lots of gravy; and my wife's pumpkin pie. On the other hand, if I don't make it the kids will be bitterly disappointed so I guess I had better stock up on freezer bags.

Interesting side note: some years ago I found a recipe (since lost) for a turkey that was brined overnight in oriental spices. This made for a delicious and unusual meal that brought east and west together in an interesting poultry detente, but my kids prefer the traditional style so I've put that recipe to bed.

[Ling]

I've read about people stuffing their birds with sticky rice and chinese sausage - that sounds soo good it makes my head swim...

Yup my mom does that. I make the artichoke/sausage/sourdough bread stuffing, well dressing, in the big Pyrex. She has the turkey stuffed with sticky rice and lap yook, chinese sausage, cilantro, shittake, those little dried shrimp, etc., and she also does another batch to keep warm in the rice cooker, b/c there's never enough in the turkey.

[Ling]

Paul B: Do you really taste a difference in the brined turkey? I used Alice Water's brining recipe (well, the Chez Panisse recipe) a few years ago, and I couldn't tell the difference. My family couldn't either.

[BCinBC]

Last year I was coerced into making a "traditional" Thanksgiving dinner for 7 people, including 2 Japanese exchange students and 1 from Mexico. I skipped the whole bird, though, instead opting for a large breast (even this was 4 kg) stuffed with breadcrumbs, celery, onions, dried cranberries, etc. Accompanied by garlic mashed and veg (broccoli, carrots, green beans, probably cauliflower too), with pumpkin pie for dessert. But I forgot the cranberry sauce!! Oops. Come to think of it, I forgot brussel sprouts too (cooked with bacon as my Mom does, sooo good. Really). Well, now I've corrupted 3 innocent people on their idea of Thanksgiving.

Anyway, I wanted to chime in that stuffing absolutely must be stuffed into the bird in order to be traditional - and great (IMO the unstuffed side stuffing can be good, but without the internal drippings soaked in, can only top out at good).

Also, Canuckle and Ling, my Mom also does the sticky rice, but as a side and not as stuffing; and, only at Xmas. But that is a great idea, talk about fusion. With the lap cheung soaking into the turkey and vice versa... Oooooh baby.

[Vancouver Lee]

I'm a bit stymied about this year's Thanksgiving.  Normally we have my in-laws and other friends over and I roast a huge turkey.  This year no one is going to be around so it's just me, my wife, and the boys.  I've ordered a small organic turkey from Windsor Meat, but can't imagine that I'll make the full meal I usually crank out: roasted turkey (brined before hand); stuffing with dried cranberries; garlic mashed potatoes; glazed carrots; lots of gravy; and my wife's pumpkin pie.  On the other hand, if I don't make it the kids will be bitterly disappointed so I guess I had better stock up on freezer bags.

We had the same situation last year. We were new in town (I hadn't even discovered eGullet yet!), and Thanksgiving was just Mrs Vancouver Lee and our son. After dozens of years of huge family gatherings we thought it might feel a little sad. To counteract this, we kept the same menu as usual but everyone got involved in the cooking. With dinner we decided to create some new family traditions, and the one that seems to have stuck was going around the table and having each person say what they are most thankful for. Our 6 year old got right into the swing of it, and even insisted on doing it each night before bed for a few weeks afterwards. This year, the first thing he asked us when we told him thanksgiving was next weekend was "can we all say the things we are thankful for this year?".

It was different from the usual thanksgiving celebrations we're used to, but the little things like cooking together and finding new ways to celebrate carried the day. YMMV, but best of luck.

[sanrensho]

After hemming and hawing - my brother is going to provide an clear alternative to Turkey and the fixings - a Chinese Hot Pot! His friends love it and it is a nice change from the usual.  When the weather gets cool - Hot Pots are so warming.

In the same vein, turkey/ham/roast meat is out this year and we'll be having Korean-style grilled meat and veggies (yakiniku) on the electric hot plate. The kids and adults will all have more fun this way, plus yakiniku is always better with more people to share duties at the hot plate.

We're invited to a friend's place the day after, where we'll get our fill of turkey.

[sanrensho]

With dinner we decided to create some new family traditions, and the one that seems to have stuck was going around the table and having each person say what they are most thankful for.  Our 6 year old got right into the swing of it, and even insisted on doing it each night before bed for a few weeks afterwards.  This year, the first thing he asked us when we told him thanksgiving was next weekend was "can we all say the things we are thankful for this year?".

What a great story.

[kurtisk]

The usual place we have Thanksgiving at won't be happening this year, as our usual hostess has just come back from a whirlwind trip through Europe and has no time to set up. To another friend's place we go... Generally we have the same group of people for holiday meals, us all being transplants from other Canadian cities. What used to be an "Orphans' Dinner" over a decade ago is now simply Thanksgiving Dinner, being fortunate enough to have a solid group of friends who are now pretty much family, except without all the bullshit. We're now sprouting grey hairs here and there, babies are now in our circle and unfortunately some long-term relationships have come to a close, resulting in glaring omissions at the table. Once the wine is poured and the table is set, it's all about the food.

We eat ham for Thanksgiving. This is a result of a few vegetarians in our group, and the simplicity and ease of preparation. A nice lashing of a fresh dill mustard or the like makes it all-out scrumptious. Traditional seasonal accompaniments are always present, including lightly-seared pine mushrooms, done with garlic, white wine, salt & pepper. This makes the vegetarians happy because it's practically meat. For dessert, my wife always makes Pavlova. Her Aussie background gives her the DNA to execute it perfectly, and it's a light, bright way of finishing a heavy meal. Pomegranate and kiwi generally top it, keeping a fresh aspect of things present as we slide deeper into October.

[mamacat]

Only one day to go until turkey time....yahoo!! Thanksgiving is a big, boisterous meal always held at the home of Snacky-cat's dad. He has turned into an amazing cook over time (last weekend he made a ciaopinno [spelling?] that was the best I've ever had) and his turkeys have become masterpieces. He does one batch of traditional sage & onion stuffing and one "experimental" batch of something new each year. There is also the traditional mashed potatoes, usually some kind of yam dish, other veggies, cranberry sauce and really yummy gravy. Dessert is always pumpkin pie made by either his partner or me, both our versions being equally yummy. Snacky-cat, who is normally very careful about what she eats, throws caution out the window when a turkey dinner is to be had...it is the only thing (aside from GBP) that can make her overindulge.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[mtigges]

Leaving on the ferry to my parents shortly. We will celebrate one day early. Normally, we gather at their place and eat and drink too much. My mom is an excellent cook, aren't everybodies? And I love her turkey, but her roast goose (xmas) is better. Unfortunately, this year is not normal. While they were in Argentina in Febuary, some a$$hat decided to try and burn their house down. It's in the middle of the rebuild, and we will be trying to somehow fit a turkey in the tiny oven in an RV. We'll see. I thought we should dig a pit and fire roast it on a spit, but she didn't go for that. Should be fun regardless.

Happy Tryptophan Day!

[chromedome]

Since Thanksgiving falls right after Rosh Hashana and just before Yom Kippur I think my family will probably go out for Chinese food.  Isn't that a Western Canadian Thanksgiving tradition?

Yes.


I don't often do a traditional roasted turkey, unless I'm hosting a get-together with family (I'm not, this year). I don't have anything much against turkey, but it's not one of my favourite meats...especially a whole roasted bird. Even when done perfectly (a rare occurence), roasted turkey gives me a wicked case of drymouth for about three days afterwards.

Sometimes, if I can get a nice fresh turkey, I'll break it down to make multiple meals out of, and roast one or both breasts for the Day Itself. One stuffed with fruit and nuts, one stuffed with a traditional savoury stuffing; this way the stuffing cooks to a food-safe temperature before the turkey turns to sawdust. When I'm doing this I roast the carcass and wingtips for drippings and then make stock, so running out of gravy is never an issue. If you make stock with your current turkey, then you'll always have enough gravy for the next one; avoiding the heartbreak of running out.

I kicked off this weekend by cooking a piece of pork sirloin, stuffed with coarsely-chopped prunes. I served it with orange-saffron rice, glazed baby carrots from my garden (I deliberately overseed, so they stay small right up 'til fall), and some escarole sauteed in butter with toasted walnuts, then deglazed with fresh-squeezed orange juice...sort of a warm "vinaigrette" effect. I deglazed the pork pan with a splash of LBV port, finished the sauce with butter, and that was dinner.

For tomorrow I've got a piece of ham. Normally I'd roast that and make gravy with the drippings, but I'm thinking just this once maybe I'll do the ham "en croute," like a German friend of mine in Nova Scotia used to do. Wrapped in bread dough and then baked, and the bread soaks up all the lovely juices. If I do that, then I'll have to come up with something else in the line of a sauce. Buttermilk "gravy," perhaps, with a bit of the ham's fatcap diced and rendered and sprinkled into it for some extra umph.

I've got a "Sweet Dumpling" squash and a "Delicata" that I want to use up, so I'll probably use the Sweet Dumpling to bookend my Thanksgiving meal. I'm leaning towards little ramekins of soup for a starter, and then with the remaining squash individual souffles for dessert. Maybe with a ginger creme anglaise. Or perhaps squash creme brulees, I haven't decided yet.

I have new potatoes, baby carrots, and pretty little beetroots from my garden, and at present I'm still deciding how I'm going to put it all together. That's the fun part.

[francie]

This year the BF and I are all alone; often we'll head out to Chilliwack and have a feast with my parents and sister, but this year they made "other plans"

So, rather than do the turkey thing (which, frankly, I'm a little sick of. My father has worked for Lilydale for almost thirty years. That's a lot of free turkey), I decided to do a roast beef. The butcher at Windsor was so suprised I wasn't wanting turkey he declared he was giving me a discount non-turkey rate on my beef. (*note to self-- stock up on meats other than turkey two days before Thanksgiving)

AND, I decided to bake my first pie, pumpkin of course. I'm not a huge sweets girl, so this was mostly for the BF's sake. For some ridiculous reason I decided to use the Cook's Illustrated method for pastry and filling, although I did make the recipe extra tedious by roasting and pureeing a pumpkin rather than using canned. Big whoop. I just put the pie into the oven NOW, having started this whole stupid thing at 11:00. grrr. This is why I do not like baking. We'll see if it was worth it.

So. Roast beef, garlic mash, green beans, Nigella Lawson's onion gravy, some sauteed mushrooms, pumpkin pie. Oh, and either the 2003 Mouton Cadet Bourdeaux, or the 2003 Township 7 Syrah. The only two bottles we've got. I am a poor student, after all. Any opinions on either?

Shepard's pie tomorrow.

[Ling]

I had Thanksgiving dinner last night. I love pouring ladles of turkey gravy all over the Chinese sticky rice. All that turkey, plus almost a whole bottle of Rosemont Chardonnay to myself--I was so out of it, I couldn't even follow the Adam Sandler movie I watched at my friend's house afterwards.

[Mooshmouse]

Thanksgiving dinner is in the oven as we speak; as holiday head chef, I'm entitled to take a breather now (cocktail in hand, of course) while the other 'line cooks' in my family take care of prepping the vegetables.

For 6 years in a row, I cooked both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for my family (translate: Ian and me, my Mom and my Aunt and Uncle). My only two reprieves were the Christmas I was in my first trimester of pregnancy (and incredibly green with morning/noon/night sickness) and the first Thanksgiving after I had Noah. Even then, I supervised the spicing of the bird and the overall cooking process.

Thereafter, I came to an agreement with my family members. Thanksgiving is now annually hosted by my Aunt and Uncle, and Christmas is hosted by us. Whoever hosts supplies the potatoes and the meat -- either turkey or ham -- and my Uncle and I traditionally put together these main components of the meal. I usually do the cranberry jelly. Everyone else pitches in and brings whatever else is missing: vegetables, dessert, vino. And everyone's responsible for cooking what they bring. Best of all, since I do most of the cooking, I don't have to wash dishes afterwards.

This year, we're missing one friend who was supposed to join us but was stricken with the horrendous cold that seems to be making the rounds. Nonetheless, she anted up with cornbread stuffing... can't wait to get a forkful of that. In return, we'll be bringing her a fairly hefty care package. Then there's turkey this year instead of the ham that we've had for 2 holidays running, organic baby carrots, the requisite brussels sprouts (even though these are an anathema to me, Thanksgiving just isn't the same without them), asparagus (yes, yes, out of season, but I love it), sweet Chilliwack corn and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Since my home oven isn't yet hooked up, Ian ducked into Fratelli's today and picked up a couple of pumpkin pies that we'll serve with vanilla/nutmeg whipped cream. I brought over a bottle of Township 7 2004 Sauvignon Blanc that we'll crack at the beginning of the meal, and we'll switch to whatever red my Uncle has in the decanter.

Time to check on the spuds. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[Zucchini Mama]

Thanksgiving Grape Pie-Diary of a Madwoman

Oct 9
Last year I tasted a grape pie at my son's preschool potluck and became intrigued. So this year I decided to do some research and make one as a surprise for thanksgiving. I bought a box of BC concords at the local East West grocery store, and we've been snacking on them for a week. They are quite small, dark with a good bloom and lots of little seeds. Reading a few recipes online, I discovered that the method involved squeezing the pulp out of the skins, cooking it up, them strain out the seeds. I was a bit suspicious, but once I tried cutting the little grapes in half and trying to flick out the seeds, I knew I'd go crazy doing the whole bunch this way, and the skins were coming off anyway. Finally, I got a rhythm going, pick a grape off the stem, squeeze out the pulp, plop pulp in one bowl, plop skin in another. I was only on dessert duty this year, so didn't mind a bit of finicky labor, besides these are the activities that fix into you body memory and remind you of special occasions like this.

I made a pumpkin cheesecake from scratch as well, so I had bought a beautiful little sugar pumpkin at UBC farm. The big complication is our oven isn't working, so I had to cook everything at our neighbor's house two doors down. I started by cooking the pumpkin last night, cutting it into quarters and roasting it while reading Dean Koontz's "Frankenstein" in an empty house. Very spooky! I loved it.

This morning I made the cheesecake, and while it was baking, I worked on the grape pie. I used the crust recipe out of Sid Goldstein's book (The Wine Lover's Cookbook) which is nice for this time of year because it's got a bit of cinnamon in it. I use a bit less cinnamon than he does, to make it a bit more subtle. I flubbed up the crust a bit, trying to combine a rustic tart idea of flipping over extra dough instead of crimping it, then I put some streusel topping on it.

It didn't look beautiful, but it looked tasty. Smells a bit like cough syrup, but that's not the grape's fault, it's the fault of people who think medicines taste better if they taste like fake grapes. Poor grapes, if only they could rise up in protest. Thank god fluoride treatments don't taste like pumpkin cheesecake!

Anyway, to top the cheesecake I usually make a maple syrup pumpkinseed brittle, but didn't have hulled seeds around, so I ground up some local hazelnuts and roasted them. I poured some maple syrup on the top of the cheesecake, added the buts, then put a bit more maple syrup on top of that.

Oct. 10
So the grape pie was a big success. It was a real conversation piece, and people were really curious about the alchemy of how the pie ends up with a gorgeous purple filling using the process described above. The cheesecake was also a huge hit. I think the hazelnuts are a keeper. It wasn't overly sweet, especially since I forgot to put sugar in the graham cracker crust, so it tastes really good with extra lashings of maple syrup, which is what I had for breakfast! There was lots of leftover dessert because Aunt C made two apple pies as well. Leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving! We had a big ole bottle of Sauterne with the desserts-butter, lemon, honey. They had a hard time prying that bottle out of my hands!

Zuke

Edited by Zucchini Mama, 10 October 2005 - 03:38 PM.

[maxm]

Hi, new member here. I discovered this forum while researching recipes for a Thanksgiving dinner, so thought I'd share the results, if not how excited I got about all the great autumn ingredients: walnuts, pears, cranberries, blue cheese, winter squash, etc. In fact, I sampled the pears and cheese so thoroughly the night before that I had to go back and buy more

To start, a light appetiser with stilton, walnuts, and dried cranberries scooped into endive leaves. I brined the turkey, then stuffed it with chestnuts, pears, dried apricot, sourdough bread, pork mince, and served with sprouts, backed winter squash, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, off-dry BC gewurztraminer. It turned out delicious, but almost too rich. Next time, I'll try to go for more "pure" flavours and balance, maybe skip the brine or the stuffing, or tone down the sides. After that, pears in red wine w. cinnamon, ginger, citrus peel, a few black peppercorns, and vanilla ice cream with the reduced wine sauce poured over. Then a short conversation break, and then some more cheese (and a BC "port").

Now I'm on my second day of leftover turkey, and looks like it will last a few days more... (I'm a bit jealous of those who have leftover pie)

Edited by maxm, 10 October 2005 - 06:02 PM.

[ktbear]

All the usual stuff for thanksgiving and always finish it off with the liver and the heart of the turkey that no one in my family (thankfully) appreciates.

[canucklehead]

So - we had our little Chinese Hot Pot Thanksgiving.

Our general set up includes to pots of soup on some sort of heating source. One pot was for red meat - the other for fish and veggies. Each setting has a bowl for dipping sauces, a basket to cook your food, and another bowl for eating.


You get a variety of fish, mushrooms, tofu, meats, vegetables, etc... that you cook in the simmering broth.


Boil boil blip blip.... One of sauce bases we use is to chop small Thai chillis and macerate them in soy and a little toasted sesame oil. Spicy good.


These meals are actually very easy to put together. Asian stores like TNT and Hannam (great for Korean thin cut meat) - pretty well have everything ready for your to take home - clean a little and then put out for people to cook for themselves.

I hope that everyone had a great thanksgiving - not matter what you ate.

[fud]

^ nice!! I love hotpot. We had one on friday! I'd love to have one on the roof of my building since it's nice and cold and I love hot hotpot when it's cold out.

We had a really nice thanksgiving consisting of Turkey and braised lamb as well as yummy Goat cheese and pistachio salad mmm (sound familiar to you NWCAV people?)

[Ling]

^ nice!!  I love hotpot.  We had one on friday!  I'd love to have one on the roof of my building since it's nice and cold and I love hot hotpot when it's cold out. 

Is this an invitation? heh heh....

(I'll bring dessert!)

[makanmakan]

So - we had our little Chinese Hot Pot Thanksgiving.

Our general set up includes to pots of soup on some sort of heating source.  One pot was for red meat - the other for fish and veggies.  Each setting has a bowl for dipping sauces, a basket to cook your food, and another bowl for eating.


You get a variety of fish, mushrooms, tofu, meats, vegetables, etc... that you cook in the simmering broth.


Boil boil blip blip....  One of sauce bases we use is to chop small Thai chillis and macerate them in soy and a little toasted sesame oil.  Spicy good.


These meals are actually very easy to put together.  Asian stores like TNT and Hannam (great for Korean thin cut meat) - pretty well have everything ready for your to take home - clean a little and then put out for people to cook for themselves.

I hope that everyone had a great thanksgiving - not matter what you ate.

swoon...beautiful! we called it steamboat in malaysia and it has been way too long for me!! thanks for the great photos!

we did ham (a la coca cola, thanks to an intriguing nigella recipe), potato gratin, baked mashed yams with pecans and brown sugar, asparagus tossed in brown butter and lots of cracked black pepper, crunchy salt and shaved parmesan. dessert was a cheesecake and strawberry rubharb pie from savary island pie co.

[*Deborah*]

Ha! Canucklehead made that Nigella ham and I got to try it, it's good, isn't it?!

I was the sick girl who got a fabulous plate of leftovers today, my cornbread/bacon/sage stuffing came out well (if a little sweeter than optimal; I'll know for next year), the gravy was just luscious, fabulous potatoes that I didn't have to mash, and lovely herby turkey breast. I left a chunk of turkey on the counter for later, though, and *Ilya Kovalchuk* and *Ziggy Palffy* (my cats) snacked on that a bit Well, they had something to be grateful for, too, I guess.

Best Thanksgiving gift of the day: the Canucks beat the Red Wings in Hockeytown



Edited for good and well correction; it was good though.

Edited by *Deborah*, 10 October 2005 - 11:19 PM.

[jamiemaw]

Here's a link to a petite report on our weekend.

J.

Edited by jamiemaw, 10 October 2005 - 11:11 PM.