Saturday, November 27, 2010

Now That the Gluttony is Done

Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house, every creature was scurrying, even the spouse….

The Cuisinart was chopping on the counter with flair, getting the stuffing and cranberries prepared….

Yes sirree. Thanksgiving is a big deal around our house. This year the RSVP list was around 20 or so (my wife comes from  a big family). And yours truly is the executive chef (translation – I get to clean up the mess and crash when everyone else is eating).

The festivities usually start the evening before when we get the food processor going to chop onions and celery for the stuffing:

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And Glenn’s cranberry relish:

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People commanded “Let there be pie”

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And yea, there was. Thanks to my daughter:

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The big deal around here (actually the reason that Thanksgiving and Christmas are at our home) is the chef’s BBQ turkey. It all starts early in the morning with a clean and dry bird:

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There’s twice a year that I use a charcoal BBQ. You guessed it. Thanksgiving and Christmas. I get the coals nice and hot, and then place some soaked hickory shavings on for that smoky flavor:

And a few hours later (like 4 hours for a 20 pound bird), viola!

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And in case you think I was kidding about crashing when everyone else is eating, please note the lack of a photo of the final table just before we glomped onto the feast. Fail!

And a Fail on the running front too. On Wednesday, I was ready to head out of the house when I realized that I was out of a lot of things that were necessary for later in the day when we started prep work. I tried to use my best Gordon Ramsay impersonation (“What the f*** do you mean we’re out of celery?” “How the f*** do you plan on baking pies without ground cloves?”). In the end, those who rule my life (wife, daughter) handed me the keys to my car and sent me on my way. Along with the order for more knives, forks, a tablecloth and candles. Two and a half hours later I made it back home. Folks – if you think parking at the mall on Black Friday is bad, have you ever gone grocery shopping the day before Thanksgiving?

Then on Thursday, between getting the turkey on the grill, the prime rib in the oven, the green bean casserole and stuffing prepped and in the other oven, the giblets cooked for the gravy etc., etc., before I knew it it was time for tryptophan overload. Waddle waddle. Yum!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

18 comments:

  1. This sounds a lot like our family! I lost count of how many showed up - and the volume... oh the volume in here. My ears are still ringing! We were pretty set supply wise --- except that I needed 1/2 a cup of sugar. How cliche is that? We opted to send my step-dad out to the store versus going to the neighbors house to "borrow" a cup!

    Happy post-Thanksgiving! Enjoy your leftovers!

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  2. That turkey sounds amazing! I refuse to go to the store the day before and the day of Thanksgiving. So I had to "make do" with substitutions and omissions for a couple of dishes. I used to go to the store the day before....big mistake.
    Enjoy the weekend!

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  3. I love how you describe your wife and daughter (the ones who rule your life.) LOL.

    We only had 4 people, but a 14 pound bird, so I have so many leftovers, I really don't know how much turkey I can eat!!

    Glad you had a good day with your family, Glenn, and all the guests!!

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  4. That's a big gathering. We had a really small low-key Thanksgiving this year. But it still takes a lot of time and effort to prepare the food.

    Guess it's time for ALL of us to run off that big meal. LOL

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  5. can you make it 23 next year? I want in on that BBQ turkey..

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  6. Looks awesome! Sounds like you had an awesome day Glenn, that is great! I gave the last of my pie away to my neighbors so I would stop eating it.

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  7. That cranberry relish looks wonderful! (My SIL forgot the cranberry sauce/relish!) It looked like quite the TG day at Glenn's house!

    PS
    How funny... my word verification is "ovendwn" Oven down? Thank goodness no!

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  8. It sure does look like you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!!!! Gobble Gobble Gobble!!!

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  9. Wow. That's a feast! Sounds like a great day.

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  10. Can't believe you cooked for 20 people! That is some feat! Turkey looks amazing! Your dining room table must be a mile long to seat all those people and setup all that food you cooked. Next time, more close-up food photos please! :)

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  11. you must have a big dining room! sign me up for next year ;) i am impressed at all you guys pull off! i avoid the shops/malls from 11/1 thru new years. too many moron drivers and way too much crowding. oh, and that video was rivieting. a plate of tinfoil with some smoke! ;) yes, i'm just jealous i didn't get to taste the fruits of your labor. glad you had a good (albeit busy) thanksgiving!

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  12. wow, that turkey looks tasty! next year i'm coming to your house! LOL

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  13. BBQ turkey...hmm I might have to try that!

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  14. I feel your pain about the grocery store before Thanksgiving. I used to work in a grocery store and know all sorts of horror stories about Thanksgiving shoppers from Hell. Now quit eating and cooking and get out there for a run.

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  15. Sounds, and LOOKS, like the PERFECT holiday, Glenn! 4 pumpkin pies? YUM! We had about 20 also, but thankfully it was at my brother's house. I think my dues are going to come at Christmas...and I just can't fit that many people in my house w/o being squished. Oh well.

    Ok, festivities done, back to running!!!! :)

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  16. Wow man, thanks a lot for sharing the ordeal. Nice bird! Looks yummy. I prefer pineapple ham instead. But will eat anything that is prepared when we crash other people's homes for Thanksgiving which is what my wife and I do. So turkey it is. I am going to have fun running all of this gravy off that is soaring through my veins right now. hahaha

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  17. Great job on managing to feed 20 people!!! That is a big accomplishment.

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  18. We had to improvise on a few ingredients too. And your BBQ turkey looks worthy of a Food Network guest slot.

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