Thevaledictorian family enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast yesterday, and plan to enjoy it for the next several days. With Genius absent this year, we left out the time-intensive Green Bean Bundles. The rest of the menu was pretty much the same, save Hick's annual sugar-free chocolate pie. I figured since he eats casino pie with abandon, sugar and all, there was no need to force better health upon him for one day.
Let the record show that we are not fancy folks. Not hoity-toity. If you dropped by, we might just slop some vittles into a trough for you. We're not linen-tablecloth/good-silver people. If we clear the hoarded pile of assorted unneeded items off the kitchen table, it's the mark of a special occasion.
The Pony was in the midst of setting the table. There's our dying jade plant, that we've been unable to kill for 20 years. And a random fake flower. A tall mug that Hick is saving for something. No one here drinks coffee. The Pony obviously needs instruction on place-setting. Even I know that's not proper silverware placement. He's put the desserts handily on the table. A storebought cherry pie for Hick, and brownies still in the pan, that The Pony made from a box mix.
There's the 9-pound turkey breast. The carrots are not for consumption. I don't have a rack, and used the carrots to keep the turkey off the bottom of the roaster pan.
Hick did the carving, using a knife made by the company he worked for oh so many years. There's the pan of hash brown potatoes awaiting my face planted in them the dig of the spoon. I think that's my plate awaiting some turkey. The Pony stood ready to receive his, and Hick took the first slab to get the skin. Carver gets first choice!
That's Hick's turkey. He's a true carnivore. He asked how much I wanted, and I said, "Maybe half of what you took." But Hick apparently doesn't work in fractions, and gave me even MORE than his, it seemed like. You'll see my plate a bit later.
There are the deviled eggs that are The Pony's favorite. He said I didn't have to go to the trouble to make them, but of course I DID. Also my Diet Coke awaiting a move to the table. No, I didn't drink out of the bottle. We used the good glasses, meaning NOT RED SOLO CUPS.
That's the 7-Layer Salad. Not a good view, since you only see two layers, the cheese and the bacon. I guarantee the others are there: Romaine, peas, boiled eggs, green onions, and mayo.
There's my plate before I chowed down. No, I don't eat like a hummingbird. This ample rumpus isn't going to fatten itself, you know! There's my favorite, the hash brown casserole, and clockwise from there, the roasted vegetables The Pony likes, a deviled egg, two of the Sister Schubert brand rolls, some Stove Top Stuffing (prepared by The Pony), and that slab of turkey that I could not finish, but saved half for later. Oh, and my 7-Layer Salad.
I enjoyed my meal immensely. I wished Genius a happy Thanksgiving by text, and he sent me a picture of his holiday preparations.
Genius is a foody. There's his Pittsburgh apartment kitchen. He brewed up his own cranberry sauce. That's a pan of dressing on the back burner, I think. And the beginnings of stuffed zucchini skins on the cutting board. Genius is also a photographer. His plate put mine to shame.
Genius said he had a keto menu. Mulled Wine. Cauliflower Mac & Cheese. Gravy. Zucchini Skins. Cranberry Sauce. Stuffing. Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin. Pumpkin Pie. Genius WAS a bit jealous of my deviled eggs, and said he wished he'd thought to make some.
I daresay Genius did not enjoy his feast any more than I enjoyed mine!
We just had a turkey breast also and now I am Jonesing for some dark meat. Not sure i could eat eggs that were looking back at me all surprised like. I'd like an invite to Genius' dinner, looks extra good.
ReplyDeleteHope you counted the flatware and did not have any thrown into the trash!
Happy Thanksgiving.
I am usually a fan of the dark meat, but this turkey breast was so succulent that I don't even miss a good thigh.
DeleteMy sister's husband the ex-mayor will not eat my deviled eggs with olive eyes. When we used to convene at my mom's house for the feast, I'd have to make some without. Because, you know, it's so HARD for a grown man to pick two olive slices off a deviled egg.
Genius has switched his main hobby from photography to cooking, I think. I did not count the flatware, but I DID notice that I was missing a short glass. The Pony confessed to having it in his room, but not for how long, having sipped wine from it a while back.
Don't get me started on that ill-mannered little BBQ guest who asked specifically for my metal fork instead of the plasticware provided, and then THREW IT AWAY!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.
I think I could have chowed down with either one of you. My wife has cooked turkey breast (when we had turkey) for years. She doesn't care for dark meat. This year we had Cornish game hens. I had one thing to cook - Brussels sprouts, which I did in our fancy-schmanzy toaster oven/air fryer. Burned them to a crisp. Judy thankfully did not say, ala the internet: You had ONE job . . . So far we've mastered one thing in that toaster oven/air fryer: toast. Oh, and by the way, Genius's plate looks like it could appear in Bon Appetit magazine. Did he make all that food just for himself?
ReplyDeleteIf you had dined with us, you would have left looking like Augustus Gloop. Plus, I might have searched you to make sure you weren't smuggling out any of my flatware.
DeleteIf you had dined with Genius, you would have left in fighting trim, though perhaps a bit tipsy. He might have whipped up a batch of Brussels sprouts for you to take home.
Genius had a tag on the picture he sent me: Camera Eats First. He has a roommate, who might or might not have helped. I'm thinking not, from the horror stories both have told. I don't think they had anyone over, since Pennsylvania even requires masks IN THE HOUSE if you're around people you don't live with. Good luck on enforcing THAT, I say.
You have a vey lovely table. I see the carving knife, but where is the carving fork? So each person's portion is touched by the carver's hands?
ReplyDeleteI like the look of Genius's kitchen and his dinner does indeed look yummy, although I'm not a fan of pork, I can pretend I'm looking at chicken.
I haven't made devilled eggs since hubby #1 became an ex, he loved them and insisted on making them himself, using half a bottle of tabasco sauce and having the mixture smooth enough to be piped back into the half egg with my cake icing pipe, then leaving the entire mess of bowls etc for me to clean while he carried his creations to the table. I don't even remember what goes into the devilling mixture anymore.
To increase your horror exponentially... I did not even see Hick wash his hands after screwing in all those Christmas lights on the porch! I must be used to our lax hygiene. I didn't even think about it. He probably licked his fingers in between platings, too!
DeleteGenius is in a ritzy new apartment building. He has champagne wishes (as well as a champagne budget).
I prefer my deviled egg filling to be more course. I fork it into the whites. I don't even mind little chunks of the yolk for texture. My ingredients are: yolk, dill pickle juice, yellow mustard, mayo, ground black pepper. The green olives add the salt.
I remember K adding mustard and mayo plus the tabasco and chopped parsley but we never put olives on them, just a sprinkle of hot paprika. I don't remember other ingredients, probably salt and pepper. I was thankful my icing pipe was stainless steel and didn't hold flavours, like a plastic one might.
DeleteI've seen deviled eggs with paprika. But all I know about paprika is that on Blue's Clues, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper had a child, which was Baby Paprika.
DeleteYour spread looks delicious, and the deviled eggs are amazing. they are time consuming, so I appreciate your work. My niece made some for yesterday, and I know I ate 3.
ReplyDeleteI did not know you could cook! Good job.
I ate one, and left the rest for Hick and The Pony. There were another eight that didn't make the main container. The Pony ate three for lunch the day before, and the others were for snacking between meal times.
DeleteTo be fair, I always take a broken white and scoop around the filling that clings to the bowl. Just to help with the clean-up, you know.
I basically cook from boxes and bags and cans. Deviled eggs are my specialty, along with potato salad. Seems I'm good with the same ingredients...