Thanksgiving

I know. A little late, right? I had a long hiatus ... I forget why.

So, I neglected to take ... uh ... any photos during the event at the Walkers' abode this year. Too bad because we had quite the eclectic Thanksgiving spread.

I made my cornbread-sausage-squash stuffing. It came out really sweet, like the butternut squash swallowed a bunch of maple syrup. Eating a small portion with turkey and gravy made it work, but I might use a Danish squash or something not so cloying next time.

Then there was the cauliflower puree. One of the attendees at our Thanksgiving fete detests mashed potatoes. But Josh and I were discussing the fact that we simply must have something to pour gravy on. So this is cauliflower boiled in chicken broth until very tender, then pureed with some broth until smooth, and finished with salt, butter, and creme fraiche. So good. It worked with or without gravy.

I think that segues into the eclectic nature of the feast itself. The usual suspects that were missing: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry, and green beans. What we did have was pancit, a Filipino dish of noodles and various meats, and a cauliflower-apple curry, yes curry, soup. Both were lovely, and the dinner was excellent - moist turkey, rich gravy, fabulous overall. Josh and I did have a funny feeling afterwards because of all the missing elements, however. Funny how you are just locked, psychologically, into certain items.

You simply must hear the potato story - the reason G won't go near a pile of mashed potatoes, ever. So, his older brother turned 10, or something, and was not interested in cake. Their mother, being accommodating and clever, created a smashing, colorful birthday cake molded from smoothly whipped mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, little G was not apprised of his mother's dastardly plan, and took a scoop of what his brain was calling cake and frosting, shoving it greedily into his mouth. The brain's expectation of sweetness clashed violently with the information from his tongue: cold, savory, blue and red ... mashed potatoes? The only solution for an 8-year-old? Vomit.

Never again will the mashed tuber pass his lips.

Oh! I forgot to take a photo of my pie. It was gorgeous and awesome! I made a pear tart with a syrup infused with star anise, cloves, and vanilla. It was my first time scraping the vanilla goop out of a real pod. Good times.