Thanksgiving
First, let’s start with the fact that I took a few days off. I was too busy eating, talking, eating and hanging with all my siblings to write. Sorry about that!
On the plus side – boy did I ever get good blog fodder from the vacation. First let’s start with the turkey.See this guy – I saved his life or at least that of one of his cousin’s. I offered to bring the turkey to my brother’s house but they has already gotten one. My sister-in-law is very on top of things. She actually likes cooking and baking and cleaning. You know, all that stuff I can’t or won’t do. She is sooo not a faux farm girl. Anyway, since I didn’t need to bring the turkey I felt a little lost as to what to bring. I had a caterer make a few side dishes to make it look like I cooked. I fooled no one! I felt like I needed to bring something important (oldest child needing attention thing) and if it wasn’t the turkey – what was left! Pie? And then it appeared – in the middle of the farmer’s market, a turkey like no other. There, at the chocolate shop, was the turkey of all turkeys. Almost life size and all glistening brown chocolate, it sat wrapped in clear cellophane. A faux farm girl’s dream come true. No cooking, no basting, just pure melt in your mouth joy. Eureka, that’s it! I didn’t ask how much, I didn’t care, I wanted that turkey. And I got it. Surprisingly enough, it was not the only chocolate turkey to leave the store that day- he had sold 100 chocolate turkeys. And here I thought I was alone in my decadent and perverse sense of culinary cuisine. How silly of me – chocolate creates deviants out of many of us. So, as I marched out of the market with my chocolate turkey – people were looking and commenting – and I knew right then and there I had something great to bring to dinner. I felt vindicated and righteous in my own non-cooking, but still an important contributor to the meal. kind of way.
Now, my chocolate turkey was so beautiful he became the centerpiece, at the adult table. We are no fools. Also, we now call it the first and second generation table to avoid problems with the older third generation kids that want to sit with us and not their little cousins. The big people vs little kids table was getting too controversial and politically incorrect and we would want that, not with a chocolate turkey for Thanksgiving dinner! I mean really! Personally, I found it hard to concentrate on the mashed potatoes and stuffing looking at chocolate turkey and apparently others had concerns as well so at one point the chocolate turkey has to be moved to another room so we could all get down to business. But we all knew it was there and it seemed to me that the meal moved along rather quickly and before we knew it, it was time for dessert and the chocolate turkey.
When we brought the chocolate turkey out – the kids went crazy and the minute we said they could eat it – wham that turkey was dismantled – off with his head went the first piece. It was sheer mayhem after that!
And so, in closing, I would like to say that the chocolate turkey was a great hit. I will continue this tradition in the future and I can only hope that my sister-in-law will continue the make the real turkey. We all have our talents and we must stick with them and do what we do best. Mine is not cooking, but I still make one hell of a turkey don’t I?
And check out the tablecloth. I did that well too, don’t you think? It is coordinated to match the turkey!! What fun!!!!
Faux Farm Girl,
Annie