Gahwil Gahwil

Thanksgiving, what a great holiday -- you're supposed to cook/eat a homemade feat, and be with your family and/or bestest friends. At B's aunt's house, we were closer to the second rule than the 1st rule, but what are ya gonna do. My pumpkin pie was finished, despite the presence of two other pies and a cake. I spent the morning making two trays of stuffing, based on the methodology of this recipe. When reheated, it got a little dry despite being covered in foil -- next time I'm going to up the stock-content, and throw in a good lump of butter, too. The challah stuffing went, and about half the sausage--Jews just ain't down with the pork sausage.

Growing up, the Jewish holidays were shared amongst the different aunts and uncles; but Thanksgiving was just ours. My mom was in charge, though it was up to my dad to do most of the cooking. Mom did a lot of prep, baking potatoes and other things difficult to mess up. My dad did the turkey, crudites, salad, steamed green beans and garlic, roasted chestnuts. And of course, my mom put me 'in charge' of the stuffing, which was dumping a box of Stouffer's turkey-flavored stuffing mix into hot water with butter melted in it. Even then, I was vaguely embarrassed when my mom would say that I 'made' the stuffing.

ADDENDA:
The South American pasta chef at the restaurant pronounces gobble gobble as "GAHwil GAHwil". I don't know why, it just sounded incredibly cool. I wonder if South American turkeys have crazy accents, too.

AM WATERING: 7:30am, pint of water

NOON SNACK: small plate of two stuffings, pint of black cherry and orange soda, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Can't serve something without tasting it first! Like the rye-sausage more than the challah, firmer texture and bolder pronounced flavor.

DINNER: 4:30pm, plate of sliced turkey breast and yellow gravy, steamed carrots, small green salad, sausage and challah stuffing, mashed potatoes, small piece of cake, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Other than a larger portion of stuffing than usual, did not pig out at all. The mashed potatoes were excellent, the person who made them following a restaurant recipe involving stock, roasted garlic and butter.

EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, slice of pizza, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Feeling nippy, brought home old slices from the shop.

Gobble Gobble, Yo

ADDENDA:
Thanksgiving in Andover, a suburb of Boston, this year is the first time in my life I've spent this holiday away from my hometown, NYC. Though I guess I should of saw it coming a million miles away, I'm missing my parents horribly today.

Different wings of the extended family took different holidays, and our wing was Thanksgiving. This was the only time of year my mom would 'cook', and by cook I mean coordinate. My dad would be responsible for the turkey and the salad, my mom would put the potatoes in the oven to bake, I would be responsible for the stuffing. My mom would make a big deal about how I 'made' the stuffing, but in reality it was from a box of Stouffers. I remember one year I suggested we actually stuff the turkey with it before cooking, I think the level of complexity it entailed was beyond the pale for my mom. My Brazilian uncle would bring really good homemade chocolate mouse, a trendy thing in the 70s. Aunts would bring booze and other pies. My mom could NOT go to sleep unless ALL the dishes were washed and set up to air-dry. The house (and in later years the apartment) was always full of people on Thanksgiving, and it was always a home-cooked meal. My mom would buy the turkey at least a week in advance, the table would be set at least 48 hours in advance, the nervous tension she had the day of, hours before anyone were to come and the entire home was scrubbed clean and there was just nothing left to do other than lie down and watch TV.

I look forward to the day of regularly hosting a holiday in my home with family and friends, with homemade food and days of preparation.

BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw nuts, hunger 3/5

AM SNACK: 10:30am, veggie booty, liter of seltzer, hunger 4/5
Train to Boston.

AM SNACK: 11:30am, saltless whole wheat pretzels, hunger 4/5

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, bag of potato chips, hunger 4/5

PM SNACK: 3pm, toated chiabatta bread with bruchetta stuff, hunger 4/5

DINNER: 4pm, squash maple soup, grape sorbet, turkey medallions with apple cranberry stuffing, whipped potato croquet, steamed carrots, lots of bread & butter, pumpkin creme brulee, water, hunger 4/5
Formal dinner at the very white, WASPy New England Andover Inn.

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, popcorn, hunger 3/5
A Thankgiving evening movie out, a first for me.