My goodness November flew by. Thanksgiving dinner was a success, thanks to everyone pitching in to bring various side dishes in combination with my complete lack of compunction about freezing things like mashed potatoes and gravy. All I had the to do the day of our event was to coordinate an elaborate thawing process. For anyone who believes one can't freeze mashed potatoes--Google it! Mine ended up fluffy and perfectly adequate for our needs! Here's a link to some that are very much like what I did, but I thawed them in a low oven, stirred to fluff, and put into the crockpot on the lowest setting until serving time:
My really controversial move was to bake and freeze the turkey ahead. I know, I know, I know. Just don't argue with me on this; I'm getting older, and the last minute hassle (and uncertainty) of carving a turkey fresh out of the oven is too much for me. One reaches a stage when "good enough" is just fine! I bought and baked a fresh turkey, carved it, covered it with broth, and froze it right in its serving dish about a week ahead of time. On Thanksgiving day I placed the frozen dish into a 275 degree oven for about 90 minutes, checking and adjusting the heat as needed. At serving time I drained the excess broth, and voila! Moist, yummy turkey. I promise, it was just as good and perhaps better than turkey I have made the day of the event; it seems as though the gentle heating in broth rehydrates even the white meat which we all know tends to be dry.
So many sweet family times happened during November. I always feel like placing a caveat on all the golden moments I record here; this is my "counting our blessings" blog. I don't record sorrows, or offer counsel for others suffering the burdens of a heavy caregiving load, as I do at
http://copingandpraying.blogspot.com. It is an excellent exercise for me to place my focus upon the portions of our days that are pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy (see Philippians 4:8).
It occurs to me that some folks might question whether a frozen-ahead turkey counts as a golden moment....
But anyway, here are some November memories that accentuate the positive:
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| Change happens so fast as the days shorten during November. This was at the beginning of the month before the leaves on the red maple had turned. |
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| New hairdo for Mel... |
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| New glasses frames for me... |
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| Moose appears to really appreciate the beauty of this sunset. :-) |
My really controversial move was to bake and freeze the turkey ahead. I know, I know, I know. Just don't argue with me on this; I'm getting older, and the last minute hassle (and uncertainty) of carving a turkey fresh out of the oven is too much for me. One reaches a stage when "good enough" is just fine! I bought and baked a fresh turkey, carved it, covered it with broth, and froze it right in its serving dish about a week ahead of time. On Thanksgiving day I placed the frozen dish into a 275 degree oven for about 90 minutes, checking and adjusting the heat as needed. At serving time I drained the excess broth, and voila! Moist, yummy turkey. I promise, it was just as good and perhaps better than turkey I have made the day of the event; it seems as though the gentle heating in broth rehydrates even the white meat which we all know tends to be dry.
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