A Very Strange Thanksgiving (Redux).....
Zoom Meeting with my daughter!


Zoom Meeting at 9 pm, 11-26-2020 (after Thanksgiving dinner!)

*Waves at Lorrie*! Hi, Lorrie! Happy Thanksgiving!

*Lorrie waves back* Hi Mom! At least you set this up at a decent time for me and didn't wake me up like the last several years!

Me: Yes, but that is because I have had a busy and very exciting day! I have such a story to tell you!!!

Lorrie: Really? What's up? I didn't think much was happening today, since Dad was gone and most people are staying home due to the pandemic?

Me: Well, true.... but I did end up with more visitors than just your older sister's family! Do you remember back in 2017 when I was over at your Aunt Lisa and Uncle John's house in CT? Remember all those texts and pics I sent to you?

Lorrie: Hmmm.... ah yes, I think I do....! But, I believe I was half asleep? Wasn't that about the dinner you and Aunt Lisa made? And something else......

Me: Yes, yes.... but you don't remember the aliens?

Lorrie:...... oh no, not that story again! Please, mom, I said I believed you only because you were making such a good story! Let's not go there again!

Me: Sorry to disappoint you honey, but it happened again! Now, just listen to the story, and maybe you will really believe me!

Lorrie: Not without pictures I won't!

Me: Ummm... I got lots of pictures of the food I made?

Lorrie: Not of the so-called aliens?

Me: Well, they are very insistent.... no pictures what so ever! But let me just tell you what happened, ok?

Lorrie: .... go on, I am just sitting around anyway.

Me: So, that year it was in CT, with your Aunt and Uncle and Dad, along with a bunch of other relatives. But the surprise guests were a couple of little green aliens who followed your dad and Uncle John home for dinner. Well this year.... no Uncle or Aunt, no Dad (he is flying all the holiday weekend, the joys of having a pilot for a husband), and no big family get-together. Just Andi, Jeanne, and her family, 6 altogether. But I was determined to have a good dinner here in MI!

I made so much food! I will send pictures after I finish my story! :)

We were about to sit down for dinner when the dogs started barking and lights came streaming in the windows. Living in a rural area, we definitely shouldn't have bright lights anywhere close! I ran outside and was surprised to see a huge spaceship in our back pasture! The poor horses were not very happy about them landing in their hay pile! I was so surprised when out came the two little green guys from 2017 along with two females. I assumed they were their wives or significant others or whatever!

The 4 of them came up and told me how they had already stopped to visit Uncle John and Aunt Lisa, who gave them directions to my place! I invited them in to have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner! They happily agreed and we enjoyed many hours of eating and catching up on intergalactic news! Jeanne and the girls are total believers now! And the granddaughters made some new friends, as the aliens enjoyed playing board games and puzzles with them!

Lorrie: Are you serious.... and if I talk to Jeanne and the girls they will tell me the exact same thing?? I just don't know..... but send me the pics of your dinner! It sounds amazing!



Well, I started the night before and made a couple of things:
Apple-Cranberry Sauce




Oreo Cream Cheese Pie




On Thanksgiving morning I started making more yummy stuff! The bread goes in a bread machine on a timer to be done by 5pm!
Buttery Sweet Bread




And let's not forget your Dad's favorite, even if he won't be here... leftovers are great!
Cheesy Broccoli




And my personal favorite! I love the fresh sage from the garden I added this year!
Sausage Stuffing




And here is something new! I have always made gravy, but this time I made it with homemade turkey stock, drippings from the turkey, and the first time ever, a roux!
Homemade Turkey Gravy




And another first, I spatchcocked the turkey, it was the most tender and juiciest turkey I have ever made! Even the white meat! It really helped putting a ton of herb and spiced butter under the skin, even though it wasn't easy to do!
Butterflied or Spatchcocked Turkey






Andi and I got into the pie before everyone came over..... but there were other pies! Pumpkin, creme and cinnamon pies! And lots of whipped cream of course!


And of course, everything dished out! Jeanne brought her amazing sweet potato bake!


Lorrie: Wow mom! That all looks amazing! I don't know if I will ever believe you about the aliens.... but I do believe you are the best cook ever! I am coming for dinner next Thanksgiving! Maybe I will get to meet those alien friends of yours! :)

First course is pumpkin soup; it's seasonal and you can never go wrong with soup! And it adds a lot to your fluid intake, too. If you need fluids. Do you... do you guys need fluids?





Main couse is a pasta bake! Pasta is basically a dietary staple all over earth these days. Best coupled with a good deal of cheese.






And for dessert, we have pie! You... you have never had pie, right? So you won't mind that it tastes... nevermind. This is what an earth pie is supposed to taste and look like, totally.

I scramble around the kitchen. Special guests like this need a special meal! I'm not sure what they'd want,
what kind of food they'd eat, so...variety and deliciousness, coming right up!

For the main dish...stuffed turkey! Starting with the stuffing!



Starting all the way with the bread--most basic ingredients are best...


Tear it up into little pieces...



But just plain bread isn't tasty enough--need a sauce to soak it in...



Soaking it in the pan, getting it ready for its big job...



And putting it inside the turkey! A messy job, glad to have that done. Now just stick the turkey in the oven, let it cook for hours...



Mm...it looks perfect...
But what if they don't like meat?! I hadn't thought of that!

(I was too preoccupied with the turkey and forgot in-progress shots of the side dishes)

Apple and pear, diced up...
A big bag of cranberries...
Water...honey...sugar...vinegar...a tiny bit of garlic...



And presto--cranberry chutney!

That still seems a little light, though...what else? Ah--twice baked sweet potatoes!

Bake them the first time...
Scoop out the insides...
Mash it all together, with sugar and cream...
Bake it in the oven again, to get it nice and hot...



And I finally have something I'm proud of showing to these outsiders. Now hopefully their taste buds work the same as ours...

I never really cook so this is the first time i've made so many things for thanksgiving! I think everything turned out pretty good! ^w^

Cranberry sauce



Gf blueberry and strawberry pie(I never got a finished photo with my sticky note because I got caught up in festivities ;w;)




Mashed potatoes(I messed up again, I didn't take a finished photo with my sticky note, but you can see it next to the cranberry sauce i made if that means anything)



Gf mixed berry pie I made after we ran out of pie lol(I remembered to get a photo with this one so I really hope my submission counts even though I messed up twice)(ignore my weirdly pink hands please lol)

For my feast, I made some traditional, favorite Thanksgiving dishes that were also easy to make in case our visitors wanted to try to replicate them at home :)


Can't go wrong with pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving! We actually made the pies first so they would have time to cool, one regular and one gluten free crust. Gluten free anything burns easier, so we covered the crust (we had a special one just for pies, but I hear you can use tinfoil as well), just in case anyone has the same issue.

~~~

Next up were the casseroles: green bean and sweet potato. It was my first time making both of these and they turned out great in my opinion.

Green bean-This is very easy, as you just need to mix a can of green beans and a can of cream of mushroom soup. I battered and fried some onions as a topping since the store-bought kind used wheat four. I'll be honest, it was hard to not eat them as soon as they came out of the fryer, because they were delicious.


Sweet potato- Definitely using fresh yams next time, not canned, because I think the canned kind already have a sugary syrup. This is already very sweet dish, and I know a lot of people top it with marshmallows. I do like the walnut topping, but I won't add as much sugar next time. Best in small portions or as a dessert!


~~~

So it's probably a few days after the main event and you've got leftovers for days, except for the most important part-the rolls! You probably don't feel like making anything elaborate either. Luckily, this bread recipe only needs flour, water, salt, and yeast, which you probably already have in your kitchen. You do have to let the dough rise overnight, but you could easily mix it and store it between dinner and dessert.



Once the dough rose, I coated it in flour and formed it into a loaf then put it in a bread pan. Again, since it's gluten free dough, I covered the pan in tinfoil for the first 40-ish minutes, then took it off for the last 15-20. It has a thick crust but is soft on the inside. (If you're wondering about the apparent two day time difference, I made my dough late on the 4th then promptly forgot about it until early morning on the 6th ^-^")

While my bread was baking, I made tea to relax and unwind after the Thanksgiving chaos. This was also pretty easy, just two teaspoons of honey, half hot water, half warm milk, and a few pinches of cinnamon to taste.

Ah, how exciting to be able to meet aliens! And here I thought 2020 couldn't possibly get more exciting...

Well, this meal will be very non-traditional and will also be dessert-heavy (but not with heavy desserts!):

I first made a berry tiramisu:


The berry sauce on the ladyfingers looks a little...scary...but it was very refreshing! I had so much leftover too, and it made a great topping for yogurt. Did not think to make a cranberry version at the time, but cranberry would have been a great tie-in with customary Thanksgiving meals.

Next, I have a crustless pumpkin pie:


Honestly, omitting the crust is something that I've gotten used to doing, as I typically like the mouthfeel of custards more than I do their outfits. I will admit that the aliens might not be getting the ~full Thanksgiving experience~ if they try my pie, though, but it's my dinner that they crashed!

Finally, to top it all off, I have rainbow carrots and hummus:

*helth* such is the life of a sweet-toothed student.

Well aliens, I certainly hope that the food was satisfactory!

As a heads-up, Tigress and I are sisters (as she mentioned in her post, above) so the last picture will be of our culminated dishes.

Welcome, strangers! We're so honored that you've chosen our table to feast at. We'll attempt to make you feel right at home, while at the same time introducing you to some of the most time-worn traditions of Thanksgiving.

To begin, let's prepare our stuffing! Needless to say, stuffing is an absolute essential for the Thanksgiving season - it's warm, buttery, herby, and delectably crunchy.



We need to soften the veggies before mixing them in with the bread crumbs! Mm, fresh herbs from our home garden make this dish smell amazing, and we're just getting started!



Would ya look at that! I don't think I've seen anything look so golden or enticing (careful, this stuff is addicting! My sister and I ate half the pan during the 6+ hours we were cooking xD).



Sadly, all the stores we visited were out of pumpkin puree, so we went with the next best thing: apple pie.



Made with tart Granny Smith apples and smooth cinnamon flavor, I guarantee that you'll love this dish.



This gelatinous filling looks a tad weird, but I assure you that it made the filling so rich and satisfyingly gloopy (as any good apple pie should be)!



Home-made buttery pastry crust is God-tier. Those fluted edges make for an extra flaky and satisfying texture!



And here are our finished babies! Pies have a special place in my heart (even though I ironically do not enjoy them all that much) because it was one of the first things I learned to bake with my sister. Look, a big pie and a mini pie - just like my sister and I. <3



The golden color of our corn is a good insight into the buttery flavour of our end product. Seriously, this stuff absolutely drips with butter and garlic goodness, but Thanksgiving is not a time to worry about our weight or health!



Last but not least, let's move on to our main dish. Our family can't consume an entire turkey by ourselves, so we decided on a modest 4-lb chicken.



The chicken is all stuffed and spiced up! Ready to bake for a good 2-hours.



And she came out beautifully! The veggies soaked up all the delicious juices and drippings, so we didn't even need to make a gravy!



Phew! After 6 hours of non-stop cooking, we're finally ready to feast. Look at the fruits of our labor! I know your feet probably feel like falling off, but all you have to do now is sit down, crack open a bottle of champagne, and fill your stomach with good food and love.



We're so glad to have seen you again! Hopefully, you were able to learn more about our traditions while you shared your galactic stories. We've packed you a bag full of leftovers, in case you get hungry on your way home. We'll see you again next year. So long, friends!

Thank you to everyone who participated! You all make me jealous of all the delicious looking meals! =P It was also very interesting to see all the different dishes that people make - quite a few things I've probably literally never even had myself.


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