Skip to main content

Hosting Thanksgiving

OK, I have to confess.  This will be a very boring Thanksgiving story.  Everything went right and it was a lovely day.  For an interesting story you need a few things going wrong.  I heard a couple of interesting stories this year - like the one about mis-measuring bourbon to go in the stuffing.  Apparently if you put far too much in, all the alcohol doesn't boil off.  Or the one about going to cook dinner at an Asian friend's house, and discovering at the last minute that she doesn't have any baking trays, and it's quite difficult to roast a turkey in a wok.  But as I said, we didn't have so much as a lumpy gravy panic.

Where's my food???

We're working on it, baby!

So what do you want to know?  Well, it was my first Thanksgiving dinner cooked on American soil.  Back when I was free and single and shared a house with lots of people who liked to eat, I got into the habit of celebrating the American feast for a few years, until the number of people we wanted to invite outgrew the available space rather badly.  Then I moved to Texas, where the generosity of the natives ensured that we did nothing but turn up and eat other people's food for several years.  Until this year, where we had guests ourselves, in the shape of Graham's parents, and felt like it was about time we repaid some hospitality.  With Anthony and Maddy and my friends Sharon and Jan, there were six of us plus the little one.  Not too ridiculous a number to cook for.

Look, the table's laid and the starters are ready.

And here's all the food, ready to eat.

We had turkey, of course.  And stuffing cooked in little balls, and roast potatoes (because as Brits it is unthinkable to have roast dinner without the best bit), and mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes (not with marshmallows on) and green beans and carrots and cranberry sauce and... are you getting hungry yet?  If you are, there's one recipe I want to share, if only because I made it with kale from my very own garden.  And it could go with lots of things, so you don't have to wait till next Thanksgiving to make it.

Kale with Currants, Lemon and Olives
1/4 cup / 2 oz dried currants (or raisins)
1 lb kale
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup / 4 fl oz chicken stock (or turkey stock if you've already made some from giblets)
1/2 cup / 3 oz sliced pitted kalamata olives
zest of one lemon and 1 tbsp of its juice
salt and pepper

Cut your kale leaves off the plant and throw straight into boiling water for 5 minutes until cooked.  Tip a bit of the hot water over the currants in a bowl, to soften them, and chop the kale coarsely.

Get a fairly large frying pan / skillet, and heat the butter and olive oil.  Cook the onion over a moderate heat until soft.  Add the stock and kale, cover and cook for 3 minutes or so until the kale is hot and sizzling.  Stir in the drained currants, olives, lemon juice and zest and keep stirring till it's all heated through.  Season with salt and pepper.

Aaah, finally!

Toby fans will be pleased to hear that he got his own bowlful and enjoyed it very much.  Except perhaps the green beans, many of which were found hiding in unlikely places afterwards.  He was also enthralled by the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

Look at all those people!

Watching this on Thanksgiving morning is a bit like watching the fireworks in London at New Year - it has to be on the TV, even if just to provide some background music.  After lunch Toby himself was the main entertainment.  Who needs TV when you have a baby in the house?

Mine, Grandma!

Aren't I hilarious, Grandad?

Comments

That kale recipe sounds delish! Good job Martha!
Ellie said…
Just catching up on your blog. Ah - such good memories of your AMAZING cooking for Thanksgiving, glad it went well this year. Hope you have a lovely Christmas and all the best for the new year. Ellie xx

Popular posts from this blog

Bonnie Prince Charlie Walk: Ashbourne - Longford

The Bonnie Prince Charlie Walk follows the "general direction of Prince Charles Edward Stuart's march from Ashbourne to Derby". ( Derby Ramblers ) I'm inclined to think that the prince would have had the sense to follow the main road rather than tramp across muddy fields, but a route following the modern A52 would not be particularly pleasant.  The appeal of the walk for me was not really the historical accuracy, though. More that it was close to home, fairly short, and unlikely to be flooded even in the current climate. It has turned into my Lent walk: starting on 5th February; visiting plenty of village churches along the way; and hopefully finishing by Easter. Walk 1 I set off on a grey day from Ashbourne Market Cross, the official start of the Bonnie Prince Charlie walk. My first stop was Ashbourne Methodist Church, a severely symmetrical building smelling faintly of cinnamon, where I prayed for a few people who were on my mind. The route climbed steeply out of As

Bonnie Prince Charlie Walk: Longford to Lees and BONUS walk

The walk from Longford to Lees didn't include any churches. That was frankly not on. So I found an extra walk which included not one, not two, but three churches. Also it was shorter, because I didn't have time to fit in a longer walk that week. The next week I managed the churchless section of the Bonnie Prince Charlie Walk. It was a little more adventurous than I expected! Walk 1 (Three Churches) For this route I followed the directions given by Dave Welford on his very useful blog . As soon as I parked up by Sutton-on-the-Hill church, I heard the bleating of lambs. Spring must be coming. number 11 mum and baby   I crossed a field full of numbered lambs and ewes and came out in the middle of Sutton village. Turning left by the village preschool, I picked up another footpath to take me across the fields to Dalbury. A ruined cottage stood crumbling lonesomely - the Gamekeeper's Cottage, apparently.  I was amused by Dave Welford's comments about the miserable farmer who

Bonnie Prince Charlie Walk: Lees to Derby

These final two Bonnie Prince Charlie walks were quite a contrast: the first across empty fields and along quiet roads; the second crossing from country into city as I walked into Derby. I started both walks at the Great Northern Greenway car park, just off Station Road in Mickleover.  Walk 1 In order to keep walking the Bonnie Prince Charlie way in the right direction, I first found my way back to Lees by an alternative route. The first section, along the cycle path, was well paved. After that it quickly got very muddy. At least it's a popular walk from Mickleover to Radbourne, so it was easy to find the path.  St Andrew's, Radbourne, is rather dominated by memorials. It looks as if the preacher would be hemmed in by tombs!      I liked this bench outside, with the text, "The thoughtful soul to solitude retires". Writing this, I only just realised it was a quote. Turns out it's from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam . The rest of the walk certainly provided solitude,