Thanksgiving did me in. I have had nothing to say about food for the last two weeks because of it. I had to break my vow to post something weekly and my vow to avoid calling The Pizza Man at all costs. I apologize to "the masses" reading this blog for failing to come up with anything entertaining. It was my own mini-writer's strike.
I had a bad case of turkey zeitgeist. And a lack of confidence. My sides (stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, Erwin's sprouts, homemade cranberry sauce) were beyond good, but, although I followed the Joy Of Cooking high-heat method for cooking birds under 15 pounds to the letter, it was a touch on the dry side.
Mysteriously, after my in-laws left, the sliced turkey moistened in the fridge. So, while I spent the dinner kicking myself for not sticking a thermometer in earlier and testing at the halfway point (which I would recommend doing if you use the high-heat method), I had the most amazing Thanksgiving sandwiches. For about a week after. Then I had to pick up the phone and let my fingers do the walking instead of the cooking.
To make a truly excellent Thanksgiving sandwich, you need really good sides to pile on. Here's my mother Isabelle's recipe for cranberry sauce. She attributes it to Marshall Field's department store in Chicago, now yet another Macy's:
2 cups (or a small bag) of whole fresh cranberries
3/4 cup of sugar or less, to taste
2 teaspoons orange peel - fresh or use a teaspoon dried
2/3 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Boil 3-4 minutes or until berries pop - stir occasionally - let cool
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Glad you're back!
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