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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Our Thanksgiving Dinner

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I haven't cooked a Thanksgiving dinner for a few years now - not since the kids were born. I remember planning for it, when Titus was a baby, and my sister said "oh, but do you really feel up to doing all that cooking?" and I remember feeling.. no. No, I really didn't. So we cancelled, and it remained cancelled until this year when I suddenly felt excited about it again.

Thanksgiving is obviously an all-American holiday, and certainly not something most Swedes know or care about. I happen to like it, the strong emphasis on family and being thankful. And I like cooking festive meals. So it's perfect, really.

smokedturkey

We kept it simple, though. Per wanted to try smoking the turkey in our Weber Smokey Mountain, and HEY, that was excellent. I gave the bird a simple salt rub on the day before, and kept it in the fridge. He lit up the smoker and got it to about 325-350°F, and it stayed at that temperature (which is pretty high for the smoker) the entire time. Our turkey weighed 4,2 kilos (or just under 9 pounds) and took a little less than three hours. It came out with bronzed skin and super moist interior. Delicious!

I also roasted potatoes, served a morel sauce (bought frozen from Picard!), some red currant jelly, a slaw with brussel sprouts & walnuts, brown butter carrot mash, and a very unorthodox version of creamed corn.  For dessert, a saffron white chocolate cake, with warm raspberries and whipped cream.

3 comments:

  1. I'm a fan of Thanksgiving too. I want the UK to introduce a secular, non-commercial holiday at the end of January when everyone is cold and miserable.

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  2. SO neat that you celebrated Thanksgiving! Your menu sounds yummy--I especially like the idea of a smoked turkey and the carrot mash! Even reading about it makes me hungry:)
    We like Thanksgiving for the same reasons you gave AND the fact that, try as they might, American stores have not been able to commercialize it too much--yet.
    Advent Blessings to you + your family,
    Aimee
    PS: Almost St. Lucia's Day!

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