And how was YOUR Thanksgiving this year? Mine started out kind of differently right away when I went food shopping. There were no whole turkeys smaller than 16 lbs. to be found anywhere. Let me tell you, a 16 lb. turkey is a lot for just two people. Then, like millions of other Americans who are in a high-risk category, we stayed home, barely having any human contact except to do a food swap with our immediate neighbors.
The menu was the same as it's been for the last few years. My partner was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in 2019 and has been in heart failure for several years. My goal these days is to make life as normal and routine as possible for him, and having the same old menu seemed more appropriate than ever.
I do things a little differently from Alton's recipe. I buy a frozen turkey and allow it to thaw and brine for 3 days. Make up Alton's brine as usual, stick the frozen turkey in a bag, add the brine and iced water to the bag, and place the bag in the fridge or a cooler (ideally sitting in a cold place, like outside). After 2 days, take the turkey out and pull the neck and frozen giblet package from the cavity, put the turkey back into the bag and fridge/cooler to finish defrosting. Thanksgiving day, I get the bag, drain the brine, rinse the turkey well inside and out and pat dry. Then follow the rest of Alton's instructions for making the aromatics and his fantastic roasting method. Use a thermometer and I promise you, it'll come out perfect.
The only thing I do to improve Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie (the recipe on the can) is to double the cinnamon, add 1/4 tsp. nutmeg as well as a tablespoon (loosely packed) of grated fresh ginger root. Of course you need to generously slather on lightly sweetened whipped cream, stabilized with instant vanilla or white chocolate pudding mix.
My food-swapping neighbors, who are vegetarian, provided smoked veggies in parchment, potatoes au gratin, crunchy brussells sprout salad, cranberry relish, and baklava. With such a bounty and variety of food, I actually felt guilty thinking of the many people who are now food and housing insecure, and who've lost family members to this terrible virus.
I sure hope next year's Thanksgiving will be normal, but after four years of a madman in the White House, a political party turned cult and my partner's health issues, the chances of things returning to normal are slim. Nevertheless, I wish all of you out there who may be reading this post, health, hope, and most of all normalcy in 2021.
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