we might end up eating more turkey than we would have if Cody hadn't had to work and we'd made one for ourselves.
Yesterday was very nice and quiet which is usually our thanksgiving goal anyway. We don't buy into the Pilgrims meeting peacefully with Native Americans story, we just like to use it as a day for our little family: Cody, me, our dog, cats, hedgehog, and Jocelyn when she doesn't have other plans.
Cody woke up early at three pm. We got dressed and went to a Furr's cafeteria that had advertised a holiday buffet all day. We were worried it was going to be crowded. But it was far less crowded than last Saturday when Jocelyn wanted spicy food and I was still needing to eat bland food after the week of nausea. Yesterday we got pretty much every starchy food they were offering: Yams, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, stuffing, and rolls; a few somewhat healthy if not cooked in two pounds of butter vegetables too, the obligatory wafer-thin slices of turkey, and PIE. It was nice and we had enough time to relax and take our time. There was a little confusion with getting the coffee for dessert but otherwise it went very smoothly.
Then we came home and Cody played EQ for an hour or so until he had to go to work and I took a bath and reread an Aunt Dimity book. Some cousins who live near us dropped by Cody's office to leave leftovers from the big fam dinner down in Los Lunas. Cody says they're not as good because they weren't made by his mom but I'm sure they're fine.
Which is ok because today we're going down to Cody's parents house where his mom is cooking a small version of her thanksgiving spread. A sort of combo thanksgiving and Cody's birthday (which is tomorrow) deal. And we really should do at least one holiday-like thing with his parents because we'll be in Bham for xmas this year while Cody's brother and his wife and kids are staying in San Diego. The parents can't go to San Diego because Cody's grandfather has been ill. There's no shortage of support system family members in Los Lunas so they'll be fine. Families are complicated aren't they?
For the most part I'm happy to get out of the house and we'll take Winter so she can play with Cody's brother's dog, who lives in his parents' backyard and pretty much never gets attention any other time. Yes it's very sad but I've learned my lesson from the other pet they did this with. Trust me. It's better for me to just stay out of it and bring Winter to come play with him when we visit.
Right now I'm just focusing on getting myself centered just in case Cody's dad decides to discuss politics, war, or jesus. Or they decide to say a big prayer before dinner. Always making a big deal out of the fact that we don't have to pray with them if we don't want to -which is worse than just shutting up and praying while letting us use it as a moment of meditation. I really wish Cody had never said anything to them about our feelings about religion. In my case my belief in the divine is a lot more complicated than they'll ever be able to understand - all they know is I don't love little baby jesus the way they do.
You love this person so you love the people that created him and helped him grow up to be the man he is. You do your best to be nice to them because not doing so is only more upsetting for him - he's usually upset enough about these people he cares about so much being ignorant bigots you don't need to point it out. But it's very hard to be polite to them while still being true to yourself. My solution has usually been to just get a song stuck in my head and sing it to myself in there the whole time. Just appreciate that while we might not agree on a lot of things they love me for loving their son and would do whatever they could to help us. And try not to complain too much on the way home.
Now, a recipe!
I don't make exact recipes (and rarely follow others exactly either) but this is a nice one I made after our first thanksgiving together. It's surprisingly tasty no matter how you chose to flavor the bird. The measurements are far from gospel (like me!) just try to hit the same proportions.
You'll need about:
Oddly enough I find shredding poultry meat therapeutic. (I also liked to be the bud deseeder and shredder in my um, "experimental" days.)
Just remove all the cartilage and bone and shred the meat to small bits a little big bigger than the size of shredded cheese. If you like your chicken salad a bit chunkier by all means do it your own way.
Put meat in a mixing bowl blend with corn or celery.
Sprinkle the cilantro on top and roughly blend it in with a fork. I do this first because I think the first mixing bruises the herb in such a way to make the flavors come out better. Sort of "introduces" it to the meat :)
Add enough mayonnaise to moisten and fold into the turkey. Add more if you think it's too hard to mix.
About the chile powder: I use a nice red chile powder from Chimayo bought from a Native American street vendor walking around a coffee and magazine shop off Canyon Road in Santa Fe after a morning class had been canceled. I was sitting outside and it had just started to snow.
While your chile powder can be far less romantic I recommend the "spicy" as opposed to the "sweet" kind. We're talking actual chiles here not sweet red pepper. If you have a wimpy tongue just don't add as much. But it's the spice that goes nicely with the tang of the lime and the cool zing of the cilantro. And that's what makes this dish.
Add some lime juice and sprinkle some of the chile powder on top. Blend until even. Add more lime juice and chile powder. Blend. Repeat until it's the smell, taste, and consistency you like.
Sprinkle the rest of the cilantro on top and toss one last time.
Spread on bread, put a scoop on top of greens, or just eat with a fork it's all quite tasty.
Dear... uh, sorry, I didn't see your name anywhere...
I'm from Brazil. Some time ago you mentioned a Voodoo T-shirt. I had one some years ago and it was lost. Do you know where I can buy another? Is there an online store? What is its brand?
Thanks for your time.
Posted by: Aquino, G at November 27, 2004 10:29 AM
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