Because my grandmother had chemo on wednesday and we didn't think
she'd feel weel enough to have it on Thursday.
It was good.
We had a good time last night with our post-dinner game of Cranium, but
here's some of the food (that wasn't bad, either!)
Hors d'oeuvres. Since the kurodai AND oysters went slightly too bad to be
eaten raw (damn that warm weather... all the ice in the cooler melted when
it was left out overnight!), there were modifications to the menu... but we
started with:
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1796.jpg">
Roquefort and manchego cheeses with homemad cranberry wheat bread,
roquefort stuffed dates wrapped with homemade hard sausage, sliced ficelle
topped with egg white, white anchovies and capers, pickled pears with
cheese, homemade "prociutto", cornichons, and a homemade duck and
chicken liver terrine with asparagus and pine nuts. Also, egg nog. Yum!
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1810.jpg">
First dinner course was a a lobster and sea urchin roe cassolette with
preserved lemons, korean long pepper threads and parsnip milk foam (yes,
my brother used to cook for Ken Oringer)
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1805.jpg">
Sides for the dinner included green bean casserole with mushroom, cream,
tarragon and crispy shallots and cabbage and persimon.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1812.jpg">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1820.jpg">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1831.jpg">
The turducken was the centerpiece of course, with regular stuffing,
chestnut/pinenut/dried fruit stuffing and a polenta and pancetta stuffing. It
was smaller than last time, starting with only a 17lb turkey, which had a lot
of the meat removed from the inside so as to allow better stuffing with the
4lb duck, but we still only got through barely half of it. There was of course
also mashed potatoes, mashed rutabegas, cranberry sauce and lots of wine.
We nixed the sweet potatoes, salad and roast veggies this year, having
learned from the last turducken we did.
The best part of all was having my grandparents there. My grandfather
recently fell while on vacation in Japan and smashed in his skull; he only
just recently made it home, with a lovely scar to show for it :
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1809.jpg">
They filled it all in with fake bone and metal, and he seems fine.
My grandmother was also there. She seems to be doing well, too. My
sister also made her a cookie-cake because her 86th birthday will be in a few
days:
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1848.jpg">
Unfortunately for grandma, I managed to get a pic of her as she was
demonstrating how she hates the pose japanese girls always strike in
photos. Tricky Dick?
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1832.jpg">
Grandpa did a magic show
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1864.jpg">
And the cats were hanging around
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1868.jpg">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1857.jpg">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/IMG_1845.jpg">
My cat, Beezer, didn't quite make it to Thanksgiving this year (put him to
sleep last weekend), which is a shame as he loved turkey, but his cardboard
cutout sillhouette was in the window, and we had a drink to him.
Dicked around a little on the instruments after dinner, and then played
cranium.
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/?action=view¤t=obstake3.flv"><img src='http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/th_obstake3.jpg' border=0></a>
<span class=post_edited>
<span class=post_edited>This message was edited by TooCute on 11-25-06 @ 2:00 PM</span>