27 November Monday

There it is. The scene from a few days ago. The dinner was a success but we knew that it would be.

That Julia Child. I cursed her name a few times while prepping this poor animal, but in the end, I and the art of fine cooking prevailed, and we all agreed that this is the best way to prepare turkey legs. Remove the thigh bone, roll up the meat, wrap the skin around the exposed meat, then truss it all up, and bang you got yourself the miracle pictured above. I should mention that before suture took place I seasoned the now boneless meat with salt, pepper, and a few fresh sage leaves. It was absolutely wonderful. This is not just meat for Thanksgiving, it is a special occasion of all sorts sort of thing. I may make it again for my birthday or something fine like that.

Thar she blows, a roasted pumpkin soup in the pumpkin. It was OK, though didn’t hold a candle to Julia’s bird. Here is one thing: because the turkey has been cut up, and partially boned it takes a lot less time to cook and consequently finished before the soup even went in. We had one little taste of turkey, and it was over. We wanted the potatoes, the green bean casserole, the cranberries, the everything else. The gravy. Large boats full of it.

A welcome and refreshing change from pumpkin pie, though we all love that too, don’t we? A wonderful, light vanilla custard topped with pureed raspberries and cranberries. Tangy and only lightly sweet. Not cloying or heavy at all. Just perfect.

That’s it, really. Pretty standard stuff, all well done. I had a weekend staying with friends, eating more turkey, telling stories, and laughing my ass off.

The view from my guest bedroom window. I tend to sleep in when I’m at other peoples houses. I have no chores to tend to so have no incentive to get up early. That’s it. I’m grateful for so much in life. We went to a plant shop in Berkeley and among the little buds, this:

A beautiful fall day in California, no doubt about it. Finally, the weekend winds down. A much needed rest. My dreams will guide my next steps. A tree? Decoration? Party? Cookies? What?