Well, I managed to survive another Thanksgiving and I NEVER want to see another turkey again (at least until June 2008). I decided that I needed to give Max the night off on Thanksgiving "eve" so I could focus on my part in the cooking preparations. This year we were responsible for providing the stuffing and one side so after consulting my trusty Willams Sonoma "Thanksgiving" cookbook, I'd selected two suitable recipes and even managed to buy all the necessary ingredidents (although I forgot a couple so I had to brave the crowds at the local supermarket on Thanksgiving eve (what a pain in the ass that one was!).
The first step call for me to prepare the chestnuts for the stuffing. My dad used to get this job every year when he was alive so now I've inherited it. Basically you have to bake them on the oven (or boil them) to soften up the shells for peeling. You also have to score each of the chestnuts with an "x" on the flat side (easier said than done). I managed to do all of this and bake them but I probably didn't bake them long enough because some were pretty stubborn getting the shell off- until I hit upon the idea of putting the stubborn ones into the microwave oven and nuking them for a minute or so more.
I managed to complete the shelling in an hour or so while watching Clint Eastwood in "High Plains Drifter", a classic in the genre of the anti-social Western movies. Pretty interesting juxtaposition.
After some other preparations, I was all set for Thanksgiving Day and my wife would take over from me the actual cooking (we'd worked this one out in advance). Naturally, I took the opportunity to work up a good appetite Thanksgiving Day by riding Max for a few hours. :-)
With all the leftovers, we were able to do almost a complete re-run of Thanksgiving dinner Friday night...that was enough for me. I think I'll go grill a steak or have taco- I'm done with turkey!
The first step call for me to prepare the chestnuts for the stuffing. My dad used to get this job every year when he was alive so now I've inherited it. Basically you have to bake them on the oven (or boil them) to soften up the shells for peeling. You also have to score each of the chestnuts with an "x" on the flat side (easier said than done). I managed to do all of this and bake them but I probably didn't bake them long enough because some were pretty stubborn getting the shell off- until I hit upon the idea of putting the stubborn ones into the microwave oven and nuking them for a minute or so more.
I managed to complete the shelling in an hour or so while watching Clint Eastwood in "High Plains Drifter", a classic in the genre of the anti-social Western movies. Pretty interesting juxtaposition.
After some other preparations, I was all set for Thanksgiving Day and my wife would take over from me the actual cooking (we'd worked this one out in advance). Naturally, I took the opportunity to work up a good appetite Thanksgiving Day by riding Max for a few hours. :-)
With all the leftovers, we were able to do almost a complete re-run of Thanksgiving dinner Friday night...that was enough for me. I think I'll go grill a steak or have taco- I'm done with turkey!
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