Sunday, October 12, 2008

Thanksgiving Report

Well.

The Bag Lady's Thanksgiving dinner went very well.

She managed to take a few photos during the preparations, but when it came time for the carving and final preparation, the camera was forgotten. Can you believe she forgot to take a picture of the turkey!? But she will share a few of the photos that she did manage to take:

Making the cranberry sauce early in the morning:


The turkey is in the(table-top) roaster:

Grandma's home-made buns:

Apple pie (there was home-made pumpkin pie, too, that one of the grandma's brought, but the Bag Lady didn't get a picture of it!):


The Bag Lady decided that one apple pie wasn't enough, so she made up a dessert. She called it Lemon Surprise recipe is in the comment section (it turned out so well that her brother-in-law ate the last piece straight out of the dish, claiming it would save on cleaning another plate! The Bag Lady could almost have put the dish straight back into the cupboard, he did such a good job of cleaning it up!):



Surprise Spread Appetizer (can you tell the dish is shaped like a turkey?):

Here's what's left of the ham after the meal:

Odd-ball potato from the Bag Lady's garden:

Relaxing after the meal - playing a game called "Sequence":

There were 18 people for dinner, and everyone seemed quite happy with the meal. The Bag Lady loves big family gatherings!

The Bag Lady's niece brought gin and tonic to drink, and graciously shared with the Bag Lady. This morning, the Bag Lady is happy to report that she is probably safe from malaria for many, many years to come! (Luckily, though, she doesn't have a headache!) Thanks, Linds! It was delicious!

Now she has to finish cleaning up her kitchen, and later in the day she and the Rancher are going to the home of some friends of theirs to do this all over again!! Yum.

23 comments:

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Happy Thanksgiving, BL! It looks like everyone ate very well, but I'd expect nothing less with you on the job!

Leah J. Utas said...

Tell us about the Lemon Surprise, please.
And I am so glad you got that malaria monkey off your back for a while.
It all sounds wonderful, Df Bag Lady.

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, BG! It was a successful feast! And everyone pitched in to help with the final preparation, and the clean-up, which helped immensely!

dfLeah - The Lemon Surprise was really very simple! I had a recipe that my mother used to make for Lemon Squares, which called for graham crackers. I didn't have any, so adapted it to put it into a graham crumb crust. Then I discovered my graham crumbs were stale, so I made up another type of crust.
Here's the recipe:

Lemon Surprise
Crust:
1 C crushed cornflakes
1/2 C brown sugar
1/3 C melted butter
Mix, press into a 9" pie plate - refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Filling:
1 can Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
I used the 'light' milk
1/2 C lemon juice
1 400g container cream cheese
also light
1/2 C icing sugar
Beat together, pour into crust, refrigerate until ready to serve.
This is slightly runny, so I think next time, I'll freeze it before serving.

Reb said...

Oh Sis, it looks like you outdid yourself again! How is it that that recipe doesn't sound familiar? Yes, I am copying it.

Dawn said...

You have made me hungry!

This is not good because hubby and I are off into town soon for his physio appointment. I shall be staring longingly into all the bakery windows!

the Bag Lady said...

Reb - probably because it started as Lemon Squares and morphed into Lemon surprise! (mom's Lemon Squares were even easier - beat a can of Eagle Brand Milk with 1/2 C of lemon juice, layer alternately with graham wafers. Chill, cut into squares.)

Dawn - I'm sorry I made you hungry! Hopefully, you'll be able to stop in at one of the bakery shops!

Hilary said...

Well it's a good thing I just got back from a turkey dinner or I'd be drooling over this post. Everything sounds yummy. Glad you had a wonderful time - and repeats the following night at someone else's place sounds perfect!

the Bag Lady said...

And it was perfect! Thanksgiving with a Ukrainian flair - turkey and all the trimmings, but with the addition of cabbage rolls and perogies! Yummy!
The Bag Lady is starting to resemble a turkey herself - she's stuffed!!

Hilary said...

Now you've done it.. Frank's probably hauling his Ukrainian butt out there in search of leftovers as I type.

Penny said...

I AM drooling all over this post! Good work Bag Lady, what a spread! Turkey sandwiches for the rest of the week?

(lemon surprise sounds amazing, I think I might make it for Christmas dinner at home this year!)

TA x

Anonymous said...

FUNFUNFUNFUN!

where is the video of the BL & her G&Ts though?

I shall waiteth while you upload.

and Im also glad our t-giving is a while off as EVERYONE is coming here and Im entirely unprepared.

Crabby McSlacker said...

Sounds like a wonderful family gathering.

I'm quite intrigued by the tabletop turkey roaster! It looks cute and retro and sounds very handy. Is it an easier/better way to cook turkey? I may have to investigate!

the Bag Lady said...

Oops, sorry, Hil!

TA - turkey sandwiches, ham sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey pie, turkey hash..... and turkey TV dinners for the freezer! :)
And I would be thrilled to think of my Lemon Surprise on your Christmas menu!

Miz - thankfully, no-one video-taped the Bag Lady under the influence of her malaria medicine!!
And a month or more should be plenty of time for you to prepare - how many people? Shall I do some cooking and Express mail it to you? Hahahahaha

Crabby - It was a wonderful family get-together!
That table-top roaster is a wonderful thing! Especially when you have a very large turkey that won't fit in your regular roasting pan. It can handle a turkey over 25 lbs. The roasters come in varying sizes, too, and can be used like an oven - I've used mine for cakes and casseroles, etc. When you have a large meal to prepare and need the oven for lots of things, the roaster comes in very handy. (Do I sound too much like an advertisement?)

Anonymous said...

My grandmother's turkey roaster went to one of her younger brothers. I'm happy to know they still (again?) make them, and I'll have to get one one of these years, because they make cooking things that would heat up the whole house when you don't want heat easy. You just plug them in on the back porch.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

the Bag Lady said...

Mary Anne - they really are great! The ladies who cater the community club events down at the community hall all have them to cook their humongous turkeys when they are feeding hordes of people.

Terrie Farley Moran said...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sorry I'm late! Er, is there any apple pie left? I only ask because someone ate the last piece of lemon surprise.

Oh, a recipe! We all know that I don't cook, but doesn't look like much cooking to me. (I do better when stoves are not involved.) So perhaps next time someone says "bring something" I'll give it a whirl.

Terrie

Missicat said...

Looks great! Homemade buns? Homemade pie??? mmmmmm....
Thanks for the recipe - may just try that for my Thanksgiving!
I love Sequence! We are big on playing board and cards games in our family.

the Bag Lady said...

Terrie - actually, yes there is a piece of apple pie left for you!
The Lemon Surprise is exceptionally easy, and the surprise is how good it tastes!
I hope if you ever do try it, you'll let me know how it went over!

the Bag Lady said...

Missicat - we're all about the "home-made" around here!! And grandma's buns are perfection - even the ones that were in the oven when it caught on fire! (gosh, I hope she doesn't read the comment section today!!
Sequence is a terrific game, isn't it?

Unknown said...

Oh deliciousness! Happy Thanksgiving:) Your lemon surprise looks VERY good.

Melissa said...

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I wish we had Thanksgiving in October too--late November is just too close to Christmas! The food looks fantastic!

Melissa said...

Hey, I remember table-top roasters. My grandmother had one.

the Bag Lady said...

Sagan - thanks! I was surprised it turned out as well as it did!

Melissa - I've always thought that, too, about the American Thanksgiving being so close to Christmas. Personally, I need a little recovery time in between those big turkey dinners!
And I love my table-top roaster in the best possible way! It's a life-saver when you are cooking for a big crowd.