Tasty Tuesday Thanksgiving COUNTDOWN-DEAR MAX

Dear Max,

It just occurred to me that this will be your first Big Chicken Named after a Country DAY with our family.

They call it THANKSGIVING. I call it THANKSGETTING.

By way of introducing you to how our family rocks this holiday, here are a few old pics followed by some advice and one recipe. Well, it is Tasty Tuesday as well you know!

Here we go:

You will see a lot of this look.

 It comes naturally when you are trying to cope with the insane smells coming out of the hot box.
Wendy plays it with the googly eyes and hopes someone somewhere needs a taste taster.

She has been known to patrol the kitchen floor to "lick wipe" any drippings... from anywhere.

There will be a lot of food. I mean a HUGE amount.  But the your focus should be on this:

The Big giant chicken named after a country, aka TURKEY gets a ton of momma's attention,  it gets bathed,

 

It gets rubbed, brined, sweet talked to, I don't know all of the "procedures" it gets. I refuse to consciously acknowledge the amount of attention the stupid thing gets. It even gets some sort of massage or something . Yuh, you might as well accept the fact that before that sucker becomes delicious, the two leggeds follow some pretty bizarre rituals.

And at some point, after hours of torturing us with the smells. It comes out like this! But before it gets cut up like this....

Apparently, it must  "rest"?  I dunno.  JD either must guard it, or it must sit shiva with it. I think. Anyway, it does not get carved or served until this happens.

And... be sure to understand... THIS IS JD'S JOB.  Do not try to cut in.
He will not allow it.

Oh and then there is the traditional retelling of the Thanksgiving joke...
http://www.silvieon4.com/2008/11/so-what-did-turkey-do.html

Yes, they laugh at it every year... I know... hoomans!

Ultimately it is a pretty delicious day all and all, but be ready to be olfactorally tortured.

Ahh yes, the recipe for a little appetizer:

Get some turkey gizzards. You choose how many.

, 

Place the gizzards in a medium-sized pot and cover with water. Add 

1/4 cup soy sauce- or 3 TBSP of MARMITE

3 tablespoons Shao Xing rice wine,  3 TBSP brown sugar

1-inch piece of ginger, scrubbed clean

2 star anise.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the gizzards are fork-tender. Towards the end of the cooking time, the liquid will have reduced into a syrupy sauce. Make sure the sauce doesn't burn.

Let the gizzards cool to room temperature. Before serving, slice them thinly on a bias. Serve as a snack or appetizer.

yeah yeah yea... Momma says a little goes a long way, just an appetizer. [killjoy]

Anyhow, Max, just follow my lead, you will like this holiday. So when are you getting here???


'vie