Thanksgiving 2016

5th Annual Outdoor Celebration

Each year Mother Nature delivers a different scenario. One year - 50 degrees. Another year, a foot of snow. And others with something in between. This year, snow is forecast to begin just after daylight. So we rush to get the turkeys on the fire.
Wind and cold can slow down cooking time. Russell lines the reflector oven with foil to increase heat around the turkey.

 Two turkeys: a 13-pounder for the fire, and 16-pounder for the grill.

8 AM, hot coals are raked out and the turkey put in place. The other goes onto the ...

 ...the gas grill and cider is poured into the drip pan. Combined with the turkey drippings this will deliver an  unexpected delicious gravy base.

 More food prep for the grilled salmon and paella-pan stuffing.

 P to the third power: Poppet Peeling Potatoes. The number of hungry souls is up this year, practically double from 17 in 2015 to 31 in 2016.

 Turkey is doing well. And no snow in sight.

It takes a lot of wood to keep a fire hot for seven hours. Pedr heats his house with wood and is no stranger to splitting.

Annie Potter also heats with wood. Enough said!

Still not a flake or a drop. A small sample of appetizers shown here: bluefish pate, shrimp, and salamis. Off-camera people are consuming buttery cheddar and stilton, stuffed mushrooms, lemon and garlic olives. Not to mention mulled cider, craft beers, wines, and prosecco. 

Someone has to keep  a constant vigil. The dogs wanted to sample too.

Chip

Frances creates the paella-pan stuffing. The fire is very hot and she can't stand there for long. The sunglasses are for protection, not glare.

  

Broth is added.

Frances takes a breather. Charlie tends the paella. Salmon is covered with foil. Brussels sprouts are roasting nearby.

Meanwhile, more cooking inside, ...

 

... as the teenagers get an origami lesson from Russell.

 The Salmon is done and gently slid onto the conveyor.

 Grilled turkey done.

 Smoked turkey done.

    Carving by Bob and John.

Laurie looks on as Grannie Annie, the gravymeister, whips it together.

     Roast turkey, salmon, gravy and mashed potatoes, paella stuffing, cornbread, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrots, squash and two versions of cranberry jelly.

Rebecca happily hefts her groaning platter.

 

Feeding 31 people? No problem with a bevy of good cooks.

It's a time to cherish. Another granny, Anne Boswell savors the moment with granddaughter Miranda.

    And we fool Mother Nature once again.

Mia and Tobey are envious...

... while Sophie, Georgia and Madelyn dig in.

                   We give thanks to everyone for making the day so memorable.

Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving is a day for giving thanks. We begin by being thankful for our large family spread far and wide, particularly little niece Sadie Lampropoulos in Utah and her lovely drawing of the Pilgrims.

This is the New York Times' whimsical rendition of the traditional family feast.

L/R: Charlie, Poppet, Laurie, Bob, Catherine, Frances, Caspar, Anne, Rebecca, Russell, Pedr, and Allan.

And this is reality for the Seymour/Boswell/Potter/Luard clan. Cooking over the open fire has become the preferred method. But eating outside isn't always pleasant in late November. This year we enjoyed a high of 51 degrees. Last year we had a foot of snow the night before ... amen.

Clara, Plum, Sophie, and Madelyn

And the four girls ate on the steps.

For various reasons, many family members couldn't make it this year, but that didn't alter the menu or outrageous amounts of food. No one could imagine cooking for only 17. So we roasted our usual two turkeys. 

One on the grill ...

... and the other by the open fire.  Sadly, the dog count was down this year as well ... from 5 to 1.

With roasting underway, the supporting cast arrived.

Rebecca brought her famous Brussels Sprouts.

Charlie and his famous apple pies.

Laurie's luscious beets and Blue Hubbard squash.

Frances did her famous grilled bread ...

... which was drizzled with olive oil and sea salt and immediately devoured.

That was just the prelude. Grilled Atlantic salmon ...

 Frances' version of "stuffing" resembling paella minus the seafood.

 A toast to the day with sparkling red wine Chook.

Allan took the roasting and tending fire task very seriously.

 The uneven heat required occasional rotation of the pan, adeptly twirled by Charlie.

 Hot coals and smoke made the job harder than it looks.

Frances used the long distance stirring technique.

Pedr checked the temperature of the turkey on the grill. Done!

Bob really got into carving. We're not sure which medication had kicked in.

 Anne and Charlie waited patiently.

As did the five offspring.

 Pecan pie, pumpkin pie, paella, mashed potatoes, gravy. All aboard!

Kids got first dibs.

The good ole iPhone panorama feature captured the scene. To quote a photographer friend from Santa Fe: This is a very iconic American shot: large comfortable room, a groaning table, lots of people, lots of chairs, lots of windows, informality, and even the obligatory dog hoping something will fall onto the floor.

It was a true group effort. Thanks everyone. 

Happy Holidays everyone. Wish you were here.