Like many other couples, my wife and I attended two Thanksgiving dinners; one with each of our families. We did get a break between the two, as the annual meal at my in-law’s home is always the Saturday after the holiday; although that break included a Friday dinner of leftovers from the night before. Then there was Sunday’s dinner; which was a combination of leftovers from both Thursday and Saturday.
Among the many other things in life I’m thankful for, a very minor one is that Saturday’s main course was something other than Turkey. My father-in-law picked up a large capon at the Allentown Farmers Market. It was a welcome change-up. I am rather ambivalent about turkey. I don’t dislike it, but there are other things I’d rather eat, especially after having had it twice in the previous 48 hours.
As much as I love Thanksgiving, I’m truly thankful that it comes only once a year. In spite of trying to take small portions of everything, some of the side dishes – including the two cream corn-based recipes I made – were so rich that it was inevitable a toll would be paid for my indulgence. And the toll seems to increase with age. I hope that in another day or two, I’ll be ready to get back out there and eat something worthy of reporting on. In the meantime, I offer this off-topic interlude while I continue to get over the last few days.
Top 5 Holiday Movies:
5. Elf (2003) Jon Favreau, who wrote Swingers, a favorite film of my wife and mine, directed this zany 2003 Christmas comedy that we have on DVD and watch annually during the season. And let’s face it; anything with Bob Newhart can’t be bad.
4. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) It’s hard to believe that this classic comedy – the only film on the list associated with Thanksgiving – is 35 years old. It always seems so fresh and is another one we never miss this time of year. Steve Martin and John Candy were brilliant together.
3. A Christmas Story (1983) Speaking of films from the 1980s, it will be 40 years since the initial release of this one next year. We all know and love it. It’s how we learned not to lick a metal pole on a winter day.
2. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) Director Frank Capra’s all-time feel-good story is the gift that will never stop giving, in part because James Stewart’s performance is unforgettable.
1. A Christmas Carol (1951) There are of course many film and TV versions of Dickens’ holiday classic, but it’s hard to see the 1951 version ever being topped. Alastair Sim was born to play Scrooge.
I hope all of you who celebrated, had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that the coming holiday season will be a joyous one.
BZ Maestro Eats 
You might try a smoked turkey. It has much more flavor, and the carcass and skin (the skin is too leathery to eat) make wonderful stock. We had one as well as a regular turkey (16.4 pounds although we ordered a 10-12 pound) and roasted it. There was no comparison.
By the way do you need any leftover turkey?
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Of course … not.
My mother still is making the turkey and she needs to do it in her kitchen. If I ever take it over, that could be an option.
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We’re not big turkey people here and with it being rather difficult to find one around 8 pounds or so, a couple of years ago I switched to Cornish game hens in an effort to reduce the amount of leftovers (and the grandkids get a kick out of tiny chickens). I made 6 this year and even with 6 adults and 2 small children we only needed 3.
The downside, though, is that there’s no stuffing – just dressing.
Good call on PT&A; I’ve always felt that it’s a little bit underappreciated because it’s not a Christmas movie. I should pick up a DVD and add it to our annual rotation of A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life (a Christmas Eve tradition), and Christmas Vacation.
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