Thanksgiving dinner

One of the positive developments in our relationship with England is that we’ve begun to look forward to seeing her when we’re in the U.S. Being home is great, and we’re always sad to leave, but there were several things that I was looking forward to in Cambridge that made coming back to the cold British winter a little more bearable. In fact, if one were so bold as to make cheesy weather analogies in the name of Thanksgiving, one might say that the coldness of the winter wind could scarcely permeate the warmth in our hearts as we gathered around the table with friends.

Reuniting with new friends and old friends made our Thanksgiving day feel a little less ‘foreign’ and a little more ‘home’. We even had Gary, a friend from undergrad, join us since he is just a quick train ride away in London for a few months!

One feature that I’d like to point out (because I think it’s awesome) is that this beauty of a bird was never frozen… (pre-cooked photo)

That’s right folks, we ordered her from the butcher down the street and he got it directly from the farm; that is, freshly from the farm, if you know I mean (with a few feather remnants still attached).

Personally, I think it made a difference. It was really good turkey, and it did taste quite fresh. The oven bag was also a good decision, I think, so thank you Aunt Donna for your contribution to our turkey cooking adventure. I’ve heard of about a thousand different ways to cook a turkey… in fact, I think everyone we asked while in Oklahoma gave us a different method for cooking a turkey. Some say to cook it overnight on a low temperature, because this allows the turkey fairies time to tenderize the meat. Some say to turn your oven all the way up for two hours, then put the turkey in and shut the oven off and leave it overnight, which is supposed to be an easier way to maximize emergency room visits the next day. We opted for the plastic bag method; no fooling around, just 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.

We had 16 people over, and we liked everyone that came :). We made it a point to hear from everyone at the table about what they were thankful for: the expressions of gratitude ranged from appreciating a good pair of gloves when it’s cold to celebrating the anticipation of new little ones to looking forward to new adventures. It was the best kind of cheesy.