On Wednesday, I couldn't stand the idea of not cooking a Thanksgiving meal just because I have a kitchen the size of a medium doghouse. So I brined four turkey legs that I had brought from home, and headed into town to fill out the menu, while Eric and Joey tore out the rear-end of a Kenworth semi-tractor. Between the two tiny stores in Watford City I found what I needed.
First thing, pumpkin pie...now where's that pie pan? Apparently, back in Hayden. Now what? How about an eight inch saute pan? In went the Pillsbury crust (no, I didn't make a scratch crust--I'm not that crazy)! Next, a filling from eclecticrecipes.com for "Healthier Pumpkin Pie" using almond milk, less sugar and four eggs. (I used two whole eggs, three whites, and increased the spices). Turns out the heavier pan solved the problem of the heat source being one inch from the rack, and the pie was perfect :). For cranberry sauce, I used a bag of fresh berries, one cup of sugar, one cup of orange/mango juice and 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. After it boiled up and all over the stove, it cooked down to syrupy goodness. I finished it with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and declared it good.
On to the dressing, the very best part of t-day dinner, in my opinion. With no artisanal bakeries in town, I turned to a beloved standard from my childhood, Mrs. Cubbisons, and made the recipe off the box for "lite" version, with the addition of turkey breakfast sausage. Tasted just as I remembered...I could eat a gallon of the stuff!
For the turkey, I used this month's Cook's Illustrated"s recipe for Easy Braised Turkey, scaled down to fit my only-slightly-larger-than-a-toaster-oven oven. Four drumsticks is max capacity. The aforementioned heat source problem made browning difficult, so I poured the wine and broth over the sizzling poultry and veggies, covered the pan and hoped for the best.
Meanwhile, I made the other sides--Brussels sprouts caramelized then braised in apple juice, green beans with bacon, and simple baked yams, which I squeezed in with the turkey. By now, I had dirtied nearly every dish and utensil in the kitchen so I cleaned up what I could before calling the guys in for dinner. They waited hungrily while I finished the gravy, also from this month's C.I.
Finally, dinner was served, and , keeping with tradition, we stuffed ourselves. Kind of undid my healthy tweaks, but who cares? It just adds motivation to work out more, right? Yeah, right. :)
After sending Joey home with a load of leftovers, we cleaned up and crawled into bed for some sweet tryptophan-induced slumber.
Thursday's breakfast was leftover dressing topped with eggs over easy, the perfect leftover user-upper. We buttoned up the camper which included draining, then flushing the pipes with anti-freeze. With lunch and snacks packed up, we headed into Williston to catch the 11:00 am Amtrak home to Hayden. This was my first domestic train ride, and I really liked--it was simple, easy and relaxed. We chatted with lots of interesting folks, enjoyed the views from the observation car and dined on white linen (turkey dinner, of course). After fifteen hours, we arrived in Sandpoint, ID and drove home in my Subaru that our employees had left at the station for us. It was about 1:30 am when we pulled up at the house, where we were joyfully greeted by our cats, Crash and Gabhy. I'm with Dorothy--there's no place like home.
What am I thankful for? So many things--family, friends and home, of course. The amazing kindness and generosity of people we have met in North Dakota. The beauty and richness of our country. Our health. This year, though, I am extra thankful for the opportunities in North Dakota. For so many, a job in NoDak will mean the difference between keeping or losing their home, sending their kids to college, or paying off a hospital bill. For thousands of families, there is hope.
Thanks for sharing some time with me. I will happily respond to any comments Have a wonderful weekend!
Scroll down for photos of dinner and the resulting mess!
Some questions for you Elaine:
ReplyDeleteHave you been able to find work?
How many women are there that aren't from the surrounding communities?
Is there much snow or is it just the cold and wind?
How does your camper handle the cold?
I am waiting to apply until I get back there with my car. I feel confident I will find something quickly.
ReplyDeleteI've met three out-of-town women--a nurse, a waitress and a cook.
There's not much snow,but what does fall goes sideways and feels like tiny darts on your skin.
Our camper is made for cold weather, but not this cold. Condensate freezes on some interior surfaces and we have to take care warm up and dry the surfaces so we don't get mold. When we get back we'll re-skirt the bottom and and insulate more around the nose of the camper where the bed is. Along with some extra heaters, we should be quite cozy :)