Turkey Day

My wife decided to host Thanksgiving Dinner at our house this year. As the oldest of nine, the family gatherings can be fairly large. She spent two days cooking in preparation for 25 guests with the assistance of the two oldest grandsons as sous chefs. The oldest, J, has shown an early interest in cooking and likes to get in the kitchen with Grandma at every opportunity. The middle one, D, hates to be outdone by his older brother. She never thought that it would be her grandsons helping her out in the kitchen. It’s all the more unusual because, as a baby, J was a very picky eater. He survived his early years on a diet of chicken nuggets and french fries.

The youngest grandson, P, was looking forward to Thanksgiving as he heard his second cousin, Josh, would be among the guests. The two formed a strong bond a few months ago when they discovered a shared love of Transformers. And at four years old, they like the mechanical ones, not Megan Fox.

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the turkey gumbo that we make from the leftovers. Use the turkey carcass to make a stock Make your roux as normal, throw in the holy trinity, add the turkey stock and water to the desired consistency and toss in the leftover turkey, andouille sausage and oysters if you got ‘em. Finish off with green onion and parsley. We use three kinds of pepper for heat – white, black and red.

My Yankee Cousin arrives tomorrow for a few days. He’s coming down for a convention. His favorite meal, barbecue shrimp, will be on the menu sometime this week. They don’t make that in Rhode Island. And if the fishing gods smile, he may be carrying some fresh haddock.