Thanksgiving in our house or apartment is never same old, same old. That’s not to say I don’t serve some of the more traditional dishes associated with this tradition-bound holiday; But we always have some twist to the event and this year at the last minute we added another guest. It went like this….
Driving past the street where our friends Joe and Michael live, I realize that Michael must be here and Joe is in Australia, so who is Michael having dinner with?? He could be in The City with friends or he could be hosting, but I’m going to check. I sent a text with inquiry and he wrote back stating he already shopped for all the food but he could come by for dessert. Putting two and two together and coming out with ONE, I realized he certainly must not have guests. Eating alone on Thanksgiving??!!! I wouldn’t hear of it, so I sent a strong invitation to join us. Back comes the response how he loves to cook; Back goes my reply, OK, you love to cook, so do I – so cook already and you bring some here. That did it.
I thought maybe Michael could bring some stuffing or a dessert but no, he was planning on bringing a lot more even though I protested that there were only 5 of us and actually he and our friend Murray really don’t eat much. I want to say they eat like birds but I think both of them are going to read this, so I’m not saying it.
The day dawned bright and clear following a horrible chilly and rainy Wednesday. Wendy had arrived the day before and so the three of us started the morning with a broccoli and onion frittata and fresh fruit salad. I put some aside for Murray who would be arriving around 11am. So far so good. I took the soup and mashed potatoes out of the refrigerator, got the stuffing out of the refrigerator next door. Oh I didn’t explain that I didn’t have enough room in my refrigerator for all the food so we stashed a lot of stuff in my neighbor’s refrigerator – very convenient actually. Now we had to tackle moving furniture in the living room so we could open up the dropleaf table to accomodate the five of us. You know in a normal house and by that I mean the kind you grow up in, not a beach cottage, this is an easy enough task. But not here! First everything behind the couch has to go upstairs out of sight, everything on the table has to go upstairs and out of sight. Then in order to get the two chairs that ARE upstairs and have to come downstairs to go around the dining room table, one has to remove two cat carriers, the laundry bag, the empty travel food bags, a blanket and two suitcases!!
Once Murray arrived and was fed, he took off for the beach to capture some beautiful shots of dogs running happily in the sand, peoples strolling the boardwalk (clearly guests and not hosts) and sea gulls swooping around. I began to prepare and put together some of the remaining dishes. The only problem occurred when he who shall not be named, wanted to change the dinner time! He, who was sitting in a chair reading the New York Times! Really? Really??
Once I banned everyone from the kitchen and said to please leave me alone because I know what I’m doing and I have to do some things in certain order and trust me it will all get done. This IS a really important factor because have you ever made Thanksgiving dinner on a 20″ stove? Ha! The burners are so close together and don’t even talk to me about the oven size! Once the turkey breast ( I opted out of the 12 lb bird I had in my shopping cart because I decided the bone to meat ratio wasn’t so good) goes in the oven, that’s the only thing that can go in the oven.
Sautéed the Crimini mushrooms for the String Bean and Shallot dish, mixed the previously sautéed Baby Bella mushrooms into the herb stuffing and put it in a casserole. But before that can go in to warm up, I have to roast my pears. The night before my friend, Elinor, posted a photo of her perfectly golden and caramelized pears on Facebook. I set mine in oven and went about doing some one of the hundred things that need to be done before dinner. Pretty soon I begin to smell the strong scent of burnt sugar. Uh huh, the bottoms of the pears were burning and sticking to the tin foil. I pulled them out and immediately the smoke alarm on the second floor went off! The first floor alarm had already been dismantled because it goes off if the oven door opens at any temperature!! Alas my pears were not golden brown but rather pale tan on top and almost black on the bottom.
We are in the living room and Michael arrives, shopping bag and wine in hand. He knows I said we had enough dessert but what the heck, he had already bought the Triple Berry pie. We sat in the living room sipping Cider Bellini’s which were quite good and pretty to look at also. I served my Sweet Potato Chipolte soup and we warmed ourselves up on alcohol and Chipolte pepper.
Time for dinner: While the turkey rested, I alternately heated up Michael’s Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Caramelized Carrots, Cornbread Stuffing with Cranberries and homemade gravy. The Triple Berry pie had been delegated to the back porch (my other refrigerator). Peter carved the Turkey Breast just the way the video at Wegman’s showed how and it was oh so juicy – I seasoned the cavity with salt and pepper and brushed the entire breast with a combination of Wegman’s Basting Oil, snipped fresh Rosemary, minced Garlic and a couple of strips of Lemon Zest, which I had heated up on the stove.
Menu
Cider Bellinis
Sweet Potato Chipolte Soup
Roasted Turkey Breast
Herbed Mashed Potatoes
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Caramelized Carrots
String Beans Shallots and Mushroom
Herb Stuffing with Baby Bello Mushrooms
Cornbread Stuffing with Cranberries
Cranberry Ginger Sauce
Baked Rolls (2 varieties)
Homemade Gravy
Turkey Gravy (from Wegman’s)
Roasted Pear, Arugula, Pomengranate Salad
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Crumb Pie
Triple Berry Pie
The table doesn’t look so elegant, but you have to remember we are at the cottage which has a 1950’s kitchen, so we are eating off of Melmac, and serving dishes are what you can find in the right size. Some of the food couldn’t fit on the dinner table so the kitchen table was employed too.
And more food
Here we are sitting at the table, halfway through the meal, Joe called from Australia (OMG, growing up I never imagined a phone call from Australia, using a cell phone and on speaker!!).
Michael and Wendy in between courses
This year we all gave thanks for each other at the table. When you spend Thanksgiving with your family of the present, there’s never any unfinished business to rehash. There’s no sibling rivalry, there’s no parental pressure or inquisition. Just friends who came together this day to give thanks and celebrate with good food. And in this case A LOT of good food.
Murray is ready for seconds
Bill Ding and his band of clowns are the security patrol for this blog site. He is a favorite toy from the 50*s. By the way sometimes a blog is just an ego-maniacal stream of conscience.
Pbenjay's Blog 
TOP 10 Great Movies BUT BOX OFFICE FLOPS!!!
Posted in From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books, Thursday's Top Ten, tagged box office failures, Elizabeth Taylor, flops, great movies, Jimmy Stewart, Johnny Depp, Judy Garland, Kevin Costner, Martin Scorcese, movies, Orson Welles, Robert DeNiro, Tim Robins, Toto on November 7, 2014| 3 Comments »
It’s so true…many movies we’ve come to love and make classic were really box office flops in their day! You’re going to be shocked by some of these, I’m sure.
Orson Welles in Citizen Kane
1. CITIZEN KANE: Most often listed as the Number 1 top movie on many lists and the must-see handbook for aspiring film-makers and actors, this movie didn’t do much for Orson Welles career at the time. Initial reviews were favorable but much of the American public was shielded from them because Randolph Hearst, the newspaper mogul, blocked any mention of the movie, believing the character was based on him.
2. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: There wouldn’t be a holiday season if there weren’t a broadcast of this now-loved classic Christmas story. It’s hard to imagine a film watched so often by so many could have failed miserably in the theaters, but it did. The movie cost $3.18M to make and only grossed $3.3M.
3. BLADE RUNNER: With an opening weekend revenue of only $6M, things looked dim for this movie that cost $28M to make. It received mixed reviews, while viewers were awed by the imagery, they were alienated by the narrative. It probably would have been better if the studio had left Ridley Scott alone and kept his original vision instead of meddling with the final cut. The film resurfaced with a Director’s Cut in 1992 prompting critical reevaluation and huge home video sales.
4. RAGING BULL: A favorite of mine as I am in still in awe of Robert DeNiro who totally transformed his body to play the thuggish Jake LaMotta. It was nominated for 8 Oscars but tanked at the box office. It lacked the feel-good factor of ROCKY and alienated the viewers first by being shot in black and white which was exactly how it should have been done artistically and then there was the prevalent violence for 2 hours – most people go to the movies to relax and enjoy some form of escapism.
5. THE WIZARD OF OZ: Can you believe this movie actually lost money? It cost $2.7M to make and garnered $3M in its opening run. Viewers did not flock to see Judy Garland, a cute dog and a tornado in technicolor. However, over the years and many re-releases, the viewing of The Wizard of Oz has become an annual event in many of America’s households.
Shawshank Redemption
6. SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION: Tell the truth now, do you switch the channel when you see Shawshank Redemption playing? The film finally found its audience on TV. In 1994 when it was released, it was overwhelmed by PULP FICTION AND FORREST GUMP. It cost $25M to make and grossed $28M.
7. THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW:$ Budget-$1.4M. This one requires some explanation. Despite making next to nothing ($22,000) its opening weekend, the late night flick is actually the longest running movie in continuous theatrical release, attracting a cult of folks who dress up and shout along to the campy comedy with kick-ass songs. With ticket sales, and home movie availability, it has reportedly made over $365 million! Just like the movie itself, it’s financial success is in a category of its own.
8.THE FIGHT CLUB: Budgeted at $63M it grossed $37M. Maybe the first rule of Fight Club shouldn’t have been “Don’t talk about Fight Club.” David Fincher’s adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk novel was the victim of a botched marketing campaign (or at least that’s what the studios are saying). It lived on through home video sales.
9. THE BIG LEBOWSKI: Happy to admit I’m part of the cult club that will watch The Big Lebowski whenever it is on TV. Not many box office bombs can claim such a cult following, an annual fan festival and religion! Released in 1998 during the immensely successful box office run of “Titanic,” the film starring Jeff Bridges, which cost $15 million to make, debuted to $5.5 million opening weekend. The film recieved mixed reviews with Variety calling it “hollow and without resonance” while others like Roger Ebert found it “weirdly engaging” like the Dude himself. The film eventually pulled in $17 million at theaters, but it wasn’t until years later fans used the internet and social media to re-evaluate the film and turn it into a cult sensation.
10. I’m leaving number 10 blank and giving you all some suggestions. What do you think was a great film but one didn’t make any money? Here are a few; The Fountain, Water World, Assination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Ed Wood, Cleopatra, Heathers, Vertigo, Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, The Postman, The Hudsucker Proxy, Tron-The Legacy, Donny Darko, Once Upon A Time In America
OK guys it’s your hands, let’ s vote for number 10 – one of the above or one of your own.
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