We have been hosting Thanksgiving for the last 12 years; when Kes was born, we used it as an excuse to stop running all over hell's half-acre on holidays. We typically get anywhere from six to eighteen guests. We've done this meal so many times, I think we could prepare it with eyes closed. Actually S does most of the shopping and preparation while I am at work. So I never really gave much thought to the ingredients. We typically buy a fresh turkey, so the actual bird won't be in the fridge until tomorrow night.
This morning, however, as I went to get milk for my coffee, I actually stopped to look at what was in my refrigerator. I made an important discovery.
It would appear that at my house, Thanksgiving is a celebration of milk fat.
Top shelf:
Yeah. That's four pounds of butter. For starters. Everything takes butter: The turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, the bread, the yams, maybe a bit more in the mashed potatoes...you get the picture. If they eat it, my husband puts butter in it.
Next, we move down one notch on the Fat Continuum:
Apparently, we need not only heavy cream but also whole milk. I haven't had a glass of whole milk in perhaps 35 years, let alone have I ever found a use for 2 full quarts of heavy cream. But Daisy Mae wants to make Pineapple Delight, and S wants to make homemade eggnog, and we need a bit for the Macque Chou -- because nothing says traditional Thanksgiving dinner like a nice Cajun Tasso ham and corn creation.
You may have noticed the Sour Cream in the last picture. Two pints of it. I have no idea what it's for. S said bean dip. Last I checked, we didn't have bean dip on the menu. But you never know.
Not sure about beans, but we certainly have a lot of bacon! Again, no foreseeable use for bacon in the menu, but I suppose it's always best to plan ahead just in case there is a global bacon crisis.
About now I'm actually concerned that there are no actual vegetables or bread products in the house. I consult the veggie drawer:
We reveal a rather forlorn package of celery, one apple, some green onions and a healthy wad of parsley. At least we will have fresh breath.
But as I look up, apparently, we had a concern that two quarts of heavy cream would be insufficient. Because I see this:
No pumpkin pie will go undressed in our house!!
I did a quick calculation on fat grams. In total, we're looking at 2,497 grams of milk fat. Or a little over 5 pounds of fat. Divided by 24 expected guests, that is...well, it's a lot. Plus the eggnog. And the gravy, the skin on the turkey, and Joyce's pumpkin pie.
I'll plan for us all to do some jumping jacks after diner, I guess!
I hope each of you has a peaceful, joyous and most blessed Thanksgiving.
Pass the whipped cream, will you?
2 comments:
Ah, Happy Fatsgiving. We're cooking duck confit, potatoes in duck fat, and we'll be eating at least one kind of soft, creamy cheese. There will be vegetables, but I imagine they'll be cooked in duck fat as well. Or drenched in butter. Either one will do.
Throw some of that sour cream in the mashed potatoes. Oh, so good.
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