The Midwest has a
reputation of being inhabited by friendly people, but in my experience Tucson
has the Midwest beat. Everywhere we go in Tucson people are friendly and
welcoming; moreover, they go out of their way to be helpful. We have been here
only one month and already have several new friends and a busy social life.
One new friend is Annie,
who invited us to a Thanksgiving Eve dinner at her home in the foothills. Annie
and her many friends cooked up a spectacular meal. Here she is, preparing to
carve the turkey.
Here’s my plate, just
before I dug in. There were the traditional green bean casserole, mashed
potatoes, turkey, and gravy. There was a white sweet potato dish, corn pudding
with chilies, and a delicious mélange of Brussels sprouts, bacon, dried
tomatoes and mystery ingredients.
The next day we enjoyed
another Thanksgiving with Grant and Blair, Lindsay and Gabe, and Blair’s
friends from Italy. It was another parade of good cooking. Grant roasted
vegetables on the grill.
He also spatecocked a
turkey. If you don’t know what that is, join the crowd. It’s a turkey with the
backbone removed. That allows the turkey to flatten out and cook evenly. The
turkey roasted directly on the oven rack, which was positioned over a large pan
of dressing. The turkey juices dripped into the dressing, making it even more
moist and flavorful.
Blair made several dishes,
including spicy cheese puff appetizers.
When describing Tucsonans
from now on I will be naming not only their friendliness but also their
remarkable culinary skills.
Copyright
2015 by Shirley Domer
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