THANKSGIVING AT THE BEACH

This Thanksgiving Guy and I are thankful for friends. Our sons and other family members all live too far away to have Thanksgiving dinner with us, but for the past two years, our friends, Dale and Ed, have invited us to share their Thanksgiving dinner at their beachfront home on Topsail Island, NC, about 1-1/2 hours from our home in New Bern. The weather, which had been unseasonably cold, decided to bless us with a glorious day filled with sunshine and balmy temperatures, a little above 60 degrees. Who could ask for anything more?

Dale's daughter, Pam and friend, Robert, and son, Curt, and wife, Dee, were also with us. Pam's friend, Carol, stopped in for a while, too. As usual, we goofed by not taking enough photos, especially of the group. But at least we have some. Pam has a 4-month old Min-Pin (miniature Dobermann Pinscher), "Mr. Big." I said he's part kangaroo (because he hops), part Chihuahua (because of his big ears) and part pinscher because of his body lines. A real cutie, he's loaded with energy and he reminded me of why I no longer want to commit to a pet.

Dale only asked me to bring a pumpkin pie, as she was loaded with
food. Pam and Robert both hail from Washington, DC; and Curt and Dee live in Ohio, so everyone was staying at the beach house, except us, of course. Since it's Dale and Ed's second home, this was a casual get-together, my favorite kind. No fuss, no muss.

Dale cooked most of the meal, and she is a seasoned, experienced cook. Since Robert is a sous chef (in addition to his regular full-time job which requires him to travel constantly), he decided to make biscuits which were to die for. I didn't want to know what was in them -- they were too good. Dale's turkey was cooked to perfection, moist, tender and very flavorful. Dressing, gravy, roasted veggies, sweet potatoes with cranberries and pecans, marinated asparagus, onion-cheese casserole and cranberry sauce rounded out the meal. But that wasn't enough. Dale also made plum pudding -- a tradition in her family. I had never tasted plum pudding and was anxious to try it. She made hard sauce and warm lemon sauce to go with the pudding; and I tried both. Two thumbs up, way up for plum pudding. By the time we got to the pumpkin pie, no one had any room, but we stuffed down a sliver. I'll post my recipe asap. It's Cook's Illustrated, and the crust is amazing. The filling was just ok for me, I was disappointed, actually.

Robert's sister makes specialty marmalades and jams, and he gave everyone a jar to take home and try. I picked the Tangerine Marmalade, and can't wait to try it. Robert opened a jar of Blood Orange Marmalade and served it with his yummy biscuits. It was delicious -- we all raved over it.

Thanks, Curt, for carving the turkey -- good job.

Thanks, Dale for a great meal and good company.

Thanks, Robert for the marmalade and those great biscuits.

Thanks, Ed and Dee, just for being there and sharing the holiday with us.

Thanks, Pam, for bringing Mr. Big to entertain us.

We had a great Thanksgiving, and didn't feel so "orphaned," thanks to great friends and their wonderful family.