Friendsgiving 2010

We've anticipated it for so long and this weekend it finally happened!!! No, not Harry Potter. You already know how that's going to end. The real excitement of the weekend was the first annual Friendsgiving. The idea has been tossed about in the past, but this year I said, "Let's do it! I really want to share a meal with all of you because I love you so much!...what?...NO! Of course it doesn't have anything to do with my parents becoming vegetarians!" Really. Honest. Meal with friends.
As any true Lady of Leisah would, I love showing off my culinary acumen, so this was a highly anticipated event for me. After weeks of pouring over recipes, making and revising grocery lists, planning the cooking schedule, and a lovely trip to Trader Joe's, Saturday was The Big Day. It felt almost like real Thanksgiving except that the parade wasn't on TV. Also, I was allowed to cook more than just the cranberries.

First came a trip to the Farmer's Market because any good LoL knows you can't show up at someone's house for dinner without some flowers...even if you're brining dinner. I can't believe I hadn't been here before!

Next came turkey prep and cooking. This was big, people. I have only roasted a turkey once before, so I was a little anxious about this. I'm really not sure why roasting a turkey is so intimidating, though. You start with this:

You just pour some butter over it and pop it in the oven for a few hours while you sit and read Harry Potter 7, and you end up with this:

It's okay to ooh and aah. It was a good bird.

The rest of the cooking was the tricky part. We had to be at the K-'s house at 7, so I had to time everything right so that it would be warm when we got there. Also, I had to look cute. I wish y'all could have seen me as I made gravy, whipped cream, blanched brussels sprouts, caramelized shallots, and sauteed green beans all at the same time. No lie. And I didn't even mess up my hair or make-up. Okay, I messed up the make-up a little bit (Tip: put on mascara after you slice shallots). And all of it was ready to go when CB picked me up.

Once at the K-'s we did have one casualty. My beautiful green beans sauteed with shallots, mushrooms, and almonds were dropped on the lawn in my attempt to get everything in one load. I cried a little, but CB was really broken up about it:

I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the only green vegetable left after that was the roasted brussels sprouts.

Otherwise, the meal went off without a hitch.

B- got to use her wedding china for the first time in almost 11 years:

And we all enjoyed a perfectly lovely meal together:

I even ate (most of) one of the deviled eggs that CB made and didn't gripe about it...which is more than I can say about his attitude toward my brussels sprouts:

Me: How'd you like the sprouts.
CB: I could use them in a pinch.
Me: How much pinch? Like, if you survive the zombie apocolypse and they're the only food you can find?
CB: I'd use them as a weapon and throw them at the zombies.

Then the gentlemen offered to clean up since the ladies had been slaving away all day:

And then we had dessert:

C- made a pumpkin cheesecake, I made a french silk pie, and K- made a fruit tart. I also made real whipped cream which always impresses everyone, but I'm not really sure why. I did feel a little bad because I used my stand mixer instead of mixing it by hand. Julia mixed it by hand, so I mix it by hand. Don't judge. Hand or stand, it was still whipped cream and not whipped topping...which is just gross...and a little lazy. Yeah, I went there.

There is a strong, lingering essence of turkey in my apartment. I think it's permeated the furniture...and I'm okay with that. And my kitchen still looks like this:

But it was totally worth it. The only thing better than a Thanksgiving meal is two Thanksgiving meals...uh...I mean a good meal with friends!

Just in case you were wondering, CB did take me to see Harry Potter this weekend. Obvi.

Fondest regards,
The Lady