the offstage cook: Thanksgiving 2017

Everything was new for me back when I was a newcomer to this country from where we did not have anything like this, starting with the equipment. I started with roast chicken and a couple of sides a year before my first Thanksgiving dinner. I had my first taste of roast turkey at my mother in law's. I remember cutting some celery for the stuffing, for that dinner. Nothing else registered. In the meantime, I had found some recipes in a newspaper. I had never tasted those before, by the way. But I had written all the recipes down -- cranberry relish, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, candied yam, cauliflower casserole, pumpkin pie. I got hold of a copy of Joy of Cooking, and it became my encyclopedia. I started studying roasting and baking techniques. And thus it began. My first official Thanksgiving dinner was served around 18 years ago, using those recipes.

Most of the items that I served on that day, in our little apartment to family and friends, are still here. With the arrival of the internet, things got more fun. I found that I enjoyed finding out the stories behind recipes, about cuisines of the world, about the parallels among different cuisines. And over the years, the menu has grown. so has the technique and equipment. For instance, I started brining the turkey, then dry brining. Now the turkey is roasted in claypot, and it has sprouted a few more legs!

When I think about it, I find that, for good or bad, when things get easy, I have this urge to make them hard, and harder. I realize I like to challenge myself. It is as if I haven't done anything, that I did not put an effort, if I didn't almost kill myself in the process, with stress and worry and work! Kidding! There is some stress at some point, but all in all, it s rather fun and invigorating. So the menu gets bigger. For me, that is. The fact that my family enjoys it is the bonus. Still, I do worry that I am raising expectations, and that I will let them down, let down myself. Well, that is me. Meanwhile, I have fun planning, scheduling and executing my menu. And I enjoy the sense of accomplishment once I have completed my work. I take pride in making everything from scratch, including the pie crusts and the bread or rolls. I am not sure how much longer I can pull it all off , as I get older. And when that day comes, sooner or later, I will have these as cherished memories. A record of a foodie.

Thanksgiving from around 18 years ago

Thanksgiving 2017

appetizers: cheese-spinach squares, marinated olives, spicy szechwan cabbage, nazrani meatballs, devilled eggs, lil sausages

pecan pie, pineapple snow, lemon meringue pie, apple pie

turkey roasted in claypot with a few extra legs, gravy, green beans with bacon, stuffing, cranberry relish, roast vegetables, mashed potatoes, waldorf salad, candied yam