The day arrived, finally!  Today, most of the country is celebrating Thanksgiving, and if you are, I wish you a wonderful and gratitude-filled day.

Best Friend and I already chose a different date to observe our annual day of thanksgiving here at The Oasis of Four Queen Palms.  It was a day filled with serenity and balance, good company, excellent wine, and great food.  We played old, traditional music (think Sinatra and Bennett) in the background and lit a couple of candles placed snugly in the crystal candle holders.  We set the table with our Fiestaware china, in the following colors:  Butterscotch, Paprika, Meadow, and Scarlet.  These three warm colors and one cool evoked the beauty of the changing of the leaves that is magnificent this time of year.  A bouquet of silk autumn leaves in the centerpiece brought it all together.

This year, I veered a bit from our traditional menu fare.  Sent away on holiday was the usual fare we have every year and brought in for a premiere showing were several new-to-us foods.  But Tom Turkey was still the star of the meal.  For reference, I picked up a 15-pound bird for $23.39.  that is pretty good, given we will have a lot of leftovers to freeze and bones from which to make turkey soup.

To begin, our first and second courses were a bit quirky; something one wouldn’t think of to serve on Thanksgiving.  The cup of Japanese Onion Soup we both had was good, and a suitable choice since it was mostly a light broth.  It was simple to make a day ahead.  The Apple-Raisin-Walnut Salad with Pumpkin Bread Croutons was crisp and cold, with the fresh Orange-Ginger Dressing being the perfect accompaniment.

The Herb Roasted Tom Turkey was perfectly browned and moist.  My Apple-Raisin-Walnut stuffing to go with it turned out moist and crispy, just as we like it.  I forgot to buy the raisins, but that did not deter from its mission as a side dish.  It still tasted good!  Leave it to me to forget to buy the raisins, although my forgetting something is not unheard of.

I prepared the Cranberry Sauce with Red Wine a couple of days in advance, and that was to its advantage, since the flavors melded well.  I served this delightful side dish chilled, but I imagine it would taste just as good hot, too.

The Green Bean Gremolata was a new-to-us vegetable recipe.  We liked the just-kissed lemony drizzle and the few shavings of Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.  For the yellow vegetable, I opted to make Cousin Stanley’s Roasted Squash, just as he made it, roasted to tenderness, and drizzled with a touch of local honey.

For our starch in the potato department, Best Friend had a twice-baked potato, and I opted for one of my own favorites – boiled sweet potatoes.  It’s a treat for our dogs, too, sans the butter and pepper!

And what about dessert?  This year, instead of my fresh homemade pumpkin pie, I made a small carrot cake, a favorite of Best Friend.  I made this just as our own moms did – with fresh grated carrots.  Heavenly!

This year’s celebration was successful, and we like the fact that we chose a non-traditional day to observe the annual Thanksgiving Holiday.  As I wrote in my previous essay, WELCOME TO THE OASIS, we are not bound to have our annual Thanksgiving on the designated Federal date – every day could and should be one of thankfulness and gratitude.

I hope you had a perfectly marvelous Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it today.

As ever,

Lady Susan Marie Molloy

©2022 The Oasis at Four Queen Palms

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