This Thanksgiving, we had the honor and
privilege of hosting Caroline’s entire immediate family for
several days of eating and other fun activities over the long
holiday weekend. Caroline’s sister Jen, brother-in-law Ivan and
our 4-year-old nephew Christopher flew in from Detroit on the
Tuesday before Thanksgiving and her mom and step-dad, also from
Michigan, rolled in via Amtrak in time for a family meal the
night before Thanksgiving. This year was a very special
Thanksgiving for us, not only because we were celebrating with
family but also because it was our first time ever
hosting and cooking a Thanksgiving feast. Several busy weeks
were spent in advance of the big day carefully planning and
preparing for the festivities. In the end, it proved to be time
well spent and we declared the weekend a success on all counts!
Spearheaded by Chef Scott, our menu of brined turkey, red-wine
gravy, apple and sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean
casserole, ginger-glazed carrots and bourbon cranberry sauce was
made almost entirely from scratch (excepting the green bean
casserole, since the Campbell’s soup version is a tradition from
Caroline’s childhood) and was definitely worth all the effort
that went into it! Kudos to the chef and to all of his many
helpers – he couldn’t have done it without them! And finally,
Scott’s delightful homemade desserts of traditional pumpkin pie
and a glazed chocolate tart rounded out the meal just perfectly.
When we were not busy eating Scott’s
delicious cooking – our tireless chef also prepared meals of
homemade spaghetti and turkey green chile stew during the
holiday weekend – we spent lots of quality family time enjoying
the warm southwestern sunshine in and around Albuquerque.
Although the temperatures were below normal (a high of 37 on
Thanksgiving Day) and the air a bit chill, everyone enjoyed the
sunshine so much that not a single complaint was uttered! On
Wednesday morning while Scott was still at the office, Caroline
organized a fun-filled trip to a local playground for the
super-energetic Christopher, with his parents in toe. During a
break in the cooking action, Thanksgiving Day brought a rather
un-PC re-enactment of the so-called “2nd
Thanksgiving” – a backyard gunfight; sadly the Indians were
armed only with sticks…
Shortly before the long-anticipated dinner,
Caroline led our active young nephew, along with Jen and Ivan,
on a hike in the boulders of the Sandia Mountains near our home,
where Christopher found just enough snow for a few snowballs to
throw at his obliging Auntie C’Lo. Then on Friday morning,
there was just enough time before their departure for a final
hike in the Sandias with Jen, Ivan and Christopher in an attempt
to wear out a certain little boy before the flight. It was an
action-packed trail and the rock cave, climbing boulders,
numerous prickly pears and chollas and sunshine were greatly
enjoyed by all.
On Friday afternoon, after the Menjaks’
departure, Caroline’s mom Jane and step-dad Bill got a tour of
Albuquerque, including a drive through the scenic North Valley,
a stop to see the impressive, giant metal sculptures at
Desert Blooms, a walk in the bosque and down to the river at the
Rio Grande Nature Center and finally, a drive down Route 66
after dark to see all the cool, retro neon signs. A highlight
of their visit was a trip to Tent Rocks, located just over an
hour from Albuquerque, where we enjoyed hiking the slot canyon
and admiring the stone hoodoos and beautiful New Mexico vistas
(not to mention the delicious turkey sandwich picnic) in the
warm sunshine. Although they’re not experienced hikers, Jane
and Bill did a great job negotiating the narrow and at times
strenuous trail and we truly enjoyed the opportunity to share
such a beautiful piece – not to mention one of our favorites –
of New Mexico with them. On their final evening in town,
Caroline’s parents treated us to a wonderful meal at Indigo Crow
in nearby Corrales, NM (the grilled romaine salad and
duck breast with parmesan risotto and a cherry reduction sauce
were positively divine) in celebration of Scott’s birthday,
which fell the day before Thanksgiving this year, and also of
their 22nd wedding anniversary on November 26th.
We
certainly had a lot to be thankful for this year, celebrating
the season with a house full of family over a bountiful and
scrumptious meal. This will definitely be a Thanksgiving we’ll
remember for years to come and we hope that everyone else had as
much fun as we did, giving them lots of motivation to come back
soon!
Christopher & his Auntie C'Lo go for a stroll on the path at the
playground
Christopher explores natural New Mexico on Thanksgiving Day
The pilgrims talk strategy during the re-enactment of the "2nd
Thanksgiving"
Despite being on the same side and waving his white feather of
surrender, Scott gets shot by his nephew
Just
enough snow for a snowball on a trail in the Sandias
Happy Thanksgiving!
Bill gets in on a little hot pilgrim hat action
The twins prepare to dig in!
Our Thanksgiving table
Mmmmm, Scott made a gourmet chocolate tart, along with his
classic pumpkin pie
Hiking the Tramway Trail in the Sandias near our house with Jen,
Ivan & Christopher
Enjoying some nephew time on the Tramway Trail near our house
Caroline, Bill, and Jane on the banks of the Rio Grande
Hiking the Canyon Trail at Tent Rocks with Caroline's parents
Hiking the Canyon Trail at Tent Rocks with Caroline's parents
Hiking the Canyon Trail at Tent Rocks with Caroline's parents