Sharing my top five tips for cooking Thanksgiving Dinner whilst away. Yes, it’s perhaps not timely considering the difficulty to travel these days, however I do hope my experience will make you forget that unfortunate nightmare, and at the very least, make you smile.
Canadian Thanksgiving is October 12th. This is my second recent Thanksgiving themed ditty. You can read the first one here. It’s about my dear mother’s comical turkey breast fail. Readers blessed with good memories might recognize both stories as they exist in the Just TypiKel vault. I’m cracking it open, plucking out a few topical numbers and presenting them in a fresh new format.
Top Five Tips For Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner Whilst Away
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Set: A two-bedroom Airbnb rental chosen for its proximity to my son’s campus dorm.
Action: Thanksgiving weekend, less than a decade ago
Brief backstory: My daughter attends university in Kingston, Ontario, a three hour trip away. As it’s much easier for me to fly the 3000 miles east instead of both of them coming home for Thanksgiving, we agree to celebrate in Montreal. My son informs me that six of his pals won’t be going home to Europe for the brief three day weekend, and asks if they can share in the dinner. I agree and the stage is set for a full-on turkey feast with all the trimmings.
Tip Number One
Pay serious attention to your location before confirming booking. The rental unit turns out to be 17 blocks from my son’s dorm. Not the anticipated three. It’s still early in the game and son and his pals haven’t grasped the ease of the Metro system. They walk the entire 17 blocks and arrive hot, thirsty and hungry.
Tip Number Two
It’s not necessary to purchase all of the fixings at the five-Metro-stops-away Farmer’s market. Turkeys, pumpkins, broccoli, pumpkin pies and even cream of mushroom soup cans can be found at your neighborhood supermarket. My rotator cuffs have only recently recovered.
Tip Number Three
While it’s very rare to spot intact brussels sprouts on the west coast, they’re as popular as wood fired bagels in Montreal. See tip number two.
Tip Number Four
Don’t panic when the oven mysteriously shuts off and you’ve still got to warm up all of the side dishes. Try to stay calm when the helpful guests finally locate the fuse box and gleefully inform you that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of the fuses. Down your wine, pour yourself another and then deliberately check every inch of the unfamiliar kitchen for random switches. Yes, flick that one. Boom. The oven’s back in business.
Tip Number Five
Sit back and soak up the conversation and joy and youthful animation around the table. This period, when your children are just starting to explore their independence is a wonderful time. And exceptionally brief. You’ll blink and they (and their new pals) will be working on another continent, where it’s not quite so easy to just fly out for the weekend.
Enough about Top Five Tips For Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner Whilst Away. Thanks for reading, I do appreciate it. Stay safe, wear the mask and wash those hands. I’ll be back tomorrow with yet another resurrected Thanksgiving tale from the vault.
Love to hear any of your special Thanksgiving tips. If you’d care to share, I’d love to hear.
4 Responses
That is a wonderful memory for you, and all of the very grateful young people that you fed ! “Family” get-togethers take on many forms when away from home ! My youngest is doing a “friendsgiving” this year in her new city of Calgary.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family !
Thank you for your steadfast support, Jane, and I love that K will be enjoying a “friendsgiving” celebration. She takes after you.
It’s good to shake up the staid traditions every once in a while. Your alternative Thanksgiving sounds like a wonderful time.
What a good reminder, Kathy. Thank you. It is good to shake up the staid traditions every once in awhile.