turkey aftermath

So, here I sit. It is four thirty the day after the dinner. I am watching Judge Judy, sitting in my same old pjs, my feet on a once again dirty crumby floor. My table is no longer covered with accounting books, but covered with the detritus of a delicious dessert, post turkey dinner. My kitchen is a holy hell mess. Not from dinner (thank you kids) but from the constant and continuous foraging that has occurred since. I did one thing today. I denuded two turkey carcasses, have a soup on the boil and created a shepherds pie from other left overs. Ahhhhh.....it feels like Christmas. That being said...let me tell you a little story..

Several years ago, when my step dad (whom we all had a problem with) was still alive, we all had the brilliant idea that we should have a warm and fuzzy christmas at our house. My sister and her husband and three girls, my mother and her significant other, all my kids etc... were to come for a couple of days and a wonderful christmas would be had by all. So Aryn and I swung into action. First the ideas (like wonderful personal little goodie bags at each place at table, a six foot tall stocking to be stuffed with many wrapped presents for my Mom and Bob, a tacky gift party etc....), then the lists, then the shopping, then the wrapping, then the cooking, then the house cleaning, then the arrival of all things relative. If I remember correctly we had a talent show that we had all practised for (on our piano). Some of us went down to Stanley park and rode the Christmas train. We had several brisk lovely cold christmas light walks in our neighbourhood. Many board games were played. You get the picture I am sure. It was almost Norman Rockwellish.

We pulled out the table to its fullest, added the card tables, hauled in the good old plastic deck chairs, layed out two or three unmatching table cloths (the ugly one at the kids end incorporating a couple of card tables), got out the christmas dishes supplemented with kitchen dishes, christmas crackers placed at each setting, goodie bags used as place name cards, bowls and platters and dishes heaped with steaming turkey dinner food laid out......ahhhhhh christmas at its finest.

But....all these realtives all together for long periods of time can be a little daunting too. We were all on our best behaviour, except for the stepdad, who ended up creating a really loud disturbing totally ridiculous scene. This then really upset our mother which in turn upset my sister and myself which then upset our husbands which then upset those kids that were actually paying attention. But, being the well bred people we are, we quickly sucked it up, put a smile on our faces and continued on.

Later in the kitchen, nearing the end of an all involved clean up, I got out the giant soup pot and looked for the turkey carcass. It was gone. The roaster was washed and put away. A thorough inspection of the fridge did not produce a turkey carcass. A look in the freezer showed it wasn't there. So I asked. And a certain brother in law said casually, "I threw it out." WHAT??? What the hell, I think I hollared too loud. He responded that there wasn't much left on the bones. I then went to the garbage, took a look, hauled it out, rinsed it off and plopped it into the soup pot and said" I can make ten meals out of whats left on this" Again, I think I didn't use a really good inside voice. He scoffed and replied"Ten meals? Yeah right." and stomped out of the kitchen. Over the next two hours (we had eaten really early in the day) I made the biggest most delicious pot of soup ever.

The next morning they were all getting ready to drive back to Kamloops. I had put the soup back on the stove to continue to simmer. J, one of the daughters dished herself up a healthy bowl and proceeded to eat it. Her mother, using not so subtle face signals, indicated that she shouldn't eat it. (I think out of support for her poor husband as opposed to health concerns) J then announced in a loud voice, totally missing her mothers point, "Why? Its been boiled. This is really good. Can I have some more Garbage Soup please Auntie H?" To this day we call turkey soup Garbage Soup. Ahhhhhh, Christmas, family get togethers and new traditions. We are all doing it again this year, but at my sisters. I don't think I will throw out their turkey though!