Monday, December 25, 2006

And to all of You...

Have a very merry Christmas.

I've had an okay day. A litle lonely and homesick, because Christmas Eve was always the big celebration night when I was growing up. We had cold cuts and stuff for dinner, not a big meal but we snacked all night, then opened presents.

Now...we've compromised. So I get evening present opening on a different night and we open gifts Christmas morning. Which, sorry, but I hate. It's nowhere near as festive and intimate without the lights bright on the tree and the darkness outside. In the lonely gray light of morning, that holiday cheer is missing. Opening gifts feels mundane. Like a performance instead of an experience.

Also, I can't get my traditional nibbles here. No corned beef, no Havarti cheese...my Mom sent us scalloped potatoes, though, so at least I had something. (We had cold cuts but one hot dish, that was usually it. My Mom made meatballs when I was little but gave it up after a couple of years, when it became obvious all we really wanted was corned beef and cheese on Ritz.)

So I made a venison stew, which turned out pretty well.

I got the venison from our local butcher, where I also got tomorrow's goose. I ordered a goose no bigger than 5kg. I got one almost 7kg. I couldn't believe it when he appeared from the fridge with this...beast in a bag. I swear the thing was bigger than my Faery baby. He had to cut it up for me so I can fit it in the oven.

I really don't want or need 15 lbs. of goose, but by the time he found it in their fridge I'd been standing there for half an hour and just wanted to leave. "Oh, you Americans like big things," he said. "You always like to do everything bigger!"

"Oh, do we?" I said.

Which got a laugh. Which is good. I'm pretty sure the little crowd we'd attracted at this point was laughing with me, too, not something you can always assume here. Especially when you're staring ashen-faced at the goose Scrooge sent the Cratchits on Christmas morning (yes, I know it was a turkey, shut up. It was a big huge turkey, is my point.) The goose that swallowed Devon. The goose that scared the cows. The goose who played pro football.

One damn big goose, basically. And tomorrow I'm going to cook the "crown roast" of it, along with a host of accomapnying veg, after a bland morning present opening, and will likely spend most of the day slightly drunk, which is the best way to spend Christmas.

And thinking of al of you, of course. Big hugs to each and every one of you. You make my days fun, my nights interesting, and my heart light.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

My turkey's about 12 pounds this year, but with stuffing, you'd have to add another two. Now that my kids have decided they like stuffing, I've had to jam so much of it in there, I'm scared it's gonna explode all over my oven. I swear, all that's holding that poor bird together is a dozen toothpicks and prayer.

Don't worry about too much goose--does it make good soup? Can't have enough soup, you know. And hot goose sandwiches, goose hash, goose stroganoff and goose croquettes. The leftover dark meat can be sauteed with leftover boiled or roasted potatoes, onions and bacon--a traditional way to eat leftover pork in Denmark, but good with poultry too. A little wordestershire sauce and viola! It is a rare food indeed that cannot be improved by the addition of bacon.

Am I rambling? Sorry. I'm already slightly drunk, and intend to stay that way until bedtime tomorrow.

A merry Christmas to you and your royal consort, December. Hope you get everything you wish for. :)

Bernita said...

HonkeyHonk, the Christmas goose...
Merry Christmas!

s.w. vaughn said...

Merry Christmas, December! I know what you mean about the way it feels... wrong. Sigh. Hope you have a happy one!

Or maybe you've had it already, since I think it's Christmas night where you are? The logic of time zones escapes me. :-)

Anonymous said...

We usually have turkey and ham, but this year we had had it twice in the previous month so much to my offsprings' chagrin we had TexMex. Homemade hot tamales,etc. It was delicious and they refused to eat it. Ha! More for me.

May the New Year be blessed for you and yours. -JTC

Robyn said...

Merry Christmas, December. All the best in the New Year.

Stacia said...

And to all of you!

TexMex...sigh. No such thing over here.

Yeah, you can use leftover goose for stuff, kis, but I'm lazy and I almost never actually eat leftovers, so it was thrown away. The thighs are still in the freezer, though.

I'm going to remember that recipe, though, because it sounds delicious.

Poor Jenn!

Stacia said...

Not sure what time zone you're in, SW...I'm 5 hours ahead of Eastern time.