Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Yup, 2020 sucks. Most of us have had to alter our Thanksgiving plans and traditions, and many of us are disappointed that family members will not be joining us. All of us are waiting anxiously for the whole damn pandemic to be over, but I think most of us know that our Christmas celebrations will also need to be adapted to our “new normal” and that more disappointments are ahead.

Alas, Oldest Son will be celebrating Thanksgiving not with us, but at his current home in Nashville. He is taking the CDC advice seriously, and we support his decision to not travel. Happily, he will be sharing the meal with a special woman who makes him smile, and I am so very thankful for her. Daughter is doing the one hour and fifteen minute drive to join us for the meal, and Youngest Son is currently living with us, so we know we will have four of us at the table. We still need to decide whether we will exercise an abundance of caution and dine outdoors on the deck. Or perhaps we should dine outdoors regardless, in solidarity with other families doing the same–and because the weather forecast is predicting a partly-cloudy day with a high of 71 degrees.

I have been cooking a few special dishes (OK, more than a few) for us to share. Last year, we broke with tradition and prepared an Indian-fusion themed Thanksgiving meal (yes, cranberries make a great chutney, and turkey rubbed with garam masala is very tasty). This year, the theme is New Mexico, so the turkey will be rubbed with red chile powder and served with green chile gravy. I am also going to serve sweet potato soup, corn flan, pinto beans, stuffing with chorizo, and a cranberry relish with apples, figs, and many spices. Dessert will include a chipotle-spiced apple cake, and anise-flavored biscochitos alongside the pumpkin custard. And there will be cocktails, and wine, and beer.

I am starting off tonight with a martini I call “Little Golden Moments” because I need to dwell on the multitude of good memories my family will be making this holiday. I am using Goldschläger, a Swiss cinnamon schnapps which has teeny-tiny flakes of gold suspended in it. Real gold! How festive! How pretty!

Chill the Goldschläger and the vodka in advance. In a martini glass, combine 1 part Goldschläger with one part vodka. (If you make this in a shaker, you will lose some of the gold flecks.) Stir gently. Add an ice cube if you must dilute the drink a bit.