Sunday, November 27, 2011

Thanksgiving 2011


(Above: My youngest sister Sonya putting the final touches on her exquisite Thanksgiving dinner table. Click on any image in this post to enlarge.)

This year my youngest sister Sonya and her husband Vipin hosted our family for Thanksgiving in Slippery Rock. Their house was once my parents' home ... the place in which I lived from 3rd grade until the end of high school. Lots of Thanksgiving dinners took place here ... but it was a totally new experience this year!


(Above: Vipin, Grandma Baker, and Sonya in the kitchen before dinner ... appetizers!)

Why? Well, Sonya and Vipin are incredible hosts, have impeccable tastes, and also introduced us to a new Thanksgiving tradition .... TURDUCKEN!


(Above: Mom and Steve getting ready for Turducken.)

What's a TURDUCKEN? It's a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with cornbread and a hen! It was delicious. I made a video of Vipin carving this exotic bird. It is HERE. Vipin also popped the cork for champagne.



We all had a blast ... especially since the evening included a slide presentation ... images from 1953 - 65 ... taken by Grandpa Baker in fabulous Ecktachrome color and all carefully labeled. It was a walk down memory lane and a most memorable Thanksgiving!



The photo above was taken with my camera resting on the table ... using the automatic timer.



I tried all sorts of "strange" things during the course of the afternoon ... including CRANBERRIES! They weren't horrible ... but they are still the one food item that I despise the most ... even if they are layered with truffles!



Unbelievably, they weren't too bad ... even though the thought of them sort of makes me dizzy!



Above is Mom and Grandma ... sampling shrimp before dinner!


(Above: Mom, Steve, me and Sonya.)


(Above: Grandma, Mom and Dad at Thanksgiving!)