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| NO ROOM AT THE INN... OR IN THE CART. |
An 8-kilo (18-pound) turkey is not huge by American standards. But, by Spanish standards, it's a monster. Our friends Tynan and Elena (especially Tynan, king of the one-liners) have had a wonderful time joking about San Geraldo's gigantic turkey.
San Geraldo had planned to make Norwegian kransekake (click here and here) for Christmas Day. Tuesday night, however, while out with Tynan and Elena, it was suggested that maybe that was a bit much to take on at the same time as trying to shove an 8-kilo turkey into a 3-kilo-capacity oven.
Elena suggested San Geraldo wait until after Three Kings Day (January 6) to make the kransekake (which, coincidentally, is when she and the kids will be back in town after visiting her family in Bilbao).
Tynan agreed. "By that time, the turkey should be cooked all the way through," he noted.
Christmas Eve Day, Tynan texted a video to me. It was Godzilla attacking Tokyo. Tynan's comment: "Someone is looking for her baby."
Neither Jerry nor Elena "got it." After Tynan and I explained to each of them, they said they "got it," but just didn't find it funny. "But Godzilla wasn't a turkey," was what they both said. Never mind...
The turkey just barely fit in our oven. But it DID fit. San Geraldo cooked it perfectly and served it along with stuffing (dressing), a baked dish of layers of sweet potatoes and apples, Brussels sprouts, and mixed rice with raisins and almonds. Our dear friend Kristina (Swedish-Finnish) made blinis and brought all the fixings. Delicious! I was tempted to fill up on those before dinner was even served. Kristina's son Matti (Swedish and living in Madrid until recently) brought "glogg," Swedish mulled wine. Judyshannonstreetwhat (our oldest friend) arrived from Seattle in the afternoon. What a perfect day.
And, surprisingly, we even have left-overs.
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| "GODZILITA"... NOT A MILIMETER TO SPARE. |
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| BLINI FIXINGS. |
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| MATTI HOLDS A SERVING: BLINIS TOPPED WITH SALMON, ONIONS, MELTED BUTTER, SOUR CREAM AND TWO TYPES OF FISH ROE. |
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| "THERE'S NEVER ANYTHING TO EAT IN THIS HOUSE!" |
The original "Turkey in the Straw" performed by the Original Schnickelfritz Band.
What a great meal!
ReplyDeleteGodzilla! Love it! Especially when you look at that giant bird coming out of that EZ Bake oven!
Bob:
DeleteYour description is priceless. That's exactly how it looked!
Wow! Congratulations on getting that turkey in the oven, and cooked through so nicely! Jerry, great job:) What a load of great fixings, too :) Yumm :)
ReplyDeleteI must have missed your previous kransekake posts, too -- what a cool thing!
Judy:
DeleteJerry has all the exactly correct ingredients for the kransekake this year. Our oven can be a bit peculiar. Here's hoping!
Might have been easier to put the oven in the turkey!
ReplyDeleteRay:
DeleteNow that's one Tynan didn't think of!
Thank goodness it fit or he might have had to cut off the legs/wings. That would have looked pretty funny. Everything looks scrumptious as usual - also your cranberry salad looks yummy! Glad it all worked out - Christmas is not Christmas without loads of food.
ReplyDeleteCheapchick:
DeleteThat was what we were expecting. Tynan actually said it wouldn't be a problem. He told Jerry to simply cut off the legs, cook them, and freeze the rest. He said the legs should be more than enough for the five of us.
Mitchell OMG what a huge turkey. For Polish standards is a giant. What a nice song. At that time in Europe was WWII.
ReplyDeleteGosia:
DeleteI grew up with "Turkey in the Straw" being a children's song. The lyrics were much simpler... and much less adult. I had never heard the original version before.
What a feast indeed! Congratulations to San Geraldo and all who contributed. We had a priest at Holy Hill who made glögg for the community one year. His effort was not a great hit.
ReplyDeleteMichael:
DeleteI LOVE glogg. I've had it only once before -- our last Christmas before moving to Spain. Apparently, the alcohol content can range from about 2% to about 15%. This was at the very low end, which was a good thing --- I could drink an entire bottle myself.
The bird fitting in the oven was what I was most concerned about, but I guess you did check.
ReplyDeleteAndrew:
DeleteThat was a big concern (and constant joke). It was special-ordered and we didnt't pick it up until Wednesday. When we saw it in the store, we were a bit more confident, but we didn't know for sure until we got it home.
That was indeed a FEAST! Loved the sweet potato/apple dish. AND the blinin.....like fancy lox. It also reminds me of Solomon gundy...a local pickled herring with onions. You'd LOVE it Mitchell! I just KNOW you would!! lol
ReplyDeleteWe so admire your quick wit in your posts, Mitchell.
Jim:
DeleteI also love any of the different sweet potato/apple dishes Jerry makes for the holidays. The blinis were unbelievably good. I really could have made a meal of that alone. Pickled herring? Not one of my favorite things... to say the least. My father would eat the onions. My mother would eat the herring. And I would leave the house. Thanks always for your kindness!
I can smell that turkey all the way over here, Mitch!! Seriously, my mouth is watering.
ReplyDeleteI got the joke and thought it was funny oh well!!
Those nibblies look mighty fine too! Isn't it just a shame that there's never a thin' to eat!
Ron
Ron:
DeleteInterestingly, Elena didn't find the joke funny but she now refers to the turkey as Godzilita. Go figure! We've got about 6 freezer packs of turkey leftovers. Come on over!
That turkey looks cooked to perfection. Ours was much smaller, but there were only three of us. Glad you festivities went so well. Take care.
ReplyDeleteStephen:
DeleteThe turkey WAS perfect -- very surprising given the size (and eccentricities) of our oven.
Birdzilla!
ReplyDeleteWalt the Fourth:
DeleteEven better!