If you have been reading my blog for a long time (ha) then you have probably read about my adventures around thanksgiving last year. This year I wanted to do it up a little bigger, and hopefully with a years more experience have a little less trouble. I arranged for some friends of mine to host the party, since their house has more space, and thn basically invited everyone I know, and told them to invite everyone they know, etc. The party was to be potluck like last year, with me producing the Turkey and stuffing again. I didn't want to have the same trouble with the turkey again this year, and a British friend of mine named Allan told me about a special expat butcher that could probably get me a good one. I found their website and reserved a nice big turkey for the party, and then sat back and waited for the big day. As the day approached I made sure everyone was up to speed, that there would be plenty of food and booze, and warned our hosts that I would have to be at their house bright and early to prepare the turkey for the evening meal.
The problem was, I discovered, the friendly butcher had not reserved me a turkey. I went to the shop and was told there were no turkeys left, and that I was out of luck. In a state of near panic I called the mans cellphone. Understandably he doesn't answer that line, and only returns calls. Anyway he returned my call and I told him what had happened. He was very nice on the phone and certainly sympathetic. He promised there would be a turkey for me. The day before the party I went to pick it up, and sure enough there was a turkey waiting for me. A turkey weighing in at right around 20#!!! Unclear if it would even fit into a tiny czech oven, I warned my hosts, that I might be improvising in their kitchen.
Preparations actually went quite smoothly. I was up bright and early and trekking my 20# bird across Prague. I had to wash it in the bathtub, and we had to invent a special oven pan using large quantities of aluminum foil, but in the end it was possibly the best turkey I have ever eaten. (Also the freshest, as I am pretty sure my friendly butcher went out and killed it for me). It took pretty much all day to cook it and filled the oven to capacity, but it came out beautiful. My stuffing (thanks again Joan) came out perfect, and was often cited as the best anyone had ever had.
We had a pretty fine turn out with I think a maximum number around 20 at any time, and there was more food than we could possibly consume (some of Jason's Czech students prepared potato pancakes as well). Several people got to celebrate their first thanksgiving which pleased me greatly. Toward the end of the evening everything devolved into drunken chaos, but that was fun, too.
Finally the party ran out of booze and the remaining guests all tromped down to the nearest pub to play darts and finish getting completely hammered. God bless Thanksgiving. Megan took most of the pictures since I again forgot my camera, but I don't have them available. Perhaps I will post them later (update: Photos)
The problem was, I discovered, the friendly butcher had not reserved me a turkey. I went to the shop and was told there were no turkeys left, and that I was out of luck. In a state of near panic I called the mans cellphone. Understandably he doesn't answer that line, and only returns calls. Anyway he returned my call and I told him what had happened. He was very nice on the phone and certainly sympathetic. He promised there would be a turkey for me. The day before the party I went to pick it up, and sure enough there was a turkey waiting for me. A turkey weighing in at right around 20#!!! Unclear if it would even fit into a tiny czech oven, I warned my hosts, that I might be improvising in their kitchen.
Preparations actually went quite smoothly. I was up bright and early and trekking my 20# bird across Prague. I had to wash it in the bathtub, and we had to invent a special oven pan using large quantities of aluminum foil, but in the end it was possibly the best turkey I have ever eaten. (Also the freshest, as I am pretty sure my friendly butcher went out and killed it for me). It took pretty much all day to cook it and filled the oven to capacity, but it came out beautiful. My stuffing (thanks again Joan) came out perfect, and was often cited as the best anyone had ever had.
We had a pretty fine turn out with I think a maximum number around 20 at any time, and there was more food than we could possibly consume (some of Jason's Czech students prepared potato pancakes as well). Several people got to celebrate their first thanksgiving which pleased me greatly. Toward the end of the evening everything devolved into drunken chaos, but that was fun, too.
Finally the party ran out of booze and the remaining guests all tromped down to the nearest pub to play darts and finish getting completely hammered. God bless Thanksgiving. Megan took most of the pictures since I again forgot my camera, but I don't have them available. Perhaps I will post them later (update: Photos)
