Turkey & all the Fixings

This was the 2nd year the Ahlquist family gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving at niece Emily's house in Warren, PA. Because the 2nd best thing about a holiday meal is the leftovers dinner at Emily's house meant we'd have to go without. To remedy the situation I pre-ordered a 20 pound turkey from Malady's Meat Market in Meadville, PA. Owners Bill & Cathy Malady own a condo at Peek & Peak and have been customers for several years. When Bill told me that he buys fresh, organic turkeys from the same farm that supplies the White House I reserved our first all natural, no hormones, no additives "celebrity" bird. So the Monday before Thanksgiving Bruce & I took a rainy drive to Meadville - about 1 hour south of Findley Lake - to pick up our turkey. Bill smokes lots of meats & cheeses so we took home some wonderful smoked pepper jack & smoked swiss cheeses as well.Bruce whipped up all the fixings, we invited a few friends, and we enjoyed our own family Thanksgiving dinner the night before the actual holiday. I talked Bruce into trying a couple of new recipes, cranberry horseradish chutney & roasted brussel sprouts with pecans, both of which were excellent & worth adding to future holiday menus. Hillary & I spent the day at home where even I was swept up in the food prep festivities -- I decided to make tapioca pudding from scratch. You know, soak the pearls overnight, then stir forever on the stove. After the tapioca was refrigerated I decided to assemble a tuscan-style crudite platter so while I roasted asparagus & worked on the assemblage Hillary helped me set the table, move laundry & (to her dismay) assist whereever needed. It was a nice, (albeit cooking-hectic because the kitchen is not my natural habitat) day at home together if you discount all the times Hllary exlaimed I was getting on her last nerve! The turkey itself was huge, meaty & delicious. The meat was sweet and delicate; it reminded Bruce of his grandmother's turkeys back in the days before hormones, saline solution & other various chemicals were added to the food chain. Needless to say the turkey was not inexpensive but Monday's adventure to Malady's and the resulting delicious meal were a bargain at any price. We were happy to support a fellow small business and look forward to continuing the tradition. Bill, better put us down for another 20 pounder come Thanksgiving 2009!