Happy Thanksgiving! (pass in review)

Some pics of today's meal!

Overall, it turned out great. One minor complaint would be the ham, which started off moist and fatty, but which dried out, despite the glaze, after all the pan-frying. Next time, I'll just give the ham a quick sear, as I did with the turkey. The turkey turned out fine; it stayed moist. Cream corn and sweet-potato pie were great-tasting and the perfect texture; the gravy provided the right accent (although my boss complained about it being white and not brown). The stuffing was amazing, and the two desserts—apple pie and apple crumble—turned out perfectly. No burned bottoms, and nothing undercooked. I wish I could take credit for that; the results were more of a happy accident than anything planned. I apparently still have a lot to learn about my oven.

Alas, it was just me and my boss eating today; my American coworker was showing signs of being sick yesterday, and he took off work today thanks to a full-blown fever. I don't think it's COVID, though: the guy was sneezing and had a runny nose yesterday, and those aren't COVID symptoms. I think it's just a good old cold because the weather's transitioning into winter. I'm surprised I haven't caught a cold myself yet. Upshot: the boss joked there was "more for us" to eat today, and there are plenty of leftovers for when my coworker comes back tomorrow or Monday. My Korean coworker, our designer-in-residence, is also absent: his daughter got COVID, and the whole family is in isolation; our designer won't be back until December 6 at the earliest. In the meantime, some photos:

Sweet-potato casserole and cream corn:

Stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas & carrots, turkey, and cranberry sauce on the margin:

Another look at the ham, which I'll treat with more respect next time:

The gravy, heated up:

First pic of my plate:

Second pic of my plate:

Third pic of my plate, with the meat in the foreground. Ironically, I didn't put any gravy atop my turkey, which was the whole point of making the gravy. When I eat some leftovers this evening, I'll remember to do that:

The old "one piece missing" shot of the pie. You can see, I think, that the bottom crust came out okay despite my fears:

The crumble was awesome as well:

Dessert on my plate:

And à la mode:

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers. I now have three weeks before my doctor's appointment—three weeks to get my numbers back in shape. This may require some extreme measures after today's indulgences, but I think it's doable. Today, though, I'm letting myself go with no regrets. Enjoy your own regret-free holiday, wherever you are. American Thanksgiving isn't celebrated in Korea, obviously, but as they say about Christmas, you can keep it in your heart. I think my meal brought a bit of the Thanksgiving spirit to our tiny office, even if it was just me and my boss keeping the flame alive. 

My boss is a collector of Korean art and antiquities, and he can wax rhapsodic about this or that Joseon-era tchotchke, but when it comes to food, he loses his articulateness and merely grunts "It's good" at the end of a meal. But he cleaned his plate, then he had himself a slice of pie with ice cream, so despite his complaint about the gravy, I think he enjoyed himself just fine. You have fun, too. Eat hearty!