NaNoWriMo 10

Abbey worked in the store in the early morning instead of the afternoon the following day. She needed to be at home in the afternoon to begin some of the longer preparations for their Thanksgiving dinner the following day. Tom was to go hunting later as well with George so it was really necessary to have Carl behind the counter. They did not expect a busy afternoon as most people had everything they intended for the next day but they kept the store open just in case. Tom had posted a big sign out front announcing the store would close early for the day and remain closed on Thanksgiving day. After the train had made its daily stop Carl was free to close up and head out to his own family and celebration. In her kitchen that afternoon Abbey had the stove roaring. Pots bubbled on top, the pumpkins were roasting in the cavernous belly of the stove. When those came out she had a ham shank that needed to go in. The room became over heated, the windows steamed and her cheeks were flushed. She swung open the door to the back parlor and the heat pour into the room. Still the kitchen was hot with the oven pumping out a steady fire of heat. She closed the doors to the front rooms and their bedroom and swung open the big front door, latching the screen shut. She opened the back door in an effort to get the November winds to pull through the house and move the heated air. As the weather itself was warm it didn’t cool the kitchen as much as she wished but it did make it tolerable to work in the room. When the pumpkins had nearly reached perfection, Abbey took out the ham and unwrapped the butcher paper. It was a fresh cured ham that she would glaze in brown sugar and black pepper. Placing in the large roasting pan she scored the top in a cross hatch pattern then rubbing seasonings into the meat. Using whole cloves she pinned pineapple rings to the top. In the center of each she skewered a bright red cherry on a pick and pushed it into the ham. She stood back and took in her handiwork and smiled one of her biggest ever. For as long as she could remember she had wanted to make one of these big decorated hams for a Sunday dinner or for the holidays. She had never before been able to afford the large portion of meat and instead she had always cooked a very small chicken for her and her father during the holidays. Things were so different she could hardly believe this was her life. The pumpkin halves came out of the oven and the ham went in. Boiled eggs were set to cool in a pan of cold water. She rolled out pie crusts and mashed the pumpkin to be made into pie filling. She mixed batter for cornbread and rolled out biscuits for her dressing. She chopped vegetables and herbs. Pots and crocks and jars began to neatly fill the work spaces. The smells coming from the kitchen poured out side and through the house. She nibbled and dipped and tasted. She double checked her grandmother’s recipes and then triple checked them. She was struggling so desperately for perfection. She was pulling cranberries from the heat have waited patiently for them to start to pop in their skins when she heard Tom voicing calling from outside. “Helloooo, the house,� his voice boomed loud. Abbey went out, whipping her hands on the apron covering her skirt. She was met with the sit of Tom holding up a monstrous gobbler. “Tom! Oh my goodness,� she started laughing, “that turkey must weigh twenty five pounds!� “Having carried it 3 miles I am guessing it weighs closer to forty,� he grinned like a school boy raising the bird high for her inspection. She marveled and remarked and stroked ego making him grin bigger and puffy out his chest on the harvest bounty he was bringing home. She took his rifle and pack into the house while he went out behind the barn to dress the bird. After checking everything would fine left in the kitchen without a watchful eye she took a large butchers knife and a clean towel out to bring back the bird. Once cleaned and dressed Tom pumped gallons of fresh water to clean the bird inside and out. Pin feathers were picked until the skin was smooth. Tom cleaned the giblet pieces and placed them in a dish to be carried in for more of Abbey’s cooking preparations. The bird was buttered, seasoned and wrapped in clean muslin and set in the cool of the cellar to marinate the flavors over night. Early the next morning everything kicked into high gear as if it wasn’t already at an accelerated pace. The turkey went into the oven. The dressing was put together and stood in a roasting pan waiting its turn in the oven. Pies where placed onto lovely stands and covered with crisp white linen and set on the sideboard in the dining room. Small glass dishes appeared and were filled with cranberry relish, nuts, pickles, olives, pearl onions and a variety of condiments. The ham was the centerpiece of a huge serving tray that had been lined with lacey edge greens. The platter would grace one end of the dinner table and the opposite end was reserved for the turkey that Tom would carve. She was so happy to be receiving guests and proud of the beauty of the home she was able to open to their friends. While there was a moment in which the preparations stalled only because everything was in a stage of cooking she at the table with a small stack of cards. She created place cards with the name of each guest and put them in the little silver holders she found in the drawer of the silver chest. She then set about creating a menu card for the table, decorating the edges with little turkey, pumpkin and corn drawings that she carefully colored in. Thanksgiving Dinner Menu Entrees Roast Turkey with cornbread dressing and cranberry relish Baked Ham with pineapple and cherry garnish served with brown sugar and cracked black pepper glaze Vegetables Sweet Potato Pone with a pecan crust Creamed Corn baked as a southern pudding Braised Collards with white onion and pickled pepper vinegar sauce Green Beans steamed in lemon and butter Copper Pennies marinated and chilled Salads Potato Salad Deviled Eggs with olive and paprika garnish Bread Yeast Rolls served with honey whipped butter Condiment and Garnish Roasted Pecans, Miniature Pickles, Pearl Onions Pickled Okra Pods, Olives Beverages Chilled Sweetened Tea Red Wine Dessert Pumpkin Pie with fresh whipped cream and nutmeg topping Coconut Cake with raspberry glaze conserve Freshly Brewed Coffee with Amaretto Liquor The menu card was placed on a small plate stand and sat on the sideboard in clear sight of the guests. She made a quick trip out side to gathered greenery of magnolia leaves, spruce, boxwood and fall leaves in rich colors. She put together a centerpiece for the table using those things as well as vegetables and fruits from the cellar with a few stems of dried wheat and grasses. Candles where placed on the table. Tom had seen to it a fire was laid in the dining room in hope the steady fall of the temperature would continue throughout the day. By the time the kitchen had been cleaned for what seemed like the hundredth time over the past two days she was pleasantly tired but ready to dress for their guests. With hot water from the stove reservoir she covered the window and took time out to bathe, dressed her hair and slipped on her best pencil thin skirt and lace blouse with pearl buttons. Tom took time and did the same, shaving and donning fresh clothes. With the bath waters splash out the back door the large washtub was leaned against the side of the house to drain. George and Myrtis arrived with the boys looking spit shined and polished. While the husbands sipped on a thimble full of brandy purchased for the purpose of soaking fruit for Christmas cakes, the boys given a small punch cup of cider with a stick of cinnamon, the women finished setting the dishes prepared by Myrtis on the table and sideboard. The turkey was pulled from the oven and transferred to a serving platter and taken to the dining room table. Carving utensils were laid at Tom’s place setting. Critically eyeing every detail Abbey lit the candles and finally declared dinner could be served after she over heard the boys whispering about how many times she was going to straighten the dishes before they could eat. The blessing was asked as everyone bowed their heads around the table. Dishes were passed as plates filled. The conversation was happy and light. Laughter filled the room. No a peep was heard from the boys as they sat and ate and ate until she was sure they would pop. She did notice they both were eyeing the desserts. Abbey excuse herself to refill the tea pitcher. As she returned to the dining room a knock on the glass of the front door interrupted their meal. She stepped out in the hall seeing a woman with a child that she did not recognize through the glass. “May I help you?� she asked pulling the door open. “I sure hope so. I am looking for Thomas Harlow.� The woman shuffled the child from one arm the to the other. “My husband is having Thanksgiving dinner with our guests. Perhaps I could be of some help.� Abbey was polite as she took in the state of the child the woman held. The baby girl was soiled and her face tear stained. “The best help you can give me would be to tell Tom the mother of his child is standing outside on the front porch.�