Here in Maine, we are no strangers to cold weather or the numerous snowstorms we receive throughout the year. So why would Thanksgiving Day be any different? Well, since moving here, we have experienced a few minor snowstorms during the month of November and sometimes as early as October. By the end of November, there is usually a coating of ice on the ground and our road, with only an inch or so of snow on the ground. This Thanksgiving would be quite different. The Weather Channel called for three to five inches of snowfall overnight. This also presented us with the possibility of spending the day without power. That wouldn’t do, because there were many dishes to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner. I always like to get a headstart on cooking the day before anyway and I was able to get a few things done. I made mashed turnips and red cabbage. Making red cabbage is a family tradition and the smell of it cooking always makes me think of holidays spent with my family. My next task was making a pumpkin flan with maple caramel and coconut whipped cream. I have made flan before, but I have never used this recipe. I wanted to make sure everything would work out just in case I needed to come up with a back-up plan for dessert. Toward the end of the day, the last dish I made was bourbon-glazed shallots. I knew this would take a while to cook and I’m glad I got that done the day before as well. The last dishes to complete for the day were the butternut squash soup and cranberry sauce. Those tasks were completed by my partner. These are just a couple of his specialty dishes for Thanksgiving. I’m glad we got a few of the dishes finished and out of the way and the rest would have to wait until the morning.
Around three o’clock in the morning, the power went out. It was completely dark and quiet, except for the dreaded beeping of the computer backups coming from downstairs. I thought this was it and we would, in fact, have to spend the day without power. When we lose power here, it is usually for several hours or days at a time. I also thought, at least we prepared a few of the dishes and at least had something to eat for our holiday dinner. Luckily, the power came back on around seven o’clock in the morning. While looking outside the windows, we were quite surprised by the amount of snowfall we had received overnight. The snow was extremely wet and heavy and had stuck to the trees and their branches, as well as the wires. This would explain why the power had gone out. We were sure that a tree or two had fallen on the wires nearby. The snowy scene outside made everything look and feel more like Christmas than Thanksgiving. I then got busy working on making Brussels sprouts with warm honey glaze and coconut creamed greens. My partner made the mashed sweet potatoes and broccoli with carrots coated with a vinaigrette. The last thing to make would be the salmon, but that could be cooked shortly before it was time to sit down and eat. I then had some work to do on the computer and phone calls to make. With everything done, I then had time to take a few photographs in the backyard.
Deer tracks in the snow.
I was also cat sitting over the holiday weekend and we had to go and get her to bring her back to our place. We couldn’t believe how much snow we received. The wind was also starting to pick up and we knew that there was a chance of the power going out again. I was glad I brought my camera with me and I took a few photographs along the way to Farmington. The snow sticking to the trees along the sides of the roads made for quite beautiful views.
We stopped at Clearwater Lake and I took a video and a photograph of the sun going down over the lake.
A view of Clearwater Lake on Thanksgiving Day.
After I got our furry guest settled in for her stay, I got ready to sit down and watch March of the Wooden Soldiers, an annual tradition. As the opening credits were playing, the power went out again. We thought, there goes our dinner! Eventually, everything worked out though. We got out our trusted camping stove that we have had to use on such occasions and came up with a strategy for getting dinner on the table. We successfully cooked the salmon over the stove and warmed up everything else, too. We also lit a bunch of candles and oil lamps and our dinner ended up being very romantic. About halfway through dinner, the power came back on, but we turned the lights back off to keep up with the mood. We enjoyed our desserts a bit later on and the flan recipe I used was delicious. I will definitely make this recipe again.
Toward the end of the night, I finally had a chance to watch March of the Wooden Soldiers and took a moment to think about what I was most thankful for. I was thankful for spending a wonderful and adventurous day with my partner, as well as enjoying our quiet candlelit dinner together. Also, not to mention all of the wonderful leftovers we enjoyed for the next week. This was definitely a Thanksgiving to remember. I hope everyone enjoyed their day as well, spending time with your loved ones and enjoying good food.
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