Feasting on Art

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone is thoroughly stuffed and satisfied. This menu is my attempt to reconcile an American holiday that for me, has suddenly shifted from a typically frigid November to a muggy one (it was 104F on Sunday here in Sydney!). I spent my holiday with a group of my new friends here and for them I am thankful. After a year in Australia (officially as of the 25th!!) I finally feel settled. I am thankful for my now healthy family and even though they are very far away they always find ways to make sure I feel loved and remembered. This year has given me a brand new facet of my life to be thankful for – this blog. It is a space where I continue to learn and study the things I am most passionate about. Thank you everyone for your support and continual inspiration!

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Thanksgiving, or Turkey Day as it is affectionately dubbed, is not complete with the glistening roast bird set as the centerpiece of the meal. In 2007 I had the pleasant experience of discovering that the tiny oven in my London flat would not accommodate the giant bird I bought to roast. After a bit of wrestling I managed to sort out a solution but I have since decided that roasting the bird in pieces is much easier and takes a portion of the time. This recipe works just as well with chicken and can either be cooked entirely in the oven or finished off on a grill to enhance the smokey & charred BBQ flavor of the sauce and the rub.

Soren Emil Carlsen, Thanksgiving Still Life, 1891
oil on canvas, 117 x 106 cm, San Diego Museum of Art

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