Avocado Salsa

After Thanksgiving it felt great to have something light and refreshing. You would think this is a guacamole, but I am a guacamole purist, so since this is not strictly a guacamole, I liken it more to an avocado salsa. I also prefer chunky over smooth - this is not a dip or a sauce - guacamole and salsa are fresh and full of colour - let their ingredients be seen and the textures mingle. If I wanted a sauce, I would call this a sauce. I can't stand seeing people (and companies) mangle great ingredients.

The flavours are all very strong on their own, but they marry so well together that no one flavour dominates. You can serve this with tortilla's, but the picture here shows me eating it on a shredded wheat cracker. It's uses are limitless - a condiment for fish tacos would be my first dish to use this with.

No oil - all that creamy sheen is from the avocado and lime juice

I make this every time I have the ingredients on hand.


Avocado Salsa

Avocado		3, cubed
Tomato		5 med, chopped
Red Onion		1/2 head, minced
Garlic		2 tbsp, minced
Lime Zest		1 stalk, finely sliced
Lime Juice		5 whole peppers
Thai Chili		1/4 cup
Cilantro		1/2 cup
Black Pepper		2 tbsp (ground)
Sea Salt		4 tbsp (1/6 pkg)

Preparation:

1. In a jar, add avocado cubes, diced tomato, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, chili paste, black pepper, sea salt.
2. Cap the jar and shake vigorously.
3. Let the jar stand while you prepare the cilantro. Once it has dried and been chopped, add it to the jar. It will seem as though it will not fit, but once it is coated with the salsa it will mix well. Adding it to an unmixed jar will hinder this process.
4. Shake to coat all leaves. Open and stir up from the bottom if it needs some help to get going.
5. Serve immediately, but the longer it steeps, the more flavour develops. Can be stored in the fridge for a little over a week (lime and salt are great preservatives).

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is usually at Roose's home, my mother's sister, and all of my mother's siblings, her cousin, and my nani attend. But this year my cousin Stephanie has moved and not been in her new house for more thank a week, and to get the first visit out of the way, we'll be having Thanksgiving there on Sunday. On top of that, mom wanted us to come by on Saturday, since Cheryl will not be able to make Sunday dinner. This will be a more intimate, immediate family, now that En and I are out west and Cher officially has Mark in her life.

As if that wouldn't turkey us out enough, Monday En and I will be hosting his immediate family for 'take-out fake-out Chinese' dinner. Menu selection did not fall to me, obviously. I will insist we eat in the dining room. We need some tradition and civility for this holiday meal.

There have been the odd years where Thanksgiving has been held at my parent's home. Some years it would be just the four of us, some it would be the entire clan. This is the first year it's us with significant others, but the food remains the same. Here is the yummy menu I typically expect from mom, with the exception of one year, where we each had a Cornish hen stuffed with apricots and walnuts. Yum.

MOM'S THANKSGIVING MENU

Aparatif

Cognac

...and something Gin for me!

H'ors Douvres

Orange Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Mini Meat Tarts

Main

White Wine Whole Turkey

Gravy

Scalloped or Mashed Potatoes

Rice

Dessert

 Baked Something (Always Changes)

Fruit

If I had one word to describe Thanksgiving in the Persaud/Thakurdin/Sukhdeo/Brazinski family, it would be convivial. Not as much liquor as you would think. More food than you could shake a stick at. An odd and discombobulated menu that stems from our multiculturalism. While some would be confused, it works for us. Here is an almost unfailing sample menu.

THAKURDIN THANKSGIVING MENU

Aparatif

Grey Goose Vodka

Johnny Black

Virgin Punch

H'ors Douvres

Baigani, Palourie & Aluball with Tamarind Sour

Cream Cheese Crab Salsa Dip with Tortillas

Salted Plantain Chips (thick-long cut)

Main

 Lasagna (beef)

Turkey

Gravy

Roast Ham

Curry Chicken or Goat

Rice

Roti

Garden Salad

Dessert

Chocolate Cake

Almond Cake

Psuedo Cheesecake

Pone

Custard

Fruit

This is how things went down this year.

The Spread (clockwise from bottom): corn on cob, macaroni casarole, mash potatoes, green beans, sweet potato, sausage, bok choi and centre is turkey

Fresh Strawberries

Pineapple Upside Down Individual Cakes
with Vanilla Ice Cream

On Saturday night I wanted to visit mom and dad, so mom had a dinner for us wish Cher, since she wouldn't be able to join to greater family dinner. Right off the bat there was h'ors d;ouvres; mutton rolls, samosas, hummus and pita, onion dip and triscuts. For dinner, there was turkey, gravy, mash potato, sweet potato, bok choi, sausages, macaroni casserole, and broccoli salad. For dessert, she served individual pineapple upside down cakes with vanilla ice cream. It was wonderful as always spending time at mom's. I was so tired I had to take a nap after dinner. Okay, I admit, there was some itis going on as well, but for the most part, sleeping three hours a night for a couple nights will do that to you. To see Alexis so comfortable with everyone just warms my heart so much. It always feels like home.

The yummy salads I missed :(

Dinner - The table extends beyond that top right plate

Dessert: check out that cheesecake!

Sunday Dinner at Steph's new house was wonderful and I didn't over eat like I did the night before. There was turkey, gravy, mash potatoes, pasta salad and mango salad, rice, dhal pourri, chicken curry, mutton curry, phalourri, potato ball with mango sour, spring rolls and lumpia, veggies and dip, crab dip. For dessert, there was pumpkin pie, cheesecake, some cookie dough cake, pone, custard, and a few other things I'm sure. I didn't eat much  (I missed to mango salad!) because Alexis was upset with her food. I had to cut up and mash her green beans and sweet potato there, so it was way too chunky. It took four of us to feed her! That's okay; I didn't want to overdo it anyways. It was simply nice to see my family and chat with them all, but also was wonderful seeing my cousin's new home. Food was simply a bonus. Aunt Mala made the Cheesecake. which was the only dessert I indulged in. And damn, she said she twice baked it, and damn, was it ever good.

Chowing Down

Beautiful Table Set by Kayla

Monday Lunch was here at our house. The Teopiz family got together here sans Jeverlynn, since she was horribly sick. We really missed her. The menu for the Teopiz clan is never really home made.  They ordered from China China Palace to augment the few things we made. I made a ton of lumpia, cut up some guava and longuns, and ma brought a fruit tray, lumpia, steamed rice, fried plantain and a big black forest cake. The meal was Shrimp in Lobster Sauce, Ma Po Tofu, Seafood Cantonese Chow Mien, Beef in Black Bean Sauce, Pad Thai, Fried Calamari and Fried Chicken Wings.  I set the dining room table, and for the first time in what must be years, his family sat in a home at a table, together, and ate a holiday meal. I was so happy. It felt right. After dinner and coffee, the guys retired to the basement and we stayed in the kitchen to feed Alexis.