and

more thanksgiving...
I ended up making a big chicken which I think I over cooked. I wanted to make oyster stuffing, but I could not find oysters in a can or in a pint, or out of the shell of any sort. Oysters are plentiful here now, but none out of the shell so I settled for sausage stuffing.
The sausage I bought was "natural" and it was a bit tasteless.
I woke up around 5:30 on Thursday morning ( I could have milked the cows) to cut and prepare everything. I made the stuffing and the mashed potatoes. I made the cranberry sauce, cut up Brussel sprouts and generally got everything ready.
I thought I should make the dogs dinner ahead of time for I wasn't frying fish and vegetables late afternoon. I opened a can of green beans, reached in to pull some out and sliced open a knuckle on my left hand. There was blood everywhere including the walls. I came close to going to the hospital.
I managed to get the bleeding stopped and put on a plastic glove to finish.

I did the best I could but I was disappointed in the results. My "friend" arrived at around 4:20 with his little dog. My friend J tells me that the French have a tradition in which they always show up late to dinner or fete at someones house. The reason, to give the person extra time to do last minute things...a courtesy.
He brought a tropical ginger plant as a gift ...it was very thirsty and needed immediate water.  I put on the Macy's parade on the TV and we sat down to eat.  I asked him to cut the turkey, but I don't think he had ever done it before. He cut one side of the breast in one big piece and he put it on my plate. ( my revulsion continued) . It was like rubber. As most men do, he ate a leg. I think the legs don't get rubbery.
He marveled at the acorn squash...loved the mashed potatoes ( that I made with cream. I had to ask a little old woman at the supermarche which cream to get for puree de pomme de terre.) They were very creamy. He also loved the cranberry sauce..it was new to him.
For dessert, I bought some kind of small chocolate ganache cake that I was instructed to cut with a hot knife. It was very good.
I cleared the table and then it came time for him to leave. He did not offer to help with the dishes, but my friend J tells me;
 I forgot to tell you why it's considered rude to do the dishes while guests are still there. It's because it signals to the guests that the evening is over and it's time to leave. If the host gets up and starts doing the dishes, it means you've overstayed your welcome. A very French thing. Their passive-aggressive way of saying  "Go home".

a likely excuse.
All of the dogs got along well and din't mind that the turkey was a chicken and that it was rubbery. ( note tiny zook on the right. )
I forgot to light the candles till the end.

so, it turned out just ok. he most fun was sourcing the ingredients and talking to all kinds of people in French.