A Merry Camp Thanksgiving and Barely Emerging from the Food Coma

Bleary-eyed and feeling like I could go right back to sleep, I awoke this morning after a two-day stuffing, Pumpkin cheesecake, and canned cranberry jelly bender.

If stuffing tastes great on Thanksgiving evening- at the official Thanksgiving meal, it tastes 2x as good as you are cooking it and tasting it and 5x better the day after – on a Thanksgiving sandwich.  It’s just math.

But man…this heavy food, while sooo delicious, does not leave you feeling all fresh and energetic.  It’s just the price I have to pay for the holidays.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with 5 guests at Cayo Frances Farm and Fly this year – “the camp”.  It was a beautiful breezy day.  And I took some pictures so…here they are.

But first, I hope you all had a great holiday in the USA.  And those who celebrate it just because…

A day…nay a long weekend filled with food and friends and flowers and gravy.

It is NOT an official holiday in Belize (though it is widely celebrated in areas that attract lots of visitors) and someone sent me this faux government press release that says it perfectly.  You can test your Kriol skills.  (I find it best to read it aloud…but be sure there are no Belizeans around!  You might get laughed at.)

I’m still in awe of the mural that an artist did around the base of the main building.  The details are incredible.

And his beautiful painting of bonefish looks perfect with the Christmas tree we put up the day before Thanksgiving.

Starring flies and Belize City bicycles licenses.

Huge flocks of olive throated parakeets were feeding on the sapodilla fruits…they scream and scream and scream but rarely sit still for photos.

The frangipani trees are making huge seed pods…

These agave plants just keep multiplying…so pretty but don’t get too close.  They are serious spikes on the ends of each leaf.

Here is my new favorite – the Confederate rose.  When I stayed at the beautiful Stillwater Rental Home, I asked about it.  And then gave me a cutting that had recently been rooted.

The flower opens in the morning, pure white.  And by the end of the day, it is a dark pink.  Amazing to me.

840am.

About noon.

3pm.

Just before sunset.

And now the food…

Elsie “helping out” in the kitchen.

Marvin slow cooks the turkey legs and thighs in oil and spices until they are falling from the bone…and then rubs them with molasses and allspice and some jerk seasoning and…puts them on the grill to crisp up.

And then I made Apple Crumble (a half batch of this amazing recipe I make again and again) – and then I tried a new one.   And it came out AMAZING.  I used ginger snaps for the crust (those spicy ones you can get at the gas station here) – SOOOOO good.  Pumpkin cheesecake bars.

And then…the after-party.

A very good night.

By the way…I just went with “hair of the dog” and had another piece of the cheesecake.  I just can’t help it.