Turkey and ham with Netskis and Wellingtons

Thanksgiving 2006 played out a lot like Thanksgiving 2005, with the exception of transportation. Chris was already down at the lake house, so I rode with classmates Alex and Nico. I was also a little more ambitious with my cooking: in addition to the cranberry sauce that went over so well last year (see below), I made a butternut squash cassoulet that seemed to get a good reception even though it didn't make it to the table in the condition I had hoped. (I cooked it only part way, with plans to cook it more upon our arrival, but navigation issues delayed us a full hour, thus reducing further cook-time.)

Dinner was excellent again, and afterwards Uncle Jimmy treated us to a very impressive performance of "Alice's Restaurant" (at the correct tempo, no easy feat!). All of the extended family left before too long, so Chris's parents joined the four of us future architects in a game of Trivial Pursuit (with a 1981 "Genus I" edition board). Nico and Sarah got into an early lead, but never managed to snag the orange wedge. Chris and Alex accumulated their pieces in a slow and steady fashion, but Ed and I managed to comeback from last place and take the game at the very end (which is my kind of exciting end!) Over the course of the game, I was reminded that:

• The Battle of Hastings occurred in 1066.
• It was Vincent van Gogh who cut off his ear (not Pablo Picasso, whose name I carelessly blurted out while Ed was putting away leftovers).
• There are 32 named points on the compass rose. (Wikipedia tells me it works like this:
  270.00° West
  281.25° West by North
  292.50° West-Northwest
  303.75° Northwest by West
  315.00° Northwest
  326.25° Northwest by North
  337.50° North-Northwest
  348.75° North by West
  360.00° North
  I had guessed 16, since I didn't understand the "___ by ___" directions.)
• There were two guns of Navarone.

So, it was both an an enjoyable and educational day. Now to educate you, dear reader, here's the recipe to my now-traditional sidedish:

Cosmopolitan Cranberry Sauce
3 limes
1 orange
½ c. water
12 oz. cranberries picked over
1 c. sugar
¼ c. orange-flavor liqueur
1. Zest the limes and the orange. Juice the limes (and orange if desired) into a measuring cup, and add water to make ¾ c. liquid.
2. In 2-quart saucepan combine juice, sugar, cranberries, and zest; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes or until most cranberries pop and sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in liqueur.
3. Refrigerate in a covered container at least 3 hours; freeze to expedite the process if necessary.

This was adapted from a recipe in Good Housekeeping. I almost always make a double batch.