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Demonic Turkeys

Since this is my first post with the Casablanca Babes, I thought I'd take a minute to introduce myself before I get into the meat (or turkey, considering it’s almost Thanksgiving!) of my post.

For those who don’t know me, I’m new to the Casablanca line. My first release with Sourcebooks, TEMPTED, hits store shelves in October 2011. This is actually the third book in my Eternal Guardians series. The first two books, MARKED and ENTWINED, released in May and August, respectively. In addition to dark paranormals, I also write sexy romantic suspense and my next RS release is an anthology with Kensington in June. If you’d like to learn more about me and my books, I’d love it if you’d stop by my website at http://www.elisabethnaughton.com/ (and be sure to drop me a note if you do!)

Okay, now on to the fun stuff…Turkey Day! I hate to admit it, but I’m not a big fan of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. (And I hope I’m not going to be blackballed admitting that on my first day!) It’s not that I don’t enjoy being with family – I do! – its simply that I can’t stand turkey. This aversion stems from childhood and it’s not a pretty memory. You see, I grew up on a small farm in Eastern Oregon and one year my parents raised turkeys. We had three. Three very mean “demons” as I called them. It was early fall, school had just started, and the turkeys roamed our property at will. I’d ridden the bus home from school, walked up the drive and realized that the front door was locked. Whenever my mom mopped the entry floor, she’d lock the door so my brothers and I wouldn’t tromp mud all over the place, and she often wouldn’t hear us knocking if she was at the back of the house. My older brother, being the loving older brother he was, talked me into going around to the back and entering through the sliding glass door so I could then unlock the front door for him. And being the lowly younger sister that I was, I had no choice but to follow his command…er, direction.

I knew the demons were in the backyard somewhere, but I figured if I was quiet enough, they wouldn’t hear me. I carefully crept around the side of the house, peeked through the bushes. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary and thinking I was safe, I darted onto the back deck, then froze mid-step when I saw the turkeys camped out behind the deck furniture.

I’m sure you can imagine my reaction. I was probably only 8 or 9 at the time. My heart raced. I took a step back. I’d never liked those turkeys in the first place but that day I’m convinced their eyes turned red and they smelled my fear. They jumped up, ran right for me. I screamed, dropped my bag and ran the other way. And being the evil demonic beings that they are, they spread their wings, shrieked (I swear it sounded like a blood-curdling shriek), and attacked.

My mother saw the horror from the kitchen window and came tearing out to save me, frying pan in hand. By this time I was already in the garden, running between rows of corn, trying frantically to get free. She managed to scare them away, and my brother, peeking around the corner of the house, got a good laugh out of the whole thing, but I was never the same again. To this day I have a severe aversion to large fowl (you should see the way I will run an extra mile simply to avoid a darn goose in my running path!), and every time I smell turkey cooking, I think of those evil birds and how mean they were.

I suppose, considering my trauma, it should be logical to enjoy frying the bastards, but my reaction is the opposite. I’d simply rather avoid the whole affair. Mashed potatoes and stuffing I like, but just the smell of turkey cooking turns my stomach. My absolute favorite Thanksgiving meal is lobster. I know that sounds strange, but my mother has cooked lobster several times for Thanksgiving and I’ve never been happier. In fact, whenever she talks about Thanksgiving Day plans, I’m always rooting for seafood rather than fowl.

I know most people don’t think lobster is a dream holiday meal, so these days when I’m invited somewhere for the traditional Thanksgiving feast, I keep in mind what’s important about the holiday to begin with—which is simply spending time with the ones we love and being thankful for the blessings we have. Of course, there is a small part of me—a tiny part, really—that’s also thankful a turkey on the table, even if I won’t eat it, means one less demon roaming the earth waiting to attack me when I least expect it.

In honor of my very first post with the Casablanca Babes, I’m giving away a copy of MARKED, book one in my Eternal Guardians series, to one lucky commenter today! Simply tell me your favorite (or least favorite!) Thanksgiving memory.

And since I’m a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner kind of girl, here’s my version of a yummy non-traditional Thanksgiving dessert:

COCONUT CREAM PIE
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch or 1/2 cup flour
3 cups milk
4 eggs
1 T margarine or butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup coconut
2 bananas, sliced (optional)
baked pastry shell
whipped cream for topping

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch or flour. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium-high heat till mixture is thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Separate egg yolks from whites. Beat egg yolks lightly with a fork. Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot filling into yolks. Return all to saucepan; bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in margarine or butter, vanilla and flaked coconut. Pour the hot filling into a baked pastry shell (can line shell with banana slices if desired). Cover pie with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate until set.

Top with whipped cream and serve!

Comments

  1. Oh, you and your fowl! But you didn't say anything about how you LOOOOOOVE Swans! (Are swans fowl? I have to look that up, now.)

    Love that coconut cream recipe. DH is a NUT for coconut. LOL. Will have to make it for him. But since he's not going to be with us for Thanksgiving (has to stay home--he's on duty, I'm not--I'll have to do it for Christmas dessert.)


    Since I critted (or rather simply READ--because neither really needed critting--both TEMPTED and ACAPULCO HEAT, I can honestly say...both are MUST READS!!

    (Nope, not biased! She hates fowl! How could I be biased?)

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  2. Hi Elisabeth! That must've been terrifying.

    I became a vegetarian when I was 11, so I've been a fan of non-traditional Thanksgiving meals for a long time. My favorite Thanksgiving memory was my first T'giving with my then-boyfriend (now husband). He's British and we met when we were living in Prague. We had lots of international friends, and Tim insisted we invite about a dozen people over. He found out from his mom how to cook a turkey, and he made me a veggie meal.

    It was so much fun and Tim has always gotten excited about Thanksgiving ever since.

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  3. A dear friend of mine couldn't stand turkey either--not because of a childhood trauma as far as I know--the smell of it cooking just made her ill.

    She didn't wish to deprive her children on T-day so she even had a self-contained turkey cooker which she would set up on the patio so that the smell wouldn't get in the house.

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  4. LOL, Joan. I think swans are considered large fowl, but for you I make the exception. ;)

    I love that coconut cream pie recipe. I rarely make it because I'll eat the whole damn pie. I hope your hubby enjoys!

    And thanks for the plug on my books. LOL "neither really needed critting" ROFLMAO...YEAH RIGHT!

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  5. Katrina, what does you're vegetarian T'giving meal usually consist of?

    My brother lived in Prague for a while. He really enjoyed his time there.

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  6. Katrina - that's dedication! I'm planning a family T'giving day celebration on Wed night because we're all going different directions T'giving Day and I can't decide what I'm going to make yet. Most definitely it will NOT be turkey. (My poor kids will just have to suffer!)

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  7. LOL Elisabeth! I'll go for the lobster Thanksgiving any day! The smell of any fowl made me so sick during all three of my pregnancies, Turkey really lost all appeal. Even now I can't eat the white meat. Yuck. Sorry, unless it's covered with really good gravy (which then defeats the purpose of eating white meat in the first place). If a turkey looked and tasted more like a cow or a lobster, I'd be in heaven. My family and I decided that I'm going to make a standing rib roast the next time I make Thanksgiving dinner. This year, we have reservations at Longwood Gardens and I'm praying they have lobster on the menu! It's my 21st anniversary, I deserve lobster!

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  8. LOL! My mom had a similar horror story but hers was with a rooster when she was young. My favorite Thanksgiving story happened roughly 12 years ago. We were all at my aunts for Thanksgiving dinner and I brought my puppy, Kujo, with me. He was about 6 months old at the time and he is a Black Lab/Great Dane mix so he was 92 lbs.

    Well, we had 2 turkeys and a ham on the table surrounded by mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, you name it we had it. He took up residence under the table hoping for scraps to fall off. After dinner when the football game was on everyone was in the living room watching and Kujo snuck in, climbed up on a chair, reached over everything to get to the turkey in the center of the table. He snatched the ENTIRE turkey without knocking anything else off the table. He got it outside through the doggy door and went to the corner of the fenced in yard to eat it. We only happened to notice when my cousin went out to give him a few scraps and she noticed he had the whole turkey! You should have seen him and I wrestling for that thing! :)

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  9. Oh you poor thing. I love lobster. But I have to have my turkey first, and then lobster sounds like heaven!

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  10. Darn older brothers! :( My Asian family is pretty traditional, so we don't really celebrate Thanksgiving, but we do have a huge get-together with the rest of the family. Lots of roast duck, pork, and chicken is involved! And pie. Mmmm, pie.

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  11. Welcome to the blog, Elisabeth!

    I'm traumatized just reading about your demonic turkey "adventure". I do not like live birds. Not even little ones. Not sure why. It might have something to do with a certain Hitchcock movie.
    I will eat them though! Yum.

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  12. Hi Elisabeth! I too have to admit, I enjoy the side dishes at Thanksgiving more than the actual turkey. We don't even cook a full turkey anymore - instead we bake two turkey breasts. Thanks for the yummy recipe to add to our meals this week. :)

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  13. Hi Elizabeth. I loved your demon turkeys. Wonder if you could work them into a plot? I do like turkey, but I'm really more about the side dishes, and oh, did I mention dessert? You're pie recipe sounds wonderful.

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  14. Hmm, I'm sensing you may have gotten some inspiration from those turkeys...

    That recipe sounds amazing. Thanks, Elisabeth!

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  15. That was one of the funniest Turkey stories I've ever read. Thank you. I feel the same way about coconut! So no Pie for me!

    I just read both your stories over this past weekend and will be on pins and needles till your next story comes out. I loved them. You are now near the top of my list of Authors I must own! Thanks for the great read, till next time...enjoy your Thanksgiving Lobster....sorry it just doesnt' have the same ring...

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  16. My favorite Thanksgiving was the year my younger sister invited her boyfriend to dinner, then turned around and invited my brother's best friend who'd been in love with her forever, on a whim. So Mother made her sit between the two fellers! And that afternoon her boyfriend broke up with her and she wound up dating my brother's best friend. They've been married almost 41 years!

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  17. "Revenge is a dish best served cold."
    Klingon proverb

    I recommend a turkey sandwich with lots of mayo!

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  18. Love your story! Welcome to Casablanca!

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  19. Loved you post.

    Okay now you have to bring coconut cream pie on Thursday. My mom is leaving the giblets out of the stuffing just for you. Thankful the turkey should be done by the time we arrive.

    I am so thankful for your friendhip. You make me smile.....

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  20. Robin - fellow PA fan - I knew I could count on you!

    I've only cooked one turkey in my life - and actually, the hubby cooked it. I just couldn't even look at it. Now, a standing rib roast I could totally go for!

    Shiloh - omgosh...that story about your dog is just hilarious! Glad to hear you caught him before he swallowed any bones. We recently lost our 13 yr old dalmatian but he was just the same. Always right there to steal food when you glanced the other direction. Thankfully he never swiped an entire turkey (Okay, he couldn't since I don't cook turkey!) but when my in-laws were here with the kids one time he did swipe the roast (oh, boy did we hear about that when we got home).

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  21. Anita - truth be told, dessert is my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner too. :)

    Leah - LOL. I suppose you're right! Never thought about it before (be on the lookout for daemons in the next book sprouting wings).

    Jessia - I laughed out loud when I read your response. All I could think was..."She was attacked by a coconut????" Hee hee.

    Thanks so much for the nice words about my books. I'm so glad you're enjoying them!

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  22. Carolyn...that is a GREAT story! Wow. That totally tops my demonic turkeys!

    Cheryl - I love it!!!

    Thank you, Shana! It's great to be here.

    Connie - Gremlin #1 is itching to cook something for T'giving. I'll tell her to get on that coconut cream pie. And BIG THANKS to your mom for leaving the giblets out of the stuffing. The woman is a saint!

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  23. Welcome Elisabeth and what a fun story.And I love coconut pie and the last two I bought were horrible. I think I might have to dare my bad cooking skills to give this a try.

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  24. Terry - LOL. I know I'm in the minority here.
    Julie - I agree. Darn older brothers! Thankfully too, he got nicer when he got older.

    Olivia - Me too! And truthfully, I can't even watch The Birds. I'm traumatized enough, thank you.

    Catherine - Now I could probably handle two cooked turkey breasts. Not a bad idea!

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  25. Oh, great story Elisabeth! A turkey pecked out my nephew's tooth when he was little, so I understand your fear. That was one mean turkey.

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