Tennessee-Style Trash Can Turkey (as Practiced in New Orleans)

As promised, some photos of the trash can turkey…

It all starts with a stake in the ground.

Then the turkey gets impaled on the stake. I believe Gary injected this turkey with something yummy.

The trash can goes on top.

And then the hot coals go on top of (and around) the trash can.

The turkey “bakes” this way for a couple of hours. As with a conventional turkey recipe, the baking time depends on the size of the turkey.

The end result was delicious. It had a great smoky flavor that turkey usually lacks.

A Stroll Through the French Quarter

The French Quarter has certainly recovered pretty well, but there were still many signs of the destruction that happened in August 2005.

Many establishments have signs like this, or “now hiring” signs.

Throw me something, FEMA.

One thing hasn’t changed: the daiquiris are still flowing.

Food!

Thanksgiving in New Orleans

Kenny’s dad and stepmom moved to Slidell, Louisiana (a suburb of New Orleans) about two years ago. Just after Hurricane Katrina, Kenny and I both wrote about their experiences during and in the aftermath of the disaster.

Kenny has been out to Slidell once to visit Gary and Lynn since Katrina, but I haven’t had the chance to visit yet (in fact I’ve never been to New Orleans at all). I’m excited to be making my first trip out there this week, for a Wolf clan Thanksgiving celebration (the entire Wolf clan consists of Kenny, his sisters, their father and stepmother, and an aunt and cousin, so it’s not too difficult to get them all together). It’s unfortunate that I never got to see pre-Katrina New Orleans, but in any case I’m glad to be going now and I’ll certainly have my camera with me.

Gary has promised to make us his famous “trash can turkey” (I’m sure Kenny or I will post the recipe in a few days, and I will be sure to post photos of the process) and we will be making the cranberry salsa that was such a big hit with my family in Los Angeles last year.

Wedding Photo Highlights

Kenny and I were fortunate to find an amazing Seattle wedding photographer named Rebecca Sullivan. She has showcased some highlights from our wedding in her portfolio on her website. To find us, click on “Celebrations,” and in the new window that pops up, scroll down to the album labeled “JOYOUS.”

In there you’ll also get a sneak peek at our cake (made by cake goddess Aimee at Hollyhock Cakes), our flowers (arranged by flower genius Julie at Bella Rugosa), and our band (the ever-entertaining HB Radke). We lucked out with some pretty awesome local vendors.

We actually have over 1200 photos from Rebecca on 4 DVDs. At some point I’ll get around to getting a set of highlights (hopefully around 150-200) up on this site. Before I get to that, we still need to finish writing thank you notes (almost done).