A thank you to Mary Terzian at www.maryterzian.com for Sharing the Joy! and contributing the following delightful story.
I was a newly-wed in New York, unfamiliar with American tradition. I wanted our first New Year’s Eve in our nest to be extra special so I invited hubby’s best friend and his wife, and our two cousins for dinner, discounting my culinary expertise. We did consider turkey but settled for duck for our small group. Hubby went hunting at the supermarket while I searched for recipes at the library. “Duck-a-l’orange” sounded exotic, so I delved in heartily. I marinated the fowl in seasoned orange juice overnight. Four hours before dinner I placed the plump, juicy bird in the oven to roast, and tended to the appetizers. Baklava and “Anoushabour,” an Armenian traditional dessert, were already in the fridge. After preparing the cheese puffs and peeling potatoes, I peeked at our darling duckling sitting on a layer of fat. I was somewhat concerned. On my next check the emaciated bird was swimming in grease. Now I melted away with worry. Would anything be left of it for the evening meal? Close to dinner time my cousin, the nurse, called in. She had to work at the hospital for the night shift. Providence was working in my favor. My other cousin arrived first. “You look good,” she said. “Have you lost weight lately?” “Sure, I kept pace with a melting duck,” I wanted to tell her but I just smiled. “Please don’t be offended if I eat little,” she intimated. I’m still recovering from my Christmas binge.” Soon the other guests arrived. We started with the appetizers. I placed the skimpy meat on a plateau of chopped parsley, surrounded with potatoes, orange slices, and cranberries for color. It looked fine until the platter slipped out of my hands . . . thankfully onto the table. Otherwise we had a memorable celebration.
“Mary Terzian (www.maryterzian.com) is a nonfiction writer. She has contributed several articles to publications in English and Armenian. She has authored The Immigrants’ Daughter which won a Best Books 2006 Award and placed Finalist in the Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards, both in the multicultural, nonfiction category. The book has received five-star reviews posted at Amazon.com Mary Terzian lives in Southern California.”
See you at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival in Rhinebeck, NY at Dutchess County Fairgrounds ,Sept 10 &11 at Dutchess County Fairgrounds. The Basic Art of Italian Cooking will take center stage at 1-2 PM each day.
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