Myth: Thanksgiving in Belize Just Wouldn’t Feel like THANKSGIVING!

There is nothing Black about this Friday.  The weather is glorious on Ambergris Caye.  Perfect for just about everything.

Especially Thanksgiving and the massive amount of food that comes along with this CLASSIC American holiday.

Now I know what some of you might be thinking…

“It just wouldn’t be the same to celebrate Thanksgiving in the Caribbean”

I TOTALLY challenge that.  Yesterday I had turkey, stuffing, pumpkin-y desserts, sweet potatoes and more – TWO TIMES.  I watched the Macy’s Day parade on TV, I saw the Brussels Griffon win the National Dog Show…

Football was ALL OVER the TV, I enjoyed friends and family, I took a late afternoon nap…

So what was I missing?  The cold weather?

YES I WAS!

And I’m okay with that.

Here’s my Thanksgiving day on Ambergris Caye.  Perhaps not completely traditional but really not that far off at all.

Turkey Dinner Lunch from Annie’s Pastry:  Noon pickup

For Thanksgiving, Annie’s Pastries does a “Turkey Dinner Lunch” – pick-up only.  $15bzd.  A taste of EVERYTHING.

I was there at noon to pick ours up.  The tiny shop was bagging up over 200 orders – and customers were coming in fast and furious.

Here’s what I got for that EXTREMELY reasonable price.   A carbohydrate fiesta!

Roll, stuffing, dumplings, mashed potatoes, turkey, ham, cranberry and dessert.   We enjoyed it here…

A WAY better view than sitting in front of your television.

And since it is a holiday for sharing, I offered a few bites to the incredibly discerning and well fed beach dogs in Boca Del Rio.  They are only interested in meat.  One even politely put the ham down in the sand.

Not to his liking.

We stopped by Central Park where the trees was going up…

The lighting is usually in the first few days of December.  Please keep an eye on the San Pedro Town Council’s FB page for that date.

We stopped by the Green House Store on Middle Street to check out the specialty items for Thanksgiving.  We needed brussel sprouts and fresh herbs for dinner.

And a few of these things.

On the way up north, we stopped at The Truck Stop.  EXCITING new development – this center of entertainment, this town gathering place NOW HAS A POOL!!!!!!!

I’ll see you at the opening party?  This should be GOOD TIMES!

A preview…the area for corn hole and ping pong is still there.

The movie theater – this is SUCH fun.  Saturday is Aladdin!

And the pool with plenty of seating and a bar.  It looks awesome.

We headed home.

Thanksgiving Dinner #2:  Home

There was a challenge.  A Thanksgiving meal – turkey AND ham (Belize style) with no oven.  All stove top.

Here’s how it worked and MY GOD – it was DELICIOUS!

One GIANT turkey leg defrosted.  Chopped into three parts – this one leg was MORE than enough for 3 people.

Apple, lime, garlic, sage, cloves, some nutmeg and ginger.  You can really add what you want – the meat is SO rich when you are finished.

Cover with oil – no need to use olive oil.  Vegetable oil works great.  5 lbs of rendered turkey or duck fat also works fabulously.  It’s up to you.

Cover.  Put on lowest heat possible.   You are not deep frying.  Depending on the size, this can take 1.5 hours or 3 hours.

You will be able to stick a knife right in there…zero resistance.  The bones will slip right out.

Turn off the heat but let it cool in the oil.  You can do this the night before…or the morning of…

It’s BEYOND good.

Before you eat, pull the turkey from the oil…blot dry and crisp up in a hot frying pan.  It’s also nice if you have a thick slice of ham that has been marinated in mustard, brown sugar and maple syrup.

That glaze thickens into something heavenly.

Voile!

Happy Black Friday ALL!  I hope you had a KILLER Thanksgiving with your loved ones.

And if…in your shopping you see some great deals of unlocked IPhone 7s or Galaxy 8s…let me know!   Help me make all my Christmas wishes come true.