HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I hope you had the best day ever, eating everything in site and making yourself very uncomfortable in the process.  That's what happens on big holidays and yesterday was no exception.

In spite of the turkey's quest for ham, I cooked a turkey that started off looking something like this.  For the first time ever, I was totally unprepared for this epic project.  If company was coming, I might have had my act together.  With absolutely nothing in the fridge with which to make stuffing, I pretended he was a chicken and filled him up with lemons, and rosemary fresh picked from my garden.  

I did have one veggie in my cart ... butternut squash.  My plan was for squash/apple soup, but the rest of the requirements didn't make it home.  I'll bake the squash instead.  One of the worst ideas I've had in awhile.  It looks yummy, but after an hour was still hard as a rock.  That's when I remembered cutting it into smaller pieces for the soup ... it roasted in 30 minutes.  I pressed on.

In three hours the turkey was looking mighty good.  I stabbed him with the temperature gauge and to my surprise, he was DONE!!  Wrapped in foil, he sat on the counter while I tried to figure out the squash and got the potatoes boiling.  They say a watched pot will never boil, but turn your back for five seconds and it will pour out of the pot like a volcano ... all over your beautiful gas stove.  I'll clean that up later.  With the potatoes whipped up ... some of the best I've ever made ... I went for the gravy.  

I'm good at gravy, most of the time.  There's always that ONCE!!  It looked beautiful in the huge roasting pan.  The color was perfect ... not too pasty white ... and it tasted WONDERFUL!!  In spite of the flour and tablespoon of gravy mix, it didn't want to get thick.  I let it boil while STILL contemplating the squash.  I let it boil some more.    

In an effort to save the only vegetable I had, I cut off the round ends that were edible and left the thick portion on the pan.  Maybe I'll continue to roast it later (you know that isn't happening).  Back to the boiling gravy.  As I finally poured it into the bowl, I instantly knew it was too thin ... something akin to water.  RATS!!!  

I enjoyed my tasty meal of turkey and mashed potatoes with runny gravy.  It being Thanksgiving, I was definitely thankful I didn't have company other than the puppies, who don't care about the gravy.  I finally put it back in a pot, added a little more slurry and thickened it up nicely.  It will be perfect for my hot turkey sandwiches!!  

I decided to skip dessert, after all, I was SO full of turkey I waddled.  Maybe if I go for a walk I'll feel better.  Cooper insisted on going too, so I harnessed him up and we were off.  One mile and many Happy Thanksgivings hollered out to neighbors later, we arrived back at the house.  I need more exercise.  

I scrounged around and found my bike trainer, installed my triathlon bike ... you know, the one with the really tiny seat ... and climbed aboard.  Fifteen minutes later I couldn't feel my hands, but my butt was screaming!!  I got off just in time for the wave of nausea to hit full force.  Maybe I'll just sit on the couch instead.

With all that exercise, dessert didn't sound so bad after all.  I planned a dutch oven apple crisp for last week.  If I don't get it cooked, the ingredients will end up in the trash.  It really could have gone a little better.  I was blinded by my stomach pains.  I grabbed the third cup measure instead of the half for the sugar.  It's okay, I like it to be a little tart.  

Although the directions weren't very explicit, I got it all in a dish and in my small Breville Oven.  Forty minutes later, I could smell the nuts burning, which is why you're not seeing a picture of the entire pan.  I'm eating it anyway.  No dinner .... just apple crisp, smothered in whipped cream.  

The cream is part of an experiment to see how many servings I can get from one can for the often requested ice cream sundaes at the FMCA rally.  No really .... that's why I put so much on.  Plus it cancelled out the over toasty nuts.

I hope everyone had a wonderful day with their families.  We should be thankful every day of our lives, and you should be especially thankful you weren't invited to my house for Thanksgiving dinner.   Now for some hot turkey sandwiches!!!