Pictures from Thanksgiving

How Thanksgiving is going

2 nights before:

~Decide to make chicken with cranberry glaze, sweet potatoes mashed, greenbeans, pumpkin pie.
~Go to grandparents to invite them.
~Get invited to grandparents for Thanksgiving dinner.
~Convince grandparents to let me cook instead.
~Discuss plan for dinner.

Conversation:


Me: I'm going to have chicken with cranberry glaze.

Gma: We already have the turkey.

Me: Ok. So we will have turkey instead. And Sweet pototoes mashed.

Gpa: Nope. White potatoes.

Me: Ok. White mashed potatoes.

Gpa: And greenbeans.

Me: And greenbeans. With the onion thingies on top. And pumpkin pie.

Gpa: Pecan.

Me: Pumpkin.

Gpa: I like pecan.

Me: Ok. Pecan pie. And pumpkin.

Gpa: What about apple?

Me: I wasn't going to make apple.

Gma: I was going to make apple.

Me: That's fine. You can make apple.

Gma: And I will make the dressing to bring over.

Me to myself: What the heck is dressing?

Me outloud: Is dressing the same as stuffing?

Gma: Yes.

Me: Ok. You can bring that too.

Gma: Do you have a turkey baster?

Me: No.

Gma: Do you have a pan?

Me: No.

Gma: Do you have turkey bags?

Me: No.

Gpa: Do you have anything?

Me: Some of it!

Gpa: Do you have cranberry sauce?

Me: No. But I was going to go to the store first.



~Load up my car with defrosting turkey, turkey pan, baster, timer, turkey bags, cranberry sauce and turkey rack.

~Stop by store to pick up everything so I don't have to go to store the night before Thanksgiving.

~Get home.

~Review ingredients.

~Realize I need a few more things, including vanilla icecream for pies.

~Decide to go to the store after work, even though I know it's the night before
thanksgiving.



Day before Thanksgiving (or Thanksgiving Eve)

~Wake up.

~Go to work.

~Be excited all day cause I'm gonna make pies with Heather after work.

~End up working til 7.

~Drive home cursing the fact that now I'm too grumpy to make pies or socialize.

~Decide to make pies in morning.

~Find pecan pie recipe.

~Discover I need Corn syrup, which, of course, I don't have.

~Decided to go to store in morning.

~Love on kittens and go to bed early.



Thanksgiving day:~Wake up.

~Play with kittens.

~Feed "starving" kittens.

~Run to store to get corn syrup for pecan pie.

~Walk to second store cause 1st store is closed.

~Walk back after purchasing dark and light corn syrup cause I can't remember which.

~Play with kittens.



~Put out all serving dishes with pieces of paper in each indicating what will go in
which.

~Be happy cause I have enough!

~Make pecan pie.

~Wonder if pecan pie is done if it's still jiggly.

~Decide it's not.

~Stick pecan pie back in a few times til I decide it's actually ready.

~Stick pumpkin pie in over.

~Do happy dance for not spilling pumpkin pie mix while putting it in oven.

~Shift laundry.



~Decide to attack turkey.

~Freak out cause turkey leaked all over me and my counter.

~Get brave and tackle turkey, ripping out necks and gizards.

~Wonder what to do with this metal thing.

~Move turkey to sink cause it leaked on me again, this time on the floor.

~Ponder calling grandma cause I can only find the neck.

~Flip turkey over and find baggie I had heard people have accidentally left inside
turkey while cooking.

~Give myself back pat and glow in another mistake averted!



~Read next step of directions :"Season as desired." Wonder what the heck THAT means.

~Decide they aren't asking Fall vs Winter. Opt for rosemary.

~Wish I still had some needles and syringes from old floor nursing days to be able
to inject flavors.

~Make turkey do a little dance.

~Giggle at kitten licking up turkey juice at my feet.

~Wish I had second pair of hands to get this stupid turkey into the bag.

~Add a bit more seasoning just for kicks.



~Run down and switch out laundry after washing hands for the hundred millionth time
today. No salmonella in MY kitchen!

~Come back, put cooked potatoes into bowl. Reach for cream to add.

~Put cream back before I realize it's French Vanilla. Not Original.

~Get original and add to potatoes.

~Mash.



~Take pumpkin pie out of oven.

~Wonder if I burnt it or if it's underdone.

~Pick up turkey in pan.

~Put turkey back down.

~Adjust shelves in oven to accomodate turkey.

~Pick up turkey and put in oven.

~Take picture of Cessa helping.

~Close oven and set timer for 2 1/2 hours.

~Breathe sigh of relief.



~Look down at bowl of neck and giblets and wonder what to do with them

~Call grandma.

~Start to simmer neck and giblets per grandma's instructions.

~Taste test mashed potatoes. They are good, but need a bit more salt and butter.

~Add said salt and butter.

~Tidy up again.

~Look down and discover I didn't put thermometer in turkey.

~Wonder if it matters and decide it doesn't.

~Shred an onion.

~Jump back as onion fumes burn my eyes.

~Add onions to neck and giblets.

~Take a kitten break.

~Take a shower.

~Set table.



~Respond to all the texts that came through since this morning wishing me a happy
Thanksgiving.

~Blog, blog, blog.

~Call mom and leave a message that Cessa likes smoked salmon. A LOT!