Picture time!

Karl was being grumpy about taking a picture so I decided to do a test shot with just Alison. And since she's been with him for so long, she knows where his head would be. This is my sister with her hand as a place-holder for Karl. We thought we were incredibly clever.

And once the test shots were done, all we had to do was get Karl outside. He was happy being grumpy and eating cheese so was ignoring me. I decided to take more pictures. Alison and Shelly were actually not supposed to be looking at the camera. It was a cute pictue with them all focusing on the cheese.
Finally we got Karl to put on his shoes and come outside. And managed to take two pictures. Neither are as good as I'd like, but this one is the better of the two. It's hard to get a picture that doesn't cut off Karl's head, doesn't have too much of his torso and still has some part of Alison's head in the shot. I wanted her to stand on a stool, but that was vetoed.
I think one reason we only got two pictures in is because right after this one was taken, Adam, Brenda and Gerri rolled up and we did the welcome hugs and kisses and then all filed into the house.

Thursday - Turkey Day

For some reason I couldn't fall asleep Wednesday night until about 2am. So it especially sucked when my alarm went off at 8am. And then I was awake. So I showered and started getting dressed. I had bought this great cardigan/shawl thing at the Limited with my mom and really wanted to wear that. Pair it with a brown short-sleeve shell and this brown bead necklace. Very cute. And then since the shell has sleeves, I can easily take off the sweater while cooking and setting up and not look as undressed as I would in something sleeveless.

Sister called at some points saying that she was running late, had overslept and that BIL would probably be the one to pick me up around noon. Mommy wanted us there at 12:30. Everyone else was scheduled to arrive around 1, dinner was supposed to start at 3. Sister and BIL didn't get to my place until 12:45 so we didn't get to Mommy's until around 1. And Sister and BIL had to go back home so Sister could finish getting dressed.

Mommy and I put the leaves in the table and were starting to get a little worried about how we'd fit everyone around. I told Mommy that I'd figure it out and she should just go put her face on.

I scrounged up 11 chairs (including this rickety old one that usually just the cat sleeps on) and quickly figured out that we'd need to add another table. Mommy had the gateleg table to use as a sideboard. I first tried that at the end of the dining table. But with the gateleg down (only way it would fit in the room), the person sitting at the head of the table wouldn't have a place for his legs. And since that person would be BIL who is 6'4", that wasn't going to work. Then I noticed the mission oak desk in the living room. I measured it and it was just 1/4" higher than the dining table. Perfect! Mommy came down as I was hauling everything off of it and moving the gateleg table in its place. She was a little concerned because the desk is an antique (as is the gateleg table, but anyay...) but also realized that it was perfect.

We didn't have a long enough silence cloth so we used this old nubbly tablecloth (think the same material as my oatmeal sweater) at the far end and the real silence cloths at the mission oak end. And had a separate table cloth on each because none of Mommy's cloths were long enough. Not even the super-formal white damask ones from her mother's house. So the real dining table had our traditional green cloth and the desk had this autumn floral one that Mommy's family used to use for Thanksgiving. And that was nice.

Sister, BIL and Friend all arrived. They were eating cheese in the living room and Sister wanted to take a picture for her Christmas card with BIL. So we went outside in front of this tall green bush. It was a nice, bright green and I thought it was perfect. She and BIL wanted to be inside, but there isn't a good backdrop. We noticed that Mommy has this reflector in her yard. This is probably just there to mark where the drain is, but we thought it was hysterical.

I'm having issues adding more pictures so I'll continue this on another entry.

Thanksgiving round up

Thanksgiving's come and gone and I've moved on to Christmas. But I do need to do a final wrap-up of 2005 Thanksgiving.

Wednesday
I took off work this day to cook my sweet potatoes and tart. And also just because I have an excessive amount of leave left for this year. I cleaned my apartment some and made the potatoes. Ellen was on so I decided to cut up the potatoes in my living room. I was happily peeling potatoes and cutting them into chunks when *wham* I sliced open my finger. Totally freaked out. Ran to the bathroom. Blood seemed like it was gushing everywhere. And I didn't know what to do. I rinsed my hand a little but was scared that my lavender scented soap would irritate it. Then I tried to dry off my hand so a bandaid would adhere. But the blood was coming out so quickly. I held some toilet paper against it, hoping that would stop the bleeding a bit, but that didn't really work. Somehow I managed to get out a bandaid and get it on in between the blood rushing out. And then stuck a heavy-duty bandaid on top of the Nexcare one since the smaller one was already getting dark red. And that seemed to stop it. I cleaned up in the bathroom (really didn't get more than a couple drops on the sink) and then went to the coffee table fully expecting blood everywhere and dripping along the floor. But there was nothing. No blood even on the knife. Can you imagine? I couldn't. But I still threw out the chunk of potato I had been working on and cleaned the knife and continued on without incident. Goodness.

The potatoes took such a long time to cook. Probably around 30-35 minutes. Is it my rinky-dink apartment oven or is the recipe wrong? I can't remember what happened in years past so will never know. But if you're looking to do the recipe yourself, allow some extra time.

The rest of the day I lazed away watching TV and doing some minor cleaning. It was lovely. I finally got around to cooking my tart at 9pm and missed most of Veronica Mars because of it. From start to putting it in the oven took 40-45 minutes. And I was constantly in the kitchen, grinding the nuts for the crust, overseeing the cranberries, etc. Although didn't really notice that it took that long. It was fun. I watched Law & Order (or rather, read a magazine while L&O was on TV) waiting for it to cool enough to put in the fridge without getting soggy. Or at least I figured I should let it cool before putting in the frigdge even though nothing said that. But it didn't get soggy so that's a good thing.

Rest of the story to follow.

more people

Now we've added BIL's friend. We'll call him BILF. Doesn't help that he's like a freaking tree he's so big.

Left side of table: me and Mommy
Back side of table: Sister, 13YR, 11YR, Cousin
Right side of table: BIL, Aunt
Front side of table: Wife, Friend, BILF

This is my thought for the table. The room is has too much furniture in it and the table really only seats 8 people. I have no idea how we're going to have 11 people squeeze around it. Luckily I end up being a second-Mommy so will get to sit near the kitchen and won't be as squeezed in. But BIL, BILF and Cousin are all big guys at least 6'4" tall with broad shoulders.

The dining room:
left end: china cabinet, low bookcase under window
top end: sideboard with hutch
right end: door to stairs and living room
front end: tall bookcase, door to kichen

The dining room is not a bad size, the furniture is just too big. And the chairs are even bigger. So when we have a full table like this, it's hard for people to get in and out of their chairs. There is a door in the kitchen so often what happens is that the people at the left side of the table have to go out the kitchen door and back in the front door to get to the bathroom. It's all very funny. Especially when it's cold the way it's supposed to be this Thanskgiving.

Now there's talk of having a kids table in the living room. Sister joked that she'd put me, the girls and BILF out there. Ha ha, Sister - you're very funny.

and more cranberry sauce

Okay, I keep talking about this stuff. But this morning I checked it again and it's even more gorgeous of a red. By Thursday it's going to be so fabulous. I'm very excited about my cranberry sauce.

pumpkin pie

Friend had asked what she could bring for dinner. Sister said "wine, if you want, but you really don't have to bring anything. You're our guest." Friend insisted, she wanted to bring something else. Mommy, Sister and I conferred on this and came up with a pumpkin pie. Mommy never really cares about making this, but feels it's a necessary component of the meal. So this way, we'll still have it, but we don't have to worry about it.

I went shopping with Mommy this weekend. And she asks, "is Friend bringing a pumpkin pie?" I didn't know - and didn't know exactly what Sister had discussed - so I asked Sister this morning. She emailed back "Yes, she is bringing a pumpkin pie. I told Mommy that twice, once in person." Confirmation that our mother is crazy.

If she were here, her explaination would be that since the car accident (three weeks ago), her thinking has been off. That it's getting better every day, but she has trouble remembering things or with split-second decisions. Yeah - she tells me this as we're driving to the mall. Makes me feel real safe.

Cranberry sauce

I made the cranberry sauce yesterday and remembered why I made something different last year. I remembered it being sticky, but it's just ridiculously so. Maybe if I had a full-size food processor instead of just the mini-prep? But I had to do it in something like 10 batches and the little blade just took so long to get everything chopped up small enough. Ugh. And there was red sticky stuff all over the place. The dishes all cleaned up easily enough, but the stuff that got on the counter and dried was another story.

And then when I first made it, it wasn't so much the gorgeous dark red as in the picture below, it was more of a dark pink and looked more like someone threw up strawberry daiquiris. Ew. I really thought I'd have to make something else. But I stuck it in the fridge and let it sit. This morning it is now the gorgeous dark red and has solidified enough to look like something you want to eat, not something that's come back up.

The trials and tribulations of cranberry sauce.

My cooking schedule

Thanksgiving prep takes several days, even if you're only making three dishes the way I am. First you gotta go grocery shopping. In my neighborhood, this is a dicey situation. Safeways in DC have nicknames. Mine is the Not So Safeway because the neighborhood was not so safe. Gentrification has mostly taken care of that, but the produce still really sucks. Luckily the cranberries are fine and bagged, the sweet potatoes are fine and I can always find fresh ginger. Oranges are iffy. Luckily I don't have to get any onions. I have never found a perfect onion there. Usually the white onions aren't too bad, but yellow or red are just awful.

I also still have a bag of cranberries and some nuts frozen from last year. I had decided last minute to not make the tart so just stuck those ingredients in the freezer. I ate the almonds over the course of the year (okay, maybe one desperate week in the summer when I was trying to not have any snack foods in the house). But still - I don't have to buy quite as many nuts for the tart as I normally would.

There is the question of when to go. Weekday evenings are just ridiculous. The lines for the 15 or less aisles are so far back that I pick the one that has the magazines so I can start reading waaaay back there. Either that or I get frustrated and leave. I mean - wait 30 minutes in line to buy 3 frozen dinners? Not a fan.

Weekends are actually better since my neighborhood has so many young professionals. They're all off hiking and riding their bikes on the weekend so I can go to the grocery store. My favorite time to go is around 8pm on a Saturday night. No one is there. Of course, it's difficult to do this when I actually have plans. But I don't for this Saturday so maybe that will work out.

Then I can start on on Sunday with the cranberry sauce. It needs a few days for the ingredients to marry so I can make it early and forget about it. A good thing, too, since I hate washing my Cuisinart mini-prep. Love the thing to death, but cleaning it's a bitch. Especially when making this sauce because the sugar and the oranges and the cranberries make such a sticky residue.

I'm taking off on Wednesday so in the morning I'll make the sweet potatoes. Let them cool completely before refridgerating and then they'll be fine for reheating on Thursday. Before I've made them Thursday morning and then taken them only slightly cooled to Mommy's - but then they get put in the fridge anyway. And this way I won't have to worry about getting up extra-early on Thursday to have time to peel, slice and roast the suckers. I never realized how freaking hard raw sweet potatoes are. It's a chore to slice them up. And then I can wash all the dishes Wednesday or Thursday morning and not come home to dirty dishes. Love that.

Wednesday evening I'll make the tart. That's always fun. Although I remember the first time I made it. It says "cook 'till the berries start to pop" but not how long that will take. It felt like FOREVER and I even called Sister to see if she felt this was normal. Not that she'd ever cooked with cranberries either, but it's nice to talk to someone else in these situations. I do love making this dish. The crust is super easy - just mixing nuts with butter and smooshing it into the pan. No rolling out dough to 1/8" or whatever. Pie crusts intimidate me and I've never made one. And then the bright red berries are so pretty. The whole thing ends up like a goo which is also fun. I've tasted the crust and goo pre-baking, but have never actually had a piece of this tart. Isn't that weird? Maybe this year I'll actually try it. Everyone else always loves it. and I love making it so it works out.

Then I just need to figure out how to transport all of it to Maryland via metro. That's the part that will really suck. Because not only do I have to transport the potatoes, but also my pumpkin Le Crueset for serving them. And that thing weighs a ton. This sucks. Oh - you know, maybe I'll see if Mommy will go shopping this weekend for my Christmas sneakers. Then I can bring over the pumpkin this weekend and leave it there. Then for transporting all, I can put the potatoes in the large tupperware and balance the tart on top after wrapping it in plastic wrap and foil. Then the cranberry sauce can get tucked in the side. All should fit in my medium Boat and Tote. That would be the perfect solution. This is so one of the times I wish I had a car.

On the menu

I've told you what I'm making. Here is the full menu:

Mixed unshelled nuts (served in living room as appetizer)
Turkey (basted with the bacon placed on top)
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Green bean casserole
Butternut squash (boiled)
Pearl onions (boiled)
Sweet potatoes (roasted)
Another side dish? (Sister bringing)
Crudite - pickels, celery, carrots, olives
Cranberry sauce
Brown & Serve rolls
Apple pie (Mama's recipe)
Cranberry nut tart
Pumpkin pie or other pumpkin-related dessert (Friend bringing)
Fresh fruit
Vanilla ice cream and Cool Whip for topping desserts
lots and lots of wine

Washington Post Food Section

Okay, so just got finished reading the Post online. Including all of the Thanksgiving related chats. If you know me, you know I'm addicted to these chats and quote them frequently. But jeez - sometimes I get so frustrated with the people who write in. There was one who said that they hate having turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas so they're switching out the turkey on Thanksgiving this year. Huh? I completely understand not wanting to have a turkey a second time at Christmas. But sometimes you just gotta go with tradition. Thanksgiving = turkey. And it's not like you roast a whole turkey any other time of the year. You might have a turkey sandwich for lunch, but you'd never order it at a restaurant. And for me, the skin itself is reason enough to make it once a year. Yum.

I also don't get the people who don't like green bean casserole. Yeah, it's not a culinary masterpiece, but it's really good and goes well with everything else. I like that it's a little mushy and unsophisticated. What's funny is that when someone brings up the idea of macaroni and cheese for Thanksgiving, Mommy says "the Pilgrims didn't eat macaroni and cheese" and we always reply "and they ate green bean casserole?" But last year we did have mac and cheese and it was good. Although didn't blend quite so well with gravy.

Some things we change up. Mostly due to me reading the Post and searching online for recipes. Like my cranberry nut tart. Although I do remember making a blueberry pie one year in middle or high school. That was random. I also make a different cranberry sauce each year. And one guest brought the roasted sweet potatoes one year and they've been on our table ever since. One year when it was only the four of us, we cut out the squash to have the sweet potatoes.

So all these cranky Post readers should just shut up and change what they can, accept what they can't and have the wisdom to know the difference. And if they have to go to their in-laws where everything is out of a can, do what Sister and BIL did when his mother was alive. Come to Mommy's for dinner first and fill up there. Then go to BIL's mom's and have a small portion of the generic stuff.

Herbed Bread Dressing

*Note: this is not the exact recipe that has been handed down in my family for at least two generations. I only have that one on a neon green index card at home (neon green because my mom likes brightly colored paper products). However, I saw this one in the Washington Post Food section today and it seems really similar. Very simple, nothing terribly exciting, no weird bits to bite into. The way I think Thanksgiving stuffing should be. Save the creative recipes for Christmas or for a dinner party. Oh - and when my mom makes it, she uses whatever bread is available. Usually some sort of whole wheat or multi grain with a little ordinary white mixed in. So I guess that adds some creative bits.

Herbed Bread Dressing
Makes about 12 cups

This is a basic fragrant and foolproof recipe. Adapted from the November 1999 issue of Gourmet magazine.

MAKE AHEAD: Mix together and refrigerate for up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before baking.

10 cups 1-inch cubes crusty country-style bread (about 1 pound)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus additional for the dish
3 medium onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced crosswise
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
About 1 1/2 cups turkey stock or chicken broth
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a large casserole dish and set aside.
Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast, shaking the sheet occasionally, just until bread is dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery, thyme, sage and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the toasted bread cubes, vegetable mixture (with all of the butter), stock or broth and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Let cool completely.
Transfer to the prepared casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.
If making in advance, refrigerate. Bring to room temperature when ready to bake.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake, covered, about 20 minutes or until heated through. If you prefer a crunchy top, uncover the dressing for the last 10 minutes. If the dressing seems dry, add additional stock or broth.

Per serving: 188 calories, 4 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat, 21 mg cholesterol, 5 g saturated fat, 282 g sodium, 2 g dietary fiber

Last 2001 picture

The winos of the family









Here's me and Sister as we're all sitting down for dinner. I'm the one with both red and white wines. It's not the best picture of Sister, but you can see some of her typical things. A cream sweater that she probably drops food on during the meal. Why she ever wears cream, I have no idea. I suppose it's because it's a good color on her, but the girl would get a spot on her if she were covered in plastic. Perfect makeup. Hair pulled into a bun (it started out the day long and curly). Big chunky silver watch. That's my sister.

Me - my hair was way too short at this time. It was technically flattering, but I think it aged me. There's truth to what they say about long hair being youthful. I often looked like a young soccer mom with this haircut. And that sweater - I love that sweater. I still wear it all the time. It's like wearing a bowl of oatmeal. All nubbly and cozy. And a cowl neck - I'll buy anything with a cowl neckline. I had gone shopping with a friend of mine at the end of the summer and saw this sweater in Ann Taylor. It was $88 or $100 - something expensive. I loved loved loved it, but she talked me out of it. Two months later I was back at AT and the sweater was on sale. I bought it immediately and have been thankful ever since that it was still around. Ha - thankful.

Notice that both Sister's and my eyes become rainbows when we laugh? And you can't tell from this picture, but we both have the same smile. I think Sister had just said something so she doesn't have her full smile.

You can see our traditional platter of crudite. I don't know if anyone actually eats any of it, but it's always there taking up space. That weird souffle-looking thing is spoon bread that Mommy's boyfriend (at the time) brought. It was an odd choice and no one really liked it. But we all tried it to be nice.

I can probably guess what's in the white and blue casserole dishes even though they're covered. Thanksgiving is all about tradition in our house. The white casserole should have the green bean casserole in it. The blue one probably has mashed potatoes, although I suppose it could also be the pearl onions. It looks like it's the big blue dish, not the mini Le Crueset that holds the extra stuffing. Which always ends up overcooked. Mommy makes the world's best stuffing. It's not cornbread or chestnut or oyster or any of those other weird "creative" stuffings out there. Just bread, egg and poultry seasoning. Maybe also some milk and salt & pepper, but it's pretty simple and absolutely divine.

Oh - and the plates. The china is a set Mommy's mother (Mama) got from the bank way back in the day. I think it was one of those deals where every time you made a deposit you got a piece? It's not the prettiest set in the world, but I suppose it's not the worst. It's one of the things Alison and I don't fight about who will get it in the will.

Living room shot

Here you can see why I'd rather be in the kitchen than in the living room. Not much fun in there. In 2001 when this picture was taken, Mommy had just redecorated the room. That green couch used to be a dark brown fabric that pilled all the time. And it used to be in the rec room downstairs. I remember watching TV as a teenager picking the pills off the couch. I could end up with a huge ball of fuzz and there would still be a million pills left. The floral chair used to be dark orange and is the chair where her father sat and read at night and where my father sat and read at night. It's always referred to as Daddy's chair. Oh - and the green mantelpiece is now the same cream as the rest of the room and looks much better.

Those gold curtains are the subject of much controversy this year. Our old cats loved sitting in the window - nice, wide surface where they could see everything + curtains to shred to pieces. Talk about cat heaven. But now the only cat left is Alice and she leaves the curtains alone so Mommy finally can replace the curtains without it being a waste of money. Took her forever to find ones she liked. Finally did, ordered them and thought they'd come in just in time to hang before Thanksgiving. Something happened (she told me but I wasn't really listening) and now they're coming in a week too late.

This is all very upsetting because Cousin has a gorgeous home just outside of Baltimore and we always feel like the poor relations next to him. Plus it doesn't help that we think he thinks of us as the poor relations. So now there are cat-shredded 30 year old curtains in her beautiful living room, worn wood floors and the floor tiles in the downstairs bathroom are half removed and haven't been replaced because Mommy can't figure out what color tile to put in. All are perfectly acceptable and there are good reasons for all - but Cousin doesn't come over every day so doesn't know the full story. Oh well. Not like having new curtains would make us feel less like the poor relations.

Thanksgiving past

Thought I would share some pictures of Thanksgiving past. These are from 2001, but really, nothing much has changed.

Mommy would kill me if she knew this picture was up her, but it's just so funny, I had to add it. This is a typical expression about 20 minutes before dinner is served. Her makeup is done and if you don't look all that closely, she looks composed. But catch her off guard (as one of the guests did here) and she's a little harried.

Cranberry Nut Tart

Cranberry Nut Tart
Source: Better Homes and Gardens

Prep: 30 min.
Bake: 35 min.

Makes 10 servings.



Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup ground walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter (no substitutes)
1 beaten egg
12 ounces cranberries (3 cups)
1-1/4 cups orange juice
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 ounce white baking bar with cocoa butter, chopped and melted
Chopped hazelnuts (optional)
Water

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine flour, ground nuts, the 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles small peas. Add egg and toss until just moist, adding 1 tablespoon water, if necessary.
2. Form dough into a ball; press evenly onto bottom and up sides of a 10-inch tart pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine cranberries, orange juice, and 1/3 cup water. Cook and stir over medium heat until skins of berries begin to pop. Stir together the 1-1/2 cups sugar and cornstarch; stir into berry mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
4. Spread berry mixture over partially baked crust. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Remove side of pan. Place tart on serving platter, and drizzle with melted white baking bar. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts, if desired.

Cranberry Relish with Ginger

Cranberry Relish with Ginger

The lively, clean flavor of fresh ginger is compatible with most fruits. In the market, look for ginger that is hard and heavy, with an unbroken peel that is thin, light colored, smooth and shiny. To prepare the ginger, peel with a vegetable peeler or paring knife before using as directed in a recipe.

1 orange, unpeeled and preferably organic, scrubbed
2 bags (12 oz. each) fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

Cut the orange (with its peel on) into 16 chunks and discard any seeds. Working in batches, combine the orange chunks, cranberries, sugar and ginger in a food processor. Pulse to chop finely and evenly, stopping once or twice with each batch to scrape down the sides of the work bowl. Transfer to a storage container, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours to develop the flavors. Bring to room temperature and stir well before serving.

Serves 8 to 10.

Make-Ahead Tip: This relish improves when made in advance, since the flavors have more time to marry. Prepare it up to 3 days before serving.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series,Thanksgiving,by Michael McLaughlin (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

Rosemary-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Rosemary-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
(6 to 8 servings)

4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges or about 1/2 inch thick
4 teaspoons minced garlic
About 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 or 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the sweet potatoes, garlic, rosemary and oil. Transfer the potato mixture to a rimmed baking sheet, spreading the potatoes out into a single layer (may need 2 baking sheets).

Bake the potatoes until tender, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size and oven temperature. Toss with salt and pepper to taste and, if desired, parsley and serve immediately.

Per serving: 320 calories, 4 gm protein, 55 gm carbohydrates, 10 gm fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 gm saturated fat, 541 mg sodium, 2 gm dietary fiber

what I'm making

I'm making 3 dishes for Thanksgiving. Cranberry sauce, roasted sweet potatoes and a cranberry tart. I'm going to add the recipes here. They're all fabulous and ones I've made before. Cranberry sauce is from Williams Sonoma, sweet potatoes are from The Washington Post and the tart is from Better Homes and Gardens.

Gobble, gobble!

Hey - welcome to my new Thanksgiving blog. Turkey Day at my mom's house will be interesting this year. Here's the cast:

Mommy
Sister
Brother-in-law
Me
Aunt (dad's brother's widow)
Cousin (Aunt's son)
Cousin's Wife (second wife, just got married this Spring)
13 yr old cousin (Cousin's daughter from 1st marriage)
11 yr old cousin (younger sister of 13 yr old
Friend (Sister's and my female friend)
Friend's boyfriend - he will probably just stop by after dinner or something

So 10 people around the table that only seats 8. And I think we only have 8 chairs. But we can drag in the kitchen chairs which is a good thing because they're more narrow than the dining table chairs so we can squeeze more people in.

Here's how I think things will go:
Mommy will wake up ridiculously early on Thursday to start preparing the food. Sister will pick me up from the metro mid-morning grumbling about how we're not going to clean her bathrooms and if she doesn't want to clean, then she shouldn't host the dinner. We'll bitch about the drama she's put us through over the curtains and the downstairs bathroom floor and question what she actually does with her time that she hasn't been able to complete these projects. Bitch some more about how if she just scheduled herself as though she were at work, she'd get so much more done. Sister will say that Brother-in-law was complaining that he wanted to spend the morning "just the two of us" but she had to go to Mommy's to help prepare.
10 minutes later, we'll arrive at her house and enter all cheerful and upbeat, as though all the grumbling and bitching never happened. Mommy will already be tired, but the turkey will be in the oven and everything will be starting to smell delicious and that will put us in a good mood. We'll sit in the living room or in the rec room and chat about random stuff like when we should lock Alice (the cat) in the cellar so she can stop annoying us. Or what's going to happen with Gus (the outdoor cat) now that it's getting really cold. This will probably go on too long and then we'll be rushed to get the rest of the food ready.

Aunt, Cousin, etc. will arrive and we won't know what to do with them. Hopefully around this time Brother-in-law will get there so he can play Man of the House. Or compete for that position with Cousin who tends to lord it over everyone no matter whose house he's in. Aunt will sit in Daddy's chair the entire time and gush over how the young Cousins are doing in school and admonish 11 yr old to sit still, over-compliment 13 yr old and complain about how she's getting old. Cousin's Wife will help us in the kitchen and that will be fun. Friend will arrive and want to help, but we'll tell her that she'd be more useful entertaining the people in the living room. She's very good at that. I'll get bossy about my mashed potatoes. We'll all crack up over Sister peeling the hot squash - and Sister will complain about how this is her job every year and she always burns her fingers. Mommy will end up sitting on the little stool crying she's laughing so hard. None of us in the kitchen will have any idea what's going on in the living room and that's just fine. Who wants to be out there anyway?