i hope you enjoyed your gobble gobble day!
the boys and i were tempted to spend thanksgiving in the
home of friends this year, but in the end chose to have a lovely
lazy day together as a family...something we always need more of.
last thanksgiving, we had just been given the keys to our new {old} home,
and and were in the middle of demoing walls and floors, literally.
it was chaotic, but i did manage to whip up a small meal
that we shared with the handymen who were working in our home.
it was a beautiful sunny day and we ate outside by the pool.
last year's turkey day was untraditional in every sense of the word.
this year, i was hoping for a little more of a traditional day.
for me, that starts with going for an early morning run -
it always makes me feel better and i feel less guilty overeating
{as i always do}.
the turkey however, was cooked in an untraditional way.
i'd been reading that 'brining' has revolutionized turkey cooking
and how it guarantees a more flavorful and juicier bird.
since my birds can always be juicier, i had to try it.
i followed this simple recipe.
the recipe was SUPER easy, and the fresh herbs i used
{rosemary, sage and thyme}, made the house smell so good.
the crazy thing about this recipe was it didn't include how to cook the turkey.
it just showed how to 'brine' it. since i don't cook many turkeys,
i jumped on the internet to do some reserach and then ended up calling the cooks
i know for advice. mom didn't pick up, so i called my s-i-l who is a good cook.
she gave me some pointers, and by 2:30pm, we had this tasty bird to enjoy.
it was work for me to cook a full meal for the boys and to get
everything on the table warm. i must remember to thank my mother
for all those years of baking turkeys and those wonderful meals she
prepared for our family {and guests} year after year.
it's no wonder she's done with it.
i imagine i will feel the same someday.
by the time the boys are in their 30s, i will expect them to starting hosting.
it will be time, a changing of the guards so to speak. still, that leaves me with
about 20 more years of cooking turkeys. *sigh*
and as tradition goes, we went around the table and shared what we were
thankful for this year:
Christopher: the love and support of my friends and famly and for the
opportunity to write the next chapter.
Angela: my sweet boys, my health and the freedom this country allows me.
Finn: heat source, organic molecules, the big bang, and my family.
Scout: my mom, dad, finn, my house, school, nature and books.
finn's response was so...finn.
he can't get enough science these days.
we snacked on pumpkin pie and chocolate the rest of the day and snuggled
up on the couch to watch our first holiday movie of the season.
the boys chose miracle on 34th street. it's such a sweet movie,
and really got all of us in the christmas spirit.
{i think i like this newer version just as much as the original}.
i'm looking foward to this holiday season so much!
