Deep fried turkey! Woohoo! Quick, easy, and the best damned bird I've ever made/et.

For those of you who don't like brussel sprouts, try cutting a deep X in the stem, then soaking them in salt water first for a few hours. Takes away the bitterness. Then saute them with crap loads of butter, cloves, onions, and of course BACON (sorry about the veg thing, Pie.)

Ok .....the owners left us a big roasting pan and a box of roasting bags.....

we shopped yesterday:

Turkey, plus apple cider vinegar, salt and sugar for the brine
cranberries....fresh and canned jelly style
potatoes for mashing
asparagus
stuffing mix,celery, onion
pumpkin and sweet potato pies
butternut squash
carrots


shit, we forgot:
gravy! and wine!

Wait, isn't your big dinner today? better hop to it.....

Turkey/dressing/gravy
mashed
sweet potatoes
cranberry relish/celery/nuts/artichoke dip with toasted bread to dip
green bean casserole (we're briars)
corn casserole (ditto)
rolls/butter
pumpkiin pie and minced meat pie /banana creme and THREE chocolate cremes (loads of kiddies)

coffee

oooof! stuffed already.

yes yes!

getting to it....!! ripley already set the table!

goooood ripley! now brine that turkey, ripley! Brine IT!!

The turkey has been in the brine since we got it home yesterday. Spencer watched Booby Flay cook a turkey last night and has some ideas about steaming it in stock, so we'll see...

Jim forgot about the mashed (not candied) sweet potatoes and the snap peas.

We really don't have much to do, and with everyone helping it shouldn't take long, so we're gonna hold off a bit. I think Jim is videoing a house tour now...

I'm a little jealous, sitting here at work, reading about you on vacation getting the turkey dinner together. Sounds like fun!

I'm a lot jealous.

For at least the last 10 years or so, I've worked on Thanksgiving ... partly by intent, because I wanted Christmas and New Year's off, but also to maneuver momwolf into not having to cook a turkey. Despite this, she usually did do a turkey and all the trimmings, sending me to work with a microwave-able plate.

This year, because of some quirk in the schedule, I will be off Thanksgiving, but will work Christmas.

I have been invited to a friend's house for dinner, and have been told that I will provide a baked good. She doesn't know it, but she'll be getting gingerbread.

I also felt inspired to make a batch of momwolf's fudge. It looks like it's supposed to, but I haven't tasted it yet.

Will the gingerbread be in house or man form?

Loaf form. Roll out and cut into attractive shapes gingerbread happens closer to Christmas.

We spent a hideous amount of money over at the Harris Teeter (local grocery store). And that doesn't even include the turkey (from a local free-range farm) or the alk-ee-haul. The sister-in-law needs a specific brand of peanut butter, bread, yogurt and cereal for the tyke. It's amazing he's such a good-natured sweet kid. (Or at least he was the last time I saw him, and I'm hoping for the best!)

The other sister-in-law says "eh, as long as it's not contaminated by lysteria or e-coli we'll make it work for our kid."

And to top it off, I think the dog may be sick. She's really low-energy and seems to be a bit warm to the touch... though not too bad. I did see a deer tick crawling off her yesterday (which I promptly drowned in alcohol hand sanitizer -- those f*ckers can live through most things, including flushing!) So I'm waiting to see if she gets worse, or starts limping.

How old is he, and is that all he eats? Just askin'.

No, he'll eat most things. Better than the sil herself (she only eats beige food -- potatoes, chicken, cheese, bread. No veggies that I've been able to discern.)

He has no food allergies or issues, afaik.