John had been itching for some of his mom’s traditional Thanksgiving dishes, so this year we decided we’d go full force and prepare the feast. Mind you, it was likely going to be just the two of us and the smallest turkey out there weighed over 12 lbs., but well, bubbey gets what bubbey wants. And Thanksgiving is all about going overboard. Luckily, a few others came by with empty stomachs: Bri, Fonda, and Chuck added a bit of stress to the mix (there’s “edible for us” and “edible for others”), but all in all, I’m happy with the meal. Mom hooked me up with a killer you fan recipe– the Chinese spin-off of stuffing: shitake mushrooms, shallots, chestnuts in sticky rice. Was delish. Of course, with me every kitchen success comes with a kitchen failure. This year, the mashed potatoes suffered. I know, how can anyone possibly screw up mashed potatoes? Leave it to me, I tell you. It’s been a while, and well, “boil until just tender” was apparently not long enough. Yup, mashed potatoes with crunchy raw bits. Fortunately, there was plenty of food: fresh cranberry sauce, corn pudding, broccoli cheddar casserole, and TJ’s pecan pie with ice cream. Still, I’m going to try again later this week. I need to redeem myself.
The holiday was a nice respite for us. I’m starting to get a little bored though, so I’m glad tomorrow is back to work. John and I braved the crowds Saturday and did a little bit of shopping. Nothing major. Just some walking around after the big meal. On Saturday, we built a fire at home, played some Scattergories (which he keeps winning!), and watched a movie Catch and Release, with Jennifer Garner. Annoying movie. The protagonist discovers that her recently-deceased fiance had been carrying on with another woman and her kid for years. So the story was reminiscent of The Pilot’s Wife, but so NOT well done. First, Jennifer Garner was like angry for 5 minutes. Then she hooked up with the dude’s friend like a few days after the funeral. Wtf? The movie definitely sent me to bed pissy. Which might explain why both of us slept in until 11:30! I know, who does that right?
When we finally got moving, we felt all motivated, like we were going to make a healthy dinner with papaya salad. Well, just our luck, we went to two Asian markets– no green papaya. That’s the way things roll around here.