My Thanksgiving Day Plans…..

Happy Thanksgiving To All…..

I am not cooking for guests this year – first year ever, I think…..Even on years where I went family’s or friend’s homes for Thanksgiving, I usually cooked a full meal for left overs to be available for myself and anyone who may stop in on the days following Thanksgiving. But, I decided to do things differently this year — oh, I’m still cooking!!! I can’t imagine not having turkey dinner left overs in the fridge to last me through the long weekend! But, I’m not doing up enough for an army – or at least not a LARGE army! ha-ha

I’m not a big fan of the white meat on a turkey – my favorite is the dark meat! So – this year, I decided to just roast turkey LEGS, instead of the whole turkey! I picked up two packages of turkey legs – 3 in each package. I am hoping that 6 legs will give me enough turkey meat to do all the usual stuff I like to do with turkey left overs through the weekend.

I am also making a big pan of stuffing (guess I should call it dressing, since it isn’t going to be “stuffed” in anything), a few baked sweet potatoes, some mashed potatoes, a sweet pea casserole (classic green bean casserole, except with peas instead of green beans), corn, gravy, cranberry jelly, pumpkin pie, and blueberry pie. I am calling it all “left overs” – even though I don’t plan an actual sit down meal for the food to be left over from…..

I got up about 7:00 to let the girls out and give them their breakfast. Then I got started with the food preparations. I prepped what I could and got it in the oven and ran to the store for a few things I forgot to get when I shopped yesterday.

When I returned from the store, the house smelled AMAZING already!!!! I love the smell of a house where a turkey dinner is being prepared — no other meal makes a house smell quite the same or quite as good!!!! The girls are all really getting into the smells, too — all three keep going to the kitchen to sit in front of the oven with their noses working over time to take in all the wonderful aroma before it can escape into the rest of the house — luckily, they aren’t successful in their goal to hog all the fragrance seeping out of the oven vents…….I’m getting to enjoy it, too!!!!

I made French Toast with cinnamon for breakfast – that was good! I will eat turkey “leftovers” later this afternoon for dinner!

Later today, I plan to meet up with some friends and go see a movie – I think we’re leaning towards “August Rush”. Then they will come and have dessert (my pumpkin and blueberry pie) here.

So — Thanksgiving is going to play out differently than usual for me, but it will still be wonderful – full of good food and good company! I have so much to be thankful for – my health, my family, my friends, my girls, my home, my special interests, my career — all make for a full, busy, and happy life! It’s all good…….