November 26, 2010

  • Well Fed And Tired


    TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

    There really wasn't any rush this morning to get everything ready.  Sheepie and I paced ourselves well and she was really helpful in putting together everything.  She did the green bean casserole while I took care of the oyster dressing and the regular dressing.  She also helped make the sweet potato casserole and had fun breaking up the pecans with a meat tenderizer.  Since she loves both dishes, she at least has an idea now about how to make them in the future.  We both peeled potatoes and got everything in the oven so that it would be ready to put on the table between 3pm and 3:30pm.

    The Beast decided to do the turkey out in the garage and, from the amount of smoke, it was probably a smart idea.  Everything came out at the perfect time and I had already mashed the potatoes before the rest came out of the oven.  All that was left was the dinner rolls and for the Beast to bring in the turkey when it was done.

    However.........the Beast took a few pictures today of Sheepie, the Princess, Chewlee and Johnnycakes.  I haven't seen the pictures of Sheepie yet but the ones of Johnnycakes, the Princess and Chewlee came out great.  There's also a cute one of Johnnycakes picking up the Princess in his arms that was supposedly a joke but came out so good they wanted a copy of it.  When the Beast gets done with all his maneuvering, I'll have him send me them so I can post them here for you.

    So, he's busy checking out the pictures and the table is set, the food is on it and I got into the bedroom (where his desk and computer are) to ask him when the turkey was going to be ready.  I thought he had figured it out to get on the table together with the rest of the food.  He looks at me and says, *What does the kitchen timer say?*  Duh!  It had gone off just before I went in to ask about the turkey but I had no idea that's what the timer was for.  So, the Beast runs out into the garage to get the turkey out of the deep fryer.  I grabbed the platter and took it out to him so he wouldn't be dripping any grease on the garage floor.

    End result?  Even if the turkey was in for a couple minutes longer than planned, it was perfect.  Johnnycakes remarked that he didn't like dry breast meat so he was surprised at how moist and tasty it was.  The Beast gave credit to the injected seasoning and the overnight *marinating* in the fridge.  **Grin**

    We all ate well and were so full that everyone was opening up the waistlines of their pants.  The Princess had a vest on with a wide belt and that got taken off, too.  It's form fitting and her *form* was bulging.    She said it felt too tight and was uncomfortable. 

    Chewlee just picked at everything before leaving the table.  When she got hungry later, I gave her some turkey and she kept dipping it in gravy just because she likes dipping things.  She loves dipping her strawberries in chocolate and her chicken nuggets in Ranch dressing.  Yes, she pretty much thinks that Ranch dressing is for the chicken but also....surprise!....tastes good on her salad. 

    The girls cleaned up and put the leftovers in containers for me but I had to put them in the fridge because things needed to be moved around for them to fit.  The kids played cards at the table once Sheepie's new boyfriend came over.  Sheepie was surprised because she wasn't expecting him.

    The only misfortune of the day was when the Princess went to make some frozen mudslides.  The blender broke.  It didn't really upset me (and the Princess managed to save most of the mudslide ) because I really never liked it.  The Beast bought it and there was something about it that bothered me.  It wasn't just that the container was heavy glass, either.  Has that ever happened to you?  The Princess felt bad because she knows the Beast likes to make his milk shakes and said she has two blenders at home so she would bring me one of them.

    Chewlee is spending the night here with us because her mother has a 7am meeting and it would mean waking up Chewlee really early and dropping her off at preschool by 6am or so.  If she stays here (and that's what she told her mother she wanted to do), she can sleep until 7:30am or so and be at school by 9.  That seems more reasonable to me.

    Cinderella called to wish us all a Happy Thanksgiving and talked on the phone with Chewlee for a minute or so.  Tara came by and brought an offering of Texas sheet cake, I think she said.  All I know is that it's chocolate and it looks delicious.  I'll have some of that (small piece) before I go to bed tonight.  I've been very good about watching what I have been eating and the size of each portion.  Plus, I eat slowly and drink water in between.  It's easy when you have people you can talk to while dinner is on. 

    Tara tried some of the turkey and pronounced it nice and moist but she had to go home to finish making her dinner.  She didn't want to end up eating two big meals when she's trying to diet and lose weight.

    Well, I am falling over tired right now but I still have one more load of serving dishes to go into the dishwasher once it's done with the load in it.  Chewlee insisted she needed to help so I passed her the silverware and let her put it into the basket for it.  By the time she put everything in it to her satisfaction, I was done and it was ready to go. 

    Love you all and I hope you had a great day.  If you work today, TGIF!!!!!!!!!