Will Trump give a turkey a Presidential Pardon next year?

Will the turkey actually WANT to live???!!!

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I just know there will be a decent amount to gobble up.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Today I purchased more groceries, borrowed an extra table from my aunt, borrowed a bunch of my mom's dishes from my sister, washed a bunch of serving platters, picked up the turkey, and made a make-ahead potato dish.

I didn't get to the gravy base last night, so I'll have to do that tonight. Hopefully I'll also get around to making a mushroom base tonight. It is the foundation of the dressing I usually make. Once the mushroom base is done, all I would have to do on Thanksgiving day is add bread, fresh herbs and a little chicken broth, then bake the whole thing off.

Whew!!! I envy those hostesses like Martha Stewart who book a relaxing manicure and pedicure the night before a big party. I can't even imagine being so ahead of schedule tomorrow night that I would have time to do that sort of thing.

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My Mom and Brother were the big cooks, I've cooked a turkey once, plus other items, but today My younger Niece does the cooking, I just drive and make small talk, plus I stay out of the way. My older Niece of course cooks Her vegetables, and I think that is what She eats...

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I envy those hostesses like Martha Stewart who book a relaxing manicure and pedicure the night before a big party. I can't even imagine being so ahead of schedule tomorrow night that I would have time to do that sort of thing.

Martha has staff. ;)

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I envy those hostesses like Martha Stewart who book a relaxing manicure and pedicure the night before a big party. I can't even imagine being so ahead of schedule tomorrow night that I would have time to do that sort of thing.

Martha has staff. ;)

Reportedly so do cats.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

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Thanksgiving Turkey & Dressing (image)

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and finally - make sure carving implements are sharp, and that the carver is still sober enough

(latter is probably the hardest thing to do, and one of the most important)

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

How To Prepare (Thanksgiving) Food in Space
While space station astronauts are not able to step outside and fire up the turkey fryer, they still celebrate Thanksgiving with a traditional feast. Learn more about how they prepare their meals!
https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/801204134032478208

and finally - make sure carving implements are sharp, and that the carver is still sober enough

(latter is probably the hardest thing to do, and one of the most important)

Yes, one would not want inappropriate bits ending up on the carving plate.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Does anybody use the plastic bag of turkey innards?

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Does anybody use the plastic bag of turkey innards?

My mom used to cook them for the family dog!

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Chuck 'em into the stock pot, make the stock, then feed the residue to the dogs.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

I'm glad I'm not a dog.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I'm glad I'm not a dog.

Or the guest of 'honor' for that matter.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I'm glad I'm not a dog.

Or the guest of 'honor' for that matter.

True!

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I made a fruit studded ice ring to float in punch. I used a Kugelhopf pan and put orange slices in each of the rings. The ice is made of blood orange juice and lemonade, so it shouldn't dilute my punch too much. Whenever we have more than four people over, I try to make batch cocktails that can be served from a punch bowl, rather than trying to shake up individual drinks.

I made a marinade for a shrimp salad, compound herb butter for the turkey and a 7 layer smoked salmon spread from the current issue of Bon Appetit - new recipe, so I hope it is as tasty as it looks in the photograph.

I still have to cut up some pineapple for fruit cups for the kids and bake a batch of caramel pecan bars. Ol' Pookers doesn't like pumpkin pie. Go figure.

I also need to map out a time line for when to pop various dishes into the oven and when to take them out tomorrow.

I swapped out the litter in our cat boxes, so hopefully our house will smell like turkey tomorrow instead of like the home of a crazy cat lady. I have other cleaning jobs to do as well.

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday, and wishing all the hosts and hostesses out there a big burst of energy as we round the final turn and view the finish line.

Thanksgiving is the meal that takes days to prepare and only a few hours to enjoy. May we all succeed in making the holiday appear "effortless" to our guests!

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What are you cooking?

Brown sugar glazed turkey with carrots and apples, sweet glazed ham, candied sweet potatoes, mashed Idaho potatoes, stuffing, biscuits, corn, cranberry sauce, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and cherry pie.

Are you making any special family recipes?

Sadly, no. But my sweet glazed ham and my homemade gravy are usually big hits.

How is your prep work going?

OMG! The bigger prep work is getting the house ready for all the guests. Finally finishing the bathroom tonight (mostly, still need ceiling trim). All the cleaning, dusting, planning and preparing are just half the fun. And we get to do all that while the smell of wonderful food fills the air.

I've also accepted more help from relatives than I typically do. My sister and my sister-in-law are each bringing an appetizer and one of my cousins is baking two pumpkin pies. Usually I try to do everything myself. Must be a sign of my advancing age that this year that I'm letting relatives in on some of the cooking fun.

I'd say it's a sign of intelligence to get other people to do your work for you. :P Besides, cooking can be a bonding experience. It's fun to do and every one is happy while doing it.

So, hosts and hostesses - how is your prep work going?

Almost done. The big T-day tomorrow and I'm hoping the food is as tasty to everyone else as the "samplings" I've had.

If you are traveling to the celebrations. Plan your journey, BBC video, LA 405 Freeway

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