Happy Thanksgiving!

For the first time since 2003, I returned to celebrating Thanksgiving at U5 & Rebecca's! It was a great feeling to be back: due to my grad school schedule, I missed it from the fall that I left (2004) through my return to the states in early 2007.

My culinary contribution was my standard recipe of Brussels sprouts with bacon & onions (however, I also made a veggie version). For those of you not familiar with the way that the vegetables grow, you have to check out the startling scary day-of-the-triffids style stalk they come on. The first time I opened a fridge with them in there, jumped back, wondering what lifeform had taken over.

As another aside, a nonstick roasting pan over two burners makes a quite serviceable large skillet:


And as another aside, I've heard you can use your washing machine on 'rinse' cycle as a gigantic salad spinner. Although I worry about picking out miniscule bits of greens out of the holes for the next few weeks.

Anyway, it was a big turnout--U5 & Rebecca, the kids C & B, Rebecca & Schmooz's parents (Tom & Marilyn) and sister+family (Karen, Perry, Caroline, Mitchell), Perlick, JMD, Morton & Sarah, and me.

And as usual, in addition to an oven roasted turkey, we deep fried up a turkey. Oh yeaaah. FYI, this is the rig that U5 & I devised a bunch of years ago to dunk things into the fryolator with some standoff distance. Although it does seem a bit like, "...two people are required to cast the molten metal into an ingot, using the dipper from the cauldron..."


Dinner wrapped up with pie saturation--it worked out to half a pie per person. Nope, we didn't get anywhere near close to finishing.

A fun time, and we didn't get back home until 1 AM. Wonderful friends are something to be thankful for.

Ugh... heading into the office today (albeit quite late)... but at least it's a weekend tomorrow.