The Pioneer Woman Rocks!

I had such a nice Thanksgiving! Why did it take me so many years to decide to do as much as I could the 2 days before!? I had the deviled eggs made & plated, the relish trays prepared, the potatoes mashed, and the stuffing made. Without that to do today, things went really smoothly, and the kids didn't arrive to a raving maniac!

And dinner was EXCELLENT! My friend Ruth mentioned The Pioneer Woman Cooks blog one day so I checked it out...just in time to learn how to make the best mashed potatoes (mashed, with a hand masher...not whipped with electricity! Imagine that!) and to brine a turkey. Now most of you know that I don't eat the turkey. The very fact that I even cook it is one for the books. But..I love my family...and they love their turkey...so... I had heard how awesome a brined turkey tastes. And it smelled and looked Divine. So I admit I had a tiny taste! It was, indeed, wonderful!

I was a good MIL today, too. And it wasn't that hard. There is a lot of stuff he doesn't eat (like yams, mushrooms, and stuffing). So we asked him what he wanted for dinner today. He said ham and green beans made with bacon. And gravy...lots of gravy. So I found him a small ham and a really good recipe for green beans cooked with bacon and onions. They were really good! And I hadn't cooked real bacon in years! Oh, and I made gravy...lots of gravy!

Karen brought 2 beautiful pies: a pecan for her Momma and a pumpkin for tradition's sake. May I say the pecan pie was melt-in-your-mouth perfect. We haven't cut the pumpkin yet (there was cake...birthday cake...) but look at those little hand cut leaves around the edge of the crust. Martha would be proud! And she brought her really good cranberry relish.

After dinner as I was putting the left-overs away, making a take-home bag for the kids, and surreptitiously slipping turkey & potatoes to the dog, I heard the typical snores coming from the living room. The funny thing was, it was the kids! Gary commented that he thought it was us "old folks" who were supposed to be zonked out after a big meal. Apparently not!

I also got through the day with minimal pain! I decided the cure for my back is to NOT go to PT for a week! Go figure!

So I hope you all had as wonderful a day as we did here. Being with family rocks!