Welcome Back From the Thanksgiving Holiday...

Here's hoping everyone enjoyed themselves without too much in the manner of over doing it :)

For my first Thanksgiving in my new home I was completely satisfied. It couldn't have been better unless you could have been there. We had great company, wonderful food, strange but accommodating weather and much to be thankful for.

I had vacation days Wednesday and Friday so I've been gone from work for 5 days. Needless to say, it's not so easy getting back in the swing of things. It took the better part of the morning just to get through all my email.... ugh! That being said, here's how it all panned out...

On my way home from work Tuesday I stopped at the Triple L Ranch, just off Hwy. 100 about 15 miles. The ranch sells grass-fed beef in a variety of cuts and they do some horse boarding and training too. They have a beautiful place that's well off the beaten path much like we are. They are some really nice people who take care to raise their cattle in the most natural way possible. No hormones or antibiotics are given to the animals and they are raised primarily on grass just like cows are supposed to be raised. During the last few days of their life, they are gradually moved to a grain-fed diet and then slaughtered in the most humane way possible. I don't know what that means but that's how it is described. From what I've gathered, they don't want the animals to be under any undue stress as that causes them to release a hormone which is detrimental to the flavor of the meat.

Perhaps my Grandma could enlighten me on that subject. Before I go on I have to tell you this part. It's a little bit humorous so I don't want to forget to tell you about it. I was talking to Mom and as it turned out, I drove right past the exit I needed to take to get to the ranch. Had I been in Orlando, this would have meant driving to the next exit or frantically trying to find a good, safe place to turn around. It would have been somewhat stressful to say the least - you've all been there so you know what I mean. As I'm no longer in Orlando (you're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy! LOL) I simply slowed to a moderate speed (from 55 mph) and pulled a U-E right there in the middle of Hwy. 100. There was no traffic in front or behind me - just me and the road and I was able to keep Mom on the phone the whole time. Tell me when was the last time you were able to do that?  :)

So with my two chuck roasts in hand I drove on home where Wally had just arrived after picking up a few things in town. We were set for the weekend as far as supplies went and we were eagerly anticipating the arrival of our guests on Wednesday. I ran the dry swiffer around the floors and then cleaned the bathroom. I got some laundry done and then made the cranberry salad recipe you see to your left on the blog. I also took out the whole wheat bread and cut it into cubes for my stuffing. It was seasoned and then heated in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour. There wasn't much else we could do so we had some time to just chill out and relax. Imagine that - chilling out and relaxing two days before Thanksgiving.

Wednesday came and we were up early with plenty to do. I had put one of the roasts in a bowl to thaw for dinner Wednesday night so I took that out of the refrigerator. It was a big 4 pounder so it needed some extra time to defrost. Meanwhile I cut up some carrots and onions to go in the roasting pan with it. I cleaned up the kitchen and we headed for the barn.

I was the assistant mechanic for a couple of hours while Wally figured out what was wrong with and how to fix the truck - apparently it was something to do with a U-joint which made no sense to me at all because this supposed U-joint is actually in the shape of a T. Those are mechanical terms for which I have no definition or experience using so I'm going to have to say that Wally was right in what he called it. LOL  I had my hands all greasy and dirty and I had been holding up a drive shaft (got my mechanic lingo on...lol) that's really quite heavy when Wally decided it was time to head to the parts store. Now I have to say that painting wasn't much fun and neither was being an assistant to the mechanic but of the two, I'd probably choose the assistant mechanic gig. When I asked what it paid, he told me flat out "not much." Had I known that I might not have worked so hard at it... ha ha ha

So off to the parts store we went. Right next door was Save-A-Lot where I picked up the green beans and fried onions for the green bean casserole. That was a fiasco in itself. First I looked for them on aisles where I thought they might possibly be but weren't then when I was about to give up the cashier asked if I had found everything I needed. She asked another lady where they might be and this lady sent me down aisle 1 towards the end on the bottom left. WRONG, no sign of them there. I went back to the cashier, where there were now about 5 people behind me and Wally, waiting ever so patiently (yeah right), where I was then told that they were on aisle 2, not aisle 1. Here I go again... down aisle 2 on the left at the end... NOPE... arghhhhh!! Finally a lady came by with a Save-A-Lot uniform on and I asked her. She walked right over to them (on the end cap of aisle 3 by the way) and handed me two bags (they don't come in cans at Save-A-Lot - possibly why I couldn't see them...?) and asked if there was anything else I needed. Um, maybe a beer at this point... lol

We were finally checked out with auto parts and groceries in hand and back home we went. It's crazy how things work out like that sometimes.

I seasoned the roast, carrots and onions and slid that heavy thing into the oven. It needed to cook for about 4 hours and that was working out well because we weren't expecting Jay and Teri until 9:30-10:00. I also peeled, boiled and mashed some turnips and added some butter, chives and black pepper. We started smelling the roast after about an hour or so and both agreed the scent should be captured and made into a candle....mmmmm good!!

It was getting colder outside so I changed into some sweat pants, we turned on the heater and the tv and watched it while awaiting our company. I made the mistake of laying on the couch where I fought sleep as long as I possibly could but finally succumbed around 8:30ish when I promptly fell to sleep... :)  zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

That's all it took for company to come down the drive - just fall asleep and it will happen every time :) LOL We spent some time catching up and discussing the plan for the next day which was basically, cook, eat, rest, eat more, and so on and so forth. Teri, ever so kindly, offered to color my hair for me and I, ever so gratefully, accepted that offer in a heartbeat! We planned it for Saturday as neither of us really wanted to go out on Friday if we could help it.

Thanksgiving Day arrived and the cooking began. First I made the stuffing since it takes 40-45 minutes for the barley to cook. While that was going on I blended together the dry rub for the bird and then smashed those whole wheat breadcrumbs for the stuffing. I chopped up the celery and onions and put the whole huge pile into a hot skillet of melted, simmering butter. Loaded with salt and pepper, the vegetables sauteed to tenderness in just minutes. The bird came with a bag of gravy but we all prefer homemade so the bag was put back in the refrigerator for another use.

Teri brought a homemade, sugar-free pumpkin pie that she had cooked the night before so dessert was ready. She also brought a Pillsbury, Sugar-free cake mix which we had never seen before and clearly didn't know existed. What a pure delight to know that we could add cake back into our mostly sugar-free diet. It's been years for the diabetic in the house and many months for me... Cake, perfectly moist, puffy and light, no icing necessary... what a treat to be thankful for :)

In lieu of the frosting, Teri had a bag of frozen fruit which she thawed, sprinkled with Splenda and poured over the cake. How good does that sound? Yeah - it was that good! It reminded me of a birthday cake that Mom made for me one year. It was a chocolate cake that was cooked in a bundt pan and after it cooled, she topped it with whipped topping and fresh strawberries. Indeed, that was a cake to remember as will be the Thanksgiving cake of 2010! 

While the turkey roasted, we loaded up on the 4 wheelers and Wally took us through all the trails and down to the holler. From there we went to the swimmin hole so they could see it too. They were very impressed with the size of the thing and from the sound of it, I take it they'll be back for some swimming next summer :) I introduced them to the roosters and warned that their timers were off since the time change. They got to witness how the thugs leave little Roo to himself. He doesn't mind. He always gets to the food first!

Darryl stopped by for a short visit and I would have made him a to-go plate but the turkey wasn't ready yet. He did try the cranberry salad and agreed with everyone else how yummy it was. I still haven't seen Marie to thank her for it. I do recommend you try it - it's very surprising how good it is. We were hoping Darryl could stay for dinner but he had to get back to Pee Wee's to work. Bummer.

The weather was very strange all day. It felt like being in FL when a hurricane is on the horizon. The colors were weird, it was windy but somewhat warm and very humid. I don't know exactly how to describe it other than to say that it was just off...

Kurt, Beverly and Tenneshia showed up and the bird was put into the oven to crisp the skin for those who partake in it. Teri had the green bean casserole done and the mashed sweet potatoes. I spooned out the stuffing and got the plates and silverware out while Teri made the gravy. It was some awesome turkey gravy if I do say so myself. It had just the right balance of thickness to creaminess and salty, peppery and turkey dripping flavors... I could drink it!! I don't know too many people who have mastered turkey gravy but she sure nailed it on the head.

We all had bellies full of food and our minds full of memories of another Thanksgiving coming to a close. When I went to bed that night, it was with a smile of happiness the likes of which I haven't felt in a long time. It could only have been more perfect if you had been here.

How could Friday ever top the wonder of Thanksgiving? Well, just by being Friday. I was off work, we had friends to spend our time with and Teri and I were getting the Christmas stuff out of the trailer and into the cabin. With her guidance, we set up the 9 foot tree that Dizzy Debbie gave me and then dug into the tangled mess of lights that I found in a box. I knew I hadn't packed those lights as I would never have been able to sleep at night seeing the condition they were in but since they were available - we worked to untangle them. There were 3 or 4 strands, one worked the others were only half lit. You know what that means - a trip into town...ugh!!!! This was black Friday - there was no way I was going to town. The Christmas tree was put on hold but we did manage to get quite a few boxes inside for me to sort through.

From the leftover chuck roast and carrots I made a hearty and robust beef stew for dinner. Friday had been cold, windy and drizzling a light rain all day so by the time we were ready to eat - beef stew seemed to be the definitive meal :) Cooking it made the cabin smell good, eating it made us feel good and it wasn't long before bed was sounding good to everyone.

Come Saturday morning, one Mr. Jay Johnson had had enough of my "damn roosters!"  LOL ha ha ha I warned him they would be crowing before daylight... oh how I laughed at him for cursing them!! They're just doing their job and what a good job they do of it! Perhaps he had a little too much to drink the day before??? hmmmmm that might make 6 crowing roosters pretty unpopular :) 

Teri and I were off to Wal-Mart (dreaded but necessary) so I could get some hair color and some storage bins for when the ornaments have to come down. I need to reorganize the whole mess and she found some bins in GA that were really cool. We got everything and then some of what we needed at Wal-Mart - it wasn't so bad with two people working the place. She went one way with part of the list and I went the other with the rest of the list. We met in the middle and were out of there in record time. We stopped at Lowe's for the bins because Wal-Mart won't be putting out theirs until after Christmas.

We strung the 5 sets of lights we got from Wal-Mart and then had to resort to the half lit strings we had untangled the day before. After much deliberation and some fancy stringing, the tree was lit and I was ready to start on the ornaments. I had finished with one box when everyone said how nice it looked. Well, little did they know there was much more to come. I think I went through three boxes before I was too tired to go on. I did get my snowmen out and on display on the bookshelf. I also got the top of the piano decorated with the crystal-like snowmen that Chrystal (that's her name for real) gave me for Christmas. The guys brought me some cedar branches which I put up on the mantel and decorated it with another grouping of snowmen. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow for the pictures. Truly I didn't have another ounce of energy left in me by the time all that was done. You see, in order for anything to be decorated I first had to pack up everything on the shelves, piano and mantel. I just unpacked all that crap in March and now here I was packing it back up... that's the way things go sometimes but at least the cabin is starting to look like a Christmas village. I can't wait for you to see it.

Football was on all day Saturday and left overs were reheated for anyone who had room to stuff more in. After the tree was strung with lights, we started in on the hair dyeing process. Finally the gray has been covered and the washed out ends match up with the rest of my hair!!! I'm ever so thankful for that. Kurt had brought us a deer that someone gave him. He didn't have room in his freezer so he brought it to us. Wally cut it into manageable pieces and I sealed it with the Seal-a-Meal machine we bought over the summer when we processed the pig. What wasn't cut into steaks or tenderloin medallions was put into a bag to be made into sausage tomorrow. Darryl is offering up his services again so unless we eat it all before you get here, we'll have venison sausage for breakfast :)

Sunday meant that our company would be leaving soon and it seemed they had only just arrived. We took Jay to the meat place so he could see the operation and pick up some meat if he so desired. It's hard, if not darn near impossible to resist. We added a few more bags to our supply and he had a box full before it was all said and done. We even remembered to get more bones for the dogs.

This week they were serving country ham and biscuits as well as the much loved sausage biscuits. I don't know how many we had between the three of us but we clearly had made pigs of ourselves. I thought of Dizzy Debbie the whole time :)

The bacon still was not cured so we'll have to make another trip back but the smoked sausages and hams were hanging along the walls. I got us a smoked sausage - it's kind of like summer sausage - to enjoy as the winter days go by when we want something smokey to eat but can't quite bring ourselves to go out into the cold and light the smoker :) With pure will-power, I will try my best to save some for Neccy and Jack when they come for Christmas. Either that or I'll just have to buy another one...  LOL :)

I think we saw one other vehicle the whole way there and back. In fact, we saw more deer than we did traffic. The morning was very cold and frost had covered the ground. It crunched when we walked on it. We could smell the sausage and ham cooking before we ever opened the doors. The place was packed too. People were lined up out the door as we were leaving. There's no telling how much this guy is making. It benefits his pockets and it benefits my pocket since there's no tax to be paid. We're going to buy ground beef anyway - might as well be fresh off the cow.

Back at the cabin, Teri began the process of packing up their stuff. I remembered having to leave this place before I moved here and it was never a happy occasion. There's just something about it. The cabin was quieted as they headed down the driveway. We stood there watching and wondering when they could come back again. We had a good visit. I went back to work on the tree while Wally sat in his chair watching me and watching tv. After about 20 minutes, we decided to go to Pee Wee's. I packed up some food for Darryl and Wally packed up the cooler. Off we went.

I wore my "joe-veralls" with a red, long sleeved t-shirt (Rebecca) and my $1.25 Timberland boots and topped it all with a light weight jacket. It was sunny outside and just a little cool and I was sporting my new hair color. We visited with everyone and Darryl fed us some venison that was cooked to perfection. Anyone who says they don't like it, it's because they haven't eaten it how he cooks it. It melts in your mouth. There's no gamy taste to it at all - in fact, you would be hard-pressed to guess what it was if asked.

He showed me an article in the paper where a young boy shot a 10 point DOE (yes, it's true) during the juvenile hunting season. They say it happens very rarely but was verified by the wildlife people to be true. I thought surely he was kidding. I read it myself and saw the picture so I can tell you he wasn't kidding. It's just a rare freak of nature.

As Sunday came to a close and the work week loomed on the horizon, we made our way back home where the kitchen light made for a welcoming sight on a chilly November afternoon. The roosters had already put themselves to bed so we turned on the light for the dogs and put ourselves to bed too.

I hope you make it up next year so you can enjoy this experience too.

"My home is not a place, it is people."  Lois McMaster Bujold