7:30:
It's time for coffee and the paper. There is an abundance of post-holiday sale flyers to go through even though I'm never interested in entering the fold of those who are out looking for the deals. But it helps me open my eyes and start my day.
8:00:
I shower and get ready.
8:15:
Time to think about cooking. I surf the net for a few ideas about how to prep things even though I will fall into my usual habits and do it all my way.
8:30:
Chop onions and celery while finishing my third cup of coffee.
Start cooking the pork sausage.
Add a stick of butter and the onions and celery.
Open the bag of croutons and empty into a large bowl.
Slice the fresh mushrooms.
Add chicken broth and the mushrooms to the cooking sausage.
After the mixture boils, I pour it over the croutons.
Gently stir it together until the croutons are all saturated.
Wash out the turkey pan, it's been stored away since last year and must be pretty dusty from lack of use.
9:00:
Preheat the oven. Prep the pie pastry and bake the pie shell.
I let the pie shell cool on the deck rail outside.
Peel and cut up the yams.
9:15:
Boil for 30 minutes. Set the timer.
Mix the vinegar, sugar, and oil together and cook.
Let it cool on the deck rail outside next to the pie shell.
9:30:
Clean and grate the cabbage and the carrots.
Chop the green pepper and mix with the cabbage and carrots.
Refrigerate until later.
9:45:
Drain the yams and mash.
Add the butter, milk, vanilla, and brown sugar.
Spread into a baking dish and refrigerate.
10:00:
Make the lemon curd.
Pour it in the cooled pie shell.
Make the meringue.
Top the pie with the meringue and brown it in the oven.
10:30:
Take out the turkey and clean it up.
Remove the neck and gizzards.
Throw them in a pot of water, onion, and spices and boil.
Stuff and prep the turkey.
Rub with spices and butter, cover with foil.
Put the rest of the stuffing in a casserole dish and refrigerate.
A 15-pound bird takes 4 and a half hours so I don't have to put it in the oven till noon.
11:00:
Make the creamy cole slaw dressing.
Take half of the cabbage-carrot-pepper mixture and mix in the dressing.
Pour into a fancy bowl and refrigerate until dinner.
Get the vinegar and oil mix off of the deck and mix with the other half of the cabbage-carrot-pepper mix.
Pour it into a fancy bowl and refrigerate until dinner.
11:15:
Cut up the broccoli.
Stick it in a ziploc bag until later.
Cut up the cheese into cubes.
Set it in a microwavable bowl until later.
11:30:
Turn off the boiling gizzards.
Pour the liquid broth over the turkey. I do the dishes and take out the dinner dishes.
The dining room table is cleaned off, the chairs are in place.
I think I will make the sangria now.
Get the pitcher, fill with ice.
Add sliced fruit and pour in the liquid.
It smells so yummy.
In the fridge it goes until later.
12:00:
The turkey goes in the oven.
The timer is set for an hour so I can remember to check it.
Take out the frozen dinner rolls.
Prep the cookie sheet and let them rise.
12:30:
I am going to go watch The Da Vinci Code now.
I need to sit down.
Jeff makes orange julius and we watch the movie.
I warn him that I will want to pause it in an hour when the timer goes off.
Since the movie is 2 hours and 40 minutes long, he doesn't mind.
1:30:
Baste the turkey.
Set the timer for one hour.
2:30:
Baste the turkey.
Set the timer for one hour.
3:15:
What a great movie.
It will inspire much conversation later.
Time to peel potatoes and make a note to turn them on at 4.
Get the steamer out and fill it with water.
Dump the broccoli into the steamer.
3:45:
Jeff takes the cheesecake out so it can reach room temperature.
Finish setting the table.
Set up the coffee pot so all I have to do is turn it on later.
4:00:
Time to cook the pototaoes.
Put the rolls in the oven.
Pop the stuffing in with the rolls.
4:30:
Check the potatoes.
Almost done.
Take the turkey out.
Let it sit.
Turn on the steamer.
Take the rolls out of the oven.
4:45:
Rinse the potatoes.
Add butter and milk and mash them.
Cover and set aside.
Take the stuffing out of the oven.
5:00:
Take the slaws out and set them on the table.
Jeff carves the turkey.
5:15:
Why does everything seem to go crazy at this time?
Turkey is carved, gravy needs to be made, food needs to be put on the table.
There's broccoli, cheese sauce, and dinner rolls the need to be dealt with.
And I forgot to turn on the coffee.
5:30:
It's time to eat everybody is happy and well-fed. I think they like it. I can't tell, and to be honest, I'm too tired to care anyway. The cooking was fun anyway. The irony is that I don't think it really matters whether it is good or not, it's all about just hanging out together anyway. I just wish I had tomorrow off to relax after such a busy day.
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