Thanksgiving Meal

Today turned out great!  We ate outside on the back patio with the sun shining bright and the temperature at a pleasant 75 degrees.  Thank you God!

Everything was delicious.  The hens were tender and flavorful.  I could have pulled them out of the oven a little bit earlier to retain more of the juice, but otherwise it was good.  The macaroni and cheese was absolutely the best.  Often times macaroni becomes dry from being baked, but Arron did a good job of making the inside moist and cheesy.  Lots of shredded and creamy cheese from velveta.  I was very proud of him.  The yams...yummy.  That was a no brainer.  The more sugar and syrup, the better.  The rice was just that....rice.  Nothing to write home about.  I didn't even put any on my plate.  Speaking of which.  Arron's spinach was boring.  I didn't want to bruise his ego, so I left him alone to make it.  Bad move on my part.  I watched as he poured olive oil and tossed minced garlic into a cold sauté pan.  Then moments later, he sliced lemons into round disc and added them to the oil and garlic.  What the hell?  Still, I sat quietly.  Before the oil could get hot or the garlic soft, Arron added the spinach.  What is he doing?  Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, he cut up some prosciutto and tossed it into the pan.  Sigh!  Needless to say, I passed up that dish when it came time for plating mines.  Instead, I piled on the braised collar greens which were tender and spicy.  The red pepper flakes added a kick that made you sit up and take notice.  Then to balance the plate, I added a slice of cornbread.  I should have added more sugar to the batter to make it taste more like cake, but the butter laid on in between the bread made up for that.  Sweet!  Just to make sure I gave an accurate account of the recipes, I went in for a second helping.  Oh so good!

Oh, by the way.  The eggnog was very sweet (almost too sweet for me) and yummy.  Not as thick as the ones purchased from your local supermarket, but good nevertheless.

One thing I did notice after dinner was that, for once, I wasn't tired.   Arron suggested that the chemicals injected inside turkeys have caused us to be sleepy during pass Thanksgiving dinners, but I'm not certain as to that.  All I know is that the dishes were washed, put away, and the kitchen was in order directly after eating; as if we hadn't prepared a thing. Now we had the reminder of the night to visit with new friends, play board games, watch t.v. and think of all the reasons to be thankful.  For the Lord has blessed our family with an abundance of love, health and happiness.

To add a measure of love, health and happiness to your family, click (or copy and paste) the link below to try out these recipes for yourself.
http://blog.madhungry.com/page/2
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/macaroni-and-cheese
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/eggnog

Happy Thanksgiving!