Alinnell, I have never brined a turkey, but twice now I've brined roaster chickens in apple cider with salt & whole peppercorns added. When the chickens finally go in the oven, that saturated skin blisters up & burns a bit. I just take the skin off when the chicken is nearly done, using hot tongs, then put the chicken back in for a little while. The meat stays wonderfully moist for days afterward. I'll bet a turkey brined in spices like that is amazing.

What a day! Had to pretzel myself into some big rocks above the water to rescue a little beagle who had fallen in. Team effort. I passed him up to my friend and she carried him over the big rocks to the sand while I extricated myself from where I was wedged.

I kinda wish I had a big, big plastic bag, some aromatics to sprinkle on myself, and a masseuse. DH is sulking downstairs (I didn't have the patience for his whining tonite) so he's no use.

Ah well, I'll take a long, long hot shower instead.

Great evening all!

Dagmar

I'm picturing Dagmar trussed like a turkey in the pan, totally happy to be stuffed with peppercorns and massaged. Turkey baster massage - could be a new spa trend. And in the poultry bag - doesn't that help to keep the skin moist?

I got to my parents safely with minimal flight delays etc. Trying to stay active but I'm scared to try and drive anywhere and explore b/c the traffic is sooo much more than I'm used to, and there aren't many sidewalks. I've definitely eaten too much but I've learned that a lot of things that were triggers aren't bothering me. Boxes of crackers, dried fruit, candies, just aren't that tempting to me. So I need to just try and stay active and keep my portions in check.

It was nice to meet my dad's new boss and some of the people who he works with. After how he was treated by "the new boss" at his last job, it's nice to know he found a place where he is really valued! I hope this place works out for them. My mom has a part-time temp job right now, but I think she's glad she's keeping busy (and recognizes anything is good in this economy, too). It's a pretty area overlooking the Hudson River Valley. And my niece is now 4.5 months and cute as a button!

Allison good luck with your cooking for the masses! We've got 7 adults for tomorrow, so not a huge feast but certainly big enough.

Dagmar, aww, way to rescue the dog! I'll bet the water was very chilly. My parents dog decided he wanted to stay 2 inches deep in the stream on our walk yesterday. Literally stand there, staring at the forest for 5 minutes... he is funny.

I'm assuming most of our U.S. members are also off getting their feasts ready, traveling, etc. Good luck cooking everyone! Remember call the butterball hotline if you've got turkey troubles... my PSA for the day, lol.

Dagmar, you're a hero!! Lucky dog!

Allison, you are very organized. I'm going to prep the stuffing, enchiladas, green bean casserole, and cut the veggies for roast veggies tonight.

Megan, maybe we need a "3FC too-much-dessert troubles" hotline? So far there will be 4 pies, one cake, and a pumpkin roll. For 8 of us. I can't believe your niece is 4 months old already!

Midwife-- that is an insane amount of dessert for 8 people! That being said, there will be 7 of us and we will have one pumpkin pie, one Argentinian dessert (not sure what that will be) and my healthier pumpkin mousse. Still should be plenty!

Dagmar-- hooray for rescuing the doggy! I'm sure the owners are eternally grateful!

Working in a cafe today on my class. My still sore tailbone is not enjoying the hard wooden bench.

Hopefully going to get sushi later and see Harry Potter!

Musical desserts! Line the 6(!) desserts up around the dinner table and have every march around. At a signal have everyone stop and grab the dessert dierctly in front of them. The two people not in front of a dessert can then safely exit the room

Dagmar

Dagmar, I want to hear the whole story. How did the beagle fall into the water? I've always had faith in the sure-footedness of dogs. My faith appears to be misplaced, though.

I like beagles. I was happy several years ago when Uno won the big championship. When I was very young, I knew a lot of beagles because Charlie Brown's dog, Snoopy, had started some kind of fad where everyone bought their kid a beagle. Also, one of my uncles had a pack of six, for hunting -- and also for really annoying the neighbors, as his beagles barked & sang to each other all the time. They would lick my hands all over through the chicken wire & I adored them.

Megan, I'm hoping you find a hoodie you like at Uniqlo. I'm pretty sure they're on Broadway, down in Soho, because all such stores like TopShop and H&M are all on Broadway. But that is one place where I would not want to be walking, as the crowds will be so thick on the sidewalk, they would annoy me.

I'm roasting a Delicata to take with me in the car on my drive Upstate tomorrow. That's my contribution to dinner; my mother does most of the work, I'm afraid. (I will make it up by doing all the rest of the cooking while I am there.) My gym opens at 8 AM on Thanksgiving Day, so I will get in some cardio, then hop in the shower, dress, get in the car, and take off. Thanksgiving Day itself has lighter traffic than the days before, especially at the Hudson River crossings.

I'm braced for immersion in Upstate NY, where I grew up. It's always colder & grayer there. The traffic is nearly nonexistent. There is parking everywhere, much of it free. The people are so much more open & immediately approachable & unwary, and the salesclerks & cashiers are nicer than they need to be.

I kind of want to see "Love and Other Drugs," because of Jake Gyllenhaal's blue eyes, and also possibly "Burlesque," if I can get hold of my old housemate, Gregg, so we can thrill to the camp of it together. I expect to be delightfully awful, like "Showgirls," and I will be sooo annoyed if it is not.

saef, where Upstate did you grow up again? It's funny how you mention the changes in people's attitudes. I go to the city and end up spitting angrily on the sidewalks because everyone is so curt, self-involved and cold. I saw a 20-something woman fall on some stairs on the subway exit near Koreatown and people were actually annoyed at her for blocking the way. Only some tourists - me and this Midwestern mother and her elementary school age son - bothered to help her up and give her tissues to wipe off the blood.

Krampus, I grew up in a small town just northwest of Syracuse, not far from the county line where Onondaga County and Oswego County meet. The snowfalls there are epic. Once, we had a snow day & stayed home from school on my birthday, which is Oct. 3.

I don't think that people downstate are unfriendly, exactly, but I think they are ... careful. And wary at first. They guard their privacy against the ever-pressing crowd. And they don't expend more energy or give away more of themselves than they need to, to get through brief impersonal interactions, because there are so very many of these interactions during their busy day. Also, they're competing against other people so often for space on public transportation, in traffic, in lines, on the sidewalks, or for service, that they have learned to be aggressive, so that they are taken care of. This means a different way of moving in the world & carrying oneself in public & relating to strangers. But when they are with people they know, or trust, they open up & are completely different. This is a gross generalization, I know, and peoples' different personalities make them warmer or cooler, but yeah, there is a marked difference. Mostly I notice it with salesclerks & cashiers, in those kinds of impersonal transactions with people who are strangers.

When I started noticing things like: "Clerks are so friendly here" and "That Upstate "a" sound really IS very nasal," that was when I knew that I would never move back or live up there again. Took me maybe a decade after moving, but I understood then that I had a new home.

Oh wow, that is very upstate!

I agree - downstaters may seem all claws and gnashing teeth but most of them are real people on the inside.

I've noticed those things about my hometown - suburbs of Albany - perhaps it's soon time for me to pack up my turtle shell and try somewhere new in the USA. I dig the friendliness though so I think I'll be heading south.

midwife, I'm amazed that someone has more dessert than my family. Of course, we've toned it down a lot over the last few years, Mom had to admit it was a bit excessive to have a pie or more per adult person. This year for 6 adults (though we expected 7) we "only" had 3 pies, plus the pumpkin bread and cranberry-walnut muffins made earlier in the week were also offered, though no one actually ate those with dinner or dessert - too much other food! Oh and the Hershey's nuggets did need to be offered two hours after mealtime. I virtuously declined a nugget. (After eating pumpkin and apple pie.)

I sorta feel like this guy right now.

How did everyone do on Thanksgiving? I feel like I actually did pretty well. I got up, went for a run even though it was raining lightly outside (although I did cut the run short when it started coming down more), and grabbed a piece of bread for breakfast while rushing to catch DH cross the finish line of the turkey schlepp he was running. I would have run it too but we never would have gotten out the door on time if I had, so I skipped and drove to pick him up.

DH's parents showed up to carpool to Thanksgiving with us shortly after we got back home, and we made it out of the house around 11 and to DH's relative's house around 12:30. Finished up cooking my veggies and I think we actually ate around 1:30 or so. The soup was served first (no opportunity to refuse) so I had a little, but didn't finish my serving. Then luckily the salad plates were sitting on top of the large plates, so I just used the salad plate as my dinner plate.

I followed my intended strategy and skipped all the food I don't care about. There was quite a spread but I escaped with just one salad plate full of food, plus pie for dessert. A little nibbling later, but my weight wasn't up at all this morning so I call it a success.

I did take a whole lot of leftovers home, but mostly just meat which I can use in casseroles. I took a little cranberry relish and sweet potatoes too, and the half of a grasshopper pie I had made which was left. DH doesn't like it so it's all for me, which is good and bad. Good because I love it and I don't have to worry about him eating it all, so I can nibble it slowly instead of eating it fast, but bad because each slice is about 450 calories. Since I'm transitioning back to maintenance after losing for a while I think it will be okay. I'd been eating 1400 cals to lose and I'm still ending up around there, but 1850 is maintenance level for me so I'll be okay with pie for a couple days.

Jessica to you! Sounds like you totally enjoyed Thanksgiving.

I'm chuckling at your "nibbling" pie. That never happens in my house - we inhale pie, cake, candy, cookies. I've tried freezing leftover desserts people send home with us but that didn't work either (frozen choc cake is just as delectable as fresh).

We are all or nothing as far as the sweets go.

Have a great evening all - bet most of you are tired out from all the cooking, eating, and the Black Friday shopping!

Dagmar

Funny, the "a" is when I know I'm home, or at least as close to a home as I've had as an adult. (I'm a couple hours less upstate, so to speak, than your hometown.)

Sorry to barge in to the chat. I used to post in here quite a bit, but recently I've just been lurking. I'm more likely to post on the weight lifting board, being something of a weight-lifting nut.

Hope everyone is having a great T-day weekend .... or just a great weekend, for our non-US friends.

b. strong,
KAW

Just celebrating a relaxing four day weekend - after avoiding anything Black Friday related.

Thanksgiving eating was good enough - a lot of good winter veggies were available and I avoided the ham. No mashed potatoes were in sight. We did take our walks before dinner and after; they should be a part of every meal. MA weather was ideal for November - not every Thanksgiving is so conducive to being outside.