I have updated my blogroll and sent an email about my blogs to everyone.

Well, two and a half weeks after giving up dairy, I might be down four pounds. Who knows. My scale is all wonky right now.

Kiwi- yay for your good news!

Schatz-- I don't like touching raw meat. We'd be vegetarian if I was responsible for the cooking.

Well, I just wanted to share the interesting news about my possible weight loss.

Day 2 of Rat Watch - I bought a trap and poison for DH to put in the basement. The trap is set, but DH hasn't put out the poison and I'm NOT going into the basement to put it out. When I'm home I spend most of my time talking very loudly to my doggies or singing "I am coming 'round the corner yes I am, I am coming 'round the corner yesssss I yammmmmm. All the rats had better hide out yes they haddddd, oh the rats had better hide out yes they haaaaddddddd" Of course to the tune of "She'll be coming 'round the mountain". I figure if I make enough noise I won't surprise a critter. I'm leaving no dry dog food out unless the doggies are actually eating it. Geez. It's all I can think of.

Kiwi, there is probably nothing more depressing than a leaky roof. Sounds like ya got a case of cabin fever. What happened to the roof guy you had fix it last year? or was that the year before? Grandpa Jim's mobile home has sprung a few leaks this year too. We hate to put a new roof on a 40 yr old mobile home that we're planning on demolishing when we move out, but we can't let Grandpa live in a leaky house either. What to do? Speaking of Grandpa Jim - we took him out to dinner and everyone was piling into the car. I was sitting in the front passenger's seat, and I shut the door on poor Grandpa's fingers as he was getting in the back seat behind me. Ohmygod. I felt sooooo terrible, and that was before DH kept going on and on about it. Then when we arrived at the restaurant and everybody wanted to know where Grandpa was (he insisted on staying home after I mangled him) and then after everybody else went on for a half hour about how I'd slammed his fingers in the door, I was ready to go slam my own head in the door just to shut them all up. It was an effin accident, people!!!!!Now that doesn't sound like Mother Teresa, does it?

Peaches, my turkey is a fresh, never frozen one too. Mostly because if I buy a frozen one, I never can seem to get it to thaw out in the fridge, and I'm afraid of poisoning everyone if I do the quick thaw in water method. Schatzi, to brine a turkey you soak it for 6 hours in a water, kosher salt, brown sugar, and spice solution. It does some chemical thing to the bird and makes it very, very moist. It makes it the most delicious turkey you will ever eat. Then I stuff him w/ celery, onions and whole garlic cloves, rub sage butter under his breast skin, cook him @ 500 degrees for the first 30 minutes, then 350 degrees to finish him off w/ a foil tent over the breast area. This is my baby sister's recipe she got out of Gourmet magazine.

Note to self: buy bottle of Bailey's on way home. Kiwi, you're a bad influence.

Lush, my dogs aren't much for being rodent hunters, but they would definitely terrorize a kitty.

Geez. My older sister just called. She's in Arizona w/ my parents. She called to let me know that my younger sister is having Thanksgiving w/ just her husband and son all by themselves and she strongly suggested I invite them for Thanksgiving dinner, which would be fine by me, but here's my dilemma - I have put out the word that we are having dinner w/ DH's family so that I wouldn't have to invite my whacky family for dinner. Because A. My brother is an alcoholic and even tho he's on the wagon now, there's a whole lotta water under the bridge that I don't feel like dealing with. B. I absolutely can not stand his GF. C. My niece is a stripper that I don't want to have to deal with. D. My other brother is an active alcoholic E. I've gotten tired of cooking for all of them, for them just to bring their appetites to dinner. F. I prefer my immediate family for company. The problem is that we really aren't having dinner w/ DH's side of the family. We're having dinner w/ our children and Grandpa Jim. A nice quiet dinner w/ no drama. Now I'd love to have my younger sister and her family for dinner, but I would have to ask her to keep it quiet or we will be besieged w/ everyone else. Isn't this exactly what Thanksgiving is not supposed to be? I'd love to feel like our home is open to everyone, but my family makes me crazy. Why wasn't I smart enough to move across the country away from relatives years ago?

Lush, I expect you have the answer to this dilemma.

I always get a fresh turkey, too. I don't brine it. Should I? Can I still stuff it? I'm thinking about it. I have to find something to soak it in. It is 25lbs....even though it's only us.
On the exciting front...RENT is in the theater today!!!!! I'm sure Peaches is running out to see all those buggering dancers hop across her screen.
I'm going to go chop things then brine. I am happy to be back.

Lusho, we are happy to have you back.

And wabbbbby, I don't ever every think that Mother Theresa was without emotion. I'm sure she felt fed up plenty of times. Remember when that committee wanted her to vote to condemn the actions of Sadaam Husein and she said NO, it is not for me to judge or condemn anyone! Remember when some celebrity visited her and tried to do the celebrity thing and she MADE THEM nurse dying lepers. She was no push over. Neither are you. She just did what she believed was right and meant the best for those who have the least. You?

I would say I now want a fresh turkey but it would be a lie. I want a pile of cooked sliced turkey breast. Smoked preferably.

I want to have Thanksgiving with a stripper. I have having it at my friends house with her friend who always visits from out-of-state. For the past several years, he's brought this girlfriend who is a step down from a stripper. They exchange Christmas presents at this time and one year she gave my friend's DH a new shirt with the shoplifitng-foolproof tag still attached. He had to throw it out.

Not going to see Rent. I will wait for Lush to tell me what I've missed.

Kiwi ... a week or so ago I emailed you about my depression and feedback I was getting about it. Then I gave up sugar and break and I am not depressed now. I AM NOT. If I were, I would forgive myself since my life is a crock o refried beans with lard, but I am emotionally stable and it's just that d**n sugar. Lush agrees.

Nope. Albert.
Well, since that's my only job pretty much at our family dinners, I do know what to put on it. If you are bringing a dip to go with it, there are lots of great things to add: Raw broccoli or cauliflower broken up into trees, different colored bell pepper sticks, grape tomatoes, mushrooms quartered or sliced thick. The dip should be made from veggie dry soup mix mixed with full fat sour cream. Or a dill dip is good too. If you're not bringing a dip, the only thing I can think of is black olives, which I don't even like and if you pour them all over the carrots and celery, I wouldn't eat those either...

My previous dog was afraid of mice. Not sure about this one yet, she hasn't seen any. I suspect she will be delighted to make their acquaintance and attempt to play with them. You should see her with one of our cats -- the cat lets her get pretty close and sniff her, but when she starts to try to play, the cat raises a paw to her (rarely hits her). Jet thinks this is fun too and frequently matches the paw raising, or hops around on her back legs to try to get the cat to play. She will never be convinced that the cats don't love her.

I had forgotten about Francine's company, Lush. I seem to remember I didn't like what she was doing, or maybe it was the way they just yanked Cybermom off the web without any warning, and then later wrote to us asking for our business for something or other. I'm glad she got sued. What kind of nasty person takes names entrusted to her and hands them over for $$ anyway?
You're bad! But you give me ideas....

More later, the more I write the more behind I get.

Kiwi

Kiwi, I googled Albert world leader and got Albert Pike, Bip Whoppe in the KKK. Surely not! Who the heck are you? I am Lincoln as it Paintyl

DS has been nominated for the USA Today All Academic Team. I know the name looks wrong and we don't know what it is except that we looked it up on the net. yay anyhow! It says he gets $100. Last year, he went National Science Something in D.C. and was supposed to get $100. So now we joke about it.

Wabby, the family thing is such a drag.
Let me ask you,do you remember drunken holidays? Worse, do you remember the reformed drunk sitting in the corner further aggravating the situation but making remarks to provoke the people who still get drunk? If you did, you wouldn't have a qualm about what you're doing. Don't have the sister. Don't feel guilty. It would be nice to have and open door policy but that isn't in the cards. You have your own family. Enjoy them! With grandchildren on the way, your children have a right to start their own family traditions.
I'm brining my turkey. No one answered about the stuffing, so I am stuffing it. I like it that way. My turnips and potatoes are cooking.
Peaches, isn't it depressing all by itself that sugar causes depression? After tomorrow, I think I will go off it so my Christmas isn't depressing. We went skiing last year and it was fun. This year, dd wants to work over vacation because she hasn't worked for so long. So, I dont' know what we're going to do. Maybe a movie. Maybe Atlantic City for a show.
gotta cook.

Too late, Lush, I already asked the sister. She's ok. She and her DH have a few issues, but they are good at keeping it under wraps even tho, of course, every one knows about it. I prefer the Don't ask, Don't tell policy.

Peaches, to tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind having my stripper niece over for Thanksgiving, but DH has a harder time tolerating her. I think he's much more judgmental about these things. I'm more understanding because when she was little I spent lots of time caring for her. Her mother was a very active alcoholic, she had no supervision and got pregnant at 15 and has generally had a pretty hard life, not that it qualifies her to live an immoral life, but it explains things. And I still do love her. My extended family just makes my heart ache.

Now my Mom just called to tell me she & my Dad will be here on Dec. 18th and they are planning Christmas Eve at their new house. Of course, if you're following our family saga you all know DH and my kids won't step foot in my parents house. So I'm looking forward to more angst next month. Lord, how I love the holidays.

Lush, just don't stuff it before you brine it.

I almost forgot ----



Yeee, haaaaa, Peach Boy! Atta boy!

Thanks Wabby, I think I knew that but you never know!
Congrats to the Cowmrade. Tell him to spend his 100 bucks well.
I'm still cooking. I'm trying to motivate the rest of the group to share my sense of urgency. This year, I told everyone that they have to contribute two items to the dinner. Boy was that a bad idea! Guess who's doing all the work.
Opps our recipe just loaded, bye

I got the Alton Brown recipe as a link from someone on SBD forum doing the same Brinning/seasoning... I will save for next year..too many missing ingredients and I'm making a dwarf turkey just for the 2 of us.

Wabby; Hugs ...that's all I can say.. are you sure we're not related..cuz there are soo many parallels . Do what your heart tells you , and your and your DH and DKs psyche and stomach can handle. cuz yer damned if ya do...and damned if ya don't darlin.

Peachy: Yay for Sonny Boy!!! He beeee Schmacht!

I'm Albert Einstein. How did they know?

Hope y'all have great fun with briney turkeys and pickled relatives. I will be spending a Thursday just like any other Thursday around here. Zzzzz.

Ewww! Didn't you guys look at the descriptions of the possible results on that thing? There were only 6 or 8 choices. Think unruly hair, chalk dust.
Yeah, I know, not exactly a world leader, but neither is Mother Theresa.

Kiwi