Goose Yoga and other things…

Have you ever seen an elephant fly? Or a goose doing yoga?

I don’t know what was funnier- the goose or me trying to set up the shot! Too funny.

Today is Tuesday, and it’s exactly a week until the Kitchen Olympics. Err, or in Muggle speak, Thanksgiving. If you’ve never “done” Thanksgiving before, I’ll let you in on a little secret…

Cooks are cooking (and baking) the Thanksgiving Feast in their minds … as early as July! And we start getting really excited the last week of October- ‘cause that’s the earliest we can get away with stocking up! Soo much fun, shopping for the Big Day! Almost as fun as planning the menu…

This year we are spending the day with my family. Lately we have tried out a few different ways of celebrating Thanksgiving- which have all been special and meaningful in their own ways.

But…it’s really hard to justify cooking a 16 pound bird for two people. ahem.

So! This morning I finally sat down and made a list of all the things I’d like to bring with us next Thursday.

BIG mistake. Want to see it? Okay, here goes-

1. Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
2. Green Onion Casserole
3. Orange Glazed Carrots
4. Dijon Brussels Sprouts
5. Seared Asparagus
6. Sweet Potato Casserole MY way- that one’s yummy- I’ll be posting a recipe soon.
7. Spinach Gratin
8. Lemon Broccoli
9. Risotto
10. Buttermilk Biscuits
11. Brioche Rolls

umm…yeah. Can you see where this is going? (and for those observant types, nope - that isn’t even the whole list. I know!)

Confession time: I have been writing a cookbook since this summer. And sometime around September (or maybe it was August?) I started rolling that research together with my dreams of Turkey Day! And now, well…

I don’t think there’s a table BIG enough in the entire city that could hold everything I’ve got planned! (Wait til you see my Christmas Cookie List! It’s even bigger…)

No worries though- the Faeries have caught wind of my mad schemes and are “helping” me with the prep work…they’ve already eaten an ENTIRE loaf of bread that was supposed to be the stuffing, and that Asparagus recipe has completely disappeared from my files. Oh, and I might as well admit that I just couldn’t actually wait for Thanksgiving and started making some of those dishes for dinner a few times this month, so I’ve been able to satisfy my desire to make all of these dishes without actually having to make them all for one meal….

The rest of the week should be a hoot- I’ve got to plot out the Christmas gift lists this week, sketch out a mockup of our Christmas Cards (been meaning to do this for years! So excited…), try out a new idea for glass ornaments (there’s gold paint involved! And glitter!), a VERY IMPORTANT crochet project to get finished, and one very coldy little kitty girl to cuddle when the sun goes down (I’ve been informed that my job in the evenings this very cold Fall is to keep her feet warmed up, thank-you-very-much-mamma!) Lots to do, busy busy!