The aftermath of it all

Well, that was a weird Thanksgiving. First of all, we didn't eat until 6:30 b/c KK didn't get off of work (Starbucks) until then, and we usually eat around 4:00. So, I brought all of my stuff (pie, bread-rolls, spinach dip, potatoes, and fiance) over to my folks mid-afternoon expecting the usual chaos-- you know, yelling, dropping, burning, three people in the kitchen getting in each other's way, the good china coming out for it's yearly performance...
Instead, all is calm and no-one is cooking. Bird's already in the oven, everything else is either done or can wait until just before dinner, like the gravy. So weird. Well what this does of course is make the after-dinner fights and bickering much more intense because the Thanksgiving equilibrium must be satisfied and all was too calm before. Usually after we eat and have dessert we eat again, and maybe a little more....but eating so late means we just had dinner and wine and dessert the one time. Ah well.

Bad Thanksgiving moment: when I finally sat down and tried to eat, I got my bad scary heatburn feeling and barely touched dinner. No thirds, not even seconds. It was the spread of the year and I couldn't eat it! Bummer. Looking back I think it might've been the coffee. I did drink more coffee than usual. You know what are cool? Words with two double-letters in a row, like coffee. Coffee. Hehehe. I like that. Anyways.

My apple pie that was so beautiful on the outside was for some reason purple (almost black) on the inside. It tasted great, all apples and really flaky crust etc, but the coloration was a little off. It might have been the cast-iron skillet approach that I tried. Only KK was brave enough to ask about it. "Umm, Mara? This is really good, but why are the apples purple? Is that like a new "thing?" At least the bread was great. I'm having some as toast right now. And coffee with leftover whipped cream. (So I don't learn, ok?) And the spinach dip was a huge hit.
My parents have a really old meat thermometer that tells them to cook the bird until it hits 180 degrees. I think I'll get them a more modern one (mine says 165) for Chanukah. They're always puzzled that the breast is a litle dry, but if you cook it to 180 degrees it will dry out, no question. Even if you are following instructions.

I only have to work 4 hours today, it's like a half day because I never had a day off this week except yesterday and they have to pay me for that one so to get only 40 hours they've shaved hours off here and there so I don't have to be at work until 1:45. Sweet. And I'm about 90% sure that Ihave the weekend off too!