May your blessings on this day of giving thanks be plentiful.
Busy morning getting ready for the Thanksgiving gathering on the rooftop. My last portion of the feast to prepare is the candied yams, but I’m waiting for the oven to free up. Turkey is done, but now it’s the chicken’s turn to get roasted.
Turkey basted Gordon Ramsey-style with Swan’s loving touch and into the oven.Three hours later, the thermometer says the turkey is done Looks ready to eat to meIt ought to go good with these berries that I bought
Meanwhile, up on the roof:
The new Rite Spot banner is hungTables are arrangedBeer is waiting for ice (there’s another cooler with wine, soju, and liquor for the gals)And there is always The Rite Spot view
Three more hours until guests start arriving, so I’ll share some of my yesterday. The Wednesday Walkers took a two Jeepney (blue and red) ride out to Olongapo City’s Gordon Heights barangay. There’s a road to the top of Kalaklan Ridge (half paved, half dirt), and we took it. It was a 1.6K uphill trek to the ridgeline. I don’t know why, but road climbs, especially straight ones, kick my ass more than trails. Once at the top, we had the usual amazing views that made the struggle worth it. Getting down was a bit of a challenge, too, because the grass was thick and high, making it hard to stay on the trail. We fought our way through and had an overall enjoyable hike.
First, the blue Jeepney from Barretto into Olongapo, then this red ride up to Gordon HeightsWe have arrivedThis week’s iteration of the Wednesday Walkers (plus Scott, the cameraman)And so it beginsHadn’t been by here in quite some time. Back when I was a tourist, and then the first year after I moved here, this was my primary charity recipient. In time, I became convinced that my efforts were better directed elsewhere.On upAnd up some moreThe pavement ended but we still had a ways to goRidgeline achieved, It’s time for a rest, right, Scott?Hello down there, BarrettoThe blue waters of the bay. The old Hanjin shipyard will soon be reopened under new ownership. I didn’t forget you, Easter MountainLollipops for the mountain childrenBraver than I amView findersAnother vantage pointThe view from hereAnd now, the struggle to get back down beginsI’ve walked this way many times, but never experienced the grass being this thickMade for some tough going, but we made it throughRolly’s place. One of our regular stops on the way down from the ridgeSee you next time, Rolly!On down!Through the hillside village above Abra StreetBack on the pavement in BarrettoUp, over, and down the other side
I told Swan I was treating her to dinner at Sit-n-Bull (I had a 15% discount coupon I needed to use) and asked if she wanted to have a drink before dinner. She said she did. So, Outback, BarCelona, or Sloppy Joe’s to start? As I expected, she answered “Outback” without hesitation. It has beach views.
We don’t come here often, but it is a nice viewCheers!The Outback pool barTime passages
And then off to dinner.
Kare-Kare, a Filipino dish Swan enjoyed.I did the Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy, but I f’d up on the baked beans side dish. It had way more calories than I imagined. Oh well, it’s a warm-up for today’s coming ingestion.
A nightcap at Wet Spot, then home for a good night’s sleep before the big day.
Despite the beans fiasco, I managed to come in under my daily budget
Speaking of which, I weighed in a day early so I could assess the damage of the Thanksgiving cheat.
Today’s weight: 247.6
Last week: 248.6
November 1: 267.1
Net loss: 19.5 pounds
Belly is still 49″ circumference. Waist is down to 43.
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen:
Swan’s sister arrived early to help outChickens are doneMy first attempt at candied yams. I’ll withhold judgment until I see how they taste.
Looking back to ten years ago, I was alone in Columbia, South Carolina for Thanksgiving. That didn’t stop me from preparing a feast:
You gotta do what you gotta do…
Today’s YouTube video carries us back to the first Thanksgiving and dispels the so-called myths surrounding this American tradition.
And give thanks for these jokes:
You are such a turkey sometimes, Gump!I hate when that happens!Holiday cheer to cum!
Anyway, time to get ready to greet the guests who will be arriving soon. Oh, I almost forgot, we had an earthquake this morning.
I was up and around but never felt a thing. Another Thanksgiving blessing!
Okay, Happy Thanksgiving to both of my readers. I will give you a full report on the celebration and feast tomorrow.
And surely you knew this would be the song of the day:
6 thoughts on “Happy Turkey Day!”
Turkey looks good! Cranberries look good! I envy your table space! (Our office is cramped and lacks horizontal surfaces.) Wednesday walk looks long yet good! Bay views look gorgeous! Kare-kare looks delicious! Baked beans are full of carbs! Surely, you know this (and I’ll stop calling you Shirley)! Stick with leafy greens and water-logged veggies like cucumbers! Chickens look good! Oh, and the candied yams look perfectly done! I guess you followed a recipe pretty closely. Nothing wrong with that; I use recipes all the time.
That ten-years-ago “feast” looks lame, though.
re: Santa meme
I admit it: I laughed.
Here’s hoping there’ve been no more earthquakes.
May the Sacred Turkey shower you with guano, giblets, and gifts!
Intentionally weaponizing the Streisand effect to make something go more viral than it would otherwise? I’ve already seen this turkey on half a dozen other blogs.
Ya Kid Kay, are you accusing John of lifting his turkey image from another website? Please link me to those “half a dozen other blogs.” I want to see for myself. I just tried searching via Google Lens, and I see nothing. I think that’s John’s own series of images. But if you have evidence for your claim, I’d like to see it.
Kev, Ya Kid Kay is just a random troll, but I take it as a backhanded compliment. If my turkey looks so good it must be stolen, it came out better than I hoped. And it tasted good, too. The brining process was something new to me (thanks again for the tip!), and Swan did a great job with basting throughout the oven roasting. We didn’t stuff the bird, but my helper Teri inserted a halved lemon inside that cavity, which was something I’d never seen before. The turkey was flavorful, and the meat wasn’t dry. A team effort!
Now that I think about it, I’m a day ahead of US time, so all those other images the troll talks about must be from people cooking early. Either that, or THEY stole images of my bird!
Ya, thanks for letting me know people on other blogs are using the image of MY turkey. I can’t blame them, it did come out looking good and it tasted even better than it looked!
I’ll be posting more images from the feast today–let me know if anyone steals them.
Kev, Yeah, I knew the beans were carby, but I was surprised at the high calorie count for that single serving. I’ll try and do better in the future.
The candied yams recipe was very simple and easy to follow. I actually added some cinnamon and pecan pieces which I think made it have an even more robust flavor.
Well, well, well. So, I finally tickled your funny bone! Glad you liked seeing Santa making a Christmas wish cum true!
Turkey looks good! Cranberries look good! I envy your table space! (Our office is cramped and lacks horizontal surfaces.) Wednesday walk looks long yet good! Bay views look gorgeous! Kare-kare looks delicious! Baked beans are full of carbs! Surely, you know this (and I’ll stop calling you Shirley)! Stick with leafy greens and water-logged veggies like cucumbers! Chickens look good! Oh, and the candied yams look perfectly done! I guess you followed a recipe pretty closely. Nothing wrong with that; I use recipes all the time.
That ten-years-ago “feast” looks lame, though.
re: Santa meme
I admit it: I laughed.
Here’s hoping there’ve been no more earthquakes.
May the Sacred Turkey shower you with guano, giblets, and gifts!
Intentionally weaponizing the Streisand effect to make something go more viral than it would otherwise? I’ve already seen this turkey on half a dozen other blogs.
Ya Kid Kay, are you accusing John of lifting his turkey image from another website? Please link me to those “half a dozen other blogs.” I want to see for myself. I just tried searching via Google Lens, and I see nothing. I think that’s John’s own series of images. But if you have evidence for your claim, I’d like to see it.
Kev, Ya Kid Kay is just a random troll, but I take it as a backhanded compliment. If my turkey looks so good it must be stolen, it came out better than I hoped. And it tasted good, too. The brining process was something new to me (thanks again for the tip!), and Swan did a great job with basting throughout the oven roasting. We didn’t stuff the bird, but my helper Teri inserted a halved lemon inside that cavity, which was something I’d never seen before. The turkey was flavorful, and the meat wasn’t dry. A team effort!
Now that I think about it, I’m a day ahead of US time, so all those other images the troll talks about must be from people cooking early. Either that, or THEY stole images of my bird!
Ya, thanks for letting me know people on other blogs are using the image of MY turkey. I can’t blame them, it did come out looking good and it tasted even better than it looked!
I’ll be posting more images from the feast today–let me know if anyone steals them.
Kev, Yeah, I knew the beans were carby, but I was surprised at the high calorie count for that single serving. I’ll try and do better in the future.
The candied yams recipe was very simple and easy to follow. I actually added some cinnamon and pecan pieces which I think made it have an even more robust flavor.
Well, well, well. So, I finally tickled your funny bone! Glad you liked seeing Santa making a Christmas wish cum true!