A busy day ahead as I make final preparations for tomorrow’s feast. It’s been seven years since I last attempted to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner, and I’m thankful Swan is here to assist. One of my chores today will be trying a dry brine recipe helpfully provided by a commenter. Thank you, Mr. Kim! I’m also attempting a candied yams recipe I found online. I hope it tastes as good as the one Mom used to make. I’ve already got my Aunt Pat’s recipe fruit salad chillin’ in the fridge. An apple pie is in the oven, so while that’s baking, I’ll share a little about my yesterday.
As usual, I start my Tuesday by baking up a batch of muffins. I don’t get to partake these days, but my housemates, driver, and “mama” enjoy them.
Next up was a trip to Royal for the weekly grocery shopping adventure. This time, the cart was overflowing with the extra goodies I purchased for the upcoming big meal.
In keeping with my No! vember objectives, I engaged in my newest Tuesday routine–a neighborhood walk after shopping.
Renewing an old Tuesday tradition, Swan and I took a walk out to Baloy Beach late in the afternoon.
A nice evening on the floating bar. Not as crowded as Saturday was, but still a good crowd for a Tuesday. Certainly better than the Kokomo’s beach bar ever does.
Man does not live by salad alone. I only ate one enchilada last night (350 calories) and one for lunch today. And I’m still skipping breakfast, which is a bit of a surprise; I didn’t think I had the willpower to ignore those morning hunger pangs. I’ve discovered they go away if you ignore them long enough.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen:
And I had these two beauties delivered:
And here is the result of my first time trying brine on a turkey:
I’ll add a butter-based glaze with additional seasonings before I pop the turkey in the oven early tomorrow morning.
Next up on my agenda is the candied yams.
I’ve decided to wait until after the turkey is cooked tomorrow to make the yams. Reheating them seems fraught with peril.
Swan is still busy in the kitchen making a green bean casserole, roast potatoes, and a small ham. We’ve also got roast chicken, dressing, and mashed potatoes with gravy on the menu. Some of our guests will be bringing their favorite sides, so no one is going home hungry. We’ve also purchased some “take out” containers so we can send everyone home with leftovers. I’m only going to cheat one day!
Oh, and the old banner didn’t survive the rainy season, so this new one will be there to greet our guests at the Rite Spot tomorrow:
We’ve enlisted Swan’s sister, Chloe, to manage the assembly line bagging the candies for Sunday’s Candy Walk.
Today’s YouTube video discusses hiring a “tour guide with benefits” when visiting the Philippines. Those days are over for me, but as a tourist coming from Korea back in the day, I took this route, and for the most part, it worked well. My mistake was falling in love with my regular guide (Loraine), and that didn’t end well for me. Live and learn.
Today’s dose of humor:
And it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if I didn’t post this old gem:
Okay, my work here is done now. I’m going to shower up and head into town for some Thanksgiving Eve revelry. Tell you about the Wednesday Walkers and my night out tomorrow. I hope you’ll be Thankful for that!
Damn, it’s been awhile since I’ve heard from Sawyer Brown. Still love this classic:
I don’t get to partake these days, but my housemates, driver, and “mama” enjoy them.
So we’re back to lower-case “mama” again! Pick a lane, dude!
re: cranberry sauce
Oh, OK. So you found it. Cool.
You win this time, Santa
Maybe Santa is “laying a finger aside of his nose.”
that’s me talkin’ Southern, y’all
They use “what” instead of “that” in some forms of British English, too. “All righ’, Harry? Dat’s the monster wot killed li’l Colin Creevy.”
Swan suggested I add some garlic, and so I did.
The video also suggests garlic, for what it’s worth.
I’ve decided to wait until after the turkey is cooked tomorrow to make the yams. Reheating them seems fraught with peril.
As with mashed potatoes, reheating yams is easy enough in a microwave (with occasional stirring to distribute the heat. However: if the yams are already topped with marshmallows, well, that’s where peril enters the picture. If you’re okay with molten, bubbly slag, then feel free to reheat your mallow-topped sweet taters in a microwave. Otherwise, prepping everything and heating on the same day (you using an oven?) probably works. If you have a kitchen blowtorch, you can reheat your sweet potatoes any way you want, then add the marshmallows, then torch them from a distance to give their interiors a chance to heat up and soften. If you torch too closely, you risk carbonizing the marshmallows’ exteriors without heating their insides.
Today’s YouTube video discusses hiring a “tour guide with benefits” when visiting the Philippines.
I just saw a video about Japan’s rental girlfriends.
I see, the blind man said as he picked up the hammer and saw.
What’s funny about that picture is that it doesn’t even need a caption.
Enjoy your Turkey Day tomorrow!