Thanksgiving Lives On

I love Thanksgiving so much that I decided it wasn't over yet.  Or that I at least wasn't going to let it slip by unnoticed, since I did make my dad stop carving so I could take pictures of the turkey.  Above is Mr. Turkey, all golden brown and fresh from the oven.  I was surprised by my squeamishness, but I really had some issues with my parents discussing the handling of various turkey parts and, er, fluids.  Turkeys look a lot more like birds than chickens do, and I did not like that one bit.  I really believe that if you're going to eat meat, you should be aware of what it goes through to get to your plate.  I don't know that it means I need to go hunting like Michael Pollan, but it does feel a little hypocritical that I was so uncomfortable with turkey parts.

I hung around the kitchen taking pictures anyway.  Here's daddy-o, starting to carve away, and my mom handling turkey juices.  Ick.

Here is Mr. Turkey-Barracuda, post carving.

Can you tell why I named him Turkey-Barracuda?  Do you see the crazy barracuda face, open jaw, and pointy fin?  It's like a Magic Eye poster... you probably either see it or you don't.

On to less gruesome pictures, my mom and I made our annual cheesecake!  It came out a little more jiggly than usual, but still delicious.  Mom managed to lose a chunk from the top in a Saran wrap incident.

Maybe I can get the recipe from her?  We've been using the same one for years and it never fails us!  I'll see if she'll read it to me over the phone.  Seriously, cheesecake is pretty easy to make.  You'd never think so, but it is.  Well, maybe not this cheesecake.  (HOLY DESSERT, BATMAN!)

I have many favorite things about being at home, including meals being made for me, a bedroom that stays really dark in the morning so I can sleep late, and hanging out with the fam.   But one of the BEST things about being in Larchmont is the luxurious Trader Joe's shopping experience!  It's such a pain in the butt to go to the one on 14th Street because of the crowds and then my long commute back uptown, so I don't do it as much as I'd like.  But going to the store at home is GREAT.  It's never that crowded (except right around 3pm when Central School lets out), and I can actually browse without being swept along by the masses.  The only problem is that I sometimes go overboard and end up with tons of food to drag home with me on the train, which is never fun.  But usually worth it.  :)  This time, while searching for my favorite banana bonanza trek mix (obviously discontinued, like so many of my TJ's favorites to come before it), I stumbled upon this crazy looking bag of nuts!

It's made with peanuts, almonds, brown sugar, freeze dried fruits, and berry juices.  It sounded a lot better than it was, but I still enjoyed it.  I put a sprinkling in my oatmeal the morning after Thanksgiving.  I was trying to keep it light...

Look at how dark and cloudy it was!  The kitchen at my parents' house gets so much sunlight (my number one priority in a home), so shadowy morning pictures are really unusual.

I think that closes the book on Thanksgiving.  I was so sad that we didn't get to take back any leftovers (except for the cheesecake).  Leftovers are the best part of the holiday!  It's ok.  My waistline is grateful.

Get excited for a recap of my weekend in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex!