Happy Thanksgiving, Anniversary

For the past eight years, we have hosted our family thanksgiving dinner at our house. We have had anywhere from 20- 35 people over. It is always a great time, but it is a lot of work and a lot of money to host such a large gathering. Grandma usually takes sole responsibility for preparing the turkey downstairs. I usually do the side dishes upstairs. This year with her cognitive impairment, and the basement still being a wreck, it would not work to have grandma do the turkey. Besides being a vegetarian and not willing to prepare meat, I could not lift the turkey even if I was willing. I think Husband could do it, but in thinking of all the cleaning and shopping and work involved, I decided not to host this year. I feel a little guilty and will miss the connecting with my relatives whom I don’t get to see very often. But I feel like I need to take care of myself and take a break this year. By Christmas, I hope to feel up to having a full house of food and family again.

We decided to go to our church Thanksgiving potluck. The church provides turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes and everyone brings side dishes. I am going to bring twice baked sweet potatoes, which are more savory than sweet. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Twice-Baked-Sweet-Potatoes-With-Ricotta-Cheese/Detail.aspx I made these last week with a little less sage than the recipe called for and everyone here liked them a lot. I also had planned on making an agar agar fruit juice gel. I like agar agar, and it is so good for you. I have taken this to potlucks and dinner gatherings before and it doesn’t seem to be a wildly popular dish. I think I am still going to bring it, but jazz it up a bit, maybe take inspiration from a rainbow jello mold. I want to try to make it pretty and tasty. So this might take a few hours tonight.

Oh, and it is my anniversary today. Wedding anniversary, seventeen years. I still do not know if we are going to do anything. I would like to go eat at my work, but am really broke. If I did go there, I’d like to get a nice, overpriced bottle of wine and of course dessert. It would add up to more money than we should spend right now. My only other idea is to go to Sonic, which I really enjoy. Or go to the strip club, which we also enjoy, but also is expensive. I will see if Husband has any great romantic ideas (which can’t include sex because I am still under post-op no sex orders). Otherwise I am picturing eating a Super Sonic breakfast burrito, no meat, maybe having a couple of drinks at strip club, and spending a few hours making agar agar mold (that sounds gross, since in biology classes, they use agar to grow mold).

Well, I wanted to get writing again. I hope everyone is having a great holiday with good food, friends, and family. I am thankful for these things in my life, and for my loving husband who has put up with me for these seventeen years.