"I refuse to allow you to take this broom and clean up" says the cat.
I formed bread dough into balls, and stuffed 3 of them in each muffin mold. I let them rise about an hour and then into the oven they went. Delish!
Here's the "before" shot
Slowly getting the dining table ready. There was so much to do, and it seemed so little time to do it all in.
Here are the finished rolls. They rose so high during baking that they baked into one another. Everyone enjoyed giving them a gentle tug to separate the one they wanted. Because I coated the dough in olive oil before the rising stage, they remained incredibly moist inside.
The nuts are ready for all-day snacking, as are the crackers, cheese and pepperoni platters.
I filled walnut halves with salt (in the rear) and pepper (front). Each person got a pair of their own at their place setting.
Phew! All this hard prep work is tuckering some people right out!
The finished product. It was incredibly moist and herby!
The finished table. The rest of the food stayed on the counter for buffet-style serving.
There's nothing like being with family!
While dishes were being cleaned, the kids had fun playing with a Little Einstein's geography game. Even on a holiday, there is learning fun time!
p.s. Notice I finally found a curtain for that window! I just love Goodwill!
Time for the Thanksgiving popper!
Everyone grab hold!
POP!!!! Now to search for the treasures.
"Here's *MY* treasure!"
The day could not have been more perfect. The menu included:
buttered peas
butternut squash (with butter, cinnamon and sugar)
Olive-oiled chef's hat rolls (use any basic white bread recipe)
Brown gravy (drippings, flour, butter and Gravy Master)
Cranberry stuffing (from a box)
Custard pie (my dad picked this up from a local bakery)
Cherry pie (graham cracker crust, cherry pie filling from a can, oats/butter/cinnamon/sugar crumb topping)
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie (Jello brand)
We ran out of time to add the apple and chocolate pies, so they will be served for Yule instead.
I am so thankful for time with family. I'm thankful for the delicious food we were so blessed to eat. I'm thankful for the love that surrounds me and sustains me. For all that, and so much more, I GIVE THANKS.
It was great to have leftovers for breakfast (and lunch) today. Tomorrow the rest of the turkey carcass will be picked clean and then boiled for stock. The turkey meat will be added to soups, meat pies, turkey salad sandwiches as well as turkey and cheese melts. Most of the veggies will be gone by the end of the day tomorrow, except for the mashed potatoes. I'll fry those up into potato fritters and turn the stuffing into "meatballs" (without the meat) to be frozen and enjoyed some night as a quick sandwich.
At some point next week we'll do another Master Cleanse. I've done fairly well keeping my weight steady since the last cleanse. I'm hoping to take the scale down even a bit further, and continue to heal my insides from years of poor eating. I have done very well to have very little in the way of sweets (I only took tiny slices of pie), and before Thanksgiving I had kept my food intake fairly healthy.
To prepare for this next round of cleansing, I'm going to start out with a couple of days of juice fasting. I actually love a good juice fast. What I do is alternate vegetable juice with fruit juice. I also have hot broth, and of course I drink plenty of water. Then I'll plunge back into the Master Cleanse for another 5-7 days. For me, it's not about the number of days sustained, but about how I am feeling. I knew when I was doing this cleanse last month when my body was ready to get back into food again. I think it is very important to listen to our bodies to discover what they really want and need.
Since my last cleanse, I have still had much fewer issues with swollen joints and bloating. My bowels are much more regular (sorry if that's TMI) and in general I have felt better in my body. I look forward to seeing how another 5 pounds or so off my body will feel, especially on my joints.
I am determined to have 2013 be a year of improved health and vitality in my body.
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