Portal before eating is not a good idea: Thanksgiving 2011

Uuuuuggghh....

I do not throw up easily, but watching the picky eater power through the game Portal, I'm super nauseous.  It's really neat, and very entertaining to even just watch, but whoa, damn. 

For approximately half-an-hour, I was grumpy, did not move quickly, required dimmed lights and TV volume, and demanded ibuprofen and cold water.... This was also before dinner even started.


(Slightly) Earlier that day:

Before officially waking up, I would wake up for a minute or two at a time.  I was already trying to sort out a plan of attack for the day: make sure to use a bowl for the Cajun Injector, so the jar doesn't get contaminated this year (we were a little too excited last year and didn't think), prep for the roast vegetables, and I dozed off again.

When I officially woke: everything was already cooking, the jar was contaminated again (not a huge deal, we used it all any way), and I was rushed to get the veggies prepped.  The in-laws and the picky-eater figured that I needed the rest.  The Wednesday prior, I had two job interviews!  I woke up crazy early, like I do, and didn't get to sleep till way late.

Honestly, I can't complain. Seriously, waking up to a huge, delicious meal with little to no prep work is pretty awesome.



For my contribution, the roast vegetables, I forgot the butter (yes, I was that sleepy/out-of-it-from-portal still), but it was still quite tasty.  In a future potluck post, I'll include pictures and the recipe.  Oh, and for future reference, I'm not leaving cherry/grape tomatoes whole when I roast them any more. 

When halved, the juices reduce inside and provided a very concentrated flavor.  If, weirdly, you prefer them whole, I suggest poking them with a paring knife to help them reduce slightly... and also not explode when you jab them with a fork (ouch).

A small event, but awesome all the same.

We have, yeast rolls (we fight over them), turkey dressing, roast veggies, and Cajun injected turkey... and our standard wine.

Yeeeaaah, I wanted to show some of the prep work, but that didn't happen. Maybe I'll get better at taking pictures as I go, but I only have so many hands!

My big thing is that we were together and family came to visit when we were unable to travel.

The puppies were bitter that they didn't get more scraps (I blame the picky eater for the scraps they did get--just meat) but were on their best behavior in hope of someone dropping some delicious.

Happy Thanksgiving!