The bird – pre-brine – and I won’t even be eating any of it. *insert sad face*
I’m not gonna lie. I’ve been cooking all week. Slicing, chopping, pre-roasting, brining… all that. I’ve been cooking all week… just for today.
I’m tired, my feet hurt, but the people I love… who love to pig out and act a plum fool over some food… will get to enjoy themselves on delicious dishes…
…without knowing that I completely swindled them.
I baked scalloped potatoes, a mustard and turnip greens blend, roasted carrots, mashed yams, homemade cranberry sauce, a whole chicken (that I won’t be eating) with dressing, a whipped cream-frosted caramel cake and a chocolate creme pie… and I didn’t use more than a cup and a half of sugar and 3 tablespoons of salt in the entire meal. I might be completely out of herbs, and my kitchen might look like a disaster… but my family will be throwing down and will be (surprisingly) stuffed before they know it. A meal full of nothing but real ingredients? Yes. They shall be stuffed.
Maybe I’ll tell ’em after the fact that dinner was actually healthy. Maybe not. One thing’s for sure.. they certainly won’t notice it.
In the meantime, I’ll spend my free time today putting my feet up and posting a few of the recipes from my meal today. May not be useful today, but considering all of the family get-togethers taking place during the rest of the year, surely something will prove useful.
Happy Thanksgiving, y’all… I’m thankful for a lot of things, but most of all, I’m thankful that you’re here and we’re all together helping each other. Y’all rock. Really.
P.S: Looking for My Personal Guide to Getting Through The Holidays?