Post Bliss

Thanksgiving is done! It was delicious and I have to say...what's this "leftover" business everyone talks about? This is the second year in a row when we barely were able to have a plate of leftovers for lunch the next day and everything is gone. Do people not eat on Thanksgiving and save everything for the days after, specifically for dishes that require the leftovers? 13 pound turkey, basically gone. 4 pounds mashed potatoes, gone. There are some cranberries and some sweet potatoes. And gravy. And two pies that still haven't been cut. We'll get to those today!

OK, some pictures....

I put my fruit in some pretty wine glasses on the buffet. It looked pretty...so I say it's my centerpiece.

My drunken cranberries...again.

The first tasting course, Pumpkin Ravioli with Hazelnut Cream Sauce.

Virtually Fat Free. Pumpkin Pudding. Easy as...easier than pie and just as delicious.

Third tasting course. Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque with Sage Infused Olive Oil.*

*Chop about 10 sage leaves and put in a small container. Cover with about 1 cup of olive oil. Sit for at least a week. Pour through a sieve to remove the leaves and any bits. Store in an air tight container.

I made Brussel Sprouts with Bacon. It's a Rachel Ray recipe. I still don't like Brussel Sprouts. The bacon flavor came through nicely, but overall, I could still taste the nasty sprout taste I remember as a child. Can't overcome that one! I'll put the recipe up in a few days or so, for those of you suckers who like sprouts! (I kid, I kid!)

Here's my baby. I hope she doesn't get cancer from staying in the sun too long. Seriously kids...brine your bird. On Wednesday night, I cleaned up...George...George Glass...I cleaned George up, removed his insides, rinse him out, trimmed, some extra bits that didn't seem to below. George was set aside. In a large (12quart?) stock pot, I mixed two cups of kosher salt with a few quarts of water, plus I added 1 lemon, 1 lime, handful of sage, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and a few cracked pepper corns. I put George into the stock pot and added more water so he was covered. I put the lid on George and placed him in the fridge. The next day I drained him, rinsed him and patted him dry before roasting. Mmmmmm!

The plate of goodies. Yummy gravy everywhere!

And there was a secret suprise dessert. Blueberry and Sage Sorbet!

It was incredible! Both flavors came through, without overpowering either. Smooth and luscious. Sweet and cool. Perfect. Yeah Me! I'll post this recipe in the next few days as well.

Well Kids, that's Thanksgiving 2006. I don't really have any suggestions for what to do with the leftovers, as we've already had the one serving of leftovers we had. Oh well.

Thanks to my guests for indulging me for the day and letting me go wonky. Thanks for the two pies and brownies. Thanks for the wine. And Thanks for the friendship. Until next year...cheers!