But it turned out okay. Everything was hot except the carrots, which were a little cooler than I would like. But everything else was good.

The turkey was awesome. The breast was incredibly moist and tender. In exchange, though, the dark meat was a little pinker than I would like. We didn’t cut any of it off of the bone anyway (for the main meal), so I’ll heat it really well before serving it in another dish.

The family loved the food, so I consider that a success. It can only go down from here, right?

I ran to the grocery store today to get some last minute things. Milk, marshmallows, whole cranberries, stuff for green bean casserole (I wouldn’t care if NO ONE ELSE in the house liked it – I would still make it), whipped cream for the pie, and some more rolls. Here’s the crazy thing, in the grocery store I normally hate. No, really, I can’t stand it. But today they had a great big Thanksgiving display right at the front of the store. Most of the stuff I needed was right there. Right there! I almost fainted! Within a minute of walking into the store I had over half my shopping list crossed off.

I practically did a happy dance right there in the aisle. It’s the little things, y’all.

The house is clean. We have a few more dishes to wash in the morning. The turkey doesn’t need to hit the oven until about 9, but does need to come out of the fridge much earlier. So we’ll still be getting up early. But here’s what’s great about all we have to do. Much of it can be done at a leisurely pace. A little chopping here, a little sautéing there. I will not put pressure on myself, no matter how long our menu is.

And I actually made up a menu to help me remember what we need to do. Otherwise, I’ll forget the carrots or corn or something. Our menu:

• Turkey (duh)
• Dressing (duh) (cooking this in the crock pot)
• Gravy (DUH)
• Garlic & basil mashed potatoes
• Glazed sweet potatoes (recipe from my beloved Better Homes & Gardens cookbook)
• Green bean casserole (cooking this in the other crock pot & finishing off in the oven)
• White corn
• Brown sugar-glazed carrots (another recipe from Better Homes & Gardens)
• Rolls (simple brown-n-serve – doing the other rolls at Christmas)
• Pumpkin pie

I think that’s everything off of the top of my head – because I’m too lazy to walk into the kitchen and double-check (hey, it’s chilly in here & I’m snuggled under a cover on the couch).

I am cheating and using boxed stuffing because I still need to have my mom teach me how to make hers. But I’ll also be sautéing onions and celery to add to it. And lots of sage (I absolutely cannot have turkey and gravy without sage dressing). It really tastes pretty good that way.

Are you feeling ready for tomorrow?

I needed to get some laundry done today, which I did. Yay! Last night I made stock, and this morning I finished it off (boiled it down a bit) and put it in the fridge. So that’s done. It’ll be used for gravy and dressing (oh yeah, I already mentioned that).

I still have a lot of cleaning to do. We need chairs for everyone. And to put the big table together. The menu is not finalized. I’m not even sure what time I should start cooking on Thursday!

The good news is, I got most of tomorrow’s work done today. And that means I have time to work on the house. Clear out some of the clutter. Make some progress.

I really need to feel like I’ve made some progress. *sigh* Tomorrow I think I’ll look for some carrot recipes. And sweet potatoes, too.