Thanksgiving was very low-key this year. We didn’t go to my parents’ or have the kids so it was just Joe and me.
We roasted a Target turkey breast and made all our faves – this super yummy sweet potato recipe I came across a few years ago and make every year without fail, green bean casserole, crescent rolls, suddenly salad (the blt one), stuffing, and scalloped potatos. Along with that we had cottage cheese and cranberry sauce (which I was not digging this year for some reason).
By the time the turkey was done it was 4 pm so we stuffed our faces while watching a movie we rented – Four Christmases (which wasn’t that great).
After dinner was ready I threw a Sara Lee apple pie in the oven and we ate that a few hours later.
Friday morning while I was cleaning out the roasting pan, I discovered the magic of Scotch-Brite sponges. It says they can scratch surfaces so I’ve never bothered with them before even though I owned some that I must have bought years ago.
It was driving me crazy how dirty this pan had gotten with stuff that would not come off so I tried the Scotch-Brite and was amazed how with a little elbow grease I could get it looking like new. Then I read the package and realized I could remove all the burned on gunk from the stove burners too so I tackled that next.
At that point I figured I might as well clean the inside of the oven too which I will admit I’ve never done before. We’ve had the stove for a few years now so you can only imagine how dirty it had gotten. I couldn’t even see inside it through the window anymore! Joe kept trying to tell me all stoves are self-cleaning which, while skeptical, I actually believed.
I had purchased some Oven Off a month ago so I followed the directions and sprayed that in the oven after I had pre-heated it (and subsequently turned off first, of course). Oh what a smell! I had to open the windows to stop us from choking to death. I bet that stuff would make a great weapon against an intruder. Everyone should keep a can of Oven Off by their bedside.
It took me a good three hours to thoroughly clean the oven. The gunk actually came off easily but it took a long time to remove all the Oven Off residue. During that process I touched the oven’s lightbulb with the sponge which caused it to explode. Luckily my head wasn’t in the oven at the time so when the glass came shooting out I wasn’t hit in the face!
What a process! I never anticipated it taking that long, but I’m proud to announce my oven looks brand new now. I never realized you could clean it that well. I stupidly thought once certain stuff got on it that it was impossible to remove. I feel rather silly now, but at least I know better!
Friday afternoon we picked up the kids and had another Thanksgiving dinner with them. I made regular mashed potatos and corn that morning just for them which they loved. I was already tired of hot turkey, so I made a turkey sandwich instead which I got addicted to and ended up having twice a day for the rest of the weekend (including breakfast on Saturday).
We didn’t do any Black Friday shopping unless you count the comforter and knives set I bought online from Carson’s. Oh, and in the afternoon I ran to Target for something for one of the kids (don’t want to say what in case they’ve found this blog). Ok, so I guess I did do some Black Friday shopping but not in the sense that I went out at a ridiculous early hour to battle a sea of crazy people for the latest deal. Target was pretty busy at 4 pm though. I’ve never seen it so crowded and disorganized before.
Saturday we took the kids to the movies. Joe and K saw Twilight New Moon while E and I saw Planet 51. I was rather disappointed in the movie. It wasn’t nearly as good as I was expecting but E liked it so that’s good.
Sunday we did a bunch of shopping in preparation for our annual holiday party which is this Saturday. I consulted last year’s notes and here’s the spread so far:
Dinnerware:
Styrofoam mult-section plates
Red styrofoam bowls
Red plastic cups
Clear plastic silverware
Beverages:
Coke
Pepsi
Diet Pepsi
7-Up
Dr. Pepper
Sunkist
Miller Beer
Mixed drinks to order
Food:
Veggie Tray (Olives, Celery, Carrots, and Cucumber) w/ Ranch Dip
Crackers and Cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, and Monterey Jack)
Shrimp Cocktail
Italian Stuffed Jalapenos
Totino’s Cheese Pizza Rolls
Chicken Wings w/ Blue Cheese Dressing
Chips w/ Onion Dip
Fritos w/ Onion Dip
Tortilla Chips w/ Salsa
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Homemade)
I hope that is enough. I wasn’t planning on baking cupcakes or a pie because I noticed they weren’t eaten last time. I do plan on getting tons of celery, though, because we actually ran out last year. I “make” good celery. How is that even possible, you ask? Well, I cut very thin strips which I think makes it easier to eat. There’s nothing I hate more than a huge piece of celery with a little dip on it. You can’t double-dip at a party so there’s a better dip to veggie ratio if you make the veggie pieces smaller. Yes, there is a method to my madness.