I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Yes, as some friends have pointed out, I’ve been a bad blogger of late. It’s not that I’ve been any busier than any of you, it’s just that I don’t have anything exceptional to write about. So…You want mundane? We can do mundane. Mundane is waaay better than disastrous. As soon as I got back from my writer’s retreat in Weymouth I plunged into Thanksgiving plans. This year we had dinner at my sister-in-law Jeanne’s house. After catching Martha Stewart demonstrating her method on the Today show, my husband decided to do a Martha turkey. We brined the bird for 24 hours in a soak of water, kosher salt, white wine and herbs, then on Thanksgiving morning, he draped the turkey with cheesecloth soaked in melted butter and more white wine. I made a stuffing of cubed French bread, onions, celery, diced Granny Smith apples, dried cherries and pecans. The turkey was a vision to behold, and once the pan was clear of said bird, I made the gravy. Only trouble was the briny pan drippings were horribly salty. After a moment of panic, I looked up the solution on the internet–drop a whole peeled raw potato in the gravy. It totally worked! In addition, I made pecan and pumpkin pies and sweet potato casserole with crunchy pecan brown sugar topping. This recipe was my late father’s favorite. Dinner at Jeanne’s was a festive occasion, and Tom and his brother Bob, who is also a fantastic cook, had duelling turkeys.

Two brothers and their birds

We’re talking 40 pounds of turkey for 14 people! Both birds were incredibly moist and delicious, so I guess the duel was a draw. Of course, Molly was the star of the day.

Molly can’t wait til next year when she can chew
After dinner, Katie and I actually ventured out for a little shopping. Finally, after we all pulled ourselves out of our turkey comas, we made our way home with our leftovers.

Friday was our anniversary, so that night, some friends dropped by and we toasted with some of the special wine I brought back from my trip to Sonoma Valley. The red wine drinkers raved over the Zio Tony Pinot Noir from Martinelli, while the white wine drinkers loved the Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay. On Sunday, Mr. Mary Kay and Boomerang Boy put up the Christmas tree and the lights–including the blue outside lights that signals our neighbors that we’re having a Blue Christmas at our house. Again. Right now I’ve got my seasonal playlist on the CD player–Elvis, Sinatra, Crosby, Harry Connick Jr., the Phil Spector collection. I found my WHITE CHRISTMAS DVD, and the decoration boxes are scattered all over the house. I’ll be signing the brand-new paperback of BLUE CHRISTMAS at the Avondale Estates Community Club on Sunday, Dec. 13 from 2-4 p.m. So let the holidays begin. I’ll be home for Christmas. You can plan on me!