Okay – we’re past the feasting, and my quick ‘n easy Thanksgiving dinner was quite good. The turkey was the BEST part of the meal because it was PERFECT: moist, tender, flavorful, and DELICIOUS. It also LOOKED delicious – BEAUTIFULLY browned. (Pictures will be added to this post soon!)

In fact, this turkey was probably my best roasted bird in YEARS, which is a little ironic. There was NO pop-up timer, AND my meat thermometer’s teeny-tiny battery was as dead as the turkey because the itsy-bitsy switch was left ON! The situation called for desperate measures; as the timer ticked closer to the end of the suggested time limit, I had to test for doneness by wiggling the LEG. And by golly, it worked! I moved that old drumstick up and down with ease, and rivulets of juice fairly oozed from the jiggled joint. PERFECTION!

Of course, the YAMS were a hit AGAIN because MoM cooked them up for us. The Stove Top Stuffing passed muster – I’ll hold it up against ANY from-scratch recipe because it’s MOISTER! Who cares about the mega-grams of fat and sodium? It’s tasty! (Of course, the added sautéed veggies helped, and chopped walnuts would have really enhanced the final result. But I was nervous our guest may have been allergic.)

The big disappointment was the French green bean casserole – which I now call FUNERAL BEANS because they are served at so many church dinners, they are as clichéd as their cousin the FUNERAL POTATOES. (I think we’re all suffering from an overdose of sodium after downing that side dish, along with the tasty STStuffing.)

The gravy wasn’t my best either, I’m afraid. Didn’t have time to skim away enough of the grease. So when I learned that feasting on this day usually adds up to some 4500 calories, I can’t say I was surprised.

Well, Hubby and I are here alone – VERY full and a little tired. We’re not blaming it on the tryptophan either. (Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. claims, “It’s a combination of the type of food, amount of food, and celebratory atmosphere.”)

While we agree in part with Dr. Helmenstine, we believe we’re worn out because we WORKED ALL DAY on our QUICK ‘n EASY Thanksgiving dinner!!!

Hope your day was as wonderful as ours. God bless.