Flaming Cookbooks and No Pumpkin Pie

Hello, folks! 

Well, another Thanksgiving has come and gone.  My bank account is already suffering a Christmas shopping hangover..ugh.  First tweet on Thanksgiving:  So, did anyone else spill sugar on the floor, cranberry sauce on the counter and set a cookbook on fire?  No?  Huh...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  One of the reasons is because I cook.  I cook all day long.  I get up at 0430 and let the culinary sensations in my kitchen commence.  I *love* to cook.  I really love it.  My menu went like this:

Banana and zucchini breads
Chestnut, fennel and Italian sausage stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Turkey brined for 24 hours in apple and sage
Sweet corn
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Gravy
Croissants
Shiraz
Chardonnay
Rum
Milk (for the kids, of course)

Now, all my food is made from scratch.  Well, I don't grow the turkey and I don't make the sausage, but other than that?  Scratch. 

So, let's start with that morning.  I got up at 0500, actually slept in a little late.  I came downstairs and my grind and brew had done it's job and done it well.  I pour myself a big cup of coffee and start with the cooking and baking.

By 10 a.m., I had made three trips to the store.  Willing myself not to crack the wine, I was already starting to stress.  I had run out of flour, then sugar, then realized I had no lemon juice.  *sigh  Poor foresight.
So, I was in the middle of making the croissants.  I put the milk on the stove to scald.  After 10 minutes, I couldn't figure out why it wasn't hot.  I looked and found the cranberry sauce boiling away. 

Oh fuck!  I grab the cranberry sauce off of the burner.  As I turn, I knock the sugar off the counter.  As I try to catch the sugar, I start to spill the cranberry sauce.  Trying to catch the sauce, I knock the cookbook onto the burner.  It would have worked out better had I realized I had knocked the cookbook over.  I went to grab the vacuum and when I came back to the kitchen, I smelled what smelled like paper burning.  Turning, I see my cookbook in flames.  Tweeting this adventure, all Drew could say was, "Gesu...what an image."  Time to crack the wine....

So, the Soon2BX arrives shortly thereafter.  He and the boys spent the rest of the morning/early afternoon in the Mancave.  Everything is going swimmingly in the kitchen.  My sons and I have an age-old tradition.  It's not officially the holidays until I slice a finger to the bone.  Well, that didn't happen this year--thank God. 

So I call everyone to dinner.  The croissants were perfect, the turkey nice and moist.  While dinner is on, I put the pumpkin pie in the oven. 

We eat, we drink, we're merry.  Then I hit the wall.  I was exhausted.  Went out on the deck for some quiet and tell the Soon2BX that I was exhausted.  He tells me to take a nap, he and the boys will clean up.  I remind him there's a pie in the oven.  No big deal, they've got this.

I woke up two hours later.  He had come to wake me up to tell me good night.  I was so out of it I though I had slept through the night and it was six the next morning.  Then I asked about the pie...

Yeaaaahhhh.....My pumpkin pie baked for two and a half hours.  Pretty much not edible at this point.  So, for the first time in *my* history, no pumpkin pie.  Other than that?  It was a pretty good day...

So, today I go running for the first time in forever.  I had run during football practices, but not with Evil Ellen.  Evil Ellen is the sweetest marathon runner you want to meet. A happy newlywed (yeah, that'll pass) she is nothing but a motivator when we run.  So, here's the conversation:

EE:  OK, find your base pace
Me (almost walking):  This *is* my base pace
EE: No, seriously Janie...find your base pace...

Later, two miles in...

EE:  Ok, we're going to do wind sprints
Me:  Awesome.  Can't wait.
EE:  Ummm, attitude please?
Me:  Oh, you want *more*?

Four miles in:

EE:  OK, push up this hill.  Sprint speed.  Come on!  You can do this!
Me:  If I sprint to the top, can I kill you then?
EE:  No, now just run...

Five miles in:

Me:  That was the last sprint, right?
EE:  Yes!  For this cycle, it was...
Me:  Fuck...

Nearly six miles in:

EE:  Great job!  You did really well! 
Me:  Can I kill you  now?
EE:  No.  Now run...

So, she reminded me of the pumpkin pie I was burning off.  I reminded her there was no pumpkin pie to be had...

But, I managed to eek out 6.2 miles in 45 minutes...How, I have no idea...

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving...Christmas is just around the corner. 

Love to all,

Janie

And yeah...I don't mind that at all....