T-Day Aftermath: Almost as if it never happened

Last afternoon I started to do my own Thanksgiving Dinner.  It was small, only 4 people.  A wedge of brie, crackers and pear was the appetizer until the turkey finished.  Dinner was a 12 lb turkey, garlic potatoes, mashed yams, gravy, baked spinach, asparagus and cornbread.  I forgot it takes a frigg'n long time to do T-day dinner and it will take you longer than you think.  I am forever glad for the decision to do the appetizer.  I still think its possible to get everything hot/warm to the table at once and relatively on time.  It will most likely require a choreographed cooking schedule in 1/2 hour increments.  Next time....  But the turkey turned out really good.  I just had a leftover leg and it still sung of flavor and moisture.

After dinner started the cleaning - oh dear god.  Actually it was very doable.  I started with an empty dishwasher and that helped tremendously.  First thing I did was dispatch the turkey.  I had a container for the keep and a large open trash for the toss.  I moved all the side dishes to appropriate containers and loaded the dishwasher.  After half an hour the kitchen was perfectly clean.  With the exception of the dessert waiting to be served, it looked as if T-day dinner never happened.  It. Was. *Awesome*.

I like doing big dinners.  And I think I'm finally getting good at the logistics.  I wish my place was more conducive to large gatherings.  Perhaps my next house.  Then I'll do a set of Prime Rib or I'll brave the inconceivable: a from scratch Turducken.

A Male Model, a Stripper and a Circus Performer Walk into a Mall....

No this isn't the beginning of a joke...well not the start of a deliberate one.  This was the scene of "Hunky Santa" booth I saw  at the mall tonight.  Now I have seen "Hunky Santa" for a couple years now and am usually okay with it.  Lately it has been "Hunky Santa and the Candy Cane Dancers".  That was fine.  Every hour or so the girls would come out and do a choreographed group dance.  The skirts were short and the dresses strapless, but nothing that compelled you to stuff a dollar somewhere.  This year they've decided to drop all pretenses.  There were two dancers with around Hunky Santa.  Lyricless techno music was pumping though the mall center.  One was on stillts and was dancing like she was on a pedestal.  She was fine.  The other girl was in heeled boots.  She was dancing like uh,...well like she was on a stripper's stage.  There was no pole and the clothes stayed on but those were definitely adult entertainment moves.  Call me a fuddy-duddy for tradition, but short of a porn flick Santa's helpers should *not* do a wide straddle handstand in a dress.

For any men reading this, the dancers can be seen Friday through Sunday at the Beverly Center Mall probably until new years (sigh)