thanksgiving eve

After trying to sleep an extra 30 minutes (it was so perfect: cool, calm morning, raindrops hitting the window), I hopped out of bed around 7:30 a.m. to get Thanksgiving eve under way. I took the day off work, and, let's just say, this was no vacation!

I hit a few stores for last-minute stuff before hitting my dad's house to brine the turkey. Then I rushed home to cook, prep, whip, blend, braise, mix, brown, melt and bake everything in sight. But even after 19 hours, I'm still less than halfway done.

Much of today's time, though, was spent flipping between cooking and house projects. I finished the bathroom and dressed up our room. While I didn't have a chance to think about my disaster room (we'll call that one storage), I did get most of the downstairs looking swell for the big day.

The only downside to the large crowd is that I've had to condense my living room layout beyond recognition (our dining room is big enough for 10-12, but seating 18-20 needs a room and a half!). So, it was a little heartbreaking to shuffle the furniture placements I'd spent so long tweaking. At least we didn't take time to hang stuff on the walls.

Over these 19 hours, I think I've sat a total of two minutes. My knees, feet and back feel abused... and aren't shutting up about it. Getting up early to do pre-race prep will be almost as interesting (it's just about midnight now) as actually running the Turkey Trot.

Racing five miles is pretty far from my conceivable abilities right now. Only time will tell. Besides, it's only a race. If I don't PR, I don't PR. I will still eat. A lot.

What's promising to be delicious so far: 1) The heavenly potatoes, it turns out, are quite heavenly. They haven't been baked yet, but I'm guessing we'll end up with a casserole-sized twice-baked potatoish type dish. It's very cream, smooth and good. 2) Spinach-tofu dumplings w/ jalapeno and sesame oil were light, refreshing and appetizing... perfect for an appetizer. 3) Have I shrieked enough yet about the ancho butter? 4) I'm making up the chocolate macadamia tart as I go along. So far it has a chocolate crust with a fudgey brownie-like filling, topped with homemade buttery caramel and chopped macadamias. I'm thinking about topping it with a light, refreshing mousse, some berries and maybe a little cream.

At least I won't be lacking food energy when I race in the morning. Now, if I could have just loaded on some of that sleep.