Happy Thanksgiving

After our turkey soaked in a brine solution for about 14 hours (1 hour for every pound of turkey), I removed it from the ten-gallon zip lock bag, dumped the solution down the drain and had the turkey in the oven by about 8:30am. We ate our Thanksgiving meal at about 12:30pm. While I was preparing our meal, Regina and Katie walked to a nearby park. Katie was bouncing off the walls and needed a release. Fortunately, it wasn't raining, so it was a good time to go outside.

Because we are in an apartment this year with a minimally-furnished kitchen and we didn't want or need all the calories, we didn't have all the traditionally excessive side dishes this year. No stuffing, no mashies, no green bean casserole. I did make gravy though and we opened a can of jellied cranberry. Instead of potatoes, I made a batch of brown rice. We did have green beans, but not in casserole form. We also had a yummy orange cream fruit salad that is actually the perfect companion for the cranberry. The two tastes are so satisfying together.

After we cleaned up from the meal, we got into our matching Christmas pajamas. It might sound corny, but it's incredibly cute and we like it! I set up a make-shift photo studio and we took our family pictures we'll send out in Christmas cards in a couple of weeks.

The next activity on our schedule, we decided should be a trip to the movie theater to see the new animated Disney flick, Bolt. Ever since Katie saw a trailer for the movie about 6 weeks ago, she's been patiently waiting for its release. Today she was out of her mind with excitement. Fortunately, it was a good movie and I get the impression it met all of her expectations. She didn't leave her seat for the entire movie, which is pretty remarkable for her!