A Happy Thanksgiving...With A Dash Of Panic And A Sprinkle Of Nausea

I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving Day.

Ours was wonderful (minus the Cowboys loss--will cover in a moment).  My mom felt well enough to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner. She was overwhelmed  and proud that I undertook the whole dinner on my own (with her as my coach, of course--really, the Cowboys should hire her) and actually pulled it off. Seeing her happy and smiling made my day.

The sweet potatoes turned out just right, thank goodness. My mom eyeballs the ingredients, so I didn't have real measurements to go by with this one...I had to guess--really not a good idea for me. Maybe I had Thanksgiving luck on my side or something. Whatever it was, I am grateful.

Turkey: Well, no one told me just how grotesque it is to remove the, um, insides of the thing. Ick. It took everything in me to keep from gagging. Couldn't stop the watery eyes and the slight curl of my lip, however. Anyway, when the moment of truth arrived....

He turned out just right.

Um, except for one nearly catastrophic mess-up. When moving the turkey from the oven, I bobbled the pan and some of the juices spilled over the edge and onto my mom's old stove top. More specifically, the juices went down into a fan switch on the stove. Next thing I knew, a strong electrical wire-like burning smell filled the kitchen area and smoke started rising from the stove.

My mom began panicking, while my dad calmly went to shut-off the circuit breaker to the stove and lower oven.

Result: My mom's stove is now no more. Broken. Destroyed. The plus side? She's been wanting a new stove for a loooong time, so I guess, in a way, it's a good thing.

It's just not Thanksgiving without something to make your stomach lurch into your throat and out your eyes.

Speaking of lurching stomachs...

Dallas Cowboys: Well, we won the game...it was in the palm of our hand...then Roy Williams coughed it up.  There is a difference between smart football and selfish football. Roy Williams caught the pass for a first down, setting us up for a score.  Did he protect the ball? No. Did he just fall down after catching the ball and  getting the first down? Heck no. Did he carelessly hold the ball in one arm, continue fighting for unneeded yardage and fumble in the process? Naturally.

We won't even talk about our sporadic kicker.

So, all in all, the Cowboys put on a show and put up a fight against the defending Super Bowl champs. I'm proud of them...despite a little post-game nausea.

Survived cooking Thanksgiving dinner--Mission COMPLETE. And you know what? I actually enjoyed cooking. Maybe I'll audition for Hell's Kitchen next. Just kidding. Ramsay couldn't handle me...and I'd probably break his stove. ;)

Now we can officially say....HAPPY HOLIDAYS!