Pass The Turkey and Sunscreen

I cooked a turkey yesterday.  Yes, a whole turkey.  I was getting tired of the same old thing and as I browsed the grocery store to find something new and interesting, I thought, "HEY! TURKEY! It's not just for Thanksgiving!"

So I brought it home, thawed it in the frig., and roasted it. 

When I explained to Hubs that we were having turkey for dinner and that I decided it was perfectly okay to have it for more than just Thanksgiving, he said, "YAY! Thanksgiving!"

That's when I put on the brakes and said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! We're just having turkey and regular vegetables, not the rest of it."

"No dressing?  No cranberry?  No sweet potatoes?" he said.

"Nope.  Just green beans, carrots, and mac n' cheese," I told him, "If you have all that other stuff all the time then it isn't special on Thanksgiving."

Which was partly truly but mostly a lie.  The real reason I only cook all of that once a year is because it takes me nearly TWO WHOLE DAYS. 

I make my own corn bread, let it dry out a bit, then mix up the dressing, etc.  I also make my own cranberry sauce, which is actually pretty easy, but don't tell anyone. I usually make three pies, which use store bought crust, but the ingredients are all homemade. The sweet potatoes come from a can, but my souffle takes two cans, which means I have to use the can opener twice.  Hello, sharp edges! (Not really, we have one of those safety can openers after Hubs' unfortunate thumb injury, but go with me here. Thanksgiving is a lot of work and dangerous.)

The turkey turned out pretty good.  I bought a Publix turkey which I must say was not as good as Butterball, but you aren't here to read my turkey reviews, are you? (Snoozeville.)  Check back next week when I review instant rice brands.

On Saturday we went to the beach and collected shells.  It had rained that day and rain storms always precede good shelling.  We were lucky enough to have a green flag, which means the waters are calm.  Our beaches have a flag system alerting swimmers about the surf conditions.  Rarely do we have a green flag, so we were excited to see it.  Daughter and I managed to find a lot of shells, which we always declare "Jackpot!"  My favorites are the olives. and the kitten paws.  (I'm no expert. We have shell books at home.)

I am hoping to squeeze in some more beach days.  With school quickly approaching on the calendar, I am trying to use all of our time wisely, which is why I've spent the last hour browsing the Internet and watching HGTV. 

As for today, it will be spent deciding what to do with all this leftover turkey.