Happy Turkey Day!

I wanted to take a pause from dusting, cleaning, and cooking to wish all my readers a wonderful Thanksgiving!

What's on the menu at the Ponderosa? We're having a simpler Thanksgiving this year, due to the fact that Mr. Strega and I are both busy, with things due right up until the turkey day. So, this is what we are having:

1) A turkey (we have run the gamut from heirloom turkeys, which are like wild turkeys, to all-organic, but this time it's just the nostalgic Butterball. And it is HUGE. It's the Godzilla of turkeys. We stuffed the crop with a bulger wheat stuffing, as I am on Weight Watchers and this is allowed on the Core program I follow, and have Mrs. Cubbison's dressing in the main chamber of the turkey). The turkey will be basted with lots of butter (this is the one day I use up a lot of WW points).

2) Cranberry relish, both fresh and from the can--the jellied kind that must show ridges when placed into the bowl.

3) A veritable Everest of mashed taters

4) Gravy

5) Yams (mashed with fresh orange juice, butter, brown sugar, orange zest, and a touch of maple syrup--just a touch of the sweet stuff. No marshmallow yams this year--forgot the marshmallows).

6) Green beans

7) Homemade bread (I resurrected my breadmaker from the dead recently).

8) Pumpkin pie for dessert, and zucchini bread. I fear my pumpkin pie is not what it usually is--the organic pumpkin from Trader Joe's was not up to snuff, and I am going back to Libby's next year. People ask me where I get my "incredible" pumpkin pie recipe. It is from the Libby's can.

Mr. Strega has called me forth to mash the yams, so I must go--with wishes for all to have a joyful and happy Thanksgiving!

P.S.--forgot to mention this, but the link is to a wonderful blog which made me feel very grateful for all I have in my own life right now.