And... I have returned from the post-election haze of relief from no recounts and pre-holiday denial. You know what that is--where you think to yourself, is it November already? And time to vote? Thanksgiving is here? Only 3 paychecks to Christmas?!! Surely not!

Then you proceed to bury yourself in work and not think about it until it's almost too late, at which point people start talking about Buying The Bird and Dethawing It. The nifty gift sets of perfume nobody wears during the year and yet somehow are the "perfect gifts" appear in the store windows, you buy one present, and before you know it, you're convincing yourself that, hey, there's only a couple of people to buy for this year, but let's make out a Christmas list anyway. So you do. And hey, there are a whole lot more people than you remember on there!!! Sure you set price limits for the first three but there are one, two, five, sixteen more?!?!?!

*breathe*

See, I knew you knew what I was talking about. Well you know how much I love talking about holiday food, so here is the menu that was Thanksgiving 2004 (and the first one in a while without a Regrettable Experimental Dish tm):

• Turkey with Herbes de Provence and Citrus - made with Herbes de Provence from Penzy's, but no rosemary or sage sprigs; ended up with a nice crust of citrus on top
• Southern Cornbread Dressing - based on this recipe with several subs: millet bread instead of white, 5 cups chicken stock, seasonings switched for Penzy's Italian Seasoning, 3 egg whites, 2 yolks, and finally, Jiffy Cornbread instead of homemade (why bother?)
• Cranberries - plus a tablespoon of Grand Marnier
• Mashed Honey-Roasted Sweet Potatoes - the first time I could stand sweet potatoes
• Golden Mashed Potatoes with Leeks and Sour Cream - my brother's duty
• Butternut Squash Soup - surprisingly filling, and even better the second day
• Greens and Green Beans from Bubbalou's Barbecue
• Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream and cinnamon sugar
• Martini and Rossi Asti with 2 cranberries in the flute

And some random links...

• Herbal incense, soap, wreaths and more, hand-made, from plants in the California and Oregon forests: Juniper Ridge
• Funny post-election smack talking about how Dems can reshape their party
• A blog from a smart-mouthed chick such as myself who actually settled down but still manages opinions on topics from CSS to babies