RecipeMuncher

Take a look at our latest giveaway HERE from my friends at Progresso!

Sunday was my last relaxing day before Thanksgiving. I took full advantage of it. We started our day by braving the crowds and getting our Thanksgiving dinner shopping taken care of early. I thought that everyone would still be sleeping early in the morning and that the market would be like a ghost town. This couldn’t have been further from the truth. Foodtown in Neptune City was already packed and people were in frenzy mode at 9:00 AM. What is it about the holiday season that makes people go crazy and throw courtesy and common sense out the window?  I was amazed to watch people elbowing each other to get at the turkeys and hams. Luckily I had a very small shopping list thanks to a well stocked pantry and it only took us about 45 minutes to work our way through the crowds. We had to spend time decompressing when we arrived home. When did going to the market become so stressful?

When we got home I  made one of the recipes from The Splendid Table. I am totally addicted to their podcasts! I listen to them on my Zune on my way to work every morning. I was listening to one of the podcasts on Friday and heard  Lynne Rossetto Kasper talking about Ultimate Cheater’s Pulled Pork form the book Cheater BBQ: Barbeque Anytime, Anywhere in Any Weather. I had to try it!  The entire day the apartment smelled like hickory and pork. (Phil thought it smelled like hot dogs!) It was a refreshing change of smells for a cold Fall day. Fabulous recipe! Try it if you are craving a little BBQ in the middle of winter. It will hit the spot. I served ours on fresh Portuguese hard rolls with a side of pickles and frosty mugs of root beer.  Of course I forgot to snap any photos of the sarnies, but trust me, they were wonderful.

I also baked yesterday. Soft chocolate chip cookies to take to work today for my employees. They work so hard this time of year that I try to treat them from time to time. I also plan to make them a huge pasta bake for Friday.  After all it is our busiest day of the year and the pasta will be great for a full belly and some quick energy.

We spent the rest of the day lounging around watching the History Channel and taking cat naps. I really needed my  batteries recharged before Friday. We all deserve a lazy day once in a while. There’s nothing like it to refresh your mind and energize your body.

I’m not stressed about Thanksgiving this year at all. We have decided to stay home for dinner. There will only be three of us this year. I think that I can put a Thanksgiving dinner together stress free for three people. I never did understand why people get so stressed about the holidays. They are supposed to be a time to enjoy yourself, spend time with the ones you love and to spread peace and good will. I don’t think that memories of the holidays are ever about an over the top meal or the perfect gift. They are about sharing happiness and companionship with the people you love. The best joys in life are the small things. I hope that we can all keep this in mind while we are preparing for the holiday season. Relax a little and enjoy the time spent with your family and friends.