Corvallis

     We all went down to Corvallis today to see Drew, Anna, Julie and John.  We didn't get back until almost dinner time, so Dad and Cy threw together tuna melts for us all.  They were great, and we should be back next week.

Thanksgiving, Sunday

     This Thursday our family is going to be out of town, specifically, we will be in Las Vegas.  So instead of Thanksgiving dinner this year, we'll be at Delmonico Steakhouse, in the Venetian.  Since we won't have a true Thanksgiving meal this year, Sunday Dinner was the perfect spot to fill that void.  With Dad's help I roasted a turkey with vegetables, made brussels sprouts (and bacon), and of course the requisite family recipe for cranberry smash.  Mimi brought butter rich dinner rolls.

     We didn't start cooking until three, and we ended up eating a lot later than expected, just like every Thanksgiving dinner in fact.  Most of the cooking was sitting and waiting for the Turkey roast to cook, though some parts were incredibly labor intensive.  To prep the brussels sprouts, I washed, halved, and thinly sliced each of about 50 sprouts, all on our lowest of three counters.  (Speaking of which, Cyrus is now taller than Mom, and I'm edging up on Dad.)
     When dinner was finally ready, it was a feast.  The food and plates only just fit on the table, and I believe all of us ate more than we probably should have.  The turkey was, well, turkey.  A little dry, but plenty flavorful and truly great with a dollop of the cranberry sauce.  The roasted vegetable were also really good, the onions and carrots sweetening the dish, and the parsnips and potatoes keeping it on an even keel.  The brussels sprouts were great, they tasted green, but the bacon bits and pecan chunks kept them from becoming greens.  The rolls, brought by Mimi, were excellent as always.  And there's a few leftovers for tomorrow.

Seattle Day Trip

     We went to Seattle today to see the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, and we didn't get back until 8.  Sufficed to say, I didn't have time to make dinner, but we'll be back next week before our trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

One Twenty-fourth

     I love daylight savings.  Last night, I got home from my Speech and Debate tournament a few minutes before ten, and spent more than an hour describing the tournament to Mom and Dad.  I spent more time talking about the resolution from the final debate (which my partner and I won) than I did actually debating it.
     Then I woke up at half past seven, and discovered that thanks to that extra hour in the middle of the night, I got plenty of sleep.  I wasn't the only one to be happy to start the day early.  We went out for breakfast and a languorous hike in Forest Park, and got home before noon.  Dad booked our Thanksgiving break trip, and did yard work, and Cy and I finished up our homework before two.  It is amazing how much one extra hour, an extra hour very few people even experience, adds to a day.  It feels like today was two, or three, times as productive as the typical day; not an extra one twenty-fourth.

     For dinner, Cy decided to make drumsticks, with a sweet-sticky barbeque sauce.   While I didn't see much of the cooking process myself, I was off enjoying the extra hour in my day and the amazing weather, I did see the end, 10 chicken drumsticks covered in sauce.  Let's cut to the point and say that such a heavenly smell rarely wafts through our kitchen.  When the drumsticks came out, Cy plated them up with lots of rice and greens, and proceeded to cover it all in more sesame seeds than there are stars in the sky.  The drumsticks tasted great, but I have to say my favorite part was the way the sauce got stuck to your fingers, and wouldn't come off.  Even now, several hours later, I can taste the sauce, though not the chicken, when I lick my fingers.  Mmmm.  When it comes to chicken, Cyrus knows what he's doing.