A post in which it is work Thanksgiving

I was up early to pop the sweet potatoes in the oven this morning.  I wanted them to be as freshly-baked as possible for lunch today.  I also packed up the spinach dip I made on Sunday.  I wouldn't be here to eat it this weekend anyway, and it's not like I could freeze it.  I came in to the office loaded down with stuff.

Since I am experienced at these food days at work, I hadn't eaten any breakfast.  We generally set to pretty early, and today was no exception.  I got the ball rolling by putting out the spinach dip, which I had for breakfast.  Although I had been a tad heavy-handed with the mustard in this (one of my little additions, and although I usually use Dijon, this time I had used plain yellow mustard - the Dijon is better) that was a pretty good breakfast!

My spinach dip, in a vintage Oyster and Pearl divided relish in pink by Anchor Hocking, circa 1938-1940

Most of the spinach dip was gone pretty quickly, but then lunch started at 11am.  I usually eat much later, but I'll confess I was right in there with them.

The sweet potatoes were STILL runny.  That despite using canned sweet potatoes (although I had thought last night when I took them out of the can that they looked runny for canned mashed sweet potatoes - I used organic).  I felt the canned potatoes hurt the flavor too - they tasted 'can'y' to me, although I'm willing to admit that could be in my head.  I have a thing about canned vegetables.  I don't know how in the world Grandma Shumate made them set, but she did.  I'm going to start officially tooling that recipe.  I'm going to take out the milk. 

My sweet potatoes before they were dipped into, which is why you can't see how soupy they were.

By about mid-afternoon, I was hungry because I had eaten so early, but still vaguely sick-feeling because of all the rich food I had eaten.  I finished up the last of the spinach dip before I left for the day.

On the way home, I stopped at the biggest BiLo in the world and found pickled peaches.  Mom had put out the critter call last night that she couldn't find any.  They're my sister Lisa's favorite, but they're hard to find, although you usually see them around the holidays.  They are not cheap though - $4.29 a jar!  I bought a jar for Thanksgiving, and then picked up another couple of jars for Lisa, so I spent over $20 on peaches tonight.  Sigh.  It's money I really shouldn't spend right now, but it seems a small price to pay for some happiness for her.  So be it.

I manfully resisted the temptation to buy egg nog, which I love more than life itself, but which you pretty much have to love more than life itself; it's basically fat in liquid form, with a sizable helping of sugar thrown in for good measure.  I hardly need that with my cholesterol where it is, and with me rebelling against doctor's orders and not taking my statin.  I also picked up the rest of the makings for my dressing, which I'll make next week.  Since we're eating out with Dad and Eve for Thanksgiving (and she likes her own dressing recipe anyway), and because Mom will want the Brown family recipe dressing, I'll just make my own when I get home.  I make excellent dressing, but I don't guess my family will ever taste it.

I got home and switched out a load of laundry so I'd have clean clothes for the trip, then got the house ready for David to come tomorrow.  By the time that was all done and I had eaten supper, it was time for bed.