H a P p Y B I R T h d A Y , C h R I S ! !
Saturday: The plan WAS to serve dinner at 4:00 late this afternoon; however, we are presently under a Winter Storm Advisory (pretty close to a "warning"), so Chris messaged everyone late in the evening yesterday and asked if we could push the time up to 2:00 (a few hours earlier than the storm is actually supposed to hit). Good suggestion, Chris.
It's a good thing I had been making meal preparations all throughout Friday! I'm not what people would call a "good" cook. I'm just not! I don't really feel badly about it either. I CAN cook, given a proper recipe, as long as it's nothing terribly complicated. I have successfully cooked turkey on multiple occasions and have had it turn out okay, and since turkey was on sale at Meijer for 32 cents/pound last week, I purchased a 12# bird to roast for this occasion. I realized it would be quite redundant following Thanksgiving, but I don't have a large freezer (just a very standard apartment-sized one) and I wanted to take advantage of the low-price meat--so I served TURKEY.
I did go online and found some interesting recipes for turkey. I found something called "dry-brining" a turkey, which I had never heard of before. You take Kosher salt and combine it with other poultry seasoning, and then you rub that under the skin of the thawed turkey, leave it uncovered, and refrigerate it at least 24 hours (some recipes called for THREE days of brining) before you roast it. Just before roasting it, you rub softened butter, garlic, and other spices all over the skin of the turkey and then cook it.
I dry-brined my bird for 24 hours and then roasted it Saturday morning, got it all carved and into a large crock-pot about an hour before everyone arrived for dinner. (Note to self: Dry-brining makes for a VERY salty turkey). I also did the mashed potatoes ahead and placed them in a crock-pot, as well as the gravy and stuffing. That way, when everyone arrived, I didn't have eight million greasy pans everywhere in the kitchen--because those were already washed and put away, making for a much nicer-looking kitchen. I am very picky about clean kitchens (and bathrooms) ... I wonder where/who on earth I got that from?
I decided buy divided paper plates ($1.50/12 at Dollar Tree) because ... I know they look tacky, but they are just SO practical when it comes to a big meal like this. My dishwasher hasn't worked in the last six years or so (it leaks pretty badly). I just use it as a dish drainer, which works really well for me.
I had baked plenty of muffins and bread last week, so I served those along with my favorite orange jello with the fancy whipped topping (Emma likes it too).
I could sit SIX at my wooden table, and then Jesse and I sat together at the round table--which worked out nicely. I pulled the round table closer than it usually is to the other table so that we could all visit together. It's always amazing to me that absolute HOURS go into preparing a big meal like this and then it is over in a matter of 15 minutes! Everyone has eaten, they are full to the brim, and we move on! Hopefully when we get together again a few weeks from now, I will come up with an easier-to-prepare menu.
Since we were gathered to celebrate Chris's birthday, the next order of events was opening cards and presents. Here is Chris reading the card I made for him (see card next post) ...
And then he opened gifts (which I failed to photograph), and then we all told funny stories we could remember about Chris. It was fun to laugh together and remember things from years ago.
Here is Chris trying on the hoodie he requested ... looks very nice, Chris!
And THEN it was time to serve the Oreo Ice cream Cake that Chris likes best. Whew. At least I wasn't baking a cake along with all of the other cooking!
Matthew appointed himself the cake "server" and dished it up for everyone (under protest from Chris). Matt is a natural at serving. I love this about him so much.
After we enjoyed our cake, Jesse went back to his place--he's been in an irregular sleep pattern for an entire month and it is not an easy thing to deal with. The rest of us (minus Kota) played two rounds of "Liar, Liar!" which is very fun to play with these kids. Kaity won the first round. Emma won the second.
Afterwards, Emma and Kota left, taking Kaity with them--it was beginning to snow now and was quickly getting dark. And then Chris suggested we play at least ONE MORE GAME of something ... I forget what our choices were, but Pachesi was one of them; so I enthusiastically got the board down off the wall where it hangs and we commenced playing. It's been a very long time since I played 4-person Pachesi. What a riot.
I can't even recount how many times each of us were sent home!!! I think this might have been the first time any of these three had played this game--but it was so much fun. My brother and I LOVE to play this game.
SO ... the first winner was ME -- which was very surprising! Ella came in second, and then I figured the boys would just quit; but NO--Chris HAD to keep going. He ended up being the losing loser--but I think he had fun anyway.
It sure was nice to have everyone over. How can these guys all be this grown up? Where on earth did the time go?
SIGH.
Oh, Lord--Hear my prayer for them--please let them truly know You, surrender their lives to you while they are young, and LIVE as You intend them to. Give them clear eyes to see You, and open their hearts to receive You. Make Your Word come alive to them so that they will live in a way that pleases You. Nothing else will ever satisfy the deepest longings of their hearts.
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