Stuffed!

We had a light dusting of snow this morning, but that turned to bright sunshine before noon. Bright and cold -- a high of 16 (-8.9 C) for the day.

We had Thanksgiving dinner with Rich and Peggy at their house. They did all the heavy lifting. We brought a razzleberry pie, my Archangel Salad and some of Tom's homemade cranberry sauce. Peggy had the traditional turkey, organic stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, a cranberry-pear chutney [I think], cheese and crackers and assorted things of that nature. There was whipped cream for the pie or pumpkin pecan ice cream. Rich had made mango Jello just in case, but we all opted for pie. The fire was going in their wood-burning stove, their poodle Ivy was happy to see us and well-behaved, and Molly the cat deigned to ignore the whole shebang. A good time was had by all. 

We ate at one p.m., which left time for us to visit for a while and still come back across the road to our house for a nice nap and a chance for the meal to digest before I called Texas to talk to my mother. But as it turned out, I did not take that nap but got distracted by email and other sorts of things. Now it is too late to nap before calling, so I will just post this.

Depending on which monastery I was in at the time, we friars sometimes ate the Thanksgiving meal in mid-to-late afternoon. While this gave the cooks more time to get things ready, it always threw my stomach's schedule off. If I eat a big meal at three, I don't want another meal at five or six. On the other hand, I will want something before bedtime ... and the temptation of stuffing with gravy was usually hard to resist. Which helps explain why -- in the days before my thyroid condition was diagnosed and treated -- like St. Nick, my [not so] little round belly shook when I laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

I hope you had a safe and enjoyable day. Thanks for reading! 

PS -- Archangel Salad is my signature salad. Just use the following ingredients in quantities that work for your group, adding or omitting things as you wish.

Romain lettuce (or your preference)

Fresh pear or apple chunks (dipped in lemon juice to prevent discoloration)

Dried cranberries

Sliced seedless grapes

Thinly sliced carrots (or julienned, etc.)

Sliced black olives

Red onion in thin rings

Grape tomatoes

Walnut pieces

Boiled egg, sliced

Coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese

Croutons

I arrange it in layers in a large glass bowl, but you may prefer to toss it before serving. Serve with dressing of your choice.

This makes a substantial side salad. To make it a light meal, add protein in the form of diced leftover chicken, turkey, roast beef or ham.