Getting ready for Thanksgiving

Today is prep day for Thanksgiving...usually where I pull out all my supplies and realize how much stuff I forgot to buy.

I've already started roasting the pumpkin and butternut squash.  I found a great new trick for getting those seed cavities cleaned out...don't know why it has taken me this long!  I grabbed my melon baller that I never use and it worked wonderfully!  woot!  Have to remember that for Halloween too. :D

Then I went to go make my turkey brine and realized that for all these years I've been making it with not nearly enough vegetable broth.  I usually just grab 4 14oz cans and go with that...and the bird has always come out just fine...but this year I decided that I should attempt to make it right.  Of course I didn't decide that until today so I only have 4 cans of veggie broth.  So I decide that it can't really be that hard to make veggie broth...I've made chicken broth, should be close.  But remember this is a house where 2/3 of the human inhabitants are picky eaters, so it doesn't pay to have many "normal" things on hand.  sigh

Your typical veggie broth calls for things like onions (I had some frozen onions!), carrots (check), potatoes (oops, I forgot to add one of those, brb!) (check), greens (ummm will these brussel sprouts do?) (toss em in!), zucchini (ummm I have a bag of mixed veggies that have zucchini in it) (toss it in too!), and celery... well I don't have any celery.  But I do have celery salt!  so I put some of that in and let 'er rip! note: although the recipe calls for salt, I didn't add any cuz of the celery salt...I figured I can add some later...and there is salt in the brine.

I'm sure it will be just fine as the broth is for the Turkey's brine and I have about half of the broth I need...this is just flavorful filler.  I suppose it is a very good thing that cooking is an art and not a science like baking is.  

after this simmers for an hour, I'll add the rest of the ingredients for the brine and then let it cool.  Hopefully I can get the bird swimming by this evening.  

Here's the rest of my list of chores for today:

make dessert

make dessert for pot luck at Church tonight

make brine for Turkey & get turkey ready to brine

clean cooler to brine turkey in

make sure all dishes I need for tomorrow are clean (not hiding in the frig)

laundry - but okay if I put it off

mail bday gift for mom - but okay if I put it off

feed kittehs

clean kitchen countertops so I have room for all this

I guess that means I should get off the computer and get busy.  I'm also going to ask Darly to see if she would like to help make dinner and learn how to do it.

We're having:

Turkey (of course!)

stuffing substitute -sauteed mushrooms (I'm the only one who will eat stuffing and I don't need it, so I'm subbing with something equally yummy but less fattening!)

Gravy (Darly won't touch this!)

Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans (steamed) (hubs will eat green beans but not gb casserole, Darly won't touch this!)

Corn

Yams (I won't eat the yams, so I'm having see below)

butternut squash (DH & Darly won't eat this!)

Rolls

Pumpkin Dessert - a family recipe that we like better than just pumpkin pie

I hope that you and yours all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with plenty to be thankful for.  I feel so blessed to know you all.