It's hard to fall in a rut, when you run with the wolfpack.

CHEESE DISCLAIMER: The following post contains some supercute dog pics and some slight gushing about loving dogs. If you find this uncomfortable please go away or click on one of these websites for a more palatable internet experience.

www.antidog.com or Ithinki'lljuststayhomeanddonothing.com

I'm convinced that dogs were put on the earth to teach us lessons. You want to know about unconditional love? get a dog. Cuteness beyond measure? get a dog. how about cheering people up? get a dog. how to never take crap from clowns or magicians? yeah, get a dog. ok, so maybe that last one is an isolated event, but you get the point. One thing that I've tried to pick up from my four legged friendly is how to take advantage of every moment that I can. If people were as committed/excited to getting out and doing things, the world we live in would be a much different place. There are so many times that I have things I want to do or try, but for whatever reason, I get lazy and let them fall by the wayside. Dogs would not do this. in fact, this is anti-dog behavior. So, where on earth am I going with this? I don't really know, but it has something to do with thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a great holiday, no question there. people gathering around food, etc, etc. The problem with thanksgiving is that, well, there are actually two problems.

unfortunate thanksgiving problem #1.

The turkey. If you are not super careful and don't have a proper plan, you are going to be serving your loved ones dry roasted cardboard. Luckily, in this modern world we live in, people have eaten enough dry cardboardy fowl, that they have come up with some methods to get out of the turkey rut that takes down so many thanksgiving cooks. The one I most highly recommend is brining your bird. When you brine something it allows the protein molecules to expand and become hydrated to almost a false juiciness. you are kind of cheating here, but that's ok, just this time. this technique is better (in my opinion) than just basting, because it is like basting the meat from the inside. even if you overcook the bird, it will still seem juicy. you can still just baste the bird and cross your fingers, but you probably shouldn't. check out brining tips here. ( I always add some simon and garfunkel (come on, you know this by now right? (hint: scarborough fair)) to the mix, just in cases...

and

Unfortunate Thanksgiving Problem #2:

Leftover turkey.

This is assuming you have made plenty of delicious sides to go along with your meat, but I maybe have two times I can eat thanksgiving dinner before I am sick of it. So, to remedy this, I just use my turkey like it was raw poultry (within reason), and tackle any new (fitting) recipes that I have been wanting to try. hotpots, noodle bowls, not boring sandwiches, etc. Get out of your comfort zone this year and make something that you have never made with your leftovers. Or, use most of your leftovers to make something else. What about a turkey/caramelized brussels sprouts, and cranberry chutney panini, eh? sounds good to me. Or maybe take your leftover mashed potatoes and pour a little coconut milk and some curry powder in there, you get the idea. So, this year, on black friday, get creative and don't eat the same thing over and over. You had better not throw away that turkey carcass either, them's primo stock fixins, fools.

oh yeah, food: Made an asian noodle broth sort of thing (perfect way to use leftover turkey carcass/turkey meat) with meat that I had leftover from making chicken/duck stock. the duck added an extra dimension and made for a super flavorful soup. Just got the broth to a rolling boil, and added ginger, onion, chiles, cilantro, grean beans, and then some noodles, and threw the chicken meat in there at the end along with some fish sauce and soy sauce. Middle dish is sausage gravy made from the close to 50 pounds of sausage that was made this weekend! Should be stocked for a while (should be...). Last pic is of the ultimate slider. Well, ultimate as far as food goes. I knew this kid andy in first grade that was king of the playground...anyway, these particular mini burgs were topped with onion soubise (2 onions, 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 cup of water, and tsp kosh salt cooked very low until they turn into a sort of jam, try it, it's unbeleivable, takes around 1.5 hours though, stir every once and a while) a fried egg, bacon, and ketchup. eggs on burgers are awesome, try it...tomorrow.

ok, nonfoods: I have been riding wilderness park a lot lately. It's my favorite time of year to ride the bike trail (in fact, I'm going there right after this.). Dusted off my camelbak and have been having a lot of fun out there. Also, made it through a hellish two weeks at work, too many hours, too little rest. Ready to relax a little and possibly take some time off.

Also: We are getting closer to the remodel and as of now are toying with the idea of stainless countertops., if we can find somewhere to get them.( ok, I know what you are thinking, resale, and that they scratch. but the thing is, it's my house. and I'm not living in it with the sole intention of pleasing the next peeps, so there:P)

ok, hope to post more frequently, pieces

DISHrecommends: getting out and doing something. get out and enjoy the outdoors. go on a walk (with your dog!), ride bikes, jog, run, whatever. just don't get sedentary. it's the root of all evil. so is money, though. So, I guess if you are rich and just do nothing all day, you're pretty much the worst person in the world. Or at least really, really, ridiculously bad.