Thanksgiving Dinner Reprise

Every year, we stretch Thanksgiving out to two full days. In addition to the Thursday turkey fest, we all have another fancy dinner together the following night. In years past, my mother made her world-famous, prize-winning lasagna, served Italian bread, and offered us the remains of the pumpkin and apple pies from the night before.

Last year, however, my godsister and her husband started a new tradition: post-Thanksgiving feast at their house. My godsister's husband cooks, along with my other godsister, and the rest of us clean up.

It's a pretty fair arrangement, considering the yumminess that we get.

Here's this year's menu:

• filet mignon, cooked to absolute tender perfection: nice and pink, and we didn't have to use steak knives (talk about slicing like butter!)
• shrimp scampi, broiled with a mixture of butter, garlic, vermouth, and other yummy goodness
• red roasted potatoes, roasted with rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil
• cauliflower roasted with salt, pepper, and olive oil
• rice pilaf with carrots, pecans, and craisins
• asparagus roasted with salt, pepper, and olive oil, with a shallot dressing poured on top of it
• bittersweet flourless chocolate cake
• vanilla panna cotta
• cannoli, which Papa Cat picked up from the South End of Hartford
• coffee
• and lots and lots of wine

The food was delicious, but the company was better! After we had sufficient time to digest, we all played Rockband for an hour. Even our parents. It was truly a site to see.

I got home an hour ago, and am baking a brown sugar pound cake for a brunch I'm going to tomorrow. I just checked it, and it looks as if it's about to flow over the pan. This could be a potential cooking disaster. Keep your fingers crossed!

Wow...three days of food over this Thanksgiving! Yikes! I'm doubling my workouts!