Pre-Thanksgiving

Wednesday Afternoon - Prep

I took the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off from work, which is one of the best ideas I've had in a long time. I was able to finish up the shopping (the stores were empty!) and help my parents prep and clean for the big dinner the next day.

While picking up a few last minute things, I was greeted by this display at the front of the store:

I kind of dropped the ball on getting signed up for some Thanksgiving volunteer work, so I was glad to see such an easy opportunity to help out. I hate to sound all, "Oh, look at me! I did something good and you should pat me on the back!", but I thought it was worth mentioning how convenient the Food Bank made it to help out. Maybe now someone will notice one of these boxes in their neck of the woods...

Anyway, another thing I found helpful was that they provided lists of the foods that are most needed/appreciated.

I took this along with me and grabbed some items that fit the bill.

While volunteering at the Food Bank a couple of months ago, I couldn't help but notice how much junk food gets donated. I did my best to choose vegetables other than corn (the #1 veggie donated) and was sure to read the labels of the beans I grabbed. Did you know that some canned beans have added sugar and corn syrup??

I also tried to pick things I didn't think got donated that often. I figured chicken noodle and tomato were probably the most common soups, so I grabbed other kinds to switch it up. It might seem petty, but maybe it'll make someone's day to get to eat something different.

Wednesday Night - Party

On Wednesday night, Katie, Laura, and I met up with some old high school friends for a "Friends' Thanksgiving". It was a lot of fun hanging out and catching up with these girls. Even though our lives have changed drastically since high school, we found so much that we have in common!

Faking a Jager Bomb toast. Surprisingly, not because I didn't want to take one, but because I took mine too early! (SO not me)

NKOTB sing-a-long. I kid you not.

Thursday Morning - Surprise

Katie had to work on Thanksgiving, and since she works 24 hour shifts, she was gone ALL day (and night). I decided to surprise her by driving down to Lincoln and spending a little bit of time with her at the fire station.

They had already planned a big Thanksgiving meal, including a deep-fried turkey, but I didn't want to show up empty handed. I decided to make a pitcher of punch and some packaged treats that they could take home. I've gotten several requests for the Toffee Graham Cracker Bars that I brought when I visited in October, so a double batch was in order.

Unfortunately that meant I started my morning like this:

Gulp. That is a lot of butter. But it is oh-so-good mixed with brown sugar and pecans!

Aside from the sheer amount of butter and sugar needed, the biggest downside of making a double batch meant I had to try to divide the caramel/toffee between 2 sheet pans, which was hard to eyeball. Plus it was super hot and scary and I ended up making a big mess. But at least I didn't hurt myself!

While the bars were baking, I decided to print out the recipe since so many people had asked for it.

I folded the papers in fourths, closed them with a sticker, and punched a hole in the corner so I could attach them to each package.

After the toffee hardened, I divided the bars into small cellophane bags and put on the recipe 'tag'. Cellophane is imperative here...these suckers are buttery (for obvious reasons) and would soak right through a paper bag.

Treats for everyone!

While I worked, I munched on an English muffin with cream cheese and tomato to keep me from over-sampling.

The first 20 miles of my drive were spent screaming at slow cars that wouldn't get out of the fast lane! I don't usually have road rage and I am not a speeder, so I must have been in a pretty bad mood. Luckily, the screaming seemed to help and I was able to enjoy the rest of the drive on an open road.

When I arrived at the fire station, the crew had just finished eating. It was kind of amusing because they were all holding their guts and groaning in pain. And then they all propped their feet up in recliners in front of the football game and looked like they were ready for sleepy-time.

I'm glad it worked out that I was able to visit Kate on Thanksgiving. I'm also glad that the fire fighters didn't get called away on any emergencies and were able to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal, even though they couldn't be with their families.

When I got home, I dressed Stella in the Thanksgiving bandana that she got from the groomer, packed up the car, and headed to my parents' house for dinner! I'll tell you about it in the next post.