Thanksgiving 2015

The Thanksgiving issue of The News-Gazette reported that the American Farm Bureau says “a traditional Thanksgiving dinner will run the average American family $50.11 this week, up 70 cents from a year ago.”

One might wonder what a “traditional” Thanksgiving dinner consists of or what is an “average American family,” but this statement made me consider what our T-giving lunch cost.

American Farm Bureau	2015 Price
Miscellaneous ingredients	3.18
Sweet potatoes, 3 lbs.	3.57
Whipping cream, 1/2 pint	1.94
Milk, 1 gallon whole	3.25
Pumpkin pie mix, 30 oz.	3.20
1-pound relish tray (carrots and celery)	.79
Green peas, 1 lb.	1.52
Cubed stuffing, 14 oz.	2.61
16-pound turkey	23.04
Fresh cranberries, 12 oz.	2.29
Pie shells (2)	2.47
Rolls, 12	2.25
TOTAL	50.11

List of ingredients looks reasonable …. Although I have no recollection of us ever having green peas for our holiday meal.  Here are the prices of our meal this year:

Our Meal	Price
Pumpkin pie	free
Cool Whip	.99
Green beans, 1 can Del Monte w/ potatoes	.59
Stove Top Stuffing, 1 box	.75
5-pound turkey breast	8.15
Onion soup mix, used to season turkey	.65
Cranberry sauce, 1 can	.99
Rolls, 4 (Sister Schubert)	1.00
TOTAL	13.12

Our list is not as extensive as that of the Farm Bureau, but it was plenty for us.  We had a second meal Friday evening using leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy, and finished off the last of the turkey with a delicious soup on Sunday.

White Chicken Chili
(from gooseberrypatch.com)

2 onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 C. chicken broth
6 cans (15-1/2 oz.) Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
3 cans (5-oz.) chicken drained
2 cans (4-oz.) diced green chiles
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 container (12-oz.) sour cream
3 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In a large stockpot over medium heat, sauté onions in oil until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except sour cream and cheese. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until heated through. Shortly before serving, add sour cream and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

I reduced our soup and used roughly one-third the amount of ingredients.  I also used leftover broth from the cooked turkey on Thursday in addition to a can of broth.  I definitely suggest adding sour cream to the soup - it added a nice flavor.  I estimate our soup made 4 generous portions.

Here are some more comparisons from the American Farm Bureau.

1986	1990	1995	2000	2005	2010	2015
$28.74	$28.85	$29.64	$32.37	$36.78	$43.47	$50.11

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Gas Prices

I couldn’t resist filling the tank on Saturday even though it was only down slightly over a fourth of a tank.  The price was $1.69/gallon … the lowest it has been since February 2008 – nearly 6 years!  The last time I paid under $2/gallon was 11 months ago.  It has dipped slightly below $2 a couple times since then, but I always missed that magical amount.  Prices were in the $3 range from January 2011 through September 2014.  I never paid $4, but it got close a couple times.  Let’s see how long this good fortune will last.  (source: "gas book" that is kept in the car)

 

Birthday Freebies

Over the years I have joined restaurants' e-clubs in order to qualify for their coupons.  The best are their birthday "gifts."  This year I was gifted with 12+ restaurant birthday coupons so I created a spreadsheet of sorts so that I could keep track of them and plan my strategy on when to use them.

Not all the coupons that I received to my email account are included here.

Christmas in April

My Christmas gift from Patrick arrived on April 11.  He had promised me a trip to a musical in Chicago.  We settled on a day in April with the hope that the weather would be pleasant.  P. chose April 11.  I told him that if he’d picked the following Saturday I could have gotten Amtrak’s senior discount (over age 62).

Now that I’m a seasoned traveler, I had no qualms about taking the train.  I was really laid-back and actually left the house for the station several minutes later than I’d planned.  I walked into the waiting room around 6:00 a.m. and checked the on-time board.  No delays were listed, but I knew that did not necessarily mean the train was on time.  A few minutes before the anticipated train departure at 6:10 a.m., I observed the Amtrak desk clerk putting on his jacket.  I thought, “Hmmm, maybe the train is about to arrive.”  It did, and we departed only minutes after the scheduled time.  I was so surprised.

I followed the queue boarding the train and into the car.  Lights were dim – this is an over-night train from New Orleans – and many people were huddled down napping or at least resting.  It was difficult to figure out which seats were vacant or maybe the occupant was just somewhere else.  I followed other people into the observation car and settled in a seat there.  I’d been really intrigued by this car back in August so I thought now would be a good time to see what it was all about.  The wide, bubble-topped windows offered views from both sides of the train.  It also let in a lot of light which, although not uncomfortable, could be more than what you wanted as the sun rose.  I spent the trip alternately watching the passing scenery and reading a book (The First Family Detail : Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents / by Ronald Kessler).

We made good time – no slow-downs – and arrived at Union Station in Chicago about 30 minutes early.  I’d texted P. when we passed through the Homewood station to give him a heads-up to come and meet me.  His commute was slightly delayed so I settled in a waiting room and people-watched and read my trusty book.

dinnertime along the Chicago River

We had quite a bit of time to kill so we did a little exploring.  First stop was Starbucks so that P. could wake up!  Then we walked to Chicago Public Library.  The central library is the Harold Washington Library, brand new in 1991.  The inside architecture is very impressive.  I marveled at the roped stanchions placed near the circulation desks which clearly indicated that the lines could get long.  I did see a couple self-checkout stations.  There were many, many public access computers and people already using them Saturday morning.  We didn’t spend a great deal of time in the library.  Just long enough for me to say that I’d been there.

Our next stop was Navy Pier – again, just so I could say I’d been there.  P. wisely called for an Uber car.  He remembered how too much walking last summer got me over-heated.  Nothing much going on at the Pier so we started walking back towards downtown.  I just happened to notice three dollar bills on the sidewalk.  We looked around to see if anyone seemed to be looking for them, then picked them up – P.’s tip for spending his day-off with me!

Our next destination was Eataly, and this time we took a cab.  Eataly is a combination restaurant/marketplace with an emphasis on Italian cuisine.  In fact, there are several restaurants inside the two-story building.  It’s an open-concept type of place.  We looked around and admired the products.  We shared a prime rib sandwich from La Rosticceria, a counter service (as opposed to a sit-down restaurant).  It is their “signature porcini-rubbed prime rib with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.”  It was really tasty. 

It was time to think about heading to the musical at the Bank of America Theatre.  We stopped by P.’s office so he could print out the tickets.  It gave me a chance to see their space again.  P. told me some things had changed, but I didn’t really remember it from when I was there a year earlier.

Another Uber car ride and it was time for The Book of Mormon.  I had heard it was a sort of raunchy play, but I had no idea how extreme it was going to be.  P. pointed out that it was created by the people who created South Park (TV show), so “what can you expect.”  It pokes wicked fun at an organized religion without being nasty about their beliefs.  The content is risky, but the Mormon characters are loveable.  The musical was really good.  The music was catchy, although not well-known.  The whole production was excellent – I really enjoyed it.

We had an early dinner at River Roast along the Chicago River.  We each chose a meat dish and also selected a vegetable dish to share.  P. had salmon, I had meatballs, and the vegetable was leeks ‘cause I’d never had those before.  (Aside: it’s October now and I looked at their online menu to refresh my memory, but the menu has completely changed from 6 months ago.)

We were several blocks from Union Station, and I told P. I could walk back there on my own.  P. pointed me in the correct direction, and said “just keep walking ‘til you get to Adams Street, then turn right, go over the river, and you’ll see the station.”  There was no need to hurry, and I took a few pictures along my route.

from River Roast on LaSalle Street to Union Station

I boldly entered the station through a different entrance and took the time to explore a bit.  I sat in the food court area and collected my thoughts, made some notes, and read my trusty book again.  I then went to my departure gate and people-watched some more and read some more.  People with young children or over age 62 were lined up first.  If I ever take the train again, I will certainly relish that perk.  We departed on time.  My seat-mate was off somewhere most of the trip.  A young woman a couple rows behind spent the whole time talking loudly on her cell phone.  She phoned several people, and I heard over and over how she was going to have to go help her mother and she didn’t know if she would still be eligible for financial aid at her beauty school/college.  Oh, just shut up!

Another special day with my favorite son.  Thanks, Patrick, for the lovely Christmas gift.

The Winner Is . . . . .

I dreamed I was in a food challenge. I chopped up a bunch of ingredients and threw on some Italian dressing and created my delectable entry. The first 3 competitors submitted their food and all were accepted. So by process of elimination -- I was the last -- I knew that I would be booted. Alex Guarnaschelli came in to escort me and my dish to the judges. She tried to be encouraging, but I saw the look on her face when she saw my food. It displayed "pitiful" in no uncertain terms.

Then I woke and escaped the judgment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I remembered to bring my lunch to work today, but I forgot my purse.

Thanksgiving 2014

Our latest “girls gone wild” weekend had a twist.  This time our husbands accompanied us!  We’d tossed around this idea for a couple years, and this year we decided to take the plunge.

The first step was to find a house/cabin/lodge with 5 bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, and somewhat centrally located to our respective homes.  A loghome that fit our criteria was found near Nancy, Kentucky, and arrangements to rent for Thanksgiving 2014 were made.

   

Tuesday, November 25

-  John and I traveled with Amy and Jerry
-  we encountered Martha and Steve at a rest area east of Indianapolis and got the traditional bathroom photo
-  lunch: brown bag in a gas station parking lot – John and I feasted on chicken tenders, grapes, and Oreos
-  break time at Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea – enjoyed looking at the crafts from talented Kentucky people
-  supper: pulled pork BBQ, potato salad, cookies

the traditional restroom photo
Martha and Amy, near Indianapolis

Wednesday, November 26

-  breakfast: Sharon’s Mill Springs Restaurant in Nancy – great service, good food
-  gals went grocery shopping at Kroger in Somerset
-  guys toured Mill Springs Battlefield
-  afternoon snack: home-baked Rhodes cinnamon rolls
-  supper: cheeseburger soup, chicken taco soup, fresh baked bread, cheesecake
-  game: Awkward Family Photos

breakfast at Sharon's

Thursday, Thanksgiving

-  breakfast: sausage breakfast casserole, vegetarian breakfast casserole, fruit, monkey bread
-  Thanksgiving meal: ham, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, dressing, Beef House rolls, pumpkin pie, apple pie
-  football: Bears vs. Lions – Lions won, 34-17
-  craft: ribbon wreaths
-  drinking game: Prairie Dog Woman

Friday, November 28

-  breakfast: oatmeal
-  roadtrip: antiques mall in Somerset; Haney’s Appledale Farm in Nancy
-  lunch: leftovers plus apple turnovers from the apple farm
-  supper: leftovers
-  sister gifts Christmas exchange
-  game: Cards Against Humanity

"Sinkie Day," the day after Thanksgiving when people eat leftovers
while standing over the kitchen sink to catch the crumbs

Saturday, November 29

-  departed around 6:30 central time
-  lunch: Cracker Barrel, Crawfordsville, IN
-  arrived home around 2:15 central time
-  approximately 388 miles

We sisters had a wonderful time.  The husbands survived, and I believed enjoyed most of this adventure.  Jane summed up our vacation when she said "our long national nightmare has ended."