Although now I seriously want to overlay the dialect map with a map of the predominant cooking method to see where and whether they overlap. OMG I AM DORK.

I'm pretty sure Google is working on this kind of map overlay at this very minute.

They are nothing if not dork-enabling.

Happy Thanksgiving, those who celebrate! Happy random day otherwise!

Today's adventure is: will the turkey finish defrosting in time? I started too late with the fridge defrost, so I'm going to switch over to cold water here shortly. Meanwhile, I've gotten the spousal approval to make the sweet rolls actually sweet bread in the bread machine, which would deeply horrify my grandmother, were she alive to be horrified, but is much much much easier, especially on a day like today. I prefer it as rolls, but I can just throw everything in the machine and let it go whilst I do the rest of the cooking.

But like David, I don't have that much left to do today. Several things need finishing today, but the tasks other than the turkey (cranberry sauce, stuffing, corn pudding) are all very simple.

Day of Pie is the day that's fraught, but that's all good already, and our guests last night didn't eat that much of it (we were missing the teenage guests, so not surprising) so we've already tossed some in the freezer for later.

Wishing now I had managed to finish up the cranberry bread, because it sounds good now, but oh well. Breakfast is cafe con leche and irish butter on sourdough bread.

They are nothing if not dork-enabling.

Bless their Segway-riding souls.

The first batch of breads is now baking (cranberry and pumpkin nut), and the herb bread is warming up from its overnight proof in the fridge. I have to prep the herbs for inclusion in the dough, and then I have to reduce the cider in order to glaze the brussels sprouts and prep the ginger-lime sauce for the green beans. And then I have to get everything ready for transport to our friend's house.

Hec & JZ - I'll only be a few blocks from you guys. You want I should stop by with a mini-loaf of pumpkin nut or cranberry bread?

The countertop turkey roaster my friend seduced me into buying some years ago makes it all much simpler, too. Things aren't fighting for oven space. And it functions as a buffet server, too, once the turkey's done. I pour water into the base and set the hot side dishes in the little dishes and everything stays uniformly warm and moist. Love.

I only use it once or twice a year and it's a mother to store, but it's totally worth it.

What I make is relish not sauce, cranberries, apples, lemon juice, honey, a tiny bit of salt, a very tiny bit of finely diced celery.

Also dressing,not stuffing. Made on the stove top with sausage, butter, rum and honey. (The butter, rum and honey mixture is also used to baste the turkey.) The trick to making a moist tender turkey with no stuffing? Baste it a lot and often, and turn the oven up for the first 30 minutes or so to sear the turkey and seal in the juices.

Happy T-day for those who celebrate and happy Thursday otherwise.

Chocolate coma pie was made last night and has been in the fridge, setting and turning all fudgy.

Apple pies are in the oven, doing their last fifteen minutes.

I need to whip the cream for the coma pie.

I need to shower and beautify.

As I cooked, I was listening to orchestral movie score music.

Now I'm listening to the Mad Men V.2. Kind of fits my mood.

Okay-- whipped cream.

Okay, I have no interest in Twilight whatsoever, but this is a pretty funny interview with Robert Pattinson:

[link]

Have you been told how much you resemble Prince William in the film?

Oh, Jesus! I used to get that from Harry Potter! Ah, it's terrible! Ha!

Why? He's beloved. He'll rule the Commonwealth one day.

No, it's terrible! Ha! It's the worst thing you could possibly have said. This interview is over! Ha! I mean, I don't have anything against him, but, oh God, it's so typically English. I'm trying to get away from that whole stigma of the floppy English posh person.

Then later:

What's your security plan, now that hordes of young girls want chunks of your hair?

I don't know … I might start lashing out at them! Ha! It might make me genuinely terrifying. I was noticing this — nobody really goes up to hard-core rappers, they don't get too many problems with little girls! I'm hoping I can just go to London and it will be like a switch, I can just turn everything off.

I doubt that.

More and more people are noticing me, but if you go to really crappy places, people don't expect you to be there. And I have a tendency to only be in really crappy places.

But ... God, I'm still reeling from the Prince William thing!

Oh, stop it. I could have said Camilla Parker Bowles.

Oh, God. Oh, God, no. Prince William. Jesus!

megan's cranberry sauce is on the stove. no other cooking for me today. We have watched the parade and some of the dog show. One tiny part of mac's ridic amount of homework got done and now he is desperately working for everyone's attention while we all try to have a moment of silence. I am getting in the shower.

I talked with the family a little while ago and got to hear a wonderful story about my brother's last parent/teacher conference.

The kids had written a sentence and drawn pictures to illustrate their sentences, all of which were posted in the hallway outside the classroom. My nephew's sentence was, "My father is weird because he reads the newspaper while he sits on the toilet." His illustration was a big hit with all the other parents.