The best dish, by far, is my wife's chocolate cheesecake, which I am finally going at right now. The filling (the "cheese") is creamy, like a mousse. She made it out of cashews, melted Ghiradelli chocolate and coconut butter, with a hint of coffee. Pecan crust and a hardened layer of dark chocolate, used as topping, made this thing absolutely to die for.
Other good things: My mother in-law's chopped kale and Brussels sprout salad, with walnuts and cranberries. Speaking of cranberries, someone ran a bag of them through a food processor. It's the first time I tried them that way. It was good, adding just enough tart to the plate. The wife's sister brought some gravy she made from bone broth and rendered turkey guts she froze from last year. TMI, in a way. But, man, it tasted great.
The wife's stuffing had Italian sausage in it. Needless to say, that stuff was out of this world. Our Turkey ended up a little dry, we had that bad boy up to 190 degrees, probably baked it a half an hour too long. But, the gravy and chopped cranberries took care of that issue. We also had a nice stir fry of greens: snow pees, broccoli and green beans which added more than enough moisture to the plate.
This was one of the first TGs I can recall when I left the table feeling good, and not over-stuffed. I credit that to no one bringing any mashed potatoes or bread. Also, holding off on the cheesecake until now paid dividends.
We didn't talk politics. Mostly we discussed family gossip. The babies from baby daddies no one could identify seemed to be at the top of the list. Someone asked for a DNA test that showed he was in the clear. That gave the other guy an idea. So, he did it too. Same result. Of course, the fact that he had already paid in for six years has to be a bit annoying. Well, all three babies--yes there are three--are now living with the one set of grandparents who did not want their son taking the test. Ignorance is bliss. And, from what I gather, those people are doing a fine job with those kids. The mother is in jail. But, chances are good that she will soon be let out and stuck in rehab.
Another family we used to see every TG has moved to AZ. I guess their oldest is also a new single mommy. Baby daddy decided to move in with another lady. She's living with her grandmother in Ohio, who has taken her in with the baby. The other daughter is not handling the move to AZ very well. She is threatening to move back to OH as well, once she turns 18. Woo hoo, grandma is about to have three mouths to feed.
One of our guests had recently divorced. She had a lot of stories to share. And, closer to home, a cousin on the wife's side said she went to a swingers club recently. :shock: Needless to say, with all that excitement to discuss, there was no need to talk about politics.