The Dark Side - literally

Whew, well that was a fun Thanksgiving, but now it's time to get back on track with some healthy eating today. Just kidding, I could never get back on track since I was never there in the first place. I do find it hilarious though how some people seem to think eating dessert on Thanksgiving is exciting and unusual and special, since it's something they never do. I'm pretty sure these people will have regrets on their death beds. I actually think yesterday was a healthier day for me than most, since I enjoyed some apple crisp for dessert. It had apples, ergo, healthy.

As I explained yesterday, I was a little nervous since Eric and I were going to spend Thanksgiving with virtual strangers.

You can see the apprehension of a looming social situation.

I had no need to worry, it couldn't have gone better. The family welcomed us with open arms, explained their inside jokes to us, and we all got along great. They had a similar sense of humor, meaning they laughed at That's What She Said jokes, rather than looking confused or offended. A match made in Heaven. 

Eric was pretty excited because deep fried turkey was on the menu. He'd never had it, but had always wanted to try it.

 You can't tell, but the bottom of the fryer was covered in bacon before the turkey went in. When I saw that, I decided I wanted to try it too.

I'm pretty sure the last time I had turkey on Thanksgiving (or any meat) was when I was 13. More recently, I've been shying away from the term "vegetarian", because it conjures up images of psychos throwing red paint on people coming out of steakhouses. I really want people to be clear on my reasons for not eating meat - it was in no way a moral or ethical stance. Everyone has foods they don't like for whatever reason, and meat was mine. I found the texture off-putting. My forays into the world of meat have had mixed results - bacon worked out fine, as long as it was crispy and in no way resembled dead pig. Sausage links and a cheese steak in Philly were spit out in disgust. Since poultry was the reason I went off meat in the first place, I was nervous, especially since I didn't want to offend our hosts. 

I took a tiny piece each of white meat and dark meat when the platter came around.

The verdict? Incredible. I couldn't believe how tasty and not gross it was. I preferred the dark meat, but I'm sure we all saw that one coming. I had a few more bites when the platter came around for seconds. Eric loved it so much that now all he wants for Christmas is deep fried turkey, so there's a good chance he'll find a fryer under the tree and we'll both get to repeat this delicious experience. 

In less exciting news, I also tried white port, and that was fantastic too. 

We had so much fun that we didn't get home until nearly midnight, so no Black Friday shopping here. I would have gone, because I do love it, but once again, I'm repeating the same sad story: I have no gift ideas (other than a deep fryer for Eric) and Black Friday isn't exactly the time to browse. I'll still get to participate though, because I'm off to work in a few minutes.

I honestly feel there could be a burger in my future. Any recommendations?

What was the best thing you ate this Thanksgiving? Anyone getting "back on track" today?