<p>$200 turkey? How could anyone consider doing that when there’s a $450 Silca bicycle pump out there with your name on it. It’s a hand crafted museum quality work of art and will last your lifetime, can the store say that about its turkey? 
</p>
<p>Have a good Thanksgiving to everyone and their families. Ours is turning out to be interesting. Our son, with the sweetest and best intentions, just used Facebook to invite all of his friends without family in the area to come to our house tomorrow for dinner lol! I posted back to let us know by noon so that we know how many Cliff Bars and protein shakes to serve. I love social media ;). </p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving!</p>
<p>As if the vacuuming and so forth for big Thanksgiving dinner isn’t bad enough for a solo guy, Mother Nature is hitting us with a left hook. Just back inside from Round 1 of shovelling. 6 to 8 inches of the heaviest, wettest snow you can get. No tune-up workout with some light fluffy stuff. Nooo. This had to be 50 pounds per shovel full. Drenched. At least the worst of it is done. Should be a quick clean up in the morning before stuffing and trussing the bird, and firing up the Weber (in the snow). Making the stuffing tonight, ready to put in the bird tomorrow after snow shovelling…</p>
<p>Oh, well. I needed the workout!</p>
<p>It’s funny. My 12.5 pound turkey was just over $10. Less than the rib eye steak I buy for camping chow! Probably the best bargain meal of the year. I might have to do a turkey more often. I keep the feast simple:</p>
<p>Turkey roasted on the Weber
Stuffing (half done in the bird, half baked under the bird, mixed together at the end)
Gravy
Julia Child’s creamed onions (a major production!)
Peas (something green!)
Cranberry sauce</p>
<p>Just the stuff that everyone likes</p>
<p>IDad. It sounds wonderful. The shoveling sounds awful, though. </p>
<p>Sabaray - thanks for posting the pumpkin recipe. A few years ago I purchased a large container of protein powder my son - he found the process of mixing it in a blender every day too much of a hassle, so at one point we mixed the protein powder with some sugar-free pudding. That wasn’t a big hit either but I can’t recall why (it did taste pretty much like regular pudding).</p>
<p>Another clothing question for the outdoor people. My niece wants a North Face jacket for Christmas. My sister has decided that she is willing to buy it if it is solid quality even if it is overpriced because of the name brand. On the other hand, she doesn’t want to pay $200 for a jacket that is not going to be warm (temps where they live are not especially cold – daytime lows are in the 30s). Any opinions? </p>
<p>I think Deb922 bought one of those last year, and she lives north of me where it gets plenty cold.
I can only speak to their boots. I love em, and I hike the hill in them in snowshoes. Truly waterproof. Best deep snow boots I’ve owned. And believe me, I didn’t buy them to be trendy 
so NorthFace has a special place in my heart.
That said, if I lived somewhere where it only got down to the 30s, would live in my Patagonia Hoody sweater that idad turned me onto last year. I wear it on the hill even in subzero weather, but it is perfect for a 30 degree day (when not doing something highly physical…otherwise its a tad hot ;)</p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! My mouth is watering just reading your culinary hijinx! I’m not doing turkey until the weekend when the Canuks descend … We do get two TGs in my family on each side of the border, but that means moving the big day </p>
<p>I get my turkey farm fresh and sear it at high heat without much other fuss (eg gin and wine, bacon and 500 degrees for the first bit). I really notice the difference in the flavor of the meat, but am never sure if its the searing or the farm fresh that makes it so. I don’t think they nick me $200, (though maybe close to half that for a big one) but I also don’t mind the notion of a “heritage” turkey if it tastes the way turkey used to taste…you know, like real turkey All the meat my butcher sells is pretty much “heritage” (local, unmitigated, close to organic) but thankfully I don’t think he’s figured out quite how to market it at coastal prices ;)</p>
<p>I’ve tried other ways but in general, most turkeys bore me, as if they’ve had the flavor bred out…or cooked out. So generally I only mess with it once or twice a year, with the exception of turkey tenderloin, which I cook more often. Even at Xmas I’m more inclined to do beef tenderloin than turkey. But mch loves his turkey, so here’s hoping I don’t set the house on fire…which is the only downside of high-heat-searing with alcohol…in the bird and in the chef… ;)</p>
<p>MomWC, cranberry story is hilarious. You are my karmic sister I swear ;)</p>
<p>I have a number of North Face products, ranging from a down parka with a heavy, durable shell that is good to -10 with just a shirt underneath to Polartec pull over shirts with a medium weight Polartec/down/rip stop nylon jacket and a Goretex/Polartec coat in between. I have been very happy with the quality and durability of all. There’s a ton of different products so the trick is to define what your needs are. Basically, you need to match the outer shell to the intended usage and the liner/fill to the intended temperature range. Is it intended to be casual wear, low impact active wear, used for activities where you might take a tumble in the snow, do you want it to be water proof or wind proof - those are questions relevant to choosing a garment with a rip stop outer shell, Goretex or some other material that is snag and damage resistant. In the 30-40 degree range either down or Polartec can be sufficient for warmth with down garments tending to be a bit bulkier due to the loft but also lighter in weight. Your best bet is to find stores that that carry North Face since if you are not familiar with the products it can be tough to evaluate from the catalogues what will best suit your needs and desires.</p>
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<p>Sounds great, but don’t cut your finger! D2 recited the whole Dan Akroyd skit last night in the car on the way to have dinner with my parents. :D</p>
<p>I also have a few North Face items. There is an outlet near my IL’s in Birch Run which I can get some great finds. I’ve also ordered from 6pm. Now that I think about it most of my jackets are North Face. </p>
<p>To run in I have this jacket <a href=“http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/womens-jackets-vests-running_training/women-8217-s-isotherm-windstopper-0174-jacket.html?variationId=R2X&variationName=SHADOW%20PURPLE%20/%20VIOLET%20PINK”>http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/womens-jackets-vests-running_training/women-8217-s-isotherm-windstopper-0174-jacket.html?variationId=R2X&variationName=SHADOW%20PURPLE%20/%20VIOLET%20PINK</a>. I really like it and it is plenty warm to run in until it gets in the teens. But when we had a cold spell I put a puffy vest over it and it was great.</p>
<p>I also have this jacket <a href=“http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/womens-jackets-vests-insulated-thermoball/women-8217-s-thermoball-8482-full-zip-jacket.html?variationId=G07&variationName=MAGIC%20MAGENTA”>http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/womens-jackets-vests-insulated-thermoball/women-8217-s-thermoball-8482-full-zip-jacket.html?variationId=G07&variationName=MAGIC%20MAGENTA</a>. I love, love this jacket. It is so warm. I walked in it when it was in the teens and wore it comfortably around town in the 20’s. If daytime temps are in the 30’s this is the jacket I would get. They also have a Thermoball with a hood which I really like also <a href=“http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/womens-jackets-vests-insulated-thermoball/women-8217-s-thermoball-8482-hoodie.html?variationId=D3R&variationName=GREYSTONE”>http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/womens-jackets-vests-insulated-thermoball/women-8217-s-thermoball-8482-hoodie.html?variationId=D3R&variationName=GREYSTONE</a>. I think it’s a little longer, this is the one I should have bought but I got mine last year at the end of the season and got a great price on. I also have a down jacket for everyday but it would be overkill for a more temperate climate. </p>
<p>Ran a little over 2 miles on the treadmill to mitigate some of the meal I am going to gorge myself on today. We are going to be out of town all weekend at the IL’s so I brought my workout clothes and am sure I can get away and get out. Besides my sil is always up for something so unless she is going out of town I’ll have a workout buddy :)</p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Kmcmom that turkey sounds so good!</p>
<p>MatildaMae, Macy’s will have a friends and family sale which I think is around the first weekend in December. They usually will have Northface on sale if they have what she wants it will be her best bet to find northface with a discount. Moosejaw is another place to find a bit of a discount. If you have a Macy’s you can pick out your items for presale as I hear they sell out of northface fast. </p>
<p>Just some tips if you are interested </p>
<p>Good answer, Michael. North Face makes so many different jackets that it was hard for me to know how to answer the question. There are North Face stores, which might be a good place to narrow down the options. </p>
<p>7 gloomy miles with some sleet flurries, but I did it! </p>
<p>What kind of North Face? Down, Gore-Tex, or fleece? Kiddo has had her down Transit parka for 6 years now, and it is still in OK shape. It held her warm through the chilly Boston winters and helped her survive the sub-zero chill when she worked in Central Asia (she layered it heavily in the latter situation). The coat comes in 3 lengths, and has been restyled with diamond quilt stitching (used to be just box stitch):</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/shop/product_The-North-Face-Women-s-Transit-Down-Jacket_10252212_10208_10000001_-1_”>http://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/shop/product_The-North-Face-Women-s-Transit-Down-Jacket_10252212_10208_10000001_-1_</a></p>
<p>5 mile run - done. I skipped lunch to free up some room for the dinner. Off to fire up the grill. :)</p>
<p>Appetizers:</p>
<p>cut-up veggies with southwest ranch dressing
raisin-bread squares with a honey-ricotta spread
cheese and crackers
hot back-fin crab and cream-cheese dip with pita wedges</p>
<p>Main course;</p>
<p>Roast turkey
Honeybaked ham
Sausage and cornbread stuffing
Garlic mashed potatoes
Gravy
Green bean+bacon casserole
Squash casserole
Roasted cauliflower
Home-made rolls
Spinach salad with strawberries, onions and a poppy-seed dressing</p>
<p>Dessert:</p>
<p>Pumpkin pie with whipped cream
Cherry pie
French silk chocolate pie
Mint ice cream pie with fudge topping
Apple cake
Fruit salad
Chocolate chip cookies with embedded mini-Reese’s peanut butter cups </p>
<p>Liberal amounts of beer and wine</p>
<p>Shared with a bunch of family and friends, which was the best part.</p>
<p>Dinner was 5 hours ago and I still feel like I am in a food coma. So good though. :D</p>
<p>What a menu! Sounds wonderful.</p>
<p>I feel stuffed, too. It was enjoyable, but too much food and wine. And the Bloody Mary.</p>
<p>Great day with lots of great food. I’m thankful for so much–family, friends, and good fortune. No workout today, but I walked 2 miles to and from the beach where I was the official towel holder for 5 family members/friends who participated in a fundraiser for the local library–Thanksgiving Day Plunge. The water temperature was 48 degrees/outdoor temperature 39 degrees. They all jumped into the Atlantic Ocean–had to get wet up to your waist and/or get your head wet to get a tee-shirt.</p>
<p>Just looked at my Polar Flow–steps for today 16,354!! Spent a lot of time cooking, cleaning, and preparing over the last two days. We had lots of dietary challenges in coming up with a menu–several vegans. Must have worked out well, because everyone seems happy. Turkey plungers are all watching House of Cards on Netflix! I’m off to bed. Have an appointment with the trainer at 10 am.</p>
<p>I too skipped lunch yesterday - H and I volunteered at the turkey trot, came home and wrestled the turkey, then I went for a bit over 4 miles. I did make things a bit easier on myself this year by having D bring home several sides, etc. from a DC market she enjoys. Lots of food though. Pilates this am at 7. </p>
<p>Bromfield, there is no way I would be doing an ocean plunge! I don’t mind cold air but cold water, forget it! </p>
<p>Yesterday I slept too late, so didn’t have time for a long ride like I’d planned. But I did get in about 40 minutes before I had to race home and start the turkey. </p>
<p>I kept saying that my bike ride had “erased” the day’s eating, though of course that is absurd. I rarely eat sweets, but I did have a couple of bites of D2’s homemade pecan pie, and of course, chowed down on stuffing and gravy. </p>
<p>Would have ridden this morning, but got dragged out of bed by DH to go buy some new luggage, which was on sale for Black Friday (for Germany trip). I never would have believed you’d get me to the mall on Black Friday, but when DH has his mind set on something, it’s hard to stop the train. Got there before the mall even opened, so it wasn’t too painful in terms of parking/traffic/craziness.</p>
<p>I wonder if everyone’s work outs are less easy after a day of over-indulging. I’m guessing mine would have been.</p>
<p>Boy, that was not the way to start Thanksgiving. First I set the alarm to get up and shovel before the mandatary morinv of the cars when plow man arrives. But, in the middle of the night, the power went off. So I had to get up in the dark and set the alarm on the cell phone. Woke up and the power was still off, so I had to shovel without coffee. Picture postcard gorgeous with blue sky and trees bent over the ground with heavy snow, but it was obvious from the tree limbs down that this might not be a quick power outage. Six hours and counting at that point.</p>
<p>So as I drove up to Dunkin Donuts for coffee, I pondered my options. If the power stayed out, was it better to delay Thanksgiving for a day (I’m not big on cooking marginally refrigerated turkey) or proceed to cook it on the Weber, supplemented by a 2-burner propane camping stove. I had about decided to cook it all outside, when I realized the well that supplies our water was out with the power failure. I was having a very hard time visualizing how to stuff a turkey and cook a Thanksgiving dinner without any water for hand and dish and utensil washing. Fortunately, at my moment of deepest despair 
the power flickered back on and stayed on! </p>
<p>So, even though it got off to a late start, Thanksgiving dinner went off without a hitch and we sat down to eat the turkey at around 5 pm. Just the turkey and stuffing cooked outside in the snow. Everything else on the stove.</p>
<p>iDad- what a nightmare! I’m SO glad your power came back on more or less in time. I bet your dinner was wonderful.</p>
<p>I ran 5 miles today (after the 7 yesterday) and did OK. I picked a flat route for today, and it was sunny and 36 degrees (up to 41). I way over-dressed- it’s just been so cold and gloomy that I made a mistake on this calm, sunny day. So- got sweaty but made it. </p>