Grab Bag

Tomorrow I leave after work to head up to my parents for Thanksgiving. For the past 12 years or so that meant an 8 hour drive each way. I am very happy to say that this year that will be about a 2 hour drive. I do have a slight detour to make on the way. Since the entire clan is gathering at my parents it has become clear that there may not be any corned ham. (Yes, I said Corned Ham, not Corned Beef or Canned Ham. Search my blog's archives and catch up. We'll wait right here for you.) Almost as happy as it is to say my parents are 90 miles north instead of 400 miles north, I get to say we have a place that makes corned hams only 30 miles north of me. So tomorrow I leave work at 3, head north to Well's Pork Products in Burgaw, NC to pick up a corned ham. I know it's not listed among their huge assortment of meat products but we called and confirmed today that they have them. I also plan to ask them what the heck a "Tom's Thumb" is. Expect pictures if they let me take any. I will be leaving Burgaw headed west to my parents house. My grandmother should arrive on Thursday as well and my brother and his crowd arrive later this week. I don't know exactly when I'll be back to Wilmington, but most likely Saturday. You can expect Krystal Adventures to go dark for a few days. I may get one last post (no pictures) from work tomorrow afternoon before I leave. I hope you take that time off, as I plan to, to spend it with friends and family and delicious food. Speaking of delicious food, I am sure you are wondering about my Turducken experience from this past weekend. Well, I'll give a longer recap after Thanksgiving, with pictures as well. But for right now lets just go with this: Tur-yuck-en I was much less than impressed. Preperation was absolutely painless because it was premade and frozen. However, I think the fact that it was premade was its downfall. As I pointed out previously the company making this cajun delight is actually from the Floria panhandle. I don't recall seeing many cajuns hanging out in Pensacola, FL. So with that in mind I suspect they overcompensate for their lack of cajuness by spicing the ever lovin crap out of their turducken.Justin Wilson's dead (I gar-on-tee!). Put down the cayenne pepper and step away from the turducken! The big news out of Macon comes from Penny. (And Penny is feeling better and back at work, thank goodness!) You may have seen or heard on the news lately that Oprah was making a visit to Macon. Apparently Macon is Oprah's #1 city based on the percentage of viewers in the city. Of course that doesn't surprise me since the CBS Station 13 WMAZ dominates the airwaves some folks are left with no other choice. Some astronomical number of people in Macon watch Oprah so she decided to come visit the city. It's been in the Macon Telegraph constantly for like 3 weeks. Personally I was wondering if she'd take the time to ask the outgoing Mayor about some of his recent (idiotic) actions. Alas that's not Oprah's style. Perhaps we can get Dr. Phil to come to Macon next and slap Jack Ellis up side the head a few times. Anyway, the Oprah show from Macon was taped and will broadcast tomorrow. I will not be able to tune in as I will be on the road to my parents (weren't you paying attention about 10 paragraphs up?). I will however tape it for later viewing, so no one ruin it by telling me all the details. Penny did however give me a little scoop, though some of it was in the paper. This is one of the shows where Oprah gives everyone in the audience a ton of stuff. What they get is a big big secret, but Penny tells me that two people who were there were Gretchen Suk and Gayle Stewart. Those from Macon may recognize those names as the wives of two former Macon Whoopee/Trax players, Joe Suk and Tommy Stewart. In another twist, Tommy Stewart (aka "Stewy") is now the coach for the hockey team up here in Fayetteville. Penny also passed along some other details. Oprah stayed at the famous 1842 Inn which is a quaint little bed and breakfast right near downtown. She ate at H&H as well as Nu Way. Of course I beat Oprah to both of those and you can search the blog archives to see pictures and reviews of both place. (Take THAT, Oprah!) Sadly, I don't think Oprah got by Krystal, which is a shame, to come all that way and miss out on the real taste of the south. I bet Bernida and the folks at the Vineville Krystal coulda set Oprah up just fine. One last thing. It is unlikely that Krystal Stuffing will make a return appearance this year as the only Krystals I have have been in the freezer for a while. I will take a few with me for Thursday, but perhaps it's best to keep them to myself. But don't let that stop you! The following posts give you all you need to make your own stuffing, just remember you have to buy your Krystals on Wednesday as they're close on Thursday! Stuffing FAQ You Thanksgiving eve Krystal order And of course the recipe itself Don't forget to dab a little cranberry sauce on your Krystal Chik this holiday season. The Cran-Chik rocks! I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving this year. I have so many things to be thankful for this year I an sure I'll forget some. I hope your life is as blessed as mine. Lastly don't forget those who must go hungry, and those who may be overseas and unable to be with their families. We live in the greatest country in the world and should be thankful for that everyday, not just one day late in November.Be safe.