Friday
Nov232007
Thanksgiving Recap - Lego, Yes; House-in-a-Box, NO
Friday, November 23, 2007 at 12:36PM
I have to tell you, the $9.99 pre-made, ready-to-decorate Gingerbread House from Linens & Things (also available at Target) was a horrific disaster: although "easy" to decorate and even easier to send down the trash chute in the end, it was unbelievably messy, the worst candy you can imagine, and gagging-ly, nightmare-ishly, disgusting-ly awful to the taste. (I know, I know, the point is probably entirely decorative, but it had the nutritional information on the box, and how can you possibly have (what-is-supposed-to-be) yummy, delicious, frosted gingerbread around the house without nibbling?!) Even the witch's house in Hansel & Gretel was edible! The $9.99 box kit, alas, is not.
I'm going back to my annual tradition of homemade Gingerbread Men, with white frosting accents, green & red sugar sprinkles and holiday M&M buttons -- I will make them myself, since we can't get them from Sluy's Bakery in Poulsbo, Washington (where this obsession began, many, many years ago).
On the other hand, the 1,000+ piece Lego Holiday Train was, and remains, an unqualified success! It kept us all busy yesterday morning, putting it together during the cooking and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS. It is still working, running around and around the track, with various modifications and embellishments from 12yo Puberty Angst Boy's Lego Mindstorms/Robotics kit. All three kids are lovin' it, and there are plans to expand the set next year, to continue a new Thanksgiving Tradition.
As for Thanksgiving Dinner, it was nice. A lot of work, a lot of clean-up, and thank goodness we have plenty of leftovers to recreate and enjoy for several days. The best? Stuffing & Gravy (which I made all by myself, with the Publix Video). The worst? Well, no one touched the cranberry sauce, in all its circle-sliced, can-banded glory. I'm glad I bought two packages of rolls, so we didn't have to eat the first batch, which went too long in the oven. And I'm going to have to try and learn how to make my mom's Pumpkin Pie, because Mrs. Smith's ended up down the chute after the Gingerbread House...no amount of Cool Whip slathered on top could make it right.
Gobble, Gobble!
I'm going back to my annual tradition of homemade Gingerbread Men, with white frosting accents, green & red sugar sprinkles and holiday M&M buttons -- I will make them myself, since we can't get them from Sluy's Bakery in Poulsbo, Washington (where this obsession began, many, many years ago).
On the other hand, the 1,000+ piece Lego Holiday Train was, and remains, an unqualified success! It kept us all busy yesterday morning, putting it together during the cooking and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS. It is still working, running around and around the track, with various modifications and embellishments from 12yo Puberty Angst Boy's Lego Mindstorms/Robotics kit. All three kids are lovin' it, and there are plans to expand the set next year, to continue a new Thanksgiving Tradition.
As for Thanksgiving Dinner, it was nice. A lot of work, a lot of clean-up, and thank goodness we have plenty of leftovers to recreate and enjoy for several days. The best? Stuffing & Gravy (which I made all by myself, with the Publix Video). The worst? Well, no one touched the cranberry sauce, in all its circle-sliced, can-banded glory. I'm glad I bought two packages of rolls, so we didn't have to eat the first batch, which went too long in the oven. And I'm going to have to try and learn how to make my mom's Pumpkin Pie, because Mrs. Smith's ended up down the chute after the Gingerbread House...no amount of Cool Whip slathered on top could make it right.
Gobble, Gobble!
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