Ah it's that most wonderful time of the year. My favorite time of the year without question. Soon, turkeys will be cooking, families will be gathering, and shoppers will be beating the crap out of each other over $3 bath towels (the wife and I actually saw that happen last year). Once that all happens, it will officially be The Holiday Season, that magical, special time when I can listen to Christmas music, decorate the house to a bizarre degree, and indulge in all of those delicious treats that come around this time of year.
Oh wait... I can't do that last one... scratch it off the list. And shoot me in the face while you're at it.
The lead up to Thanksgiving this year has been a mix of high expectations and crushing realizations. For instance, I can't wait to watch the Macy's parade. It is an absolute staple for me every year and I never miss it. However, a little piece of me died when I realized I wouldn't be eating my just-as-traditional pumpkin nut bread and cranberry nut bread while the parade was going on. With a thick spread of cream cheese on each moist slice. Whoops... another piece of me just died.
I am blessed to be celebrating Thanksgiving with my wife's family this year. An intimate get-together of somewhere around 40-50 people. I'm doubly blessed to be the one tasked with cooking 2 20-pound turkeys. I can think of no higher honor on a day like this. For someone who has honed his turkey-cooking craft to the point of perfection, this is like my Super Bowl. And Alton Brown is my own personal Bill Belichek.
Now as you might expect, the turkey will be the centerpiece of the festivities but my wife's family is a casserole-loving family. They have this stuff down to a science and their science is freakin delicious. But (you know there was a but coming didn't you?) as you might expect, casseroles are funny things. One does not simply ask what ingredients were used to create your casserole. Partly because the ingredient list is longer than the Macy's parade, and partly because there's a really good chance you don't want to know.
This, for the dieting man, presents a rather large problem.
Every time I imagine myself cooking not 1 but 2 perfect turkeys while my extended family rejoices, with tears of joy streaming down their faces... I get beyond giddy. Minutes later when I imagine all the casseroles, desserts, breads and stuffing that I won't be eating.... I start to feel like Charlie Brown kicking that damn football.
I'm inching ever closer to the 200 pound barrier folks... but I am dragging myself toward this finish line and it ain't pretty. And I haven't even thought about Christmas cookies yet.
Whoops... another piece of me just died.
Cant you just throw caution to the wind and let yourself eat ANYTHING you want that day? I bet you find that you get full a lot sooner (and therefore eat less) than you did before.
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