Thankful

I've had family in town for a bit so my postings to the blog have been less than frequent. Still, this is a time of year that I am thankful that there is family to share with so please forgive my absence. Hopefully I can make up for it in the coming weeks.

Yesterday, while the ladies were out braving the crowds and getting their fill of Black Friday specials and overworked credit cards… OK, I have to take a minute here to reiterate a point my brother-in-law brought up yesterday. If you are buying a case of something that you don’t really need because you can save 10% by buying 12, you can save 100% by not buying it at all. This is something that may be only the male of the species can see, but I feel that at this time of the year, it is a point worth mentioning.

So, back to yesterday’s happenings. The ladies went off in search of things they could buy at a special price while the boys went to the Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles. For those that haven’t been, it is a place where you get to get up close and personal with trucks, armored personal carriers and tanks from as far back as when they started making them through equipment made in the 1960’s. It allowed my father-in-law the opportunity to relive some of his past when he was serving in Berlin back in the early 1960’s and it let my brother-in-law and I the opportunity to see some of these things in a way we never have before. It is a VERY cool place and worth a trip out if you got some time.

So, after our trip out there it was back home for Jaeger Bombs and beers to wash things down (we work hard and play hard. My name isn’t Jimmy Cocktail for nothing). It was also time for the boys to make dinner. Vichyssoise (Ms Cocktail’s mom doesn’t like clams), Cajun Clam Stew, Garden Salad, Grilled Black Cod done Tunisia Style, Jamaican Jerk Shrimp, sautéed mixed vegetables and Dirty Rice were the dishes of the day. Dinner was a big hit as it always is when I cook and Ms Cocktail doesn’t have to. dessert was a choice of pumpkin, apple or pecan pie or a pumpkin cheesecake all done by Ms Cocktail’s mom and sister.

If you haven’t guessed, we didn’t make Thanksgiving dinner here instead we went to a relatives house, but that doesn’t mean that we didn’t have an opportunity to make a huge meal for ourselves this weekend. There is something special about family members congregating in the kitchen to put together a meal, regardless of the reason for doing so or who those family members are. I remain thankful for the opportunities to do this and treasure them when they present themselves.