And the holiday is OVAH.....

Leftover turkey has been chopped/shredded, packed into bags and thrown in the freezer.

Turkey bones were used today for turkey stock, although I might still do another stock with them and combine/reduce the two stocks. I think them bones still got some more to give.

Any Thanksgiving food that was taken home has been tossed. Well, there is still a piece of pecan pie, but that will likely go in the trash the night before garbage day.

It's snowing... has been all day, but it hasn't been sticking too much so I hope the roads are OK in the morning. With the furlough, those days I was holding on to for "possible snow days" ain't happening... which means I gotta go in and if it takes me two hours to get in, I just gotta stay two hours later. I do not like the thought of that.

I did finally get sick of turkey and was having an unnatural craving for a Mexican combo platter on Saturday, so I decided to stay in and make my own. For the first time ever I actually made my own refried beans - from dried beans to finish. I think I needed to cook my beans a little longer... I will say the flavor WAS indeed head and shoulders above the canned refried beans, but next time I try, I might just try canned beans with the other things (onions cooked in bacon fat and a can of Ro-tel). My homemade beans were damned close to those fan-flippin-tastic beans they used to serve at Margarita's Mexican Cantina in Vegas. Man, I miss that place. And the hubby really misses the Bistec Milanesa Con Camarones (think chicken-fried strip steak covered in a garlic sauce with shrimp... it was awesomeness).

Back to work tomorrow, back to the normal routine. I'd almost forgotten about the brother-in-law's Christmas party on Saturday. I always bring something and it's very "cocktail party"-ish.... people drinking and nibbling. Brother-in-law invites his friends, the cousins, some of the people who work for him, and much drinking and fun usually happens. I usually try to bring a couple things, but I think this year I'm doing three. Spinach-Cheese Swirls as the "totally veggie" option (my brother in law's in-laws usally make an appearance, and two of my sis-in-law's sisters are vegetarians), and I was unable to decided between Smoked Salmon Stuffed Potatoes (no caviar... I ain't made of money) and Louisiana Shrimp Dip, so I might just bring both. Yes, I have that much cream cheese on hand right now. But I might go for a "warm" version of the dip and bring my new warming tray... that thing just ROCKED on Thanksgiving. Kept my sweet potatoes and the tragic pumpkin gratin warm. And if I'd have known it worked so well, I wouldn't have bothered to even warm my green beans and almond browned butter before we left since they were kinda overcooked by the time dinner came around. Looking forward to using this on holidays when I bring warm things to other houses.... I can at least keep my own stuff warm and not need oven time.

Sigh.... do I really have to go into work tomorrow?? What is it I do again???