>The makers of stuffing mix recommended twice as much stuffing as needed. Twice as much! Next year I’ll know better. But I like stuffing, so it’s not really a problem to have leftovers.

I wish I could have composted the coffee filters and coffee grounds yesterday. I made three pots total. Oh, the guilty feeling of throwing these in the garbage!

The turkey carcass made a great soup stock. There was just enough leftover turkey for two containers: One for sandwiches, one scraps for soup.

Cloth napkins are definitely the way to go. Gather them up after the meal, throw them in the laundry basket, and wash them with the dish towels. If we’d used paper, each person would have used at least two, and the pile would have filled half a garbage bag. The decision to use cloth might help ease my guilt about the coffee grounds and filters (see above).

We have a tiny kitchen in our Victorian home. I call it a “one person kitchen,” but Husband and I managed to work in it together. I stuffed the turkey and settled it in the oven, then Iron Chef Husband took over and made the sides. We worked side by side as I made the gravy while he carved the turkey. After all was said and done, the meal was delicious. We were both tired enough that if we hadn’t had guests, I think both of us would have napped after the leftovers landed in the fridge.

A crockpot is great for stuffing. I put as much in the turkey as I could and then cooked the rest in the crockpot. My poor worn out crockpot, that is, with the falling-off handle and the rust stains on the sides from steam and condensation. The crock, the actual cooking pot, is in great shape. the outer piece is not.

My family loves my crockpot soups and other creations enough that they arranged a new crockpot for my birthday! Daughter stopped at an outlet mall on the way home from her college campus and bought me a brand new crockpot AND Little Dipper! I’ve never had a Little Dipper, so I predict all kinds of fun ahead.

La Petite has been 21 for almost a full year now. I’m still adjusting to the fact that she can drink wine or beer at dinner and not need our permission to do so. So far she’s shown a knack for drinking only in moderation, thank goodness.

Amigo thinks he wants to go shopping on Black Friday. He says he doesn’t want to shop, but wants to “see the chaos.” Not a chance, kiddo. Not if it’s up to me. Now if La Petite wants to take him…that’s another story.