I, as a rule, do not 'do' leftovers. Unless, of course, it's your just-as-good-or-better-on-the-next-day variety. Foods falling into this category include things like pizza, chili & other soups, lasagna, pot roast and all things Thanksgiving meal oriented. Seriously. Is there anything as lovely as reheated turkey on white bread with mayo and sliced dill pickles? I think not!
And, after having not posted in a few days, there are naturally leftover updates as well.
Let me begin by saying that the turkey we roasted in Nessa exceeded all expectations. It was sinfully easy to prepare (I turned on the machine and let it sit for several hours) and tasted like someone who knew what she was doing made it.
I am forever grateful to my husband for turning this into a team effort. He did the morning hands-on prep of the bird. I was three feet away and still gagged when he pulled the neck from the turkey (I was expecting a tidy bag of bits), so it's a good thing I was not actually responsible for that little extraction.
M2 and I had spent the day before Thanksgiving doing some prep work. I baked off a pie and a sweet potato side dish (which was FABULOUS) plus made some scotcharoos. Those were to accompany that amazing turkey and other sides that were made Thanksgiving Day. And, if that weren't enough fantastic food to make you wish all your waistbands were elastic, there dawned a Saturday known for rivalries.
We live in a divided house. A mixed marriage, if you will. And, the final Saturday in November has been marked on our calendar as a sancrosanct day for all of 2011.
I have been a Michigan fan for at least twenty years, if not longer. My husband is an Ohio State fan. These two things are mutually exclusive. Although he is a fan, he isn't an irrational, rabid weirdo. I guess I'm not either. He respects my right to root for whomever I like and I respect his right to do the same.
I would not be caught dead wearing an Ohio State anything and I know my Michigan apparel is safe from being borrowed by my husband--like some of my other unisex sweatshirts are. He also finds the idea of total strangers (always grown men) approaching me in places like restaurants & airport terminals to make nasty, unsolicited comments about my Michigan clothing is ridiculous and a good way to receive a verbal beatdown the likes of which many of them have never witnessed, let alone of which they have been the focus. I used to ignore it or laugh it off, but when I realized it had become more of a rule rather than exception, it pissed me off and I stopped being nice. Well, I can't say I'm nice as a rule--I just present that as my default public persona.
And, frankly, being publicly lectured on Facebook regarding my lack of pride for the State of Ohio made me laugh. I couldn't say what I really thought at the time (or ever), but this is my analysis of the many-pronged fallacy of having to love OSU if you live in Ohio:
My reality: I didn't go to Ohio State. I went to a completely different university. My loyalty for sports lies with that university, however, we don't have a team that plays in the Big 10 or otherwise, so for football, I stick with what I've always known--Michigan football. Period. I root for my alma mater in basketball. I also posit that if, because I live in Ohio, I must like Ohio State, then I can only be a Bengals, Browns, Indians or Reds fan too. And, P.S., why do you give a moment's thought to the team I root for? You're giving up way too much brain space & concentration for that--I don't think that much of anyone else to worry about the team they like. I feel no need to chastise you for wearing your team's colors. Go for it. But, I find the mocking, angry, open disdain for me and mine tiring and annoying.
I find most of the people who are most vocal don't have something else important to them school-wise. Again, no loyalty to any other school except my alma mater & my default choice of football program. I think I used to be interested in OSU because it seemed like what I should do--I was in junior high, I guess--and I had no other university affiliation at the time. But, I never was close to anyone who went there prior to becoming a Michigan fan. My very best high school friend went there and it didn't change my mind. I never applied there. It's a nice campus, but nothing I feel any allegiance to because I didn't even grow up near Columbus, for crying out loud.
So, yeah. Rubbed me the wrong way. Like somehow I'm less of an Ohioan because I don't root for Ohio State. Um. Whatever. I've lived here my entire life and I'm not under the false assumption that The Ohio State University is the be-all-end-all university wise in our borders. If the state ever offers a discount on taxes for those of us who want to claim a "lesser than Ohioan" status, I'm all for it, but until then, it would be terrific if people would just mind their own business.
Oh. And P.S. We won this year. And, I don't want to hear any rationalizations about the state of affairs on the OSU side of the field. I mean, after all, we lost the last seven meetings because we sucked, according to Buckeye Nation. So, if that's why teams lose, own it.
Too soon?
But, back to the FOOD. BBQ meatballs, nacho dip, party potatoes and Thanksgiving leftovers made for an awesome game day menu.
We are dangerously close to my oldest turning 13. I don't think I need to say anything other than that, do I?
And, we are also dangerously close to December. I am booking an appointment to get a haircut. I may even splurge on a manicure. I am going to be making most of my Christmas gifts this year. I am looking for a clean slate the minute that calendar turns to 2012. I have cleared a lot of decks over the past few months that I intend to keep cleared, but we really need to tie up all loose ends and I'm praying that happens long before Christmas. Seriously.
YUMMM on the food. I've heard that college football is bigger than the pro games in Ohio and Michigan. College football is not so big here --CU CSU and AF are all clustered on the front range so there is no big loyalty to one school, plus the state is probably over 50% "non natives" that root for their home state college teams so I have never witnessed that kind of crazy fanboy stuff.
Hope you have a good December.
Posted by: Teresa | 28 November 2011 at 09:41 PM