Black, Red and a Bird

Happy Black Friday & Merry Red Saturday. I heard it's called black Friday because the retailers will sell so many items they will be in the black. I call it Red Saturday, because the rest of us will be in the red because we bought so much!

I made a delightful little casserole for Thanksgiving. I didn't taste it, but it smelled very good, if that's any recommendation - and it's easy.

Herb Spinach Bake
"always gets raves, even from the anti-spinach people."

1 pkg. (10)oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. softened butter
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. thyme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients. Pour into a greased 8x8x2 inch pan and bake uncovered 20 minutes.

For the first time we spent Thanksgiving at a friends house. Up until we moved down to Sarasota 6 years ago, I did Thanksgiving at our house for the whole family. I loved it, really, and miss that day after exhaustion that was so familiar. Because this is a tourist town most of the restaurants are open and busy, and cooking doesn't hold the importance it did up north. So going and being in a warm and inviting home, with happy and interesting people was a real treat and memory maker.

Being on the other side of the stove and observing S., the chef, made me appreciate the work involved in pulling off a big dinner. I told him his actions were like a well rehearsed dance - he had everything coordinated, and was even able to handle the 28 pound turkey when he had only wanted a 20 pounder. L., his wife, a smart woman, stayed out of his way.