daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
Bay, Mariko, and I all pitched in to make a yummy chicken tikka masala tonight. My job was cutting the onions, so I definitely had the easiest part of the whole process!
Today a friend and I took a trip up to Waco to check out the motorcycles at Barger’s All Sports. There were so many cool machines, but one tiny bike completely stole the show. The CF Moto Papio looked like something straight out of Mario Kart. I could not stop thinking about how fun it would be to race around on those little bikes.
After that, we headed over to Health Camp for burgers. I ordered the Double Health Burger and wow, it was incredible. It easily landed a spot in my top ten burgers of all time.
From there we stopped by Ride Now Powersports in Georgetown for a little more browsing before heading back home. The weather was sunny and warm, so I took my beloved motorcycle out for a ride to Sunset Deck. The view out there is always beautiful, and the stretch of gravel road on the way makes the ride even more fun.
I am wrapping up the last batch of chili, and it looks like the rest of the family has officially hit their limit. That works out perfectly for me because I could happily eat chili every single day. I will have one final portion waiting for me tomorrow, and I am already looking forward to it. Leftover chili might be the best kind of chili. Yum!
The power went out for about an hour right at lunchtime today. Since I could not work, I decided to embrace the moment and made some ramyun on our gas stove. I ended up eating it in front of my dark, lifeless monitors, which felt kinda cozy.
The ramyun was absolutely delicious. I had to make a quick dash to the fridge to grab some cheese, opening the door just long enough to not lose too much cold air. Ramyun without cheese just would not feel right!
Today was a really fun Thanksgiving. It was a little more complicated than usual because Mariko taught an in person baking class in the middle of the day, but my turkey prep was simple and we have multiple ovens. In the end, everything worked out just fine.
Just like last year, I bought a pre brined turkey from HEB. It was 12.5 pounds. Our exchange student helped me stuff the bird with aromatics and season the outside with salt and pepper. I do not think handling a large raw turkey is something most Japanese people grow up doing, so it was a pretty unique experience for him.
The turkey roasted for about three hours until the thigh reached 155 degrees, then I let it rest for a full thirty minutes before carving. It turned out very juicy and tasty. I usually rush this part, but this year the timing was relaxed. That extra resting time made a huge difference, and I will definitely build it into future Thanksgivings.
For sides, we stuck with our usual favorites: cranberry sauce, oyster dressing, mashed potatoes, and roasted veggies. We finished with pumpkin pie for dessert. Everything was delicious. Another successful Thanksgiving meal in the books.
