Tonight I am happy to report that I cooked a really good dinner. I've never cooked a turkey before, and I had no intentions of doing so until I saw that it was $0.40/lb. at Winco. How could you turn that down?
The preparation of a whole turkey is disgusting. I felt like I had to break it's leg to get inside and fish everything out. Pulling the skin back to put the rub on wasn't exactly enjoyable either.
Here is the before pic..
..and here is the after..
I am so happy with the way it turned out. I was so nervous because I didn't follow a recipe for the seasoning - and now I'm wishing I had written down everything I used because it was tasty.
Of coarse a bird isn't complete without ..
The best stuffing in the world! I will never use another recipe for stuffing in my entire life. This family recipe is to die for.
I guess in a way this was a bit of a second Thanksgiving - just miniaturized. These past few weeks have been a roller coaster ride of emotions, and I've hit the part where you pull into the station and you're so glad to be back on solid ground.
As many of you know I am not going into my 6th month of being unemployed and that has been more difficult than I could have imagined. I never thought that it would be hard for me to find a job, I have always been an exceptional worker and have had nothing but rave reviews from my bosses. The problem is that there are NO jobs. Even if you find a job you know you'd be good at, there are a million people applying. I'm apparently over qualified to work at Ross and Macy's because they both turned me down to sell clothes. But, I'm not good enough to get employed in an office or at the university.
Now that I'm in month 6, my state benefits are almost all gone, and the extended benefits from the Federal Government have expired. For the past week I have been obsessively checking every news app on my phone to see the latest news, praying that I'll check it soon and see that the extension has been passed. Lucky for me, it looks like it is going to go through. For a week or two I was freaking out, applying for every and any job within 50 miles, and hoping someone would offer me a job.
Even though I don't agree with extending the tax cuts for the rich, I can't express my gratitude to know that I will have a few bucks coming in until I can secure a job. That means my car won't have to miss a payment, the apartment will remain heated, and I can keep some food in the fridge. This is such a contrast from where I was a year ago, but the experience has defiantly humbled me.
Today Dan took his first final for law school, and happily reported that it was as torturous as some students have reported. One down and three more to go this semester. If anyone wants a crash coarse about dealing with stressful situations in your first year of marriage, just send your spouse to law school. It has been interesting to see the changes in him. I can't even watch a random tv show or commercial without some tort or contracts law coming up - but I love it.
Yesterday, Dan and I watched the broadcast of the hearing for Prop 8 in California. The most interesting part wasn't on the tv - it was in Dan's reaction to the tv. His face lights up every time they do something wrong. Its hilarious, he is going to make a great lawyer.
