Thanksgiving is always a festive time at the Jones household. This old man gets to dust off the apron and put together a feast for the family that gathers at the abode. The morning starts out with a relaxing cup of coffee. It doesn’t hurt that it was forecast to be a sunny 80 degrees.
![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/pjmVtX4GPwzAHdnGiY1mKbsiANsR_HvqZOLJPtYHhZCo=w129-h229-p-no)
The fun and festivities start about 10 in the morning with some hickory chips soaking in water. I use these to smoke the turkey.
![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/TAfwwID-JT9lBUFyDkKSo39vPJ53pkh1uk6xhFBHIhuo=w129-h229-p-no)
Yes. Smoked turkey. On the charcoal BBQ. One of the perks of living in Southern California:
The real fun starts around 2, when I get working on the standard fare and then throw in one or two new dishes for variety:
Prime rib:
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DRd7FaIg5o9CxLsk4_6_nq_uW7NCMQSPWPX-d0HjZVgH=w129-h229-p-no)
Green bean casserole:
![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ZUXiMnGLvLnb_NpG5bklM5uu-_gEAB7wU5jgD9kZssFG=w129-h229-p-no)
Stuffing:
![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/K2eiDb1JVPC9J1t3Vy06MMLQIqZIBPdaHBEZTlQOfnkY=w128-h229-p-no)
Candied squash (I prefer squash to yams):
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0qUM2w55wo5TzAs7BXY5JxZo2R0IRvzhiCNIixdZxFkR=w129-h229-p-no)
For variety this year, I threw in an asparagus, tomato and feta salad. Steam some tender asparagus so that it is tender, but firm. Heat about a tablespoon of EVO in a large skillet, toss together the asparagus with some halved grape tomatoes until heated through, and then sprinkle some feta cheese on your concoction:
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OSAew8f6LxrdF-m7pxhP1Cv_gSnwJWDY28WZVT3oLfaj=w129-h229-p-no)
The second new dish this year was soyccotash. Just like it sounds. Succotash with edamame instead of lima beans. Delish!
![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_RtstUeU_a2YizvuK02YQkR9jeDtrSK1viziyt4Lr4FK=w128-h229-p-no)
Just about time the all the fixin’s are done, it was time to take the turkey off the BBQ:
![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/HUDmPgJtvRAJrej0GjyMkt7vJgSixQtG3whzHMMOjsxI=w125-h222-p-no)
Mmmm mmmm if I say so myself! Dinner at 5!
Oh. And I made it out for a stroll around the neighborhood too:
Thursday:
Mileage: 2.66 @ 16:24
Saturday:
Mileage: 2.66 @ 16:20.
Now that the “big day” is over – time to start tracking the calories again. I sure hope the damage from the past couple days is salvageable!