Giving Thanks

It’s Thanksgiving week! Anything that involves carb-loading and a shortened work week is right up my alley.

This year I’m hosting Thanksgiving for a small group and am making the turkey. I never made a turkey but I’m a relatively adept cook so I didn’t think it would be an issue. Then my mom sends me this email about gravy (remember – we eat meat but not frequently so any talk about “gizzards” and “necks” raises a few eyebrows):

“You don't need a special recipe, just put the neck, wing tips, gizzard, (all this stuff is in a paper pouch in the cavity where the head was) and any fat trimmings in water to cover with a bit of onion, garlic, and celery and simmer covered until neck meat shreds off the bones. Drain the broth, discard everything else, but pull the neck meat off the bones and add to the broth and refrigerate, any fat that solidifies on top can be discarded.”

I forwarded this email to Matt saying, “Ummm....I’m not doing this. Your job!!!” That’s essentially how I get out of doing unsavory things, like boiling turkey tidbits. We are also brining our turkey as I will NOT STAND for dry white meat. I watched an Alton Brown video no less than three times on his technique and I think we’re up to the challenge.

In addition to the wonderful gluttony that is turkey week, I got a call today from the clinical coordinator at my fertility practice. If I participate in a mini-clinical trial I get $1000 worth of free meds and a $100 gift card. The drug company running the trial simply wants the follicle sack and proteins that are extracted with my eggs (I refer to this as “goop” and it is usually discarded anyway). They want to analyze women’s’ goop to see if they can ascertain better quality egg sacks from others. It only requires one extra appointment on my end for consent and nothing else – not bad! For $1000 of meds they can have all the goopity goop they want! That will be a nice discount on meds as they run from about $3,000 to $4,000 per extraction. Also, Matt can now put this extra money toward my Christmas present. JUST KIDDING!

I’m getting excited about IVF. This will probably last until the second day of the cycle when I realize I have to give myself multiple stomach-fat shots a day, but I think even a (delusional) positive attitude can only help. I’ve just had some really quiet, beautiful moments in the last couple of weeks – with friends, on a long walk with the dog – that have infused me. And when that doesn’t work I just eat some chocolate.

I hope you’re feeling well and you have a wonderful holiday, too.