The Weekly Wrap: November 21, 2021

I am a creature of habit.

I like my routines. I am a type A planner and I like knowing what is coming. That extends to Thanksgiving.

​On Thursday, we will be making our usual meal. And, by usual, I mean that some recipes have been on my plate for over two decades. One such dish is orange glazed carrots. My mom found this in an issue of Cooking Light and we've eaten it at almost every Thanksgiving since. I even made it when I went to visit my future in-laws before the husband and I got married. My mom made the mistake of trying to cut this from the menu one year and I puppy dog eyed it back on the menu.

As much as I am set in my ways, I am willing to make tweaks to the menu. This year, just like last year, there will only be three of us celebrating in our home. So, we're sous viding a turkey breast (again) instead of making a full bird. But, our sides are the same - those yummy carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy (from a jar),  green beans, cranberry sauce, crescent rolls, and the all important stuffing. We use the Pepperidge Farm blue bag mix and add butter sauteed onion, celery, and bacon. Shake in some Old Bay seasoning and, if I get my way, slip in some dried cranberries. 

My tummy is rumbling already.

What's your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

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• All the Thanksgiving recipes you could possible need. [The Kitchn]
• Maybe a good digital cleanout is what we all need at the end of the year. [Shondaland]
• I'm a librarian. It's fine to organize your books by color. It means you have books at home, and that's what matters. [Jezebel]
• What makes a book feel like it's too long? [Tor.com]
• Wholesome Content Alert: The 18-month long Zoom meeting. [Buzzfeed]
• Like seafood? Here are the top ten most sustainable catches. [Real Simple]

• How a controversial religion brought sushi to the states. [The Daily]
• The art of the auctioneer chant. [Every Little Thing]
• Tips for becoming a morning person... or a least a person who tolerates the morning better. [Life Kit]
• An interview with a ghost writer. [By the Book]
• A visit to the ports and the supply chain crisis. [Planet Money]

• Good pranks only... [kylescheele]
• ... and an update on said prank. [kylescheele]
• ... with a happy ending. [kylescheele]

• About ten years ago, I went to a home wedding catered by the couples' friends. One of the dishes at the buffet was a slow cooker pulled pork. It was very good and I asked the recipe. It was simply a pork tenderloin long-simmered in a bottle of root beer before shredding. The shredded meat was then tossed with bottled BBQ sauce. We make this recipe at least once a year, but we always end up with a ton of extra root beer we never drink. I wondered if it would work with some Coke we already had. It does. Just as tasty as the root beer version. We served our pork on rolls with bread and butter pickles and sides of coleslaw and roasted sweet potato. [Plain Chicken]
• Tried my hand at some sheet pan BBQ meatballs. I cooked them too long and they dried out a bit, but they were still tasty. Definitely recommend eating them with roasted pineapple. We skipped serving the dish over rice like the recipe suggests and we were still plenty full. [Budget Bytes]