A Tale Of Two Stuffed Turkeys.

For the first time in eight years, Dean and I opted out of throwing the "Annual Surette-Nelson Thanksgiving Orphan Dinner Party"--a dinner we usually host for other L.A. orphans just like us. We usually end up with an eclectic bi-coastal and international mix of great friends and fun times preceded by cleaning and cooking and proceeded by more cleaning.

This year after much convincing, Dean talked me into throwing in the upside-down turkey towel and letting someone else take over basting duty . . . and I'm so glad he did! Our great friends and neighbors, Justin and Shea, invited us to join them for a beautiful dinner abound with many friends and both of their parents who flew in from Boston and Mississippi.

While we still managed to spend much of the day in our kitchen preparing dishes we promised to bring--Potato Gratin, Citrus Cranberry Relish, Rosemary & Garlic Buttermilk Biscuits and a Bittersweet Chocolate Tart with Crème fraîche Mousse--we had an incredible evening with minimal dish duty when we got home.

But, the turkey wasn't the only stuffed bird at this holiday dinner . . . take a look at my 37 week belly. YIKES . . . gobble, gobble!

Just think, this time next year, Noah Finn will be nearly a year old!