End of Feastmas

Could you believe it? Late Wednesday evening, my cable and internet gets cut off for some reason. It wasn’t a technical problem because the screen stated to call my cable provider. I don’t know why that happened but I had no internet until today, which sucked. At least I was able to mess with the cable wires so that I was able to get basic cable and see the Macy’s parade. But that also meant that I was unable to post this update yesterday.

In any case, I hope everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving. I really hate driving that day because there are a lot of crazy people making stupid mistakes on the road. However, I did not have that problem because for me, there’s no place like home for the holidays. My wife and I made our own dinner, pigged out, and watched The Expendables 2 after the airing of Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving. I also managed to squeeze in Garfield’s Thanksgiving, which I own on DVD.

Perfect again!

Another thing I realized is that this month marks the three-year anniversary of this blog. WordPress sent me an alert with the info and I was surprised because it certainly does not feel like three years. I have slowed down with the blog posts but I think I was more active this past year than last. Sometimes things get in the way but ideas eventually find me and then the blog gets active. I especially like to give props to Thanksgiving, a holiday that seems to get lost in between Halloween and Christmas. That is a shame because it is certainly one of my favorites.

I don’t plan on ending my blog anytime soon and should definitely find more time to write. I still have several more Thanksgiving themed posts that I haven’t gotten to but I’ll just save them for next year. Screw it; I should just do another Feastmas since I wasn’t satisfied with this year’s. A good strategy I should follow is to write all the posts ahead of schedule in case of any unforeseen circumstances that may delay any articles.

If I do continue Feastmas next year, it should be an interesting one due to some possible changes. If all goes according to plan, I may do a major relocation from the East Coast to the Midwest. I don’t want to get into major details at the moment but if everything works out, I should have all kinds of new material for the Thanksgiving countdown.

Hopefully I don’t run into people like this.

So this ends Feastmas for this year. It didn’t turn out exactly the way I wanted, but I am satisfied. Maybe I missed out posting this on Thanksgiving, but it still is Thanksgiving weekend. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and get all your Christmas shopping finished early!

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Feastmas 2012!

It’s a little late, but I decided to do another Thanksgiving countdown this year. Just like last year, I’m going to write a Thanksgiving related blog post everyday until Thanksgiving Day. I was going to start on November 1st but this bitch of a storm named Sandy knocked out my power for almost a week.

About this time last year I had at least half of the articles already written and queued up for posting on WordPress because I was so busy with school and other responsibilities and I probably wouldn’t be able to post every day. This time I’m just winging it (no pun intended) and hoping for the best. However, with my luck, the power will probably go out again. I hear there is supposed to be a Nor’easter coming this Tuesday. What fun! The countdown can be a success or a failure. Who knows, but after spending almost a week in the dark, I think I’m allowed to be an ass. And so it begins.

This subject was supposed to be posted on November 2nd. That day is officially National Deviled Egg day and that’s what I’m gonna talk about. I feel weird using that date name because seriously, who comes up with these special days? They’re not holidays. Schools don’t close nor do the post office. Are we really that bored that we have to celebrate random things all the time? I suppose so, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing a Thanksgiving Day countdown. Maybe someone will create a  Piña Colada with Bacardi Day. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

In any case, I had my first taste of deviled eggs (or eggs mimosa) a few years ago when my wife was hosting for Thanksgiving. I’ve definitely heard of them and was surprised when my wife served them as an appetizer while my friend and I were playing Gears of War. What an awesome combo, huh? I was eager to try them since I never had them and they were delicious. They’re not hard to make either, which means you can make them whenever you want. They’re not a dish that is specifically tied to Thanksgiving, but it just makes the day that much sweeter.

Finally, I found a YouTube video on what mistakes to avoid and tips to make the deviled eggs come out perfect. The chef was on a season of Top Chef but I don’t recognize her because I’m mostly a Food Network person. I enjoy Alton Brown giving interesting but pointless facts about food. But his tips on food prep are usually awesome. He’s the reason that I started to brine my turkeys and I never looked back after that, as I mentioned somewhere in last year’s countdown.

Since Thanksgiving comes early this year (November 22nd), that helps me out because I covered a lot of topics last year and I had a hell of a time coming up with new subjects this time. It’s hard to branch outside the box from turkey and stuffing, but I think I did a good job with my brainstorming. Let the gluttony begin!

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Feastmas!

Today is the first day of Feastmas. Not an original title, but the content is what’s important. During the month of November, I am writing a Thanksgiving inspired article everyday until Thanksgiving. I’ve decided to do this because I read several blogs that have Halloween countdowns, Christmas countdowns, and even daily summer postings. While these articles are enjoyable to read, I have not seen any Thanksgiving countdowns nor have I seen the holiday represented on a scale similar to other major celebrations (blogwise). I should also mention that Thanksgiving is one of my two favorite holidays, the other being Christmas. I started this blog in the month of November and daily posting is a good way to celebrate two years of writing here.

The first thing I’m gonna talk about is something that has become an annual tradition for me. It’s the Gobbler sandwich from Wawa. Wawa is a gas station that also has a convenience store for travelers who needs to take a break and load up on snacks. The store also has a deli inside and they make all kinds of sandwiches that one can choose with self-ordering touch-screen machines, which is great for us folk who hate people.

The Gobbler is a turkey sandwich on a hero bun. It also has stuffing, a cranberry relish and gravy poured on top. I’m sure other food prep stores make this kind of sandwich but I haven’t seen any around my way, which is crazy because how can anyone go wrong with a Thanksgiving hoagie?

Hells Yeah!

The sandwich is pretty good. I don’t think it will win sandwich of the year, but it is a great preview to the epic feast that comes later on in the month. I really enjoy it and I have ordered it for the past few years.

There are no Wawa stores in New York, but I always stop at one whenever I go to Six Flags Great Adventure. The store is regional and currently can only be found in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. However, this store is right off the highway exit that leads to the theme park. This is a strategic area for Wawa because I always stop there when the park closes to  load up on sandwiches, Red Bulls, and Monster coffee drinks for the drive home on that dark-as-hell NJ Turnpike up to Staten Island.   Hell, the store is usually crowded with park-goers stocking up on snacks as well.

The sandwich usually appears near the end of October, which is perfect because I normally go to Fright Fest around the time the sandwich is available. So although I’m celebrating Halloween at Great Adventure, the sandwich is a taste of things to come. It’s also funny to see park employees ordering food in their zombie makeup. I don’t think they have a side order of brains…although that would be kind of cool.

If you live near a Wawa or see one when the Gobble promotion is out, I’d suggest giving it a try. Maybe you’ll like it. I’m betting you will, but you don’t have to take my word for it.

(Cue the Reading Rainbow fanfare music)