Still full the next morning...

Talk about a great meal! We went to my cousin Adaire Harris' home for our feast (she is 86 and is an amazing artist.) That her house is so comfortable always surprises me, as she has white sofas, white carpets, and breakables abound. Yet five children managed to run amok for three hours (mostly playing "trial"; Adaire's late husband Irving was a judge, so there is judge paraphenalia all over the place.) There is a very cool portrait of Irv hanging on the wall painted by his good friend, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Adaire's daughter, cousin Diane (who works for the James Beard House in New York) prepared the most delicious, juicy Turkey ever, plus my downfall, her magnificent white-truffle stuffing. I ate too, too much.
She told us a funny story: She and her fam were in Kauai, when they visited a restaurant which was "hot" at the time (big name chef.) When the food arrived, the dish her mother had ordered was not right; too vinegary. The one snooty waitress on the entire island informed them that "this is Balsamic Vinegar", and "don't you know who our chef is, and this is the dish he personally prepared for the James Beard House in New York City which won him acclaim!" Not one to usually open her mouth, this was too much for Diane, who reached into her bag, pulled out her business card, and told her "Yes, I know, I was the director there that evening, so I do know how good this actual dish can be!" The waitress practically swooned, and for the rest of that meal, the entire staff bent over backwards to see that they were taken care of. Funny.
My sister Donna and I had a rude moment; we excused ourselves at 8pm to sneak into the den. Had to watch Survivor. Fortunately, our family understands our obsession. By the end of the program, half the guests were in there watching Nate get voted off the island.
Great night; warm family, perfectly prepared food, and Survivor.