The day after Thanksgiving, when the holiday is just a brief glimmer in the back of the mind, from all of those souls who think they must go and stand in the trenches in the name of Black Friday shopping. We had so much food left over from our Thanksgiving feast, that almost half of our guests returned to have another go at all of the food. Of course some were much more tired and less enthusiastic then they were the day before, but that is to be expected. I had to go into the trenches myself, but I was on the opposite side from most of the troops. Let it suffice to say, that if one thought it out more sanely, shopping at an independent store is much less stressful, then being one of the million lemmings that follow the flow into the malls and big box stores, and have to wait for ever, just to pay the bill.

My Bride got creative and made turkey pot pies, utilizing all the turkey that was left over from the day before. She also brought out the sides that did not disappear the day before. She also realized that the soup that her Sister worked so hard to make the night before Thanksgiving had stayed in the refrigerator and missed its debut at the holiday table, so there was something new for everyone to try as well. She also pulled out some of the desserts that were never brought out the first night, and not for a lack of trying, but because they were all sated from that dinner. All this was great from my viewpoint, because I was able to get home from work, just as the dinner was being served.

Some of the wines that were being poured for the second night were hardly left-over or second bests. One of the wines was a delightful wine that we get from our wine club. The Aiena Pinot Noir 2009 is from the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey, California. The last Aiena that we had was made from fruit all from one vineyard, and this wine was made from fruit from two different vineyards, Mission Ranch and Silacci. Even though I keep saying this, it is still holding true, that I have not had a bad Pinot Noir from this area, perhaps I have been fortunate to only getting better wines from better wineries, but still it is amazing to see this consistency. The other wine that I will mention was one that we had shipped back home from a trip to Napa Valley and I think that it is the last bottle of this particular wine that we bought. The bottle of Peju Province Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 had some collective dust on the bottle as I brought it upstairs, and it made me smile, because we just enjoyed our time there. When my Bride asked what I had chosen, even she smiled from the memories, and it is a wine that we have seldom seen offered here in Michigan either at the wine shops or at restaurants. Alas the cork crumbled as I tried to remove it, so the wine was decanted using my trusty method of a funnel and a coffee filter. The wine was delightful, still some fruit and some tannins for a delightful taste and enjoyment. All in all, it was a wonderful way to relax again with family and that is what the holidays are for.