Happy Thanksgiving + 6 days

So, I’ve been the blogless loser for the last several days, but I have been a woman of accomplishment.  The house is decorated for Christmas!  More about that later.

First off, however, Happy Thanksgiving! Did you all eat yourselves into a food coma? Cook for hours and then eat for 25 minutes with the family? Not me, baby! We went out! I love to cook, but this year, I just couldn’t gather the gumption. After all, Saralyn was only three weeks old at Thanksgiving, AND I have a two-year-old. Ever try to cook with one of those in the house!?!?! It’s not pretty…

Now for a restaurant review:

The Blue Willow Inn – Social Circle: Many months ago, my dear friend Bambi consulted her crystal ball and divined that I would be in no shape on November 22 to cook a noble bird to feed my friends and family. Therefore, taking phone in hand, she saved the day and made reservations at the Blue Willow. Honey, if you didn’t get reservations in April, you weren’t likely to get ‘em. And with grateful hearts and empty stomachs, we set off Thursday morning for the wee village of Social Circle, Georgia. It was a mob scene. A well organized mob scene, but a mob scene nonetheless. The food at the Blue Willow is always homey and plentiful, the service is cheery and efficient, but their turkey is nothing to write blogs about. So, let’s focus on the side dishes. Like most buffets, the Blue Willow carries all the requisite veggies and starches for Thanksgiving, well seasoned and prepared in a Granny’s Southern style, but I want to rave about one “soup”, one salad and one legume. Ahhh, the dumplings. Tucked into a corner, next to an unassuming vegetable soup, the deliciously pasty cauldron of comfort lurks. It’s not just that these white doughy lumps in thick, almost gravyish, soup are just tasty, they are a symbol of all things home and nourishing to the soul. Not health food, no. Soul food, yes. Speaking of foods that aren’t good for you, there is the marshmallow salad. Calling it a salad is slanderous to other salads, but when you see this green pineapple nut marshmallow concoction, EAT IT! Why is it so good? I. Don’t. Know. And I don’t care. I passed up all the beautiful cakes and ordinary looking pies on offer just to snarf down a dish it for dessert. That, and I had three great pies at home. That leaves only the tender lima bean left in my trio of praises…  What? Yes! I love lima beans.  Eleanor does, too.  She snarfed down a whole plate of those little lovelies and asked for more.  What can be wrong with that?

All in all, The Blue Willow in was a fine choice for Thanksgiving, and it was great to spend the time together with friends and family.  The price was decent and decor is what it’s been for, I’m guessing, the last 20 years (which is the kind of thing that makes it homey and traditional.)  It’s worth the drive out there.