Sometimes we can do things we never dreamed we could do

Sometimes you never know what you can do until you try.

For many years, when it came to cooking, I was just a guy. I could grill steaks, hamburgers and hot dogs, and I could make spaghetti. But when it came to trying something that actually required a recipe, I would generally pass.

Especially when it came to difficult, time-consuming things like Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner, if I didn't have a mother or a wife to cook for me, the thing I could do best was make reservations.

In the first 21 years of my marriage, we didn't cook a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas even once. For Thanksgiving, we went to a nice restaurant. For Christmas, Nicole always made a delicious lamb ragout.

Thanksgiving in Jamaica

When we were in Jamaica for Thanksgiving this year, Pauline made a wonderful turkey for the six of us. A lot of effort went into it, and the result was spectacular.

It didn't really surprise me. The one person I know who does everything she sets her mind to is Pauline. But I don't want to diminish her accomplishment at all. It was a truly delicious meal.

But for Christmas, we were at home.

Home alone. Just the two of us.

Nicole is recuperating from foot surgery, so we were limited in what we could do. I decided to buy a turkey and try to prepare one -- for the first time in my life.

Christmas in Georgia

The smallest one I could find was a little less than 10 pounds. I bought it, a roasting pan and a meat thermometer. I struggled a little, especially when I couldn't seem to get the temperature up to 180. But in the end it worked. In the end it turned out pretty good, especially for a first effort.

We had a good meal, and we have enough turkey left for the next couple of days.

It wasn't perfect, but it was a lot better than I expected.