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I was temporarily insane last month. That’s the only reason I can think of for agreeing to host my family's Thanksgiving reunion this year.

When my mom told me that my entire family was getting together up here in North Carolina for Thanksgiving, she said she thought we’d have it at my aunt and uncle’s house in Denton. “Oh no, let’s have it here!” I piped up. “I can do the turkey and everything!”
What was I thinking?

Clearly, I wasn’t. Not only did I not take into account that we are talking food for 25-30 people, we’re talking chairs, tables, plates, entertainment and drinks — and probably a few other things I still haven’t thought of yet.

I don't know why it amuses me so much, but after my column lamenting cooking for 30 people ran today, I got this e-mail from a local business:

Dear Melissa. If you get overwhelmed with Thanksgiving dinner give us a call. (Name) with (Name's) Catering.

Attached was a menu from which I could order several dishes. Except, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving for me unless I got my family's recipe of dressing and sweet potato casserole, not to mention Monkey Bread (not on her menu) or green stuff. But I got a chuckle out it.

Sometimes I wonder how peoples' minds work.

Someone thought it would be a good idea to make bullets out of seasonings so you won't bite into shot left in the bird after you cook it. Apparently it's environmentally friendly as well as tasty. Not being a hunter, I don't know how much of a problem this is, so I pass it on to you, readers.

From the Season Shot site:

"Season Shot is made of tightly packed seasoning bound by a fully biodegradable food product. The seasoning is actually injected into the bird on impact seasoning the meat from the inside out. When the bird is cooked the seasoning pellets melt into the meat spreading the flavor to the entire bird."

Rejected subject line: Pouring salt into the wound

A Hong Kong property tycoon and his wife have paid $160,406 for a huge Italian white truffle, expected to be the world's most expensive ever.

I think the rules of decency prevent me from mentioning what I think this giant pile of truffle looks like -- and I certainly wouldn't smell it.

Chef Umberto Bombana of the Ritz-Carlton hotel will prepare the mushroom for a five-course banquet hosted by Wu on Thursday.

So we went Thanksgiving shopping today for the couple dozen people invading my home on Thursday. Me, my mom, my grandma, and my brother's girlfriend -- along with two buggies and an electric cart for my grandma, forming a caravan through the aisles of Wal-Mart. And we still didn't get everything on the list, since I don't usually buy my fresh produce from Wally World. What a sight I'm sure we made. But now I know exactly how much trunk space there is in my new car -- enough for two and a half grocery carts full of stuff, except for the 8-pack of paper towels. Not bad.

Being a part of a family where several members have diabetes means I am always on the lookout for healthy recipes to share. I recently found out about this site, dLife, and it has more than 1,100 recipes, including many meant for the holiday table, complete with nutritional analysis. Some of the recipes that immediately jumped out at me included egg nog, pumpkin cookies, and Hannukkah latkes.

So, in the hopes of saving money this year, I'm going the homemade route with my family. In addition to crocheting and basket weaving, I'm planning to do some food-based gifts. What are some of your favorite foodie gifts to give?

Ideas:
* Canning jams and jellies. Ron had a nice post on this a while back, and I'm looking for tips and tricks online.
* DIY brownies in a jar, etc. I bought a book of stuff in a jar recipes a while back, and I'll probably try to adapt some of my own if I have time.
* Goodie baskets. This is a yearly tradition for me now -- everyone gets a basket filled with some of my favorite baked goods.

Any other ideas?

From the truly cool ...

From daniellespencer.com: Turkey-shaped Jell-O® Mold: 2006 Competition

... to the sweet ...

From daniellespencer.com: Turkey-shaped Jell-O® Mold: 2006 Competition

... to the truly disgusting.

Courtesy of a Worth1000 Photoshop contest: That's not Turkey!4

Click on the appropriate links for more entries in each contest. I warn you: The entries in the Worth1000 contest are not for the faint of heart!