Cedar Point Amusement Park, Roller Coaster Reviews

    Reviews, Cedar Point In this post I will review some of the roller coasters and other rides I’ve been on at the amusement park Cedar Point, Ohio. The first time I visited Cedar Point was in 1991. Magnum was the huge, thrilling new ride that attracted people from afar, mainly because of its huge first drop. Well, a lot has changed since then. Magnum is still a big attraction at Cedar Point, but a lot more rides have been added since then. I have never been a frequent visitor, mostly because I’ve been too busy being a mom. But now that my kids are teenagers, I have been able to go again a couple of times in the last few years. When reading my comments on each ride, just keep in mind that I like huge coasters and it takes a bit to give me a thrill. So if your family is rather reluctant of big rides, know where I’m coming from; if I say it’s not scary, it may be scary for someone else! I mainly go on the big rides, as I find the smaller ones mostly annoying. So I won’t comment on those. Rides and Roller Coasters Gate Keeper: This is a newer roller coaster located at the very entrance of the park. Made from steel, an extremely smooth ride, no jerking. Very comfortable. Some find this a scary and thrilling ride, while I really […] Read more »

Thanksgiving Simplified; Easy, Delicious Turkey Dinner

Hosting is fun and rewarding on so many levels, and spending time with family is very high on my list of things I love. Our family celebrates Thanksgiving the traditional way, with the whole family gathered and eating turkey with lots of sides. It really can be quite an undertaking though, both to prepare the food and to clean up afterward, even with lots of help. This year I decided to make some changes and to do in advance everything that I could. My goal was less stress during food preparation and less dishes to clean afterward, but still serving the wonderful turkey dinner my family has come to love so much. Simplify, simplify. Here’s what I came up with: The week before Thanksgiving: Turkey: (Here’s a link to how I slow-roast my turkeys) For the turkey, I baked it the week before, then carved it, saved the drippings, and cooked stock on the bones for yummy, delicious soup later (Turkey Stock). I put the meat into two 9×13 aluminum pans; white meat in one, and dark in another, covered them well with foil and plastic, then placed them in the freezer. I also saved a cup of drippings for each pan to use during heating.  See below for heating and serving. Gravy: I made gravy ahead of time as soon as the turkey was done cooking. I used turkey drippings, some potato broth, corn starch (instead of flour to […] Read more »