Please Pass the Gravy...Thanksgiving Dinner at the Obama's

(AP File Photo)

Like many Americans on Thanksgiving Day the Obama family will sit down with family and friends to a feast of grand portions and watch a bit of football.

But even before the turkey platter was placed on the dinner table, President Obama called 10 members of the armed services to thank them for their service and sacrifice and wish them and their families a happy Thanksgiving. The phone calls were to two members of each branch of the military -- the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy, all deployed in support of Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom. The phone calls were also something his predecessor, George W. Bush, had done each Thanksgiving. But unlike President Bush's surprise visit to see U.S. troops in Iraq on Thanksgiving Day of 2003, President Obama stayed at the White House enjoying the day with his family.

The first family's traditional dinner doesn't exactly match the first lady's obesity message. Sure there's turkey, ham, stuffing, and two kinds of potatoes -- mashed and sweet -- but the green bean casserole really sends things over the top. According to That'sFit.com, one serving of traditional green bean casserole yields 275 calories and 10 grams of fat. It's the French-fried onions that double the calories and quadruple the fat. The first family is also serving six kinds of pies for dessert including apple, pumpkin, sweet potato, banana cream, cherry and huckleberry.

There are two types of stuffing on the menu: cornbread and oyster. During this busy cooking holiday, the cost of oysters is up anywhere from 20 to 50 percent from last year due to the BP oil spill. Mr. Obama was criticized highly criticized by locals for not doing enough to clean up the oil spill that went on for nearly four months.

There's been no word if any on whether the White House chefs, led by Cris Comerford or Sam Kass, helped prepare the meal or whether the Obama family cooked themselves. But rest assured: turkeys Apple and Cider, who were pardoned by the president Wednesday, did not end up in the oven.