Thanksgiving post-event notes
I never seem to make these notes that I want to write down, about food I've made in the evening. I think about it while I'm washing the dishes, but then it's late and I'm tired and the notes are never written.
I transformed the last of the cornbread dressing last night for a meal of turkey dressing, baked pumpkin, and steamed collards. The dressing was made up of the leftovers of mushroom gravy (2 cups, made with roasted vegetable stock), turkey gravy (1/8 cup or so), cornbread dressing with turkey sausage (half a 9X13 casserole dish that I'd already doctored once to add some turkey stock and an egg), and roast turkey (one drumstick, picked off the bones and chopped). I took all those leftovers, mushed them together in the casserole dish, covered with foil, and baked at 350 for 20 minutes or so until it was piping hot. This was nice and moist. I want to remember next year that I need to use more stock and an egg or two in my dressing, because what I served at Thanksgiving was some dry dressing. I also am going to remember to make (or have someone make) about twice as much turkey gravy, because it's the flavor of Thanksgiving and I want enough to go on everything, including the week's worth of leftovers I build into the meal.
The pumpkin was not bad, but is not my favorite winter squash. Buttercups, kabocha, and butternuts are still at the top of that list. Still, this was a nice way to finish off the Thanksgiving leftovers. There's actually still a tray of vegetarian dressing on my porch, but I'm not 100% committed to using it. It's not that I'm sick of Thanksgiving leftovers, but that we're all physically craving fresh food. I served collards and salad a couple nights ago, and watched Kevin and Andy eat a huge bowl of plain salad greens. Yes, it is time to move forward into fresh food.
I also have some notes on my whiteboard at home about hard ciders we've tried, so I can remember next year which varietals I like. There's a local, Berkshires-based cider maker whose product I enjoy, and can buy at the nearby Liquors 44. The Cortlands and Baldwins make good cider. I didn't like the Pippin so much. I will try to remember to get the rest of my notes in here so I can erase that part of the board.
I transformed the last of the cornbread dressing last night for a meal of turkey dressing, baked pumpkin, and steamed collards. The dressing was made up of the leftovers of mushroom gravy (2 cups, made with roasted vegetable stock), turkey gravy (1/8 cup or so), cornbread dressing with turkey sausage (half a 9X13 casserole dish that I'd already doctored once to add some turkey stock and an egg), and roast turkey (one drumstick, picked off the bones and chopped). I took all those leftovers, mushed them together in the casserole dish, covered with foil, and baked at 350 for 20 minutes or so until it was piping hot. This was nice and moist. I want to remember next year that I need to use more stock and an egg or two in my dressing, because what I served at Thanksgiving was some dry dressing. I also am going to remember to make (or have someone make) about twice as much turkey gravy, because it's the flavor of Thanksgiving and I want enough to go on everything, including the week's worth of leftovers I build into the meal.
The pumpkin was not bad, but is not my favorite winter squash. Buttercups, kabocha, and butternuts are still at the top of that list. Still, this was a nice way to finish off the Thanksgiving leftovers. There's actually still a tray of vegetarian dressing on my porch, but I'm not 100% committed to using it. It's not that I'm sick of Thanksgiving leftovers, but that we're all physically craving fresh food. I served collards and salad a couple nights ago, and watched Kevin and Andy eat a huge bowl of plain salad greens. Yes, it is time to move forward into fresh food.
I also have some notes on my whiteboard at home about hard ciders we've tried, so I can remember next year which varietals I like. There's a local, Berkshires-based cider maker whose product I enjoy, and can buy at the nearby Liquors 44. The Cortlands and Baldwins make good cider. I didn't like the Pippin so much. I will try to remember to get the rest of my notes in here so I can erase that part of the board.