Aaaand Thanksgiving dinner
Food porn ahoy. And, since these two posts, this and the one previous, are public, consider them an invitation to my twin obsessions. Want more? Comment so I'll become intrigued with you and "friend" you. Then you can read my more intimate posts, where I intimate and/or refer to perverted and/or illegal proclivities, reveal my friends' secrets, and babble.
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Thanksgiving was five of us: our friends somechicksings and z_ipp (who may not even be on LJ any more) and rexlezard and his two dogs, plus dawgboi and me.
For an appetizer I served up the stuffed calamari, which is becoming one of my standards. Kevin really likes them, so that ensures they will reappear. The recipe is Bittman's, from Fish. I also put out some cheddar and pepperoni with crackers, and hot rolls for the sauce from the calamari.
Dinner was very traditional. Since we were a small party, I disassembled our Misty Knoll turkey and brined the parts we planned to grill: both breasts, off the bone, and a thigh. I made stock from the bones and bits with the intention of using it to make gravy, but I never did make any. I had some chicken gravy in the freezer and warmed that up. For sides, I made a kale gratin and butternut squash roasted with onions. Rexy brought crock pot dressing and garlic mashed potatoes: we let him take the leftover dressing home, but we kept the potatoes, because they were not going without a fight: they are delicious. The chick and zippy brought something from the Quorn people that resembles a tofurkey, but made of mycoprotein. Kevin brought up vat food and I was a little embarrassed for the chick, but she is made of tougher stuff, as she demonstrated later when we led our party on a crusade to the inflatable nativity, after dinner.
For dessert there were ginger cookies that zippy made, some of them bearing the likeness of the Virgin Mary, mother of the inflatable baby gawd. Kevin and I paired up to make two pies. He made the crusts and I filled them, one with apples and custard, and the other with sweet potato, maple, bourbon custard. Cocoa, coffee, more intoxicants, and eventually send everyone home, after which I ran the dishwasher a third time and washed a bunch of pots. I marveled that I used to host weekly gatherings with seven or more of us, and wash up afterward, before I had a dishwasher.
We've got an idea for lawn decoration for Easter. A weatherproof cave with a fake rock you roll back to release a helium-filled Jesus balloon, that then floats to heaven. Each year we could sell people who have the cave, another helium balloon. It could be part of the holiday tradition: baskets full of chocolate bunnies, the egg hunt, and then roll back the rock for an Easter miracle. Afterward, store the cave in a shed or the garage until next spring. Or store your gardening tools in the cave, either way.
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Drunk tonight because we went to the Northampton Brewing Company, and Kevin has decided to learn about beer. We got the sampler, four 6 oz beers, then each got a pint, and then split a coffee drink. I still don't like it very hoppy, prefer stout to IPA. I usually get a brown ale, as when we went to the People's Pint in Greenfield last weekend. There I had the "Squealer," a burger ground with bacon in it. Oh, yes. Tonight was also a bacon burger but in the usual way. Both had good chocolate stout cakes.
--
Thanksgiving was five of us: our friends somechicksings and z_ipp (who may not even be on LJ any more) and rexlezard and his two dogs, plus dawgboi and me.
For an appetizer I served up the stuffed calamari, which is becoming one of my standards. Kevin really likes them, so that ensures they will reappear. The recipe is Bittman's, from Fish. I also put out some cheddar and pepperoni with crackers, and hot rolls for the sauce from the calamari.
Dinner was very traditional. Since we were a small party, I disassembled our Misty Knoll turkey and brined the parts we planned to grill: both breasts, off the bone, and a thigh. I made stock from the bones and bits with the intention of using it to make gravy, but I never did make any. I had some chicken gravy in the freezer and warmed that up. For sides, I made a kale gratin and butternut squash roasted with onions. Rexy brought crock pot dressing and garlic mashed potatoes: we let him take the leftover dressing home, but we kept the potatoes, because they were not going without a fight: they are delicious. The chick and zippy brought something from the Quorn people that resembles a tofurkey, but made of mycoprotein. Kevin brought up vat food and I was a little embarrassed for the chick, but she is made of tougher stuff, as she demonstrated later when we led our party on a crusade to the inflatable nativity, after dinner.
For dessert there were ginger cookies that zippy made, some of them bearing the likeness of the Virgin Mary, mother of the inflatable baby gawd. Kevin and I paired up to make two pies. He made the crusts and I filled them, one with apples and custard, and the other with sweet potato, maple, bourbon custard. Cocoa, coffee, more intoxicants, and eventually send everyone home, after which I ran the dishwasher a third time and washed a bunch of pots. I marveled that I used to host weekly gatherings with seven or more of us, and wash up afterward, before I had a dishwasher.
We've got an idea for lawn decoration for Easter. A weatherproof cave with a fake rock you roll back to release a helium-filled Jesus balloon, that then floats to heaven. Each year we could sell people who have the cave, another helium balloon. It could be part of the holiday tradition: baskets full of chocolate bunnies, the egg hunt, and then roll back the rock for an Easter miracle. Afterward, store the cave in a shed or the garage until next spring. Or store your gardening tools in the cave, either way.
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Drunk tonight because we went to the Northampton Brewing Company, and Kevin has decided to learn about beer. We got the sampler, four 6 oz beers, then each got a pint, and then split a coffee drink. I still don't like it very hoppy, prefer stout to IPA. I usually get a brown ale, as when we went to the People's Pint in Greenfield last weekend. There I had the "Squealer," a burger ground with bacon in it. Oh, yes. Tonight was also a bacon burger but in the usual way. Both had good chocolate stout cakes.