Thanksgiving 2011
I have a few things I want to say about this Holiday season, and it's halfway through December, but I owe the rest of the story about Thanksgiving. If anyone is curious.
Just like any Thanksgiving we were cooking a lot, and ended up with too much food. However, it was all relaxed and having fun (I mean, we don't generally stress over Thanksgiving, but it was still more relaxed).
The food was all fun, and a lot of it new. We got to experiment and we got to graze all day.
So here is some of what there was...well, before the ribs showed up. The ribs were too busy making their way into my mouth get their picture taken...
This was a fruit dip that MIL made, to be dipped in by cinnamon bread chips. the little bowl is for me with no strawberries in it, unfortunately. That bit was to die for so I have no idea how anyone else survived with the added brilliance of strawberries.
This is where you realize that I have very little memory in the specifics department. Those two little dishes are differently flavored mascarpone...I believe, and these were delicious. Made my SIL A
Baked brie. ... ... yummy.
Potstickers handmade by my SIL J. Although we did eventually help with the assembly. We also helped a lot with the eating.
Kale chips.
These were insanely good. SIL A made them as well. If I remember correctly they are croissant pizza rolls.
Mr. J made the only nearly traditional thing there. Mostly because he wanted to see if he could, but I do think he was also wondering as well if we would miss Thanksgiving food. So Mr.
J made a one (or two) bite thanksgiving meal.
Because I watched him make it I can tell you what he did. The bottom is a parmesan cheese crispy, topped with his magical and amazing Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, topped with roasted cornish game hen, a little gravy and sage cranberry sauce. Seriously, and it needed the cranberry sauce, this was so yummy. And it did feel like Thanksgiving in a bite, without the need for a nap afterward.
Then a friend of the family whose roots are in Texas showed up with ribs and pico de gallo, so we let him in the door and helped him dispatch that. That boy can cook too.
Then we played ladder golf and visited in the comfy chairs, sampled some beers and wine. Laughed a lot. Kaelie managed to use her tail for mass destruction, and the cats slept.
Finally, SIL A made these as well. I have completely forgotten what all she said was in them, but it was nutty, yummy, rich, chocolaty mousse stuff. We've named it after her.
And then there is me, and my one little contribution to this whole affair. Unexpectedly, I got to mark off #39 on my Life List: create an original recipe.
Because the night before Thanksgiving got away from me and we were too busy hanging with the family, I didn't get my one bite cheesecakes made. Come midnight I was too tired to start and just didn't think I could really get them done the next morning. So brainstorming commenced.
Trying to stay gluten free and still have pumpkin. We went to bed, hoping inspiration would strike in the night....and it did.
Mr. J's mom always made potato candy when they were growing up. I'd never heard of the stuff until I started dating him, but it is very yummy. If you've never heard of it, essentially you boil potatoes and mash them up, then add powdered sugar until it's a firm dough. Then you roll it out and spread peanut butter on it, roll it up, chill, slice.
Only, I was going to make pumpkin cheesecake. So, I squeezed all the water I could get out of my pumpkin, and added powdered sugar to that until it made a dough, rolled it out and spread cream cheese that I had flavored with pumpkin pie spices and molasses. I'll do a little dark brown sugar instead of the molasses next time though, because it was a little runny. Then I rolled it up, chilled, and sliced. But before I served it, though, I topped it with the caramel sauce I made for the cheesecakes. I will be making these again.
My pumpkin cheesecake candy:
Horrible picture, but still yummy.
All in all, it was different. The food was different and we didn't have a big sit down meal, but family was the same. And while I think it's important to sit around a table once in awhile, that can come elsewhere. This was just a nice relaxing holiday with family.
Just like any Thanksgiving we were cooking a lot, and ended up with too much food. However, it was all relaxed and having fun (I mean, we don't generally stress over Thanksgiving, but it was still more relaxed).
The food was all fun, and a lot of it new. We got to experiment and we got to graze all day.
So here is some of what there was...well, before the ribs showed up. The ribs were too busy making their way into my mouth get their picture taken...
This was a fruit dip that MIL made, to be dipped in by cinnamon bread chips. the little bowl is for me with no strawberries in it, unfortunately. That bit was to die for so I have no idea how anyone else survived with the added brilliance of strawberries.
This is where you realize that I have very little memory in the specifics department. Those two little dishes are differently flavored mascarpone...I believe, and these were delicious. Made my SIL A
Baked brie. ... ... yummy.
Potstickers handmade by my SIL J. Although we did eventually help with the assembly. We also helped a lot with the eating.
Kale chips.
These were insanely good. SIL A made them as well. If I remember correctly they are croissant pizza rolls.
Mr. J made the only nearly traditional thing there. Mostly because he wanted to see if he could, but I do think he was also wondering as well if we would miss Thanksgiving food. So Mr.
J made a one (or two) bite thanksgiving meal.
Because I watched him make it I can tell you what he did. The bottom is a parmesan cheese crispy, topped with his magical and amazing Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, topped with roasted cornish game hen, a little gravy and sage cranberry sauce. Seriously, and it needed the cranberry sauce, this was so yummy. And it did feel like Thanksgiving in a bite, without the need for a nap afterward.
Then a friend of the family whose roots are in Texas showed up with ribs and pico de gallo, so we let him in the door and helped him dispatch that. That boy can cook too.
Then we played ladder golf and visited in the comfy chairs, sampled some beers and wine. Laughed a lot. Kaelie managed to use her tail for mass destruction, and the cats slept.
Finally, SIL A made these as well. I have completely forgotten what all she said was in them, but it was nutty, yummy, rich, chocolaty mousse stuff. We've named it after her.
And then there is me, and my one little contribution to this whole affair. Unexpectedly, I got to mark off #39 on my Life List: create an original recipe.
Because the night before Thanksgiving got away from me and we were too busy hanging with the family, I didn't get my one bite cheesecakes made. Come midnight I was too tired to start and just didn't think I could really get them done the next morning. So brainstorming commenced.
Trying to stay gluten free and still have pumpkin. We went to bed, hoping inspiration would strike in the night....and it did.
Mr. J's mom always made potato candy when they were growing up. I'd never heard of the stuff until I started dating him, but it is very yummy. If you've never heard of it, essentially you boil potatoes and mash them up, then add powdered sugar until it's a firm dough. Then you roll it out and spread peanut butter on it, roll it up, chill, slice.
Only, I was going to make pumpkin cheesecake. So, I squeezed all the water I could get out of my pumpkin, and added powdered sugar to that until it made a dough, rolled it out and spread cream cheese that I had flavored with pumpkin pie spices and molasses. I'll do a little dark brown sugar instead of the molasses next time though, because it was a little runny. Then I rolled it up, chilled, and sliced. But before I served it, though, I topped it with the caramel sauce I made for the cheesecakes. I will be making these again.
My pumpkin cheesecake candy:
Horrible picture, but still yummy.
All in all, it was different. The food was different and we didn't have a big sit down meal, but family was the same. And while I think it's important to sit around a table once in awhile, that can come elsewhere. This was just a nice relaxing holiday with family.