menu 11.24 - 11.30.

Whew - the leftovers have been demolished - almost all by people - and now the compost gobbled up the last few fractions of servings this evening. 

We had a grand Thanksgiving.  We ate a ton, laughed at a ruined turkey (a full story to come here soon, because, well, not recording it would be a waste), imbibed a bit, and washed up while having a spur of the moment dance party in my kitchen.  Having parents who will help wash the china and dance with you, well, that's something for which to be thankful! 

But, now I never want to cook anything in a 9x13 ever again. Well, not never, but, not this week.  No American food.  Or, well, just a bit, but nothing you'd find on a Turkey Day table.


Saturday 11.24

Breakfast:  We were fed a wonderful farmhouse breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and sausages doused in syrup. 
Lunch:  Various and sundry paninis
Supper:  Turkey Pot Pie. 


Sunday  11.25

Breakfast:  Sabbath Sugary Cereal Treats
Lunch:  Last of the Leftovers w/ friends
Supper:  Were surprised fed cheeseburgers by my daddy and Caroline.  We meant to grab fast food and stop by for a visit after our tree shopping, but, instead, she caramelized onions and he grilled beef and we were happy and loved. 

Monday 11.26

Breakfast:  Wholesome Spelt Cinnamon Rolls delivered by a dear friend. 
Lunch:  Leftover Cheeseburgers/PB&Js
Supper:  Peanut Chicken,  Salad  (This is a dish we've been enjoying about which I need to blog so I won't forget how to make it....)

Tuesday 11.27

Breakfast:  Same Cinnamon Roll pan - revived by toasting with a bit of butter
Lunch:  ww noodles with sauteed produce (The drawer will be cleaned out - badparts into the compost and stillbreathingparts into the saute pan)
 Supper:  Red Beans and Rice.  There is something about a pot of beans. 

Wednesday 11.28

Breakfast:  Bran Flakes.  Oooh.  So Sexy. 
Lunch:  Leftover Red Beans / PB&Js
Supper:  Church.  I hope it's pizza, but I bet it's forsaken Subway.  Gosh, I hate that place.  I know, I am insane, but cold, super preserved lunch meat and fake cheese just don't make me happy. 

Thursday 11.29

Breakfast:  Scrambled Eggs
Lunch:  Red Bean Quesadillas.  (I'm going to grab a cup of beans out of the red bean pot on Tuesday, continue cooking with cumin and chili powder and then save for Thursday's lunch)
Supper:  Crockpot Marinara (Say a prayer of thanks for my happily-vegetarian-husband.  He helps my budget and his triglycerides) w/ carb of some kind - either homemade spelt cheesy focaccia or noodles, depending on my day. 

Friday 11.30

Breakfast:  Bran Flakes.  The excitement overwhelms. 
Lunch:  Tuna Salad w/ some carb (homemade bread or box o' wheat thins - again, depending on my day)
Supper:  Chicken Tortilla Soup, Cornbread, Pot of homemade hot chocolate, Paul's specialty (only) dish. 


Saturday, we're having a good ol' fashioned fayncee dinner.  I cannot wait.  I'm still finalizing the menu, and well, that makes me quite happy.  I keep playing around with different things.  Can I have shrimp in more than one course? 



Oh, I feel better, friends.  We are settled in our house (87% settled.  This is a good solid B and it counts).  I am fighting off, successfully, I think, a sinus infection.  Both of my Math classes misunderstood a concept today, and then, after a bit of work, every child in both classes got it.  Latin is wonderful.  Advent is five simple days away.  The food is good, the grocery budget for the week came in at 40% under budget, and we are blessed by a gas stove and a family being read-aloud the hobbit right now.  Oh, taste and see.  Taste and see that the Lord is good. 

Gobblin' up a Storm!

How many times did you complete this coloring sheet as a child? 

It's that time again. 

We're almost there.  A measly 9 days from now, I'll be frantically scooping things out of the oven and finding a place to keep them warm and ready. 

And, I get to go it all with one oven instead of two, so that should be fun this year. 

I've not yet worked a schedule of events, but I probably need to do that soon.  And then there is the shopping list.  I'll shop on Monday morning.   Also, there is the table to think on and the personalized place cards that AB has to find pinterest inspiration to complete.  My guest list is modest, as usual -  9 adults and three kids - but that doesn't stop me from being a crazy person with the feasting. 

What we've eaten the last few years:
2009
2010
2011

So, here we go: 

The Pre-Meal Bites
0.  Carrie, my stepmother, is bringing an appetizer and cocktail.  Yay.  

The Bird
1.  Turkey.  I'm going to use a tried and true cooking method in Come on In - I need my oven available on actual T-Day morning.  It's called "Turkey While You Sleep" -  But, their seasonings are a bit bland, so I'm going to spice it up a bit.  I'll google around and see what I can find.  Idears are appreciated

The First Course
2.  Butternut Bisque.  Here is Martha's recipe.  I'm sure I'll mess with it, but not much.   I've never done a soup on Thanksgiving, but why not?  I mean, why the heck not? 

The Side Board
3.  Sweet Potato Casserole.  Traditional.  Non Negotiable.   Last year we striped the different toppings - marshmallow and candied pecans.  This year, I'm thinking polka dots.  Or, maybe a design?  Oh.... I can post it on pinterest.  Wouldn't that be fun!?

4.  Cornbread Dressing.  Again - Traditional.  Non Negotiable.  Filled with celery and onion to the brim. 

5.  Sauteed Apples with Bacon.  I'm feeling Cracker Barrel as my muse here.  I believe fruit gets the short of end of the stick on Turkey Day.  Well, not at my table!   I'll serve the crispy bacon along side for my dear, vegetarian stepmonster.  (Her nickname for herself, not mine.  I find her decidedly non monstrous). 

6.   Mashed Potatoes.  We have usually done scalloped, a favorite of Paul and AB, but this year, we determined we wanted a better vessel for gravy. So, we're going mashed.  Garlicky and Buttery and Full of Half n Half. 


7.  Penne w/ Caramelized Onions, Vodka Sauce and Goat Cheese.   I always try to have a mac-and-cheese ish dish, and this is this year's version.  Having Vodka Sauce, I may be throwing off tradition all together and won't, in fact, get credit for obeying the pasta-dish-rule, however, I care not. 

8.  English Peas Au Gratin - Our green but bad for you dish for the year.

9.  Pear and Green Bean Salad w/ Sorghum Vinaigrette.  Assuming I can find Sorghum.  The recipe is in this year's Southern Living Thanksgiving Issue. 

10.  Braised Carrots.  They're just too pretty to leave out. 

The On-The-Table Condiments

11.  Liquored up Gravy.  We did bourbon last year.  I think we'll do white wine this year.  The bourbon was good, but it strayed from good ol' gravy a bit too far for my sake.  But I like the bite the alcohol gives it, despite being all boiled off. 

12.  Cranberry Apricot Sauce (Also see Southern Living Nov. 2012). 

13.  Our homemade hot/sweet pickles.   (Paul Forster- since  you're obviously reading this - we need to make pickles this Saturday....) 

14.  Spiced Peaches out of a Can.  I won't stop.  You cannot make me.  I think I'm the only one who eats them.  My grandmother taught me.  I cannot help it.  It's not my fault.  Hush! 

15.  Yeast Rolls.  Recipe courtesy of Via Fortier, an old friend who actually gets paid to cook things. 

16.  Foccacia.  What?  Say something. We like bread.  AB insisted. 

The Dessert Cart

17.  Chocolate Pie - Brought by Carrie, the aforementioned non-monstrous step mother.

18.  Buttermilk Chess Pie - a favorite around here.  It's in Square Table.  It's good.  Embrace it. 

19.  Rum Cake.  It's been years since I made my mother's Rum Cake.  Too Many Years. 

20.  Blackberry Crumble.  We don't need four desserts.  But, two things come to mind:  One, we're feasting, so who cares about need, and Two, I was at 19 items.  That wouldn't do. 

Menu 11/11-11/17

I'm all off food schedule, because we were out of town last week for a few days. 

But, we are home, and so I have to just press on! 


Sunday

We were on the road and ate tacobell/kentuckyfriedchicken for lunch.  No, we did not make multiple stops.  They were both in the same restaurant.  Who ever heard of such.  
We ate grilled cheeses for supper.  It's hard to beat a good, buttery grilled cheese.  And homemade spicy pickles.  Yes sir ree bob. 

Monday

For lunch, we cobbled together sandwiches and leftovers and packed for school/work.

For supper, I had thawed some chicken ramano sauce I had frozen and thought to throw it over pasta for an easy evening.  We ended up having an even easier one - some friends had us stop by for a quick afternoon visit and it turned into supper.  Coincidentally, they were having pasta with chicken, tomatoes, cheese and olives on top. 

Tuesday

For lunch, well, I haven't gotten that far yet.

For supper, my mama is coming to celebrate her birthday.  We're having Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup, salad, angel hair with scallion cream sauce, and sauteed italian shrimp.  Oh, and Amaretto Freezes for dessert.   All are some of her favorites.  Yay! 

Wednesday

For lunch, we'll cobble together leftovers from the feast from the night before. 

For supper, we'll be at church, having yumm-o dominos pizza. 

Thursday

For lunch, I believe we'll be at the Renaissance Festival in Louisiana, but if that falls through, we'll figure something or other out.

For supper, Chili and Cornbread

Friday

For lunch, Chili Dogs
For supper, Bean Burritos

Saturday

For lunch, Bean and Cheese nachos - from the bean burrito filling, of which there is always a bit too much, since I started doing my own beans instead of canned beans. 

For supper, Potato Soup of some kind.  Haven't gotten that far yet. 



Then, to Turkey Week!   

Yay! 

Shrimp and Potato Porridge

shrimp

+

potatoes

= 

heaven

This is originally a Paula Deen recipe that I've messed with.  Shocker, I know. 
Her recipe is titled Potato Soup with Shrimp, but a dear friend was eating this four or five years ago and said, "Ann Lowrey.  What we've got here is not soup.  This is Porridge." 

I did not argue, though as I sat down to write this, I did google out of curiosity.  [It remains quite frustrating to me that curious has a u and curiosity does not.  What ridiculousness.]

Porridge is actually traditionally made of oats - we just call it oatmeal here in America.  However, there is such an animal as Potato Porridge - a Norwegian tradition.  I am not Norwegian, and neither is my friend proclaiming this to be porridge - in fact, we're both quite Irish with a little English thrown in.  But, for today, we sing the song of Norway proudly.

1 stick of butter
1 large onion diced on the small side
3 carrots, diced
 2 T all purpose flour (optional)  This gives it a more porridge-y consistency, but if you are trying to avoid gluten, leave it out.  The potatoes will make it plenty thick.

6-7 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-1 inch cubes
4 cups milk (whole, 2%, 1% - again, depends on what's in the fridge, but I usually use whole)
2 chicken bullion cubes dissolved in
1/2 cup hot milk

1 cup half and half
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled (cooked already is fine, but I prefer throwing it in raw and letting it cook in the soup.  I have my reasons.  If I type them here, it will take too long.  The moral of the story, though, is that you shouldn't be scared of shrimp - they cook in mere seconds). 


So, in soup pot, melt the butter over medium high heat.  Toss in those onions and carrots.  Enjoy the aroma.  Stir occasionally for 10-15 minutes, allowing them to soften thoroughly.

Add the flour, stir for a minute or two. 

Add the milk, potatoes, and bullion dissolved in milk. 

Let it cook for 30 - 45 minutes over medium heat. 
Now, you can let it go a bit longer and the potatoes will fall apart for you.  Or you can stop at 30 minutes or so and use an immersion blender on it.  Or you can usually, at about 45 minutes, use a potato masher.  The point, is you don't want potato chunks.  It's a porridge - which basically means mush.  You wouldn't think it would be awesome.  But you'd be wrong. 

After it's all mashy and pasty and you accidentally lick a bit off the wooden spoon and think, "Damn, baby, you so fine," because you will channel Will Smith in his freshest Fresh Prince days, then, and only then, should you add the remaining ingredients. 

Add the salt and pepper and the cup of goodness.  Bring to just shy of a boil.  Don't let it boil - I don't know this for sure, but it seems to me that half and half has a tendency to curdle more readily than its cream or milk brothers. 
After it's as hot as it can get without boiling, throw in the shrimp -

It will cook in 2 minutes - really - I promise.   And you'll be ready to go. 

My top ten favorite meals involve this soup and a really bad for me grilled cheese. 

And then all shall be well.  All manner of thing shall be well.   Very well, actually. 

a nice little side dish

This is just an amazing photo.  Really great angle and lighting.  I'm just so impressed.  

I went a googlin' earlier to find something to serve with seared tuna for supper tonight.

I found something, fiddled with it, and this is what we have here. 

Bonus:  Gluten Free and Dairy Free and No Sugar Added.  Now, we are pro gluten and pro dairy at our house, but with three friends with celiac now and countless others with sensitivities to things, it's always good to add to the repertoire of things we can feed people. 


Black Bean and Rice Salad

• 1 cup dry basmati rice, cooked (without adding butter or oo or seasoning to the water)
• 2 cans black beans well drained and rinsed (obviously, you could cook your own, but then it wouldn't be a 15 minute ordeal like it was tonight.)
• 1/2 a red onion, diced fairly small
• 1 bunch cilantro or parsley, hacked at with the santoku knife to relieve all frustration (cilantro tonight, but whatever floats your boat)
• 1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil.  The original recipe called for 3/4 a cup.  I maintain that this has to have been a typo.  If not, my feelings remain hurt. 
• 2-4 Tablespoons Lime Juice (Juice of 1-2 limes)
• Season to taste - Tonight - maybe 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Toss it all together well and serve at room temp - or chilled-

Nothing fancy, nothing to write home about, barely anything to record in this here blog, but all five of us ate it up,  it was cheap, and I'll wonder  in three months what exactly I did.  So, problem solved.  I do so love the internets. 

Menu 10/25 - 10/31

Thursday

Lunch - Fridge Clean Out
                 
Supper - Seared Tuna with this Black Beans/Rice/Cilantro/Lime mixture I saw online.  We have some tuna that some friends brought us from a fishing trip, and it needs to give up its rent-controlled apartment in my freezer. 
[My dad had this law student work for him one summer who wouldn't quit saying "Ahi Tuna - I have to have Ahi.  No other kind will do.  It needs to be AAAAAAAhi"  -  So, rather than the lovely words you would be tempted to call that guy, we just called him Ahi.   So now, Ahi is synonymous in my head with one of those words that you'd call that guy who talks incessantly about acceptable grades of Tuna.]


Friday

Lunch - Out and About, I imagine

Supper - Red Beans and Rice.  I have a hankering.   I actually had some recently, but I haven't cooked any in a while.  There is just something about a pot of beans.  Something good. 

Saturday

Lunch - Soup Contest at our Reformation Day celebration.  I'm making a Shrimp and Potato Porridge.  It is our family favorite. 

Supper -  Our children are abandoning us to go see John Prine.  This means that Paul and I are going to curl up, watch a movie, and eat take out Chinese.  Or Taco Bell.  Depending on his mood. 

Sunday

Lunch - Tuna Melts - My favorite.

Supper - Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas, Mexican Rice

Monday

Lunch - Leftovers / Sandwiches

Supper - Chili, Cornbread

Tuesday

Lunch - Chili Dogs

Supper - Noodles with Sauteed Vegetables

the public vow

This morning, like most Sunday mornings, we found some matching shoes, and even a few collar-shirts (as Collins calls them) for the menfolk, and we traipsed to church.

But, rather than heading ten miles west, we headed ten miles east to a different church of a different denomination. 

We explained to the little people that the church service was going to look different, and we found our roped-off pew next to the font.
We tried to quickly instruct Ada Bee how to follow a service that relies on a prayer book, rather than an extensive bulletin.  We did not attempt this with Eas.
We reminded children how to receive communion through a common cup.
We had an organ rather than a piano. 

We sang unfamiliar service music.