So...whats for dinner?
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The store had one of those, "If you spend more than $25, you'll get the first turkey for $0.59 a pound and a second one, of equal or lessor weight, for free." deals. So, there are two turkeys in the freezer. One is 22 (!) pounds and the other is 16 pounds. I think I'll do the 22 pounder this weekend just for left overs and turkey broth.
Special, I can remember my parents hosting some of those parties and my brother and I watching from "behind the doors". Promotion parties seemed like a good time.
Carol, enjoy the book. I did the baked kibbith on page 168. Pre-ground lamb was something like $21 a pound here and lamb chunks were just a few dollars per pound, so I got out the *old* Universal brand grinder out and cranked the handle for a few minutes. The spices used are unfamiliar to our taste buds and are a pleasant adventure.
Lacey, I wouldn't be too worried about a stove on the back porch. Most gas stoves come with parts for either propane or natural gas so they can be used "in the city or in the country" and if the parts aren't with the stove, they can often be ordered from the manufacturer. It shouldn't be much worse safety wise than a propane grill...and besides, I can turn the tank valve off when I'm not using it.
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$21 a pound?????? I just bought a lamb at $4 a pound hanging weight. So the rack of lamb is $4 a pound. The shanks are $4 a pound. The legs are $4 a pound. If I calculated what that would cost retail, I am getting the loin chops, shoulder, and all the bits that are ground for free.
::fainting:: ::$21 a poind for lamb!:::
*susan*
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There was no way I was going to pay $21 a pound for ground lamb..... I can't say I felt like fainting...the feeling was more like I had drank a gallon of Golytely... :-)
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What is Golytely?
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susan - I was just wondering where you were, and then like a little miracle - there was a post from you! You sound very busy! Golytely is the stuff you drink for colonoscopy prep. It's not fun.
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It is 17º right now in tundra-land. No risk of the lamb thawing in those temperatures. I am packing an extra sweater or two!
*susan*
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Sharon is busy grading papers and DD is doing homework. I'm taking a break after
cleaning the refrigerator. It's clean now. I won't go into detail about the "before" condition. :-)
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Well, Eric, your refridge is sounding ready for your turkey lurkey! Not exactly what I can say about mine! And tomorrow we will get temperature relief, when I had hoped that we might store the turkey in the, up to now, very cold garage. Oh well, somehow it will all work out.
Today I picked up some extra spicy lamb lamejan for dinner, along with one that has just veggies on it, and a third one that has some bright orange creamy food item on it which will be a total surprise to us! I could not understand what the vendor told me it was....maybe there is a pic of it in one of your new cookbooks, Carole! Pairing these with an arugula salad.
Sadness! My trusty Ipad is on its very last legs...had it for three years, and i guess I didn't expect that itnwould ever fail me.
I can hardly get into any sites and on this one, I am often losing my posts after typing them.DH thinks I should get a Surface to replace this....I dunno....just hate needing to go through another tech change....what a technophobe I am!
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Lacey, I don't think three years is that long a life for an I-pad. I'm sure my laptop is older than that and I'm expecting it to chug along more years.
Interesting, Susan, that some folks don't have rolls with a holiday dinner. Hearing about your busy life makes me tired! I've always heard that busy people get more done and you're proof of that.
Eric, I'll check out that page.
I must share dh's exciting golf news. He had a hole-in-one today playing in a men's tournament! When he arrived home, I was just taking a muffin tin of cloverleaf rolls out of the oven. He ate one and said it tasted like cake. It's true that the rolls are a little sweet because sugar is an ingredient. They came out really pretty. And they weren't that difficult to make once I got the hang of rolling little balls and fitting three of them in each muffin space. Next time I'll probably cut down on the sugar. The recipe calls for a whole cup but it's a big batter with 9 cups of flour, 4 cups of milk and a cup of canola oil.
Tonight's dinner will use up some cooked brown rice in a stuffing mixture with ground meat for stuffed green bell peppers. The peppers are in the freezer. A side will be a sweet potato mash. After cooking all day, I'm not in the mood to put a lot of effort into dinner.
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Minus, here is the recipe for the creamed spinach/artichoke heart dish.
Ingredients: 4 pkgs frozen chopped spinach; 1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese; 1 stick butter; 2 cans artichoke hearts, halved; 1 can sliced water chestnuts; seasoned bread crumbs.
Directions: Cook spinach according to pkg directions. Drain well. Melt cream cheese and butter together in sauce pan. Add spinach and blend well. Place artichoke hearts and water chestnuts in bottom of casserole. Pour spinach mixture over top and sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees about 20 min. or until bubbly.
I am making this recipe for tomorrow and am omitting the water chestnuts and mixing quartered artichoke hearts with the spinach mixture instead of following the recipe directions. You can't go wrong with a whole block of cream cheese and a stick of butter! The creamed spinach is delicious.
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Today I made the dough for 5 dozen dinner rolls and a loaf of harvest bread (dried fruit and nuts). Both have an overnight rise, one in the fridge, the other on the counter. Carole, my rolls call for a cup of sugar too, which I usually reduce by a third.
Susan, I too have longed for a wife . . .
Dh has requested grilled hamburgers and oven fries. Easy enough, so it suits me. I'll throw in a salad for good measure.
It's 55 degrees right now -- the warmest it's been in weeks!
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Thanks Carole. Sounds like a great comfort recipe to me. I'd have to add some hot spices for my son.
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If anyone is still in touch with Laurie or Debbie on Facebook or email, please tell them happy Thanksgiving.
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I am one of those no roll people for Thanksgiving. Then again, I have always been a rebel, lol!
carole - yay for DH's HIO! That is an impressive feat!
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There are two reasons we have dinner rolls at thanksgiving (in spite of the already excessive carb load). The first is that it's my dh's grandmother's recipe and traditional, the second reason is that they make excellent little leftover turkey sandwiches, which is my favorite part of the whole shebang.
Carole, dh's hole in one = awesome! Tell him congrats!
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auntie - I love that you are using a generations old recipe for the rolls - how awesome is that? I agree about the little sammies - they are great! For me, the rolls get ignored partly because of my already crowded oven situation. If I had a large crowd coming I might find a way to do them, but I also grew up with parents who came to the U.S. from other countries as adults so not much Thanksgiving tradition.
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Carol, good for your husband. That must have been so exciting!!!! My brother has been a professional golfer all his life. I'll have to ask him if he's ever had one.
Brother is coming for Thanksgiving and we'll be hanging out with friends and daughter and future SIL. Might go to Block Island this Friday- I have Weds through Sunday off. I'm freezing lasagna and making a ton of red lentil, butternut squash, tomato stew to freeze.. he is in good shape but a vegetarian also, both since our teens, and he eats Buckets of food-he is over 6 feet. Ha ha sorry bro, you are a pig and will never see this.
Minus I emailed Debbie on this site, hope she still checks her messages.
I hope that the cold weather has not turned everyone else into a homebody. I've been busy making terrariums for gifts. I found some heart shaped rocks for sale on amazon, real ones, and I'm going to put one in every jar so that it can be seen against the glass in the soil layer. Susan, speaking of Tundra, when I lived in Barrow, Ak, the beach there had a surprising number of them as there was no sand, but the ones I collected are still in storage in Ga. Hope you are staying warm.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. (insert gobble gobble turkey sound)
Goats I had a bizzare dream about goats last night butting people. Maybe it was the 2 cats and my DD's dog all in the bed kicking and walking all over me.
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My brother had a negative golf handicap and even now it's 1 or 2. He's never had a hole in one.
Since I'm taking a few days off before Thanksgiving, I think I'll make some sourdough rolls. Just don't tell my mother in law. She hates recipes that one needs to feed.
I haven't "moved" on a 2nd stove/oven, but I have become reasonably skilled at using the covered grill as an oven.
The grocery store had a 2 for 1 turkey special, so I cooked one yesterday...21 pounds from frozen to cooked took about 10 hours at 325F. It turned out great and is carved, bagged, tagged and in the freezer.
Next is working on the 3 quarts of stock from the overnight bone simmering.
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That is exciting, Carole....Congrats to your DH! That is certainly the kind of memory that helps one through the less than satisfying days on the golf course that I hear about from my DH who is less than stellar in that department.
It is a gorgeous day here after several freezing ones. DH spent yesterday clearing leaves in that cold, and today is finishing up whatever he plans to do for the year, and loving this "temperate" weather. I admire his stamina! Just made him a nice chicken/avacado/onion/tomato sandwich on a bulkie roll along with some soup. He inhaled it all!
So I will head to the Farmer's Market to pick up our turkey, while he continues with the labor intense work! Meanwhile, I took two chicken carcasses and am making stock from them. Then will make some chicken pastina soup...some I will freeze before putting the pastina in, so we are not eating it all week before having turkey and then turkey soup! Fowl! Fowl! Fowl!
The lamejun we had last night were delicious...and I still have no idea what we were consuming with that orange paste looking one. I might be able to find out from my lebanese next door neighbor.
The chat about rolls for Thanksgiving is making me reconsider what I might do. I know that DS2 loves those "non-nutritional ones" with the little knob on top, but I think I'll ask him if he minds just having pumpkin bread that I plan to make. Tho I do think those little knob ones make cute turkey sliders afterwards.....hmmmm. I might also make orange cranberry bread, but I know he is not a fan of anything cranberry (not sure how he can be a born and bred bay stater and dislike cranberries!). By the way, in one of my lost posts that was erased by my acting out Ipad, I mentioned that he told us that his relationship with Chicago girl is moving along. Plans are being made for her to move here in Feb. Yay for them!
Off to get Tom or Tomasina Turkey....
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The butterflied and dry-brined turkey was good. It was moist and not too salty but definitely flavored from the brining. As promised it cooked in 90 min. The first 30 min. at 450 degrees and then an hour at 350. The cloverleaf rolls were a hit. My sister's home-made cheese cake was delicious. I ate too much today and had that over-full feeling for a period of time. No dinner tonight.
My attire today was shorts and short-sleeved blouse and sandals. Noon temperature in the 70's. But a cold front is supposed to bring cold weather tomorrow. Tues. we'll be heading north to IL. Hoping for good travel weather. This southerner does NOT like to travel on icy roads. One year we were enroute to Decatur, IL, and found ourselves in a snow storm outside of St. Louis, just 3 hrs. from our destination. I insisted on stopping and staying overnight in a hotel. Nance, the hotel was in the town of Arnold. Once we'd checked in and were in our room, we turned on the tv and saw reports of all the accidents along that same route we were travelling. DH would have kept going but I felt like my life was in danger.
There was a Cracker Barrel restaurant next door to the hotel. We went there to eat. I stepped on black ice and fell flat on my back.
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Yikes, Carole, I hope you have much calmer weather for this trip north, andand no need to stop to test out any black ice! It sounds like the family Sunday T-giving dinner went very well.
So, after both DH and I made space in two refrigerators (our real one upstairs and the beer/wine one in the basement;), we arrive at the Farmer's Market to discover that the meat farm got our order wrong and they gave us an almost 19 lb turkey! Really?!! So we decided not to be good sports and take it since we have a total of three of us here, and DS2 will not want any leftovers since he is flying out of town early the next day. And my track record for usage of frozen leftovers is at about 2%.
So, I will probably head to Whole Foods to get one tomorrow. No problem....
My chicken pastina soup made from the chicken carcasses I had, turned out to be soooo delicious. Yes, it does make a difference to make one's own broth....or is it stock when derived from the carcass? Here's a pic: guess what the green stuff is floating around....;
May look like seaweed, but is actually red russian kale this time.
I also sliced some polenta rounds, heating and topping them with sautéed mushrooms, red onions, garlic and tarragon and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. They were really good....glad I can do something so easily with one of those tubes of polenta. Ate them up before remembering to take a pic! ;/
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no time to chat, but Lacey, two words: Wilson Farms. They always order extras, and you would have your choice of smaller birds tomorrow. Call them, reserve your dainty bird. be prepared for a bit of chaos but one tasty bird. The WF birds are pretty mediocre in comparison. Or... you could come to our house Thursday and join the festivities! [Yea, I am serious.]
*susan*
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Susan, thanks so much for that suggestion. I'll call them today and see if they have a petite baby for us! DH liked that idea a lot. He might also be the one to row up 128 today to pick it up! Also thanks (again!) for your kind invite....tho as you might recall, this crew reserves Thanksgiving for "food and football" as long as DS2 is here. Wonder how that might change if/when Chicago girl joins the clan.
We're also looking forward to having some serious catching up with DS2 since life changes are clearly on the horizon for him. Have a wonderful feast with your newlyweds!0 -
Oh I had forgotten about the football thing! We don't even have a TV in a public room, so my offer is off the table! Can't have your husband and son creeping upstairs to catch the scores and yell at some plays after all.
My weekend code project has been sideswiped by bugs in the code that I purchased for manipulating images. Wasted hours. I hate that. So I am home trying to figure it out, while Mr. 02143 is braving the T-Day shoppers at Wilson Farms. I made the list as specific as possible, but lately, his Alzheimer's has made his shopping trips an adventure when unpacking. Fascinating to see how his brain is translating what used to be standard items. Well, fascinating is a nice word. Overall, it just makes me so sad.
I have wings roasting to make the turkey stock for gravy. Need to start the sponge for the bread I will use for stuffing, and have that all baked before we head to bed. And since I was chasing bugs until 3am and was back up at 6:30 to see if it made more sense this morning, I will be tired!
Juggle juggle juggle.
*susan*
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Oh, Susan, I didn't know that your dh has Alzheimer's. I'm so sorry. Gosh, I wish I could help you somehow. You have so much to do. And yet you maintain your high standards in the kitchen. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone making bread for stuffing! Except for cornbread, that is.
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After baking ten thousand dinner rolls, and several loaves of cinnamon and fruit and nut breads yesterday, dinner last night was a chicken and broccoli stir fry. The cinnamon and other bread were gifts for my doc, whom I saw for the last time today :-( It was an emotional visit for both of us. When I got home I started some marinara sauce to go with some roasted raviolis and a salad with blue cheese and pancetta.
Lacey, your soup looks marvelous. I got some more spinach/kale mix. I'm trying to develop a taste for it!
Carole, I've had your spinach artichoke casserole printed out on the top of my "to fix" pile. Unfortunately, dh will not eat an artichoke (knowingly) so I need others. I wish I had remembered it when I was making out my after thanksgiving menu, it would have been a perfect opportunity, but now I don't have all the ingredients. I will get to it soon. So glad your turkey and rolls turned out so well!
Thought about you today, Susan. My doc is increasing my thyroid meds in hopes it will boost my metabolism some. As usual, your plate seems very full.
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I cooked farro for the first time this afternoon and I really like it. I cooked half a cup in chicken stock and added it to sautéed mushrooms and sautéed sliced brussel sprouts. I sprinkled grated romano cheese over the mixture and gave it a taste. Hmm. Good. We'll have this skillet dish for dinner with leftover sweet potato mash.
My last home meal for a while. We head north tomorrow and hope to arrive safely in Decatur, IL, on Wed.
My sister (middle sister who brought the cheese cake yesterday) called today to say that the turkey I cooked for yesterday's dinner was the best she'd ever tasted. My mother said the same thing, and I had to agree. The dry brining does improve the flavor of a roasted turkey. I had to discover it for myself!
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Thanks for the reminder. Must rub the turkey tonight.... turkey stock is coming along nicely with a lovely brown color. The veggie stock is pale by comparison, but it is a requirement... veggie gravy, and veggie stock for the stuffing. Bread has started its second rise. Ended up having to visit a client for a few hours this afternoon so we went out for some Greek food. Neither one of us wanted more duck ragu. I will slip it into the freezer tonight. We will love it another time.
Husband's grocery run was successful! Wilson Farms was nuts and he parked in the remote lot so the bags were all wet since it was raining as he made his way back to the car. He then stopped by the wine store and they are carrying a favorite Rhone wine! So a case is going into the cellar. Only trip out of the house tomorrow is to Capone's at the end of the street to buy some olive oil. I have decided to make some marinated mushrooms as an appetizer [a modern twist I have added to our meal.]
Nance, I have found a little extra synthroid every day has made me happier. Just had new numbers done, and they have moved. Hope they don't want to reduce again. Carole, safe journey! I have tried to convince my Mother to head south and get to the Boston area before the next no'easter hits us. She has agreed to keep an eye on the weather reports. Best I can get, I guess. Hope Lacey found the perfect bird for her football-fest!
*susan*
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Everyone is so busy cooking! I have three turkey breasts in the oven (I don't even have two myself, lol!) - two for DH's Thanksgiving lunch at work tomorrow, and one for us for extra sandwich fixings. I will also send some home with DD - she is a turkey sandwich lover! Tomorrow I will start on some of the other things for dinner on Thurs.
carole - yay for your delish turkey!
susan - I like to cook from "scratch" but woman you are the QUEEN!!!
auntie - ten thousand dinner rolls, lol! It is so nice that you took a little gifty to your outgoing doc - it is a hard situation, I can't imagine having to make a change with any of my BC docs - I change the primary care ones all the time because they are military, so I am used to that, I don't get too attached to them. I do have to say that my current one is super cute though! Sadly, I am old enough to be his mom.
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Okay. My brain is too fried to code tonight, so I will tell the story of the stuffing bread. Like many Yankee women, my mother used Pepperidge Farm cubes. Some years she used the herb version, others she used the country version. As many good daughters do, I started with what my mother used. But then, Pepperidge Farm got sweeter and sweeter. I found the herbs tasted stale and often conflicted with the fresh herbs that I wanted to use. So, I moved to fresh bread. One year I bought some "stuffing" bread at the farm, but again, I didn't care for the flavor. The next year I bought some nice rustic country bread. To make enough stuffing, I had to purchase 3 loaves of bread. That was over $15!!!! The next year I needed 5 loaves and I balked. For the amount I was going to spend on bread, a family could eat for 2 weeks. I simply couldn't do it. And so, that is why I started making my own bread for stuffing. Because I am stubborn and frugal. I believe that my 2 lb loaf of bread will cost about $1.17 total. I bill out at a reasonable fee per hour, but the time it takes to make a bit of bread is well worth the savings and doesn't make my hair stand on end.
So, I am not the from scratch queen. I am the cheapest Thanksgiving enthusiast you will meet!
*susan*
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