I adore Thanksgiving. It loves me back. It is my favorite holiday out of the whole year. There’s nothing that makes me more thrillingly anticipating than to bring the last of the sage in, save bread for dressing, take stock of my canned pumpkin supply, or bake cranberry bread along with any pie you can name. To say nothing of the fact that I don’t like Christmas decorating (or shopping or wrapping), but can’t wait to put up pumpkins, corn stalks, leaves, scarecrows, and all things autumn come October. Ok, September. Continue reading
Month: November 2016
Turkey Noodle Soup–Or How to Make Use of that Turkey Carcass
If you kept or froze your turkey carcass from Thanksgiving and aren’t quite sure what to do with it, this is your method for soup. While it looks like a recipe, it’s merely a method and you must yourself judge which ingredients you have or want to add; it’s all about flexibility.
Note the options of using your leftover vegetables, gravy, stock, or just adding all purchased low-sodium chicken stock and so on.
In about an hour an a half, you’ll have just about the best turkey noodle soup you ever ate. If you are skipping noodles this week, leave them out and, instead, add extra fresh or frozen vegetables. (Brown rice, wild rice, or barley are other possibilities.) Continue reading
Thanksgiving Menu Chez Morgan, 2016
Be happy giving. Be happy in your thanks. Just as the first Americans shared their table and their abundance with the very first immigrants!
Just for fun, I thought I’d post today’s menu. Enjoy the holiday! I’m off to make turkey stock.
Thanksgiving Menu, 2016 Chez Morgan
STARTERS
Roasted shrimp, fresh vegetables, aioli
Gruet Sparkling Wine, New Mexico
FIRST COURSE
Curried Apple-Butternut Squash Soup
Sineann Gewurtztraminer, 2015 (Yamhill-Carlton, Oregon) OR Autumnal IPA (Local Relic, CSprings)
ENTRÉE AND SIDES
Gas Grill-Roasted Turkey
Oyster dressing
Sausage dressing (George Hamamoto)
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Cauliflower with Gruyere Cheese and Parsley
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Sherry and Walnuts
Brussels Sprouts Salad
Cranberry Relish (Jan Keder)
Homemade Bread (Jan Keder)
Pumpkin Bread with Dried Cherries and Walnuts
Butter
Bethel Heights (Salem, Oregon) Pinot Noirs: West Block Vineyard and Casteel Vineyard, 2010
Seven Hills Dry Rose 2015 (Columbia Valley, Washington)
OR Oak Aged Belgium Strong Ale (Local Relic, Colorado Springs)
DESSERT
Cranberry-Citrus Cheesecake, Pecan-Bourbon Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Mousse (Ann Campbell), Apple Pie (Jeanne Patalano), Shoofly Pie (Mary Pat Garman)
Coffee/Tea Brandy/Port
Cauliflower Casserole with Gruyère Cheese–Make and Freeze (Right After You Donate to Your Local Food Pantry!)
Food bloggers, too, are in recovery-from-election mode. Skip down to recipe if need be.
In our difficult, name-calling, post-election country, our American world appears divided–though not shattered–by fear, unhappiness, anger, and misunderstanding. (The entire world is divided not just by politics, but between those who have food and homes and those who don’t.) As we move toward our usually happy day of Thanksgiving, we feel left and right, liberal and conservative, blue and red, educated and unscholarly, open and closed, Fox and MSNBC, Rush Limbaugh and NPR… I don’t feel as if we are split as much by religion (though some might not agree) if only because I drank the “justice for all and freedom of religion” kool-aid and do not want to believe any government of mine would pit one religion against another. The issue of race is, it seems, more complicated. A mix of cultures and religions is who we’ve always been and always will be, though; it’s the beauty and at times the ugliness of the United States. Right now it’s ugly. The train left the station long ago about this being a Christian country. And, truthfully, while Dave and I remain firmly entrenched, working and worshiping within a progressive protestant Christian community, the majority of people we know don’t even worship. Anywhere. (Though worshipers are still largely and sadly divided by race.) The believing who go to mosque, synagogue, or church regularly are, more and more, the faithful fewer–perhaps under 25% of our population. How could religion be key here? Hmm. When I hear, “The evangelicals are back in power,” I can’t help but wonder. Continue reading
Beef Burgundy: Streamlined (Boeuf Bourguignon)
For Election Day 2016, I’m spending my time making my streamlined Beef Burgundy. It’ll take my mind off what’s going on, keep me from checking my phone or computer too often, and give Dave, the dogs, and me something great to smell.
Even my streamlined Beef Burgundy takes a good bit of time (I started yesterday) and should be shared. Who needs friends more than on election night? We invited a couple of really close ones for the meal and for the duration–whichever comes first. Continue reading
Slow Cooker 5-Ingredient Pork Green Chile (Bowls or Tacos)
In the Southwest, we have more recipes than we need for toothsome green chile—all of them purporting to be the very best. And they are. Each and every one. I promise.