It all started out gloriously. A beautiful Fourth of July brunch on the deck. Husband cooking one of my egg “recipe” favorites. Big ol’ hot sun in the true blue sky. Coffee in the tall mug, thanks. Unleaded Bloody Mary in the frosty pint glass. Dog next to us and a whole New York Times to read with all the time in the world to do it. Dinner, and making what would come to be known here as “Grilled Broccoli Potato Salad,” was light years away.
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When folks “talk turkey” about holiday dinners, they, in fact, don’t talk much about turkey. Or ham. (Though they might if it’s roast beef.) They instead remember sides or desserts. Nonna’s baked ziti. Oma’s sauerkraut. Dad’s gravy. Aunt Susan’s pumpkin pie. Because of that, the menu is often a done deal. Who can fight history? As a longtime Thanksgiving cook (I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner at 24 hugely pregnant with my first child), I pore over each year’s November magazines and keep Thanksgiving cookbooks on my coffee table from September on–always interested in finding something new to dream about. You can well imagine it’s my favorite holiday.
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Spending years as a working mom, I knew the value of pantry meals and we happily ate a lot of them. Still true today as I don’t always feel like running out to the store when it’s snowing, right? Today, for instance, I’m making Hold My Beer Slow Cooker Chili. My husband knows: I never get tired of chili.
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When cucumbers are plentiful, cheap, and the weather is sultry, it’s time to make chilled herby and spicy cucumber-yogurt soup. Lebanese to start with (Kh’yaaf B’lubban) and very like the Indian Kheera Raita, Americans have made this creamy, cooling dish their own–and I’m making it yours. Perfect to eat as a cold first course or for a light meal, it’s ready in the time it takes to whir a few things through the food processor. That’s right; there’s NO COOKING HERE!! Just pressing a button–well, maybe a few times!
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While Americans think mostly clam when the word chowder is mentioned, there is a plethora of chowders (soup with milk or cream, thickened with potatoes or crackers) from which to choose–even right here on More Time. Here are three favorites:
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I’m not a big football fan. It’s just not my thing. But like many others, I honor the American institution and for Super Bowl you’ll often find me stretched out on the couch with the Sunday New York Times scattered around me and a glass of wine on the easy-to-reach end table. I even occasionally glance up to check the score, look at uniforms (which team is which color?), or comment on the commercials. As a cook, my main interest is in the half-time spread and that’s as it should be. As a musician, I often really enjoy the half-time show, and that cook persona gets her work done early so her singer self can enjoy what is surely the best part of the day. I mean, think Blues Brothers, Paul McCartney, and Lady Gaga as earlier favorites. Maroon 5 this year promises to be spectacular!
Complete Super Bowl Watching Info Here.
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Cooking with Addie posts will come up periodically and are designed for older kids or teens learning to cook. Not a kid? Cook this anyway!!
Addie
Grilled Cheese Zucchini Bites with Salsa probably will be thought of as a SNACK, Addie. Maybe a
…something you’d serve before dinner if you’re hungry or if there’s company and some drinks are being served. I think they’d also be good as a meal–perhaps with other fresh vegetables and whole wheat crackers or maybe in addition to turkey rolled up in tortillas if you’re really hungry. However you might want to serve them, I think you’ll be happy because this is fun food. While I sometimes want chips, I often would rather eat veggies. These crispy bites kind of hit the sweet spot that wants crunchy, but hopes for healthy, too. You may feel the same way. My zucchini bites could also be made topped with mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, in which case you might use a marinara or even pizza sauce for the dip. Continue reading
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.
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
Here in Colorado, our biggest claim to food fame may be western slope peaches. Oh, August…
Unless, that is, you’re crazy about lamb like I am. You might remember I once ordered Colorado lamb in London and was very glad to get it. I really did do bangers and mash the rest of the time. (Read about American lamb here.)
I adore Colorado lamb (and love eating locally!), but it’s not always readily available or reasonably priced, so….
Once in a while, I just do the expedient, less expensive thing and buy a big boneless leg of lamb at Costco with the rest of the crowd. Why not? Continue reading
My nearly daily breakfast is an egg white omelet or frittata, which is just the Italian word for an open-faced omelet. It’s fast, luscious, nutritious, and maybe best of all uses up my odds and ends of raw or cooked vegetables, restaurant leftovers (pizza toppings, too), bits of meat, and even a grate or two of cheese. I try and blog one of these a couple of times a year just to give a high five to
There are times when I’m on a fresh fruit and Greek yogurt jag and even eat that with some of my homemade low-sugar granola, but this summer finds me working hard to lose weight and I’ve cut back both my fruit and my dairy in hopes of finding success. It seems to be working! I’m down a size or more and perhaps have taken off 20 pounds. No scale in the house; the clothes are the indicator.
Last Saturday, I made a brown and jasmine rice salad to take to my granddaughter’s birthday party (see below for opening presents through playing peek-a-boo, to eating cake and the very-necessary after cake sink bath–sorry for phone pics) mostly like any luscious summer pasta salad but with a combination of brown and jasmine rice added to a huge bowl of vegetables and a spicy mustard vinaigrette.
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