heidih

We ate early (Dad is 91) so the carcass is already in the crockpot to burble overnight. I always state up front that I would like it, and usually they are happy to oblige. The turkey was not stuffed and not very heavily seasoned. Still, I will just do water and add seasoning when I use the frozen stock for the soups I live on in the harsh Southern California winters I was also gifted with the last vine ripened tomatoes (bizarro weather)

Anna - perhaps you have explained your shallot frying method before - can you recap? Also do you make a batch and store, and if so, for how long? I like even the store bought ones but now have access to well priced shallots so would like to try. Also have you done it with onions?

Does food just taste better somehow when you are hoofing it? Lovely views and that jarred sauce looks tasty as well.

Update - wow - cease operation that irritate people? I live in a suburb of Los Angeles and nobody is shutting down Farmers Coffee though the roasting smell can induce nausea many miles away (including me). Just goofy. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/27/sriracha-judge-halt-smell/3766771/

Adorable - but is that a rabbit with a squirrel tail or are Canadian squirrels endowed with big ears?

That is an admirable goal and a nice sentiment but not realistic in many settings. Mice can squeeze through amazingly small openings, doors get left open for short periods as you haul in groceries or let the dog out for a last sniff before bedtime, wall openings exist that we are not aware of and can not readily see - the list goes on. Rats are bigger so the barrier method is more effective. I have been in the trenches. You also need to get them out (well dead) in conjunction with the barrier methods. They nest in the oddest places that you may not be aware of; effectively trapping them inside - with you.

For the tool lovers out there - we saw an extreme peeling method by a member here http://forums.egullet.org/topic/109342-peeling-butternut-squash/#entry1487946

Not sure if mentioned earlier - simple traps w/ peanut butter - the colder it gets the more they want to cozy up in your kitchen!

I tried Delicata squash for the first time recently. The standard with this little gem is to leave it unpeeled as the skin is thin. Then I picked up a 99cent orange acorn squash and left it unpeeled http://forums.egullet.org/topic/136548-what-new-ingredients-are-you-trying-out/page-5#entry1943362 I have seen kabocha ( my favorite) left unpeeled often. What is your standard MO?

I mentioned making polenta for the first time yesterday http://forums.egullet.org/topic/136548-what-new-ingredients-are-you-trying-out/page-5#entry1943362 Today I cut off a section into three fingers and cooked them low and slow as mentioned above in my tiny number 3 cast iron skillet with olive oil. It got a nice just barely crisp crust with creamy insides. I think I could have let it go longer for more crust. There is still most of the plate to play with. Dipped in Sriracha - a riff on fries and ketchup? (I was starving and did not stop for pics)

There are "lobes" inside - it is quite user friendly.

What is your Thanksgiving menu?

Your traveling kitchen is more well stocked than many home kitchens! Looking forward to seeing more motoring meals

So late to the party on many common ingredients. I got a bit of multi-colored quinoa at Whole Foods a while ago . Got freaked out by the allergy reaction reported and let it sit. I cooked it simply today in water and like the nutty taste and the texture - it will be repurposed later in the week. Polenta virgin though it was in the cupboard as a breading option. I did the microwave style per the package (the Pheasant one that Paula Wolfert referenced in this topic http://forums.egullet.org/topic/53248-polenta/#entry737616 I put on a plate a will grill later in the week. I hope grilling will emphasize the corn flavor. I also picked up an orange acorn squash and am roasting it in half moon shapes. I do not take the skin off kabocha treated this way so I am hoping this skin is edible.

You,made those in the RV? Can you show us your kitchen space? What additional cooking equipment do you bring along such as grill or?

In Los Angeles we are seeing beautiful slim asparagus - I think from Mexico - my source (99 cent store) was out today - will check

I only had a maternal Oma (grandmother) and Alte-Oma (great grandmother). Oma did not let the kids do more than set the table, clear the dishes and wash up. She did let us go out to the minuscule patch of vegetable garden and harvest the Gruenzeug (green stuff in dialect). It was like a combo of flat leaf parsley and parsnip. The roots were always part of chicken soup and the leaves were the only herb we knew. We all enjoyed her green soup which was a simple roux based soup with a ton of finely minced parsley leaves. The seeds were brought over to the US by the lucky few who were able to afford to travel back to the Old Country. Seed trading and harvesting was a big deal. When I spied flat leaf parsley in a market in the early 80's I could not resist pinching a leaf and was transported back to childhood. Those were the days where curly parsley was all you saw. She also started the salad trend in our family which consisted of red leaf lettuce dressed with a simple mix of vinegar (industrial strength white) and a bit of salt and sugar. I was startled to see the same dressing in The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis I did not encounter iceberg lettuce until I was maybe 10(no restaurant meals in our clan). She worked full time as a cleaning lady at night in the big highrise offices downtown so her time was limited - always in a hurry. My cousin and I tried to surprise her by making bacon one morning - it burned a bit and I rushed the skillet over to the open window above which floated those lovely nylon or other synthetic curtains....meltdown....runaway grandkids. Maybe that is why she did not want us "helping" in the kitchen! She did cook delicious food but I was not privy to the process. The raise chicks for food experiment was a fail with the grandkids and even the adults now used to food less close to reality. We created quite the drama when she served them. Alte Oma on the other hand would at least let me watch. She was held in high regard for her noodle making skills; the thin noodles for the clear broth soups we had for Sunday dinner. She must have been good at the broth making as well since I recall crystal clarity. That taste memory is my standard. She emphasized that the noodles must be cooked separately in water so as not to cloud the broth. Noodles were made every couple weeks and then dried and stored in the aluminum tin (attached image). She used a big Nudelbrett (noodle board) that her son made and did the classic mound of flour with a well for the eggs. I learned at a very early age about the need to rest the dough before rolling it out to get the maximum thinness. Her rolling pin did not have any mechanics in it to allow it to spin - just a rounded surface with handles. When ready to cut she wielded the super sharp boning knife (my dad the butcher brought home sample knives from knife vendors and kept them surgical grade sharp). To this day my 91 year old dad fondly remembers her noodles which he has not had in 45 years or more and I am pretty good with doughs.

Here is the link to our Cook-Off on Summer Squashes mentioned earlier http://forums.egullet.org/topic/145452-cook-off-63-summer-squash/

To back up - are the people you are cooking for familiar with traditional US Thanksgiving meals and want to experience it in some way or is this a theme you have chosen? The difference to me would be whether there are expectations of certain flavors or if you just want to present a unique meal that riffs on Thanksgiving.

I jumped there as well when I read this. Yesterday I sampled this new product at Trader Joes http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=1347 The concept is a baked half acorn squash, filled with traditional turkey pot pie ingredients, topped with puff pastry. Everyone get their own "pie". Smoked tofu cubes or lentils in lieu of turkey perhaps? Since you are in India I think having a tamarind and a cilantro chutney alongside would rally give you great varied flavor bursts.

Munchymom's blog week has started here http://forums.egullet.org/topic/146287-eg-foodblog-munchymom-livin-la-vida-locavore/

Same here. For formal meals we fold the paper towels in a triangle. OMG. That's what we do. Casual meal - family and close friends - the roll is on the table or in close proximity. Formal? We tear off individual towels and fold them. Really, really formal? Like Christmas? Ikea is your friend for cheap, attractive, sturdy paper napkins. How many of us honestly find napkins necessary at EVERY meal? When it's only family. Even for buffet style family gatherings and holidays I always designated my challenged niece as the paper towel folder. She looked forward to it as a ritual, and we were all mess free and happy.

When our group of "junkers" goes to the local diner after the big flea market we always ask the waitress for extra "good napkins". They put tough ones on the table under the silverware but wimpy ones in the push dispenser on the table. You have to use maybe 4 of the wimps to achieve the performance of the toughies. Cloth does not environmentally or practically pencil out for me at home, especially when entertaining. I have often seen a guest scope out the paper towel holder rather than sully a pretty cloth napkin.

I stumbled into Whole Foods yesterday after a very long work day with the intention of grabbing some chicken necks and backs. Yes I could have driven 25 minutes to the big Chinese market, but gas costs and irritability factors prevailed. I needed to get some chicken stock going to save my sanity. I was pleasantly surprised that the organic necks (out of backs) were $1.99 per pound. The butcher also pointed out that they also had turkey necks and turkey wings for the same price. I got an assortment and also a few chicken feet (non GMO). They were pricey at $2.49 a pound, but I love the gelatin they add to stock. The turkey parts he said were in response to folks wanting to make turkey broth for gravy ahead of the holiday.

The generally accepted caution (and I have experimented) is that the pumpkins sold for display around Halloween tend to be stringy and watery when cooked as well as not too sweet or tasty. Of course as a free experiment you could have a go; roasting to concentrate would probably be the best method.