snowangel

My kids and husband know that the crusts are mine. The price they have paid for being born or something.

The illustrations in Barbara Tropp's Modern Art of Chinese Cookbook on pleating potstickers are worth a thousand words -- they are the best around. Somewhere, sometime ago on-line, I came across something on-line about cutting a baguette into an epi -- best instructions around. I think I may have found these on the King Arthur website. Although I can't find it now, the photos have always stuck in my mind. Edited to add: it's a King Arthur's on-line class about alternative method of shaping french dough.

When I was at the meat market today, I bought a ham (bone in; meat market smoked; 9.5 pounds) to take this weekend to S. MN for our pheasant hunting expedition. So, what's the best way to reheat this? How low or high a temp for how long? I know that this meat is fully cooked, but what's the idea internal temp for eating? I want to avoid what my SIL did this past Easter -- produce Ham Floss. Think a spiral cut ham (mine isn't), cooked at 375 for 4 hours and then "seared" at 425 for 1 hour "for a nice crust." I don't want to add any additional flavourings to this ham -- it is perfect on it's own.

I stopped at the local meat market today when my deer was delivered (hopefully, next year, it will be the one I got), and she is beautiful. Roughly 130 pounds, with a very clear head shot, so she didn't suffer, nor did the meat. The meat market guy noted how well she had been field dressed. I have asked for roasts, stew meat, some chops, and the trimmings in ground meat. (Since I have plied this butcher with smoked brisket and butt in the past, he indicated that some other folks trimmings just might find their way into my ground meat.) It has been a bountiful venison season here -- to date, this tiny meat market has processed some 300 deer (the season is but just a week old) and looks to be a record breaker. I will pick up the meat on Monday, so it looks like I will spend a portion of Sunday cleaning out the freezer!

How dry should the bread be? Once I cube it, should I include the crumbs which lay on the cutting board?

One large doe is the present to me this year of my FIL, but given that his shoulder and my sked prevent our butchering them ourselves, we are going to our fav meat market, and they will give us a special price (I have plied them with a lot of smoked meat in the past). But, next year, I hope to get one of my own. I have done gun safety training, have been doing some target practicing (more this weekend), and just hope that next year I will get one (and that the field dresseing of said animal doesn't make me swear off venison forever). But, back to the gifted deer. I am going to ask for roasts and stew meat, with a few steaks or chops tossed in. Vension chili, kao soi, me oh my. Time to make sure there's room in the freezer for the Big Doe! Anyone else filling their freezer this fall, and if so, what do you plan to do with it?

Since there is typically not a lot of "crunch" in a Thanksgiving meal, light crunchy appetizers are great. Spiced nuts, vegetables and hummus, or hummus and pita chips are all good.

Burger question. On our way up north to the cabin, we often stop at Gordy's for a great burger. Now, I often make burgers on the trusty old Weber. They are thick and wonderful. The burgers at Gordy's are thinner and griddled. How do I get a thin burger? Something akin to the burgers here.

Anne, what about a pizza? I personally think fresh tomatoes on a phyllo pizza are one of the best uses. How about a creative BLT with some harissa or hummus?

Mike, I always take a smoked turkey along with me as well (to go with the overcooked turkey that the SIL provides). One reason I do this is that my Best Friends and I have an annual women's getaway, and we leave on Thanksgiving, often before The Meal begins, so I smoke the turkey so we will have some for a real Thanksgiving meal with my best friends at a posh resort on the North Shore of Lake Superior (no pets, no kids, no men, but lots of cooking and knitting!). But, for a side for the meal I won't eat, my neighbor has offered her brussels sprouts, which she grew but won't eat. Just one more veg side needed for the meal I won't eat. But, back to the smoked turkey. While not much is consumed on Thanksgiving, everyone goes home with some, which is a nice thing to have around that weekend -- sandwiches, frittatas, eaten out of the fridge with the door open and the bathrobe on.

Thanks, BertaBurtonLake for the recipe. I just might do this one, sans a creamy sauce, for Thanksgiving. What's not to like about green beand and mushrooms? I'm also thinking of something brussels sprouty and bacony (bacon makes everything better). Anne, with the traditional GBC, one either pushes a little spoonful around the plate, or whizzes it up in the Cuiz or a Happy Baby Food Grinder for any little baby who is at the table and has no teeth, but is eating real food.

Anne, think of it as a sociological experiment. I'm in need of a couple of vegetable side dishes. We're going to my SIL's, and I always do the veg. Glazed carrots need not apply; I've done them too many times.

I would also pare the appetizers down to two; as much as I love deviled eggs, they are a bit heavy right before the Big Meal. I also happen to really, really like salad as part of the main meal -- it provides a nice crunchy, fresh contrast to the rest of the meal, which can be heavy. If you want a first course, how about teacups of a light soup? Other hints, besides using the cooler as a heater: get your serving dishes in order, and label what goes in what so if you have guests helping you, they know what to do. As fridge space can be at a premium, don't ignore putting things out on the patio or deck. Get your dishes and silver or flatwear out a few days before hand and make sure that all of the pieces are clean, and get your linens out and draped over a spare bed or shower curtain rod a couple of days in advance as well. Prepping the setting stuff several days in advance can alleviate a lot of last minute crises. Oh, and do not make any labour intensive dish that requires a lot of ingredients and demands ala minute preparation (especially if you've never made it before). Congrats on your first holiday entertaining in your new house, BTW. When we moved from our house of 18 years into our new house, I did Easter for 30 three weeks after we moved.

Bruce, this is indeed one of my very favorite dishes, and is equally good with pork or fish. Sadly, we were up at the cabin when we had our first frost here, so my plants were toast before I could harvest it all! Fortunately, I have easy access to Thai basil year round. Last time I made this, I actually made two batches -- one for Diana and I and one for the lightweights (Paul and Peter).

I have just spoken with Nina, and her 'puter is one sick puppy. But, she will be back. Reminder that during blogs, disasters happen (for me, they involved flooded basement, dead camera, sick child, a grilling and smoking blog during which it did nothing but rain, etc.). Nina may not be back for a few days; I knew there was a reason that I left next week open! Let's wish her well, and hope that she eats well while the 'puter is in the shop!

It was a grand and glorious weekend. Although we thought about leaving here on Friday evening, the idea of a 40 degree cabin (remember, the mattresses are the same temp!) and the dark night made us wait until Saturday morning, and it was a good thing. Not but 300 yards from the cabin we were greeted with a tree down, and since we had foolishly left without a flashlight in the caar, it would have been a painful walk to get the chainsaw, and we've learned over the years that chainsawing by headlight is no fun, not to mention dangerous. It is cold in the cabin. I am wearing shorts and crocs, so the first order of business is warming things up. This is of primary importance at this time of year for the safety of all of us: Once we get the fridge and stove pilot lights and wood-burning stove started, the kids let me know that they are hungry. Since the loaf of bread somehow ended up under the potatoes, it is somewhat squished. But, not beyond repair, and we do have ham and cheese, and Peter digs something out of the cabinet, and so: It is the similar race around to reacquaint ourselves with our favorite space, and load up the fridge. Since there were only four of us this weekend, we were able to do it with a small (16 quart?) Igloo, and this is all that was in the fridge: We had stopped at F & D Meats in Virginia for meat for Sunday night, bacon, and Fraboni's breakfast sausage links. We also picked up some pickled herring (a particular weakness of mine). Once we got the fire going, it was onto the storm windows. Given how cold it was going to get that night, I was mighty glad we'd put them on. Dinner was clam chowder, and some take and bake ciabatinni from Trader Joe's. I turned the oven on as soon as we got to the cabin for some rather instant heat. The clams were from a vacuum sealed package (Starkist?) and I used bottled clam juice. The idea of hauling up fresh clams and hauling the shells home was, well, not in the cards. We spent Saturday evening listing to Green Cheese on KAXE (kaxe.org), which is a call in the answers trivia show. Peter successfully answered and called in three answers! Sunday morning dawned late, and COLD! 23 degrees. When I went out for my first cuppa, this is what I saw: The deck was slippery with frost, and trust me, the grass looked "hoarier" in person than it did in this photo! The 2 gallon bucket of water we'd left on the deck was frozen. Breakfast was bacon from F & D, with waffles and yogurt. Followed by Peter and I baking an apple pie. We used Haralson's, which we'd picked at an orchard just a few days before: The apples were small, and not very pretty. Did you know that when you buy apples int he market, they look so shiny because they have been through an apple polisher? I can't seem to find a photo of the finished pie, but per requests, it had a lattice crust, and I always cut my apples into eights, not slices, because I like it chunky. My family doesn't seem to know that a pie can be any other way, so that's just fine with me. As soon as the pie was out of the oven, it was off on a car trip to get gas for the generator, which we don't run very often, but which can be handy when one needs a power tool. On the way, we saw a lot of deer. A lot. Anyone who thinks that primo hunting time is early in the morning is missing the lunch crowd. They were thick and heavy, as were the eagles and snow birds, which look more like butterflies. We returned and went for a walk, because we'd scared up a grouse on our drive -- not but 100' from the cabin. Although this was predicted to be a huge grouse year, we saw only the one, and no grouse hunters. In fact, we didn't see many hunters at all, other than a couple of bow hunters. Here in MN, the archery season is open, but the gun season doesn't start until next week, and believe me, there will probably be more people up north in MN next weekend than any other weekend. But, back to our weekend. We spent some serious time doing some serious things: Sunday night, I fixed a potroast in great-grandma's trusty and well seasoned Griswold. This morning, it was sausages and the rest of the apple pie. The kids had sandwiches just before we left, and just after we'd changed the oil in the generator, and we'd had several walks. Oh, and Paul did Mouse Duty (ask if you are interested in a great way to get rid of unwanted mice). Seen on our walks were signs of what will come next year: Any guesses as to what these will produce? But, I leave you with a thought as we have probably closed the season. It was blissfully quiet. In fact, almost deafeningly quiet. It was us, books, food, games, and just being a family without any of the things that so interfere -- computers, phones, washing machines, mowing. Just us. The moon (waning) was so bright, one could get up in the middle of the night for a pee and not need a flashlight. We saw very, very few people this weekend. Finally, we stood on the deck and were reminded that yes, indeed, we are the luckiest folks in the world. (edited to note that we didn't have a flashlight in the car; trust me, we have plenty in the cabin!)

Starting Monday, October 29, we travel back across the Atlantic. A dairy extravaganza: And a couple of other things: No location photos, but I think the pies are from a pie social...

Although I have photos and reports for late August and Labour Day weekend trips, those will wait until the dead of winter when we all need a boost. But, tomorrow morning, we head north once again, to button up the cabin. Time that the storm windows went on and that we bid a fond farewell to the cabin for the year, and make sure she's set for 2008. It will be a heavier cooking weekend; a nice braise eases the burden on the woodpile and the shoulders of those who stock said woodpile. Since the deer hutning season is open (archery onlly at this time), blaze orange has been packed for all of us. In the bag: apples (for a pie), everything for a potroast (except the roast), great salami, bread, butter, wine, stuff for soup. On the way up we'll get the bacon, sausage for breakfast and the chuck for the potroast. We have flour, sugar and cinnamon for the pie up north. While I'll (most likely) not swim, I'll surely get ankle deep (to get washing water), and will likely lay on the deck late at night, noting how the stars have moved, and watch the Milky Way. Weather predictions are cold and clear (with a slight chance of the "S" word flurries). Time to fire up the oven and get cozy! It has been a very busy fall here, and we are more than ready for deafening silence amidst the smells of cinnamon and bacon and a nice roast.

Steven, what's the verdict on the treatment? In the most odd of all, I had my second bought of pantry moths this summer. I cleaned, treated, whatever. Lo and behold, I found the culprit a few days ago -- a little baggie (from Central Market!) of jalapeno powder. My, the moths were having a grand old time in this little ziplock. Puzzling little buggers, aren't they? I'd have thought they'd have preferred a grain.

Made the grilled coconut chicken with lemon basil last night, with stir-fried spinach as a side. Wow. I loved the chicken -- in fact, I hit a home run with every member of the family! I wish I'd upped the heat a bit, but Peter loved it the way it was, so the compromise was worth it. Unlike Bruce, I didn't toss any of the precious liquid -- I had it for breakfast over rice this morning!

This dish caught my eye the first time around, but a couple of questions. What did you serve with it? Second has to do with the peppers. Did you grown the Hollands? If so, from whence the seeds? From whence the seeds for the Kashmiri peppers?

I looked at the calendar the other day, just before I decided it was time to Get Rid Of Stuff. So, I'm knitting and making dishtowels (thanks, Aunt Martha!). The stash of wool, some sport weight (doubled) and worsterd) is being made into felted trivets and wine bags, and the alpaca into fingerless gloves, so that my gardening friends can put them on under their gardening gloves on a cool day, to keep their hands warm as they tend to their languising tomato and basil patches. I've also got a bushes of apples that will make either nice applie butter or mini apple bread loves.

I think one of the reasons I just freeze the filling separately is that I am dealing with so many apples that I don't have (or want to take the time) to do a dozen double crusts.

Wow! What great suggestions. Yes, wheat gluten is the problem. And, I should have a handle on how many people (and what type of people) will come in the next three weeks, so I'll be revisiting this, frequently, and will give an update with quantities of bodies.

They had pre-sliced apples at the supermarket the other day, and the lady that was giving out the samples had to use a knife to get the packages (one for each slice!) open. Why not just use the knife to cut the apple on a cutting board and reduce chances that you'll cut yourself while cutting open the packages?