Annie_H

Making my two cranberry sauces this morning. NPR's Susan Stamberg A U.S. Thanksgiving tradition is lost on 2 former members of The Cranberries Listening to, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5WIUFsGB3c Something to look forward to on Friday...

We do the same. Thanksgiving do-aheads cary over to all the holidays. All our stocks and the rich roux DH made for gravy in 1/4 pints frozen will be used for a few holiday meals. Make it once, chestnut brown, and freeze.

I pull out a few Food-n-Wine mags every year I've saved. From the early 90's. Dog-eared with post-its and even grocery lists. A foto file of holiday meals over the years. We rarely good off-script. Traditional basics and zip up different some sides each year without getting squirly if I can't get a specific ingredient. Mixed roasted roots and veg are always what is easily found. Not dated but that pic is 2018 or 19. That is H-Mart cabbage. Shredded Brussel slaw with prosciutto bacon I've totally forgotten about. DH just got his booster and flu vax Friday at Costco. Prosciutto is on super sale so we stocked up. When we have gone off-script with rotis ducks or goose or prime rib---meh. Once a year turkey is what we want. Next day hash, brunch biscuit sandwiches. Stock for freezer soups.

We have decided, as of yesterday, not to travel this year. .Mom and Pop are exhausted from their visit from my sister and husband last week. I sent them a holiday treat box of veg and cheeses. Arriving today. If we did visit we would leave tomorrow. Do-aheads would be important in that zoo family environment. Tonight would have been do-ahead gravy, the two cranberry sauces, pie crust, corn bread, toasted misc bread ends, wild rice and the mushroom ragu for the stuffing/dressing. Packed cooler, yada, yada. Off the hook. Fauci Urges Americans to Use COVID as Excuse to Skip Thanksgiving with Horrible Relatives

We took a road trip last week and back Thursday. Started prep Friday night. Roasted turkey wings with a bone-in thigh and lots of veg. Covered with leek tops. Stock for stuffing and gravy. Very minimal water as veg is full of it. Tripple batch of mirepoix for the stuffing/dressing. Bonus bowl of ham, veg and white bean 'piggy-back' soup for dinner while prepping anywho.

This will cleanse the palate. A seven minute pod-cast with Anthony Bourdain from 2016. HERE I seem to come across it every year. Probably why we are so good at prep aheads. If we are hosting I even set the table a day or two ahead. Just a pile of dinner and salad plates and all the serving dishes piled on the corner of the table closest to the kitchen.

I had a hard time getting through that article this morning. A disposable aluminum pan next to a customs expensive stove. No mater what is used to make gravy---deglazing the good bits on lumpy foil is unsavory.

Pups barking alerted the delivery. Missing the herbed VermontCreamery goat cheese but that is cool. They will delete that cost asap. Misfits is so good about that. Basic home generic cheese I like to stock. But organic grass fed is a plus. Not a holiday treat like my favorite HumboltFog. Dates are 4-2022 or more so that is a plus. Total over-kill on the ice packs. This shit would be fine lost for days.

Your yeast will keep forever in the freezer. Just be careful about moisture transfer. Picked up a pound from Costco at least 5 yrs ago and still good way out of date. Sent out packets to a dozen needing yeast during lock-down. Enough for a dozen loaves. This load is dated 11-5. I seem to be ordering every 10-12 days. Misfits. Squashes, fruit, lemons, even cilantro still good. Managing no waste by using up what goes fast and planning ahead. The mayo is 'penny store'. Yikes, 32 oz.(!?). We usually just pick up a tiny Hellman's for the holiday turkey sandwiches and crab cakes, etc. Pics are so helpful rather than digging through the crisper trying to remember what I have. I'm making a chicken/bone stock tonight heavy on the veg. Leek tops, that giant foot long yellow carrot. Onions, celery, etc. Ham and bean soup for dinner, then freeze the rest of the stock for the holidays. Mirepoix needed for the soup--- I will triple that and freeze a quart zip-lock for the thanksgiving dressing/stuffing using the garden herbs still alive. (no frost yet). Bummer my delivery last night was the other second party delivery service. Impossible to track. One box was so light. Not sure why using two boxes was decided. They just introduced cheese and butter last week.. Vermont creamery and a few other grass-feed treats. All around 8oz and 3-5 bucks. Perfect for the holidays. I have 8 varieties of cheese, butter, cottage cheese, and sour cream coming but it is official. Lost in transit. The delivery last night sat for how long?. Never a message it was here. Fed-x is always on time. Easy to track. These second party delivery dough heads are so sloppy.

The odd quote above was Thrillist, not Eater. Not that familiar with Thrillist. Easy to find in my history. Very awkward writing style. I've known some copy writers over the years and some write about gardening having never poked a seed in soil. The article in relation to the quote, HERE ---posting in connection as it should be rather than deleting the above quote. FWIW

I'm happy with the choice. It came today with the other items. Much earlier than predicted. The silicone trivets/pot holders should be much better than my previous stack of three spoon rests we never cared for. The waffle texture on both sides is deep enough to 'collect' liquids. I always seem to have a wooden spoon, a ladle, or other in meats or chili...then my favorite dozen iced tea spoons I use for condiments and dry spices. Should be room for everybody. I'll keep a few and gift the rest. Doubt they will be used as pot holders as I have that category covered.

True that. Nothing natural about 'natural flavorings'. I've not had truffle oil that I know of. Plenty of shavings over the years. I was not at all recommending Urbani. The tins I have are good and decent ingredients. Just a bit deceptive on the label saying Black Truffles and Mushrooms when it is mostly mushrooms, evoo, and a bit of truffle breakings low on the ingredient list. At least they do use real truffles. I totally get that a good chef would put truffle oil on their hate pile. It was dumbed down, trendy, and discovered most were/are chemically fake. Like olive oils, avocado oils, balsamic, the melamine scandal.... I just have a hard time believing that all the oils are awful. I'll never know having no desire to purchase a few for a tasting comparison. I don't have anything commercially infused. (the gift stuff). I've had a hard enough time finding a good EV Italian and Greek olive oil after Fairway went bankrupt. Only one way to find out. If I like it I will not hesitate to have the brand in my pantry. Not to impress anyone. Or to sprinkle on everything. If it adds something earthy beyond mushrooms I'm all in.

The quote was meant to be edited but my post went 'squirly' and I was busy prepping dinner. Yes, written odd, but I knew what was meant and a bit out of context. Hard to believe anyone writing about food would think only one true truffle oil exists. I assumed it was pointing out that the oil used is pure truffle infused and nothing else. Widely reported a number of years ago that most are made with a chemical blend and no truffle in sight. Why I would never order anything out in a restaurant using it. Urbani is a big supplier of fresh truffles. The broken bits are used in their oils and the tinned sauces. I do use the the truffle and mushroom but it is mostly mushroom with a tiny bit of truffle. Decent sauce for pasta or risotto in a pinch. I really like the earthy quality of wild mixed mushrooms with a burger. I make a mixed mushroom dry rub that forms a nice crust in a cast iron after a few hours un-covered in the fridge. Always make some sort of greek yogurt or mayo sauce. Need to try my dry rub in the sauce next burger night. The Eater piece was last year when it was in a trial. May have improved on it me hopes.

Lots of things born in a laboratory full of chemicals are totally artificial off-mark and horrid. Good oil and real ingredients are usually spot on infusions. The reviews have been good. I'm surprised they would bother if it was a really bad idea. "October 15 through January 10, Shake Shack's Truffle Menu is hitting the masses, made with Regalis Foods' USDA Organic Black Truffle Arbequina Oil, which happens to be the only truly natural truffle product on the market. " EATER review, HERE

This was my last Shack meal. Not an obsession but thankful it exists and they seem to be doing well. I preferred the original hand-cut string fries and do not care for the bland cheese sauce but the Shack Sauce is good with fries.

Lots of pasta here this week. I made a wild mushroom chorizo ragu with shallots and leeks. White wine and a young gorgonzola for the cream. Thinking if a first small course with dinner guests I would add something green and maybe topped with fried shallots. I had some arugula but it was rolled in a damp towel---out of site out of mind...I found it this morning. New to me brussel sprout method recently. Halved and cut side down on a cast iron stove-top burner. Medium low heat. Caramelization without overcooking. Planning that for Thanksgiving.

I'll try it. Limited time so we shall see if get there. Last Shack was early Fall 2019. Usually just grab a good slice if I'm on foot. If lines are long for pizza I'm usually near a Shake Shack.

I also added these mini spatulas. We just lost one recently having a silicone head and hard plastic handle that snapped. These are 8inch that fit into smaller jars. I have the fridge thermometer on the left but needed one for the freezer downstairs. It has an alarm. Needed after some nightmares about the turkey breaking the shelf and forcing the door open. (can't happen having moved it to the bottom lowest bin but nightmares don't care). Good design. They go to sleep with the door shut and turn on when they register light/door open. The twin pack from Amazon were junk even with good reviews.

My Thermopen stopped working a few weeks ago. Assuming it needed a new battery, that I needed to order, it is still not working. I really miss it. Had a special spot in the drawer. Hard rule it does not leave the kitchen. (a couple cheap ones for the BBQ) Off to Thermopen to look at getting another and seeing if I can send this one in. They have a new model but decided on the 'pop' for now. Good price so purchased a few and a a bunch of the BOGO trivet/pot holders. Needing some 10-20$ holiday gifts. Thinking one might replace an annoying spoon rest. I often have a few spoons I need to set down that should not touch. Dishwasher safe. You need to 'add to cart' for each one, then the discount happens automatically at check-out.

Lamb❤️. Initially our Thanksgiving back-up but now have a turkey Red Beans and Dirty Rice Has never been much of a looker. RG pinto beans (I think). Rice and caviar lentils with a small chunk of duck paté for the 'dirty'. I thought the beans were a bit soupy but they usually are. Added the last chunk of barked pork to the beans. ---Extra dirty rice for breakfast.

We seem to be all set. I made my stocks last month. Do not need a veg stock this year. For years I made a wild mushroom and mixed grain/cornbread stuffing/dressing for the vegetarians/gluten-freebies. Though easy enough to make if need be. We needed no stress this year in case we take a road trip to visit my parents. We have been visiting in rotation. My sister from Miami and her husband are visiting now. My brother and family from Idaho were there last month. We were there a few months ago. Mother needs a turkey. I really do not care but the few years we went 'off script', even among friends, I always missed the turkey in retrospect. Mom and pop turn 93 and 92 this week. She has always had turkey and nothing will change that. ---my parents can no longer handle a houseful family reunion type gathering. Turkey in the freezer from ButcherBox. Lots of winter squash, root veggies, pomegranates and cranberries from Misfits. Garden herbs still fresh without a frost. If need be I will harvest and make the stuffing/dressing herb mirepoix early and freeze as a do-ahead. I saved a few Food and Wine Thanksgiving holiday magazines from the early 90's when I took over the menu. Family tradition now. And one or two new side dishes every year for yuck-yucks. Those few mags are filthy with post-its and even a grocery list tucked in. I'm obsessed with the NPR recipe going on for years that most find gross. Sour cream, horseradish, cranberry. Niana Totenbergs MIL's recipe I think. Mama Stanberg's cranberry relish. I make a triple batch and use it for months on sandwiches from the freezer in half pints. I buy sour cream once a year just for that. Misfits has cheese and butter now, VermontCreamery---and sour cream!, cottage cheese, etc. Stupid planting of horseradish in my garden among my blueberry plants as horseradish tends to take over. It seems fine as they may like each other so far after ten years. Next day Thanksgiving egg/potato stuffing/dressing hash for breakfast. Sliders for brunch on biscuits. Turkey/bean/greens soup for a crowd. Once a year is like no other. I like the classics. (not the 50's-60's introduction of marshmallow/jello crap that was introduced by advertising via magazines).

I do have avocado in the freezer, and eggs, but in this instance just the dumplings are frozen. We get a fresh veg box every other week. Always add a couple avocados. Prefer fresh. But when we needed an annual Costco run for tp etc, I ordered a bag of avocados that always ripen around the same time. I mash with lots of lime, then into 1/2 pint deli containers pressing a piece of saran on top before the lid. Learned much about the freezer last year when I finally could get a delivery date. From a restaurant supply. I even froze mirepoix. Taco bar. BoSaam pork from the freezer. Boston bib. No corn tortillas. Should have made fresh but ran out of time.

A quick go-to in the rotation. Always have miso, ginger, scallions, eggs, avocado, dumplings in the freezer---crisper drawer veg varies.