Food Blog: GG Mora

[GG Mora]

Howdy. Squeat tagged me to blog last week, but I didn't reply fast enough and the honor went to Cusina. I volunteered to blog Thanksgiving week, and Cusina was gracious enough to allow it. And thanks, Cusina, for our week in Wisconsin.

I'm afraid I'm off to an inauspicious start. I slept very late this morning due to last night's overindulgence; by the time I got up, my husband was long gone to work and the kids had already fed themselves. Truth be told, I was grateful for the solitude in the kitchen.

For starters, I consumed a small handfull of diced dried pineapple while staring out the window waiting for my brain to come alive.

Then, I pulled a double shot (Cafe Bustelo, Francis!Francis! X5) and dressed it with a glug of 1/2 & 1/2. While a slice of some local(ish) pain au levain was toasting, I fried a pair of over-easies and poured a glass of apple cider, which I diluted by half with plain fizzy-water.

I perched on a stool at the kitchen counter and ate my breakfast while watching the dog roll in compost out in the yard.

I was hoping to do a trial image-posting, since it would be fun to include some visuals throughout the week, but I can't seem to access ImageGullet. I'll try it again later.

It's unseasonably gorgeous here in Vermont today – sunny and already approaching 60° just before noon. Normally it would be in the high 20s/low 30s this time of year. I figured cycling was done for the season, but I think this weather calls for me to drag the bike down off its hook and drag my ass up a few hills.

I must have been slightly nuts volunteering to have a bunch of strangers watch through a spy glass as I muddle through preparations for a feast day. So be it. Should be an interesting week, though, with a few other food-related highlights. If a couple of 10-year olds have their way (read: if they keep up the badgering and arm-twisting), I'll be overseeing production of a gingerbread house towards the end of the week. It's that time of year, too, to get some chopped dried fruits busy in their booze-bath in anticipation of late-December fruitcake baking. And there'll be a couple of farm visits for procuring milk and eggs and Thursday's bird.

Hang on to your seats, kids.

[jwagnerdsm]

Looking forward to it, GG. Enjoy the weather now. It's snowing in Iowa and heading your way.

[Squeat Mungry]

GG, very much looking forward to a holiday week in Vermont! I must say it's very brave of you. (I was hoping for snow, though. I miss snow, sometimes.)

Cheers,

Squeat

[Mayhaw Man]

Looking forward to a good blog from colder climes. Here in South Louisiana our usual Thanksgiving weather consists of 50F and rain (we call it winter, but it really is a poor excuse for it). Unusually warm so far this year, 80 and blue sky here today.

I have to ask, do you stuff the bird or have dressing on the side in your part of the world?

[Cusina]

I'm enjoying this already. Have a great time blogging and thanks for patiently waiting through mine.

Do post pictures, we'll love seeing them.

~Cusina

[fifi]

Oh goody. Thanksgiving in Vermont. (That would make a good song title.)

I am in Mayhaw Man's camp, just a little west along the coast, so this will really be fun. I sure hope ImageGullet gets up and running (I think they are working on it) so we can get pictures. Descriptions of the landscape and the current state of the autumn leaves would satisfy some of my curiosity. Down here we don't get much in the way of autumn color.

Mayhaw Man, I am sending you a line of thunderstorms with a "cold" front. It is likely to get all the way down to maybe the 40s.

[hillvalley]

You just made me remember to go track down my copy of Alice's Restaurant, which my family plays as we begin our Thanksgivingmeal with freshly shucked oysters. I always pictured it taking place in New England for some reason.

[woodburner]

Hi GG and looking forward to hear from a fellow New Englander. I've been dragging my dead butt to work via bike since May 12. Have lost about 11 lbs without changing my overindulging eating and periodic imbibing habits. Bikes are a good thing, and looking forward to reading your blog.

good luck.

woodburner

Edited November 23, 2003 by woodburner (log)

[GG Mora]

Sorry, Squeat, no snow yet, but local folk wisdom holds that if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. Changeability is where it's at. So it may be 60 tomorrow, but we could still have a good dump of freshies for Thursday.

And Fifi, I'm sorry to report that the autumn foliage is long gone. Those lovely mountains currently look something like baby elephants – covered in grey-brown scruffy fuzz.

I don't know whether stuffing/not stuffing the bird is so much a regional thing as it marks a divide between the cautious and those who live dangerously. I tend to live dangerously, and therefore I cook the stuffing in the bird (how else to get that lovely fat-crisped layer from the neck cavity?).

This afternoon's activities should well illustrate the culinary wonderland/wasteland conundrum that is living in Vermont. I have access to impeccably fresh produce in the summer (most of it – literally – right in my own backyard; if ImageGullet lets me, I'll post a pic of the garden at its height) and excellent local dairy products year 'round (there are some phenomenal cheeses being made in Vermont), and can get fresh organically raised meats and poultry nearly any old time. The downside is that the produce is pretty limited starting right around now and the restaurant scene is appalling. And the local grocery store (an IGA) is hit-or-miss at best. Yes, there are some very good restaurants, though few and far between, and the ethnic food scene is non-existent. We have a passable Chinese place nearby (in Manchester, which, with a population of 6 or 7 thousand, is the nearest "big" town) and there's okay Thai and Indian in Brattleboro (40 miles away). There is some very good and authentic Mexican to be had about 20 miles from here, but only on Friday and Saturday nights and only until 8:00. Finding ingredients can be something of a scavenger hunt, and whenever I plan on traveling more than 50 miles from home, I make damn sure I have a cooler in the car in case I find something interesting. I apologize to anyone who may have been looking for veal bones at the Harlem Fairway on October 20, 2002, because I bought every last one – all 30-something lbs.

I'm sure you're all asking yourselves "what on earth does that all have to do with this afternoon's activities?" Well, it's this. I thought that I'd get started on some Thanksgiving prep by roasting up some turkey parts and making a little stock for gravy. Innocently enough, I hopped in the car and drove up the to IGA (1.5 miles) to get the paper and pick up some turkey parts. Nada. So I drove the additional 15 or so miles to Manchester thinking that the bigger supermarkets (Shaw's or Price Chopper) would certainly have some. Nope. What I ended up with is a whole 10-lb. turkey, which I am soon to dismember with my trusty boning knife. I'll carve off the two breast portions and freeze them for future use, and maybe do the same with the thigh meat. The rest of it will be roasted for stock. The upside piece is that once all that's done, I'll drive up to a nearby dairy farm for a gallon of lovely fresh raw whole milk. This is one of those rituals that makes me feel all is right with the world. I can let myself into the milk room, stuff a few bills in the honor-pot, and set to work drawing milk from the holding tank. I always try to go in the late afternoon when the cows have been brought in for milking; it's nice to feel their presence there in the barn, even if I can't take my milk directly from a teat. There's usually one or another of the barn cats waiting around to lick up anything I might spill. I'm required to hose down the floor when I'm done, but I wait a few moments for the kitties to have their treat.

Oh, heavens, I'm freezing here. I DID get out for a bike ride, and I came in damp and sweaty and sat right down to my blog. Now I'm chilled and I'm hungry, and I need to put some food in me before I start chomping on the pens and pencils scattered around my desk.

Later.

[jwagnerdsm]

Boy, that is rustic. And I thought Iowa was rural. Sounds lovely. I hope you tell us about some of the cheeses that you will have on your table this holiday. And what do you do with the raw milk? Do you drink it or use it in some kind of recipe? And is there some kind of special preparation involved before you drink it? Thanks for the interesting post.

[jackal10]

Tell us about Maple Syrup...I spent one enjoyable autumn tapping maple trees of a friends farm and boiling the syrup down. The only container big enough for the boiling was an old aluminium canoe over some wood fires...wonderful stuff.

You say there are few good restaurants, bu there are some wonderful Inns in Vermont. And Ben and Jerrys...

[fifi]

A bunch of us here would travel a long way for that milk experience.

[mags]

You just made me remember to go track down my copy of Alice's Restaurant, which my family plays as we begin our Thanksgivingmeal with freshly shucked oysters. I always pictured it taking place in New England for some reason.

Probably cause it takes place in Stockbridge, Mass.

[hillvalley]

You just made me remember to go track down my copy of Alice's Restaurant, which my family plays as we begin our Thanksgivingmeal with freshly shucked oysters.  I always pictured it taking place in New England for some reason.

Probably cause it takes place in Stockbridge, Mass.

Of course!

My parents would be so embarrassed if they knew I had forgotten!

Edited: for spelling

Edited November 23, 2003 by hillvalley (log)

[torakris]

Great! It will be wonderful to hear all the details of someone's Thanksgiving since I won't be having one myself.

[GG Mora]

Just checking out the image-posting feature.

As to the milk: no special recipes. The kids drink it. In fact they prefer it to grocery-store whole milk and can tell the difference in a heartbeat. I do use it when I make dulce de leche, and keep meaning to whip up a batch of creme brulée with it (but I want to make sure I have good, fresh local eggs when I do).

As for the safety of feeding kids (or anyone) raw milk: the farm I get it from (or the herd, more precisely) is certified TB-free. I know there are other potentially harmful pathogens, but I talked at length with the mom whose farm it is. She and her husband both grew up drinking raw milk, to no ill effect, and they've raised their kids on it (oldest is now 12). I'm not real worried about it.

Edited to add: coooool

Edited November 24, 2003 by GG Mora (log)

[GG Mora]

So "lunch" was a couple of Fig Newtons and some leftover Mu Shu Pork. The kids fended for themselves. Isabel, age 10, made herself some pasta and sauce with garlic bread. No idea what Thomas, 12, had (probably several bowls of Cheerios or a toasted bagel with cream cheese). That must make me sound like a neglectful Mom, which I'm not. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I don't get a lot of "me" days; today was officially designated as one. And the kids – my step-kids, actually – are self-reliant enough that they can take care of feeding themselves in order to stay out of my hair for a day.

Once I'd stopped the hunger pangs, I set about taking that turkey apart. I actually took before and after shots, but the afters are so damned gross that anyone not accustomed to butchering their own meat might feel the urge to retch. Anyway, it all went into the oven with some onions, carrots, celery and a bit of garlic and I sat down to the Sunday NYT with a cold bottle of beer – Mich Ultra.

A few words about my eating habits: since I'm trying to cut back on carbs (not anything so radical as Atkins or anything) wherever I can, but I'm not very good at it (read: not disciplined), I may seem like a perfect schizo when it comes to food. Breakfast one day may be two plain eggs and some black coffee, and on another day toast with peanut butter or a bowl of Cheerios or a bagel and cream cheese. I'll try and be good by nursing a single Mich Ultra (ick) or a vodka with diet tonic (not so bad if it has enough fresh-squeezed lime) through an entire evening. Then the next might will find me throwing in the towel and guzzling 3 real beers. "House brew" is Long Trail Ale, a local Vermont brew.

For dinner, I thawed some beef/barley/vegetable soup I'd made a couple of Sundays ago for a night just like this – one on which I really didn't feel like doing any more cooking. Now we're all fed, sated and sleepy. The turkey stock is bubbling gently on the stove, where I'll leave it for the night.

[mighty quinn]

great work gg-i cycle so i can eat the way i want to-fortunately here in virginia i can ride most of the year ( i'm a wimp when it comes to the rain though!) please post pics of cheese asap- this is a staple in my diet. i'll be going to pennsylvania for the holidays and i'm hoping to procure some raw milk at one of the amish farms- we're going to have a go at making mozzarella- any thoughts?

[Mayhaw Man]

As for the safety of feeding kids (or anyone) raw milk: the farm I get it from (or the herd, more precisely) is certified TB-free. I know there are other potentially harmful pathogens, but I talked at length with the mom whose farm it is. She and her husband both grew up drinking raw milk, to no ill effect, and they've raised their kids on it (oldest is now 12). I'm not real worried about it.

Edited to add: coooool

I grew up drinking raw milk. It hasn't killed me yet .

Actually we have a great artisinal dairy here in South Louisiana called Mauthe's Dairy (I tried to link to the website but it does not seem to be working, but if it was it would be www.mauthescreolecreamcheese.com) They sell milk at the New Orleans Farmers Market and also at the one in Covington on Saturday. They make fablous Creole Cream Cheese and sell whole milk that has been pasteurized to the bare minimum and has not been homogenized. It is gh free and ceritfied organic. I don't care much one way or the other about organic, but I sure do like that milk. I had forgotten how much better it is and how much fun it is to cook and bake with.

[herbacidal]

diet tonic (not so bad if it has enough fresh-squeezed lime

there is such a thing? cool, learning stuff every day from these blogs.

[Ling]

Is diet tonic just plain soda water? I've never heard of it either.

VERY much looking forward to hearing about your Thanksgiving!

[GG Mora]

Yup, diet tonic water. It's not just plain soda water, it's tonic water sweetened with one of the artificial sweeteners. I generally find that stuff to be unspeakably gross, but the inherent bitterness of quinine and a healthy squeeze of fresh lime mask the bitterness of the sweetener. My preferred brand is Schweppe's.

Great to hear from other cyclists out there. It's a way of life for us. My husband works in a bike shop in the summers, and we met over my purchase of a new bike 2 1/2 years ago. He'd like to see the whole world bike-propelled, and he commutes by bike as often as he can (in fairer weather). Another guy who works in the bike shop is a commited year-round commuter, and does the 30-mile round trip in the dark in several inches of snow (it only sucks when the plow goes by). Check out his rig here: All-Season Rural Vermont Commuter Bike.

Breakfast this morning was a 2-egg cheddar omelette and my standard dose of espresso. My husband gets up to feed the kids, pack their lunch and see them off to school. I wait until I hear the bus pull away down on the road before I get out of bed. It's our way of sharing responsibility for the kids, and it keeps me sane by giving me the morning quiet time I need. I work at home – I produce automotive technical literature for a boutique arm of one of the Big 3 – so I'm here for afternoon duty.

I'm still adjusting to this whole kid thing, and for that matter the husband thing, too. Until 2 1/2 year ago, I lived blissfully alone in a little 1-BR house, where I cooked or didn't cook as I pleased and shopped in small doses. Enter soul mate with 4 kids. We married 5 months later & moved into his big crazy house, which had plenty of room for the kids when they visited every other weekend. 6 months later, his 12-yr. old son opted to come live with us. 1 year later, his 10-yr. old daughter did the same. Insta-family. From swingin' footloose single chick to soccer mom in 2 years. Or, as one of my girlfriends commented after spending an hour at Costco with me, "fuck that soccer mom shit, girl, you're a Costco mom".

This has required a seismic shift in the way I think about, shop for, and cook food. I can't just blow off dinner, I can't ignore an empty refrigerator, and my days of shopping with a hand-held basket are long gone. In an average week, our staple usage looks something like this:

• 2 - 3 dozen eggs
  
• 2 loaves of bread
  
• 1 1/2 lbs. butter
  
• 1 1/2 gals. milk
  
• 1/2 lb. cheddar cheese
  
• 1/2 - 1 lb. cream cheese
  
• 1 lb. Cheerios
  
• 1 dozen bagels
  

And so on. We have a dry-erase board in the kitchen where one is to write items on a grocery list as they are used up. Milk, eggs and bread might just as well be written in permanent ink.

Okay, I've rambled on enough for now and I really need to get some work done. Maybe after lunch I'll get down to some real Thanksgiving talk.

[Cusina]

Wow, insta family is right, what a transition. Are the four of you pretty well in sync as to what you like to eat or is it a challenge to please everyone?

We go through a lot of diet tonic too, more so in the summertime. It's even better with gin in it.

The pictures are coming through, loud and clear. Post more!

[GG Mora]

Are the four of you pretty well in sync as to what you like to eat or is it a challenge to please everyone?

Surprisingly, the kids are pretty open-minded about what they eat. They know that a PBJ is always an option if they don't like what's in front of them; the only time either of them opted for PBJ, it was because something was too spicy (Thomas: thai soup, Isabel: chili).

Thomas has a pretty remarkable palate for a kid his age, and has expressed an interest in being a chef when he's older. He's already learned to make a decent vinaigrette, and he loves red wine (good boy). He gets a real charge out of taking relatively bizzardo leftovers to school. I guess you don't see many kids on the lunchroom gnawing on rack chops from last night's lamb. Last week, he pronounced the risotto I made "ravishing". I know, he's starting to sound like a pompous dolt, which he really isn't. He's a scream to have around – like when he timed an expletive at the table so perfectly as to cause his little sister to blow milk out her nose. I guess kids do stuff like that all the time, but it was still hilarious. Once we'd all stopped laughing, and the milk was wiped off the wall, the table, and my spectacles, his Dad allowed that it was one of the funniest things he'd ever seen. And then he promised to kill him if he ever did it again.

Edited November 24, 2003 by GG Mora (log)

[Toliver]

Besides maple syrup, what is typical Vermont fare? Cusina in Wisconsin had her sausage brats. What are the regional specialties of Vermont?