The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => People & Places => Topic started by: Arachno-capitalist on November 22, 2007, 02:09:49 pm
-
The one day a year chickens get a break and the turkeys offer their tender breasts and thighs across the 50 states. Hope you are all enjoying it.
-
Just got the turkey out of the brine and onto the grill. Next: Sweet Potatoes.
-
I just got woken out of some bizarre dreams by my alarm clock. Kelli and I are going to go work out, and then we are going to our dad's house for Thanksgiving. A holiday tradition is to listen to Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie every Thanksgiving. I'm pretty excited, since this is my favorite holiday.
The dreams I had were weird, and forget trying to go back to sleep after the alarm clock goes off, since my "secondary alarm" of Lennybruce climbs onto the bed and meows at full volume in my face and steps on my hair for his kittybreakfast. The main dream was me being trapped in Los Angeles or Santa Fe or something without a car, and then realizing that I'm late for my younger sister's wedding. The time kept changing in my dream - although I rationally know that she is having an afternoon wedding, for some reason it was 7:19PM and her wedding was supposed to have started 19 minutes ago. I have no bridesmaid dress, my hair is a mess, and in the dream I'm trying to figure out how to get back to Denver. Somehow my friend Nick, with whom I've been friends since Small Times (third grade) shows up to get me in a tuxedo. Then Kelli and my younger sister show up in full wedding regalia. I'm wearing a black and white dress, which is nowhere near the Regulation Blue that my younger sister has decreed for her wedding, yet somehow it is deemed appropriate. For some ungodly reason, even though my appearance is in nowhere decent enough condition for a formal event and time is running out, we get waylaid at a very expensive department store to get a wedding present. As I'm agonizing over which decorative mirror to get her (dude! Etiquette says that you have up to one year after the wedding to get them their damn pressie! Just get to the wedding, you're detaining the bride!), the dream moved on to something else, the department store and my sisters and Nick all slowly disappeared, and then I was in some remote West Virginian holler with a slimy, abusive ex trying to con me and weasel his way back.
-
I'm having miso chicken and fried rice. The SO is making and Indian eggplant thing I can't spell. Later: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Disc 7.
-
we are eating basically the standard traditional Thanksgiving spread. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce from a can, sweet potatoes, etc.
-
My mom's visiting us out here for the holiday.
Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, squash, stuffing, peas, corns, homemade cranberry sauce, the whole deal.
My mom is awesome.
She has also probably bought us $500 dollars in groceries already.
-
Today I volunteered at the zoo, at the reptile house, and went to a pot luck lunch at the Small Mammal House and gave thanks that I didn't get a permanent job there despite how heartbreaking it was at the time. And tried not to gloat when I discovered that one of my nemeses there had been transferred to the commissary.
Then I came home and had a nice dinner with just me and the Technical Staff. And if I want to feel like I drove a long way to listen to a family bickering over dinner instead, I can go check out that thread about unions and taxes.
-
We're doing a pretty traditional Thanksgiving spread, but I'm making up some basmati rice to go alongside the stuffing (and probably replace it for me -- I'm not that big a fan of traditional Thanksgiving food). It should be a good deal.
Today I, uh, woke up just over an hour ago, having had a varity of strange pseudo-anxiety dreams, and aside from making rice all I've done is loaf around. I can't tell if this is leisure or a depressive episode.
-
my dinner was pretty primo. now I am going to go do dishes, and then eat pies. maybe later I will go see a movie.
when I put on my dress #####, I found a movie ticket in the pocket from exactly a year ago.
-
... and went to a pot luck lunch at the Small Mammal House...
I know the potluck wasn't for the Small Mammals, but I like to imagine it was. In my mind. All these cute furry things bringing in paws full of nuts and rolling in fruits and such. And just a convivial situation of sharing among animals that might otherwise kill each other. For on this day, all the Small Mammals are brothers and sisters. They live in the same house after all.
Happy Turkey Eating Day.
-
I know the potluck wasn't for the Small Mammals, but I like to imagine it was. In my mind. All these cute furry things bringing in paws full of nuts and rolling in fruits and such. And just a convivial situation of sharing among animals that might otherwise kill each other. For on this day, all the Small Mammals are brothers and sisters. They live in the same house after all.
Happy Turkey Eating Day.
That totally gets a tiny can from me.
-
I made something super tasty and super easy. I don't know if I ever posted the recipe here or not...And since I've met the author and since my wife e-mailed him for this recipe since we boxed up the book, I have to credit James McNair and exhort you to buy his Napa Valley Cookbook (and read my review of it on Amazon). It's a pretty cookbook, really great photography and really good, basic and fairly easily accomplished recipes that will make you look like a genius. Like this one.
<><><><><><><><><><><>
Grape Harvest Flat Bread
Americans have come to identify all Italian flat breads or hearth breads, other than pizza, as focaccia, a Ligurian term. Tuscans, however, call their regional flat bread schiacciata, including this one, which is traditionally made in the Chianti region to celebrate the grape harvest. Since Napa Valley and Chianti are similar in so many ways, it seems appropriate that this slightly sweet bread now makes an appearance in the valley each autumn.
Enjoy this flat bread with lunch or as an afternoon treat with a glass of wine, but be sure to save some for breakfast.
Suggested wine: Pinot Noir.
1/4 cup sugar
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast or quick-rising yeast
3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup olive oil
Olive oil for brushing
3 cups seeded wine grapes or seedless grapes
Sugar for sprinkling, preferably large crystals ("Sugar-in-the-Raw" or Demerara sugar is good here)
In a small bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon of the sugar in 1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F). Sprinkle the yeast over the water, stir to dissolve, and let stand until soft and foamy, about 5 minutes. (Discard the mixture and start over with fresh yeast if bubbles have not formed within 5 minutes.)
In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with a flat beater, combine 3 cups of the flour, the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, and the salt. Mix at the lowest speed for a few seconds. Add the 1/4 cup oil and the yeast mixture and continue to mix at the same speed for about 1 minute. Replace the flat beater with the dough hook and knead at medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Pinch off a piece of dough and feel it. If it is sticky, continue kneading while gradually adding just enough of the remaining 1/4 cup flour for the dough to lose its stickiness. If the dough is dry and crumbly, add warm water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Using a pastry brush, generously grease a large bowl with oil. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in the bowl, and turn to coat all over with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss and set aside in a warm, draft-free place for the dough to rise until tripled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours if using quick-rising yeast, or about 3 hours if using regular yeast.
Meanwhile, to prepare the grapes, preheat an oven to 250 degrees F.
Place the grapes in a single layer in a baking pan, transfer to the oven, and bake just until the grapes are hot and juicy, 15 to 20 minutes; do not allow the grapes to pop open. Transfer the pan to a work surface to cool.
Generously brush a baking sheet with oil. Punch down the dough, then divide it into 2 equal pieces. Form 1 piece into a flat disk and place it in the center of the prepared baking sheet. Using your fingertips, and pulling and stretching with your hands as needed, spread the dough into a round about 12 inches in diameter; it may be springy and a bit difficult to spread. Spoon about one-half of the grapes over the dough, spreading evenly, then press the grapes into the dough with your fingertips. Sprinkle the grapes with about 1 tablespoon sugar.
Form the remaining piece of dough into a disk and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Pull and stretch it into a 12-inch round in the same manner. Place it over the grape-studded dough and press around the edges with your fingertips to adhere the 2 pieces of dough together. Scatter the remaining grapes over the top and press them in gently with your fingertips. Brush the dough all over with oil. Sprinkle generously with sugar. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until puffy, about 30 minutes if using quick-rising yeast, or 45 minutes to 1 hour if using regular yeast.
Position racks so that the bread will bake in the middle of an oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake the flat bread until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. If the bread puffs up during baking, prick it with a wooden skewer to release air.
Remove the flat bread to a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes.
Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 8 servings
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
I used a baking stone and it worked wonderfully. I recommend these over pans; the bottom cooks really nicely and not soggy. This is important because the grapes will make some moisture.
One friend was convinced there was cheese in the recipe. There was not, but after thinking for a moment, I can't think of any reason why not...wine certainly goes with cheese, and grapes too...Possibly goat cheese or even really good parmesan cheese, maybe in small slivers rather than grated? I haven't tried this but it sounds good. Also I was thinking about this recipe substituting pears for the grapes, maybe with blue cheese. If you haven't tried pears with blue cheese, you'll be surprised how well they go together.
-
I am pretty sure my mom has and loves that cookbook.
-
Just got the turkey out of the brine and onto the grill. Next: Sweet Potatoes.
I find your ideas intriguing and wish to subscribe to your newsletter. I told the missus I'd like to do a grilled turkey and she looked at me like I was an escaped mental patient. Indirect heat, I presume?
Here's what I cooked for Thanksgiving. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigfool/2055631731/)
-
Indirect heat, I presume?
But of course. This is the third year I've done a turkey on the grill (did two last year). Indirect heat + hickory chips and chunks. Takes ~3.5 - 4 hours. A probe thermometer is a must. They get rave reviews.
-
I've never done a turkey but I have smoked ducks in my grill for several thanksgivings.
The best part to me is what using the grill and good wood chips does to the skin. Awesome color and flavor, really crisp.
Ducks are challenging because they drop a lot of oil, you have to keep the pan under them functional to catch the drips or it's just a conflagration.
Aug, how do you keep coals going for 4 hours? I always found it difficult to get a chimney started and add it quickly with minimal disturbance to the food.
-
I start with a pretty big fire, then add more coals before it completely burns out. Also, I start a chimney-full off the grill (just sitting on the ground works fine) and use them to supplement. But just adding to the existing fire usually works fine for me.