Thanksgiving 2014 - Turkey Coloring Contest

Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving 2014 - Turkey Coloring Contest

The following is from Dale's blog:

"Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. To me it’s about spending time with people you love, cooking, eating, playing outside when it’s cold then coming inside where it’s toasty and warm, having a drink and eating something hearty that radiates warmth through your entire body and soul. This holiday did not disappoint. 

In addition, watching Joe and his traditions and the things he likes are as much fun as my own. Since he’s been a kid, he has waited for the Thanksgiving Day Minneapolis Star Tribune to come so he can color in the “Oh You Turkey” turkey on page one of the Variety section. Now he’s pushing 49 years old and he still colors this turkey in every year. I should send it in to see if he might win his age category."

Thanksgiving 2014 - Happiness Is Cooking!

Dale and I had a LOT of fun this year - we always do and this year was no exception.

Thanksgiving 2014 - Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2014 - With Mom

Mom came over around 3pm. We indulged in gouda, crackers, and some red wine while finishing up with last minute preparations. The only thing that slowed us down a bit happened while I was carving the turkey and getting it on a platter. My wine glass was close to the tip of one of the turkey's legs. I had the turkey on a cutting board and he slipped around a bit during the cutting which knocked over the glass of wine which was, I admit, a bit to close to the edge of the counter. Some shards and bits made it all the way out to the living room.

Thanksgiving 2014 - Flop or Not?

Dinner was delicious. The full menu included turkey, stuffing, green beans amandine, corn, fruit salad (the kind Grandma Lex used to make - 2 cans fruit cocktail, 2 sliced bananas, whipped cream), rolls, and pumpkin pie. Oh, yeah. The pumpkin pie. I was very disappointed as it wasn't done in the middle. I did everything the same as last year except I put tin foil under the pie on the oven rack because Dale was afraid some would spill in the oven. He originally wanted me to put a cookie sheet under the pie but I was concerned that would affect the baking of it. I compromised with the tin foil. Maybe it made a difference? Oh well. This year we just ate the edges and not the center.

Thanksgiving 2014 - A Time to Baste and a Time to Rest

Thanksgiving 2014 - Athena Intrigued

Thanksgiving 2014 - Buttering Up the Turkey

Top left: Adding butter
Top right: Pat down
Bottom left: Adding more butter
Bottom right: Athena looks at the scene with a great deal of interest

Thanksgiving 2014 - Waiting

Done with its thawing, the turkey is about to go back in the fridge.

Thanksgiving 2014 - Macy's Parade

With things in the oven and/or cooling we took a break to see some of the parade.

Thanksgiving 2014 - The Finished Pie

It's out of the oven and cooling. Looks pretty good.

Thanksgiving 2014 - Oh, You Turkey

Worked on the Oh, You Turkey coloring contest in the Strib this morning. Of course I'm not going to enter it. It would win first prize and I want to give the kids out there a chance. LOL!

Thanksgiving Morning 2014 = Cranberries

With the pie in the oven, Dale made the cranberries. Cranberries are added to a saucepan with one cup of water and half a cup of sugar that have been brought to a boil. The boil until shortly after the skins come off. Dale also added a little bit of cinnamon. 

Thanksgiving Morning 2014 - Turkey

Dale washed out the turkey after it finished the little bit of thawing that it needed. Back in the fridge it went.

Thanksgiving Morning 2014 - Pumpkin Pie Recipe Part 2

I used the same recipe as last year from allrecipes.com:

"Ingredients

2 cups mashed, cooked pumpkin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

In a large bowl with mixer speed on medium, beat pumpkin with evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well. Pour into a prepared crust. Bake 40 minutes or until when a knife is inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean."

Note: I left it in the oven 10 minutes longer than stated in the recipe.

Thanksgiving Morning 2014 - Bad Dog!

Dale was up early to take out the turkey. It was still slightly frozen when we bought it. He also took out a stick of butter to give it a butter rub down once it's more thawed. He came out to the living room to read for a bit but heard Athena jump up and get something. He at first though she got the turkey but found she was eating the stick of butter (wrapper and all) when he burst into the kitchen. Athena has NEVER jumped on the counter and made a food grab before. Naughty dog!

Thanksgiving Morning 2014 - It's Cold!

This is supposed to be one of the colder Thanksgivings in quite a number of years.

Thanksgiving Eve - Dale's Take

Here's what we woke up to this morning:

The following is excerpted from Dale's blog.

"We’re settling into the long Thanksgiving weekend.  We started last night with me taking a spin class and meeting Joe at the new bar at the gym for a couple of drinks.  This idea of a bar in the gym is just genius, by the way."

"Today we’re both off work so we hit the grocery store and liquor store early.  So humane to do this without the huge number of folks who will be there tonight." 

"Then I hit yet [a] spin class at noon.  It was so great.  So many spin friends I haven’t seen in months took this class and so grateful to be able to spend time with them.  When we returned home, I shoveled the light snowfall we got today and Joe began to make pumpkin pie from scratch."

"It feels good to relax.  I’ve been so caught up with busyness and responsibility and the angst of what’s going on nationally, that it’s good to step back, have some fun, count your blessings and enjoy the simple pleasures.  Those other things are important, but so is taking a break from them to refresh and recharge."

With all the snow on the ground I had to give in to putting on a little Christmas music.

Thanksgiving Eve - Pumpkin Pie Recipe Part 1

I decided to make my own pumpkin puree again this year. 

Here's the first part of the directions for preparing the pumpkin puree [with a slight modification of my own] from allrecipes.com:

"Use 1 1/2 pound of skin-on [this year I took the skin off], raw pumpkin to yield 2 cups of mashed. Halve pumpkin and scoop out seeds and stringy portions. Cut pumpkin into chunks. In saucepan over medium heat, in 1 inch of boiling water heat the pumpkin to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain, cool and remove the peel. Return pumpkin to the saucepan and mash with a potato masher."

Note: I used a smaller pie pumpkin this year than last and it didn't seem to take as long in the pot.  Maybe it was because I peeled the skin off before boiling. I filled the pot to cover the pumpkin by just a little bit, maybe a half inch. It only took about 15-20 minutes before the chunks were tender enough. 

Top left: The pumpkin. It was a cute one.

Top middle: Halved

Top right: Chunked with skin off.

Middle left: Boiling

Middle: Beginning

Middle right: Draining in a colander.

Bottom left and middle: Mash

Bottom right: Just a little more than enough to store in the fridge until tomorrow morning when I assemble and bake the pie.

Thanksgiving Eve Day - South Lyndale Liquors

Our next stop was South Lyndale Liquors. That was quite the humane experience as well. While packing up our hooch, the gal at the register asked if we were doing anything exciting for Thanksgiving. Dale told her she was putting it in the bag. Funny guy.

Thanksgiving Eve Day - Kowalskis

Having off the day before Thanksgiving makes holiday grocery shopping so much more humane. Dale and I were to Kowalski's by about 9:30 this morning. We got everything we needed!

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

Dinner with Dale at The Lowbrow last night. The food is always fantastic. Dessert was the pumpkin tres leches cake and it was nothing less than heaven.

Pot Pie

Served with steamed broccoli.

First Pot Pie of the Season

Sunday, November 9, 2014

It's been a while since we've made a pot pie. The snowflakes are for the snow we are anticipating overnight. 

And More Pumpkin Pie

From where else? Kowalskis.

The Season of Pumpkin Pie Has Arrived

From Kowalski's.

Dale Outdid Himself This Time

 

We had Heather and Nick over last night and Dale made Julia Child's beef bourginoine recipe. We both made it for Christmas Eve a few years ago. Yesterday Dale included one of Julia's steps that we didn't do last time. He strained the broth through a colander into a sauce pan and then put the meat and other ingredients back in the Le Creuset pot. With the broth in the sauce pan, Dale skimmed off the fat. Then he added in back in with the meat in the pot. Less fatty and it tasted divine. 

Sunday Dinner - Sept. 7, 2014

Dale and I made lasagna tonight. We had nachos for an appetizer as we prepared it. I've always known that lasagna refers to the dish itself but also the noodle. I learned today that the plural of a lasagna noodle is lasagne. Huh, go figure. I've always wondered about the different spelling. Now I know. 

That Time of Year

Made Caprese salad for Dale and myself tonight. Tonight we added salt and pepper.

Dinner to Go

Grilled vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and beef medallions all from Kowalski's. Pick a main and two sides and for $9.99 you're good to go.

Blueberry Tart from Kowalskis

It was so wonderful it deserves its own post. The filling was lemony and it worked very well with the blueberries. Fancy that.

Grazing Tray

Haven't made a grazing tray since New Year's Eve. Grape tomatoes. Shrimp with cocktail sauce. Grapes. Pepperoni, cheddar cheese, and crackers. Apples. The blueberry tart was for dessert and, thus, not on the tray. It was mostly a great success although I will say the grape tomatoes, although very good, just didn't work with the other stuff. The grapes were a bit to ripe. 

Dining Alone 2014 Part 3

My dessert last night. And only 150 calories each. I ate two. Chocolate and peanut butter flavored.

Dining Alone 2014 Part 2

Dale's up on the Island again and when he's gone I usually go for ease when it comes to cooking. One quick meal is cold fried chicken, a twisty roll, and a wedge of cored pineapple (no, I didn't eat in one sitting what's shown, only the part which is missing)). All are from Kowalskis. Dale would probably be on me for not having vegetables but when he's gone I like to take a break from them. Absence will make my heart grow fonder for broccoli and asparagus.

Dining Alone 2014 Part 1

With Dale out of town this weekend to help a friend move,  I decided to order Chinese from Xin Wong. I usually start with the wonton soup (top) and always get egg rolls (bottom). My favorite entree is the sweet & sour shrimp and I'm also fond of the broccoli with garlic sauce. I made the shrimp and broccoli last for two meals. Last summer while Dale was on the Island, my friend Warren and I would order a lot from Xin Wong. 

Sunday Brunch

Yesterday Dale and I went to brunch at the Loring Kitchen and Bar which looks out over Loring Park. We both got mimosas and shared a caramel roll. I got the classic eggs Benedict and Dale got an omelet. Both of our items came with cheesy hashbrowns. I really like the atmosphere there. 

The Lowbrow

Dale and I love eating at the Lowbrow.

Dinner at the Lowbrow

Caramel Creme Pie

Chocolate Stout Cake

Dale and I had dinner tonight at the Lowbrow which is our favorite neighborhood restaurant. We both ordered the pasta special which was penne pasta with bolognese sauce.  For dessert I had the chocolate stout cake (my favorite) and Dale had the caramel creme pie (delicious - he let me try it). 

Yesterday Was Super Bowl Sunday

I know most of our fellow Americans would find us strange, but Dale and I have no interest in the watching the Super Bowl. We watched Downton Abbey instead. I know it's the biggest eating day of the year second only to Thanksgiving, but the most exciting thing we ate was some sea salt and caramel chocolate cake from, where else, Kowalski's.

Saying Goodbye to Warren

Sidecar

Our friend Warren is moving to California for a few months. We had him over for dinner last night. The meal was very simple. Pizza was ordered from Pizza Luce. Warren brought a salad and some frozen pizza rolls. I drank sidecars, Dale drank red wine, and Warren drank his usual drink of rum, soda water, and Rose's Lime Juice. It's hard to say goodbye to friends. In this case his move might turn out to be permanent. We'll find out.