Thanksgiving 2020 - The Turkey Rests

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Temperature taken. It's supposed to be 165. The thermometer in the photo is still registering. 

Athena took it all in with a great deal of interest. 

Thanksgiving 2020 - Turkey Prep

Thursday, November 26, 2020

This year's turkey was completely unfrozen. It sat in the sink only briefly before Dale rinsed it off. 

My job was to dry it off. 

 

I think I did a fine job. 

We had it transferred to it's baking pan by 10:30 a.m. Dale says it should set out until about noon. 

We threw the neck out but are holding on to the giblets for the gravy. Dale boiled these on medium low (4.0 on our stove) for 45 minutes.

Athena knows something's up. 

The Golden Hour - Beef Stroganoff (Or Maybe Not)

Saturday, October 17, 2020

MEA weekend. Dale and I were supposed to go to Madeline Island but decided not to. Mostly because Dale's workload this past week was much higher than expected but also somewhat due to the wind advisories for tonight and tomorrow night. We didn't want to risk the possibility of not getting off the Island. 

The plan for the night was a big dinner with cocktails; a real Golden Hour. 

We stopped by South Lyndale Liquors to pick up some wine for Dale but also some rum, falernum, curaçao, and orgeat for my polynesian cocktail. 

T The plan was to have beef stroganoff in the crock-pot tonight. I was so excited. We picked up everything we need to prepare it at Kowalski's. We also picked up pumpkin pie for dessert. Can't wait for ALL of it!

After shopping it was time for a cigar in the yard.  

Athena joined me while Dale took a lengthy walk. 

We had planned on making beef stroganoff tonight in the crock pot. I intended to start the assembly process  at around 4:00 p.m. so we could let the crock pot do its thing and then eat around 7:00. After his walk, around 3 p.m., Dale double checked the recipe and informed me that it was an 8+ hour cook. Boy, did I feel bad because that meant we wouldn't have time to make beef stroganoff tonight. Dale was understanding and offered to run back to the store and get some chicken thighs, broccoli, and a bun as I was still working on my cigar. It's been so long since we've made this particular beef stroganoff recipe that I must have gotten the prep time confused with a turkey noodle hot dish crock pot recipe I make much more frequently which only has a 3 hour total prep/cook time. In the last couple of years Dale's really taken to make his modified version Julia Child's beef bourginoine which gets the meat super tender. 

When I was done with my stogie Dale and I came inside for cocktails. I made my standard tiki cocktail which includes light rum, dark rum, curaçao, falernum, orgeat, and club soda. I used the tiki mug I got for free from the liquor store for buying a bottle of Plantation rum. I love this mug. It fits perfectly in my hand and feels good to hold.

We also had some appetizers - Triscuits  and Swiss cheese. Not real high falutin' but nummy none the less. 

Music was Vegas Baby Too from the Ultra-Lounge series. 

Dinner prep was easy enough. Dale got the thighs and vegetables ready and I got the bun buttered and in the oven at the appropriate time. 

It all turned out great. 

Movie for the night was Murder at the Gallop. We've been on a Margaret Rutherford/Miss Marple bender lately. We watched Murder, She Said last week and Murder Ahoy a week or so before that. 

Pumpkin pie for dessert. Dale and I have a Target run planned for tomorrow and he insists we're going to get an electric mixer for making whipped cream. Considering we've used a hand-held one for 27 years I have to say I whole heartedly agree with him. 

 

Fall Golden Hour Kickoff 2020

Sunday, September 27, 2020

I've been working lots of extra hours on weekends this school year due to Covid-19 and the distance learning it has necessitated. Today was an 8-hour day. Wrapped it all up by 4:00 and was able to relax in the back yard with a cigar. 

Athena needing a little attention. Dale is social distancing from me not because of Covid but because of the cigar. It’s feeling very fall outside but perfectly comfortable with a mid-weight jacket. 

Hit with a little bit of rain which forced us to the garage. It only lasted about 5 minutes and then cleared up pretty quickly. 

   

We made a chicken pot pie with gravy from the Kowalski's deli for dinner. 

     

Watched Murder, She Said starring the incomparable Margaret Rutherford. This was a movie Dale brought to the relationship. It was already an old favorite of his when we met and I remember watching it with him in our first apartment together on Fremont Avenue way back in 1993. We rented it on VHS tape (remember those?) from a video store (remember those?) and it's since become a favorite of mine as well. I'd say we watch it at least every other year. It's become what I like to call a comfort movie.

   

In the early 2000s I found a box set of all 4 Margaret Rutherford/Agatha Christie movies on DVD and picked it up for Dale for Christmas. He was tickled.

   

Pumpkin pie for dessert. From Kowalski's. I think this was the first pumpkin pie of the season. 

   

     Wonderful evening in with a perfectly contented dog. 

Sunday Dinner

Sunday, October 15, 2017

From Dale's blog:

"Anyhoo. Joe and I listened to Bruce Springsteen for at least an hour tonight. Such a great artist."

"Athena was impatiently waiting for me to begin dinner tonight. It's her favorite time of the day because food sometimes falls on the floor and being the helper she is, always cleans it up! Delicious dinner btw. Baked Coho salmon, baked broccoli, Texas toast and a glass of wine, followed by cherry pie and whipped cream."

No, Athena did not get any cherry pie. Or anything else for that matter. Well, maybe a piece of broccoli.

I didn't do much to help make dinner aside from buttering the bread before it went in the oven.

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

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Holiday Brunch 4

Dale and I invited Phyllis and Julie & Regina over for our holiday brunch this year. Dale made the egg-bake, I made the pistachio rum cake pudding, Julie and Regina brought cinnamon rolls, and Phyllis brought the makings for mimosas. 

Top left: Athena smelled lots of good smells coming out of the kitchen.

Top right: My martini. I had a mimosa with the meal.

Bottom left: Dale serves up the egg-bake.

Bottom right: Stairs leading to the front door. Yes, our holiday brunch occurred at night time (long story).

Thanksgiving Eve 2013 - Getting Ready for the Big Day

We managed to get to Kowalski's by around 10 a.m. to pick up all the food for tomorrow. Dale called his mom and dad when we got home. Athena rested on his foot while he chatted with them.

I'm attempting to make pumpkin pie this year using an actual pumpkin and not just the canned puree. I started the process of getting the pumpkin ready at around 9:00 p.m.

Top left: The pumpkin

Top center: Halved

Top right: Seeded

Middle left: Cubed

Middle center: Boiling

Middle right: Skin removed (I think next time I'll remove the skin before boiling. 

Bottom left: Ready to mash

Bottom middle: Mashed!

Bottom right: Ready to spend the night in the fridge until tomorrow morning when the pie will be made.

Here's the directions for preparing the pumpkin from allrecipes.com:

"Use 1 1/2 pound of skin-on, 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 didn't pay attention to how much the pie pumpkin I bought weighed. I chose one that wasn't too big and wasn't too small as compared to the other pie pumpkins at the store. I ended up not cubing about 1/8th of the pumpkin. What I yielded from what I used was about twice as much as I need for the pie. Next time I think I'll save what's left over for another pie!

Chili with Stew Meat

We had Warren and Gary over for dinner last night. Dale made chili but we tried it with beef stew meat rather than ground turkey.  The night before he dredged the meat in flour and lightly fried it off. He then assembled the chili, let it cook on low for about an hour, and then refrigerated  it overnight. A couple of hours before our guests arrived we put it back on the stovetop over a low heat. The result was spectacular!

We had some Gorgonzola cheese with sliced pears and crackers planned for an appetizer. It was all set out and ready to go just after our guests arrived. Our mistake was leaving it unattended in the living room while we went to grab our drinks in the kitchen. Athena ate half of the substantially sized wedge of cheese. Naughty girl (although you gotta give her a little credit for knowing to go for the good stuff!).

Pumpkin pie and whipped cream for dessert. Yum.

Athena Eats Ice

I dropped an ice cube while making a martini tonight. Athena bolted into the kitchen. I figured she'd sniff it and walk away. Instead, she devoured it.

Time for Beef Stroganoff

It's always something of a big deal when Dale and I make beef stroganoff for the first time every fall season. It's such a wonderful fall and winter meal.