Thanksgiving 2024 - Sweet Potatoes, Fruit Salad, and Dinner On the Table

 Thursday,  November 28, 2024

I got the sweet potatoes ready while the turkey was in the oven. I halved the recipe on the can.  

Ingredients: 1 29 oz can of sweet potatoes; 1 egg; 1/4 cup milk; 3/4 cups brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract;  1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. 

Directions: Heat oven to 375 degrees; spray 9x9 in baking pan with Pam; mix ingredients in large bowl; add marshmallows on top. just before baking; bake 30-35 minutes and then take out of oven and let rest for 10 minutes

Mom arrived around 2:00 and Dale got the marshmallows on the sweet potatoes while I entertained her.  He got the sweet potatoes in the oven by 2:10 so they could be out by 2:45 and rest for 10 minutes. 

At 2:30 I got the fruit salad together. Easy to make. Two cans of mixed fruit with whipped cream. Dale got gravy ready using the giblets I cut up. He also got the stuffing ready.

Dinner was on the table by about 3:10 and it was delicious.

Dale seems to think I do a great job carving the turkey. I feel like I'm hacking away with an ax to the carcass but I guess I do okay since there's barely any meat on it when I'm finished. There's gotta be a youTube video out there that shows the most efficient and perfect way to cut it up. Maybe I'll look for that sometime. 

Mom brought over a pumpkin pie that some friends from church had made. She said they usually make about 100 pies every year to sell to people for Thanksgiving. It was delicious and one of the better pumpkin pies I've ever had. That's sayin' something cuz I LOVE pumpkin pie. 

She also brought over some port wine. Dale didn't think he'd ever had any before. I poured some for us after the pie. Mom and Dale didn't like it. They said the alcohol level was too hight (turned out it was 20%) and they just didn't like the taste. I thought it was fine but what do I know. 

Can't believe another Thanksgiving has come and gone.

Back to Standard Time - The Golden Hour

Sunday, November 7, 2021

Back to Central Standard Time. It's nice to have that extra hour back. Dale went on a bike ride and I sat out back with a couple of different little cigars. The first was a Macanudo and the second a Romeo y Julieta (pictured above). Both were nice. 

After his bike ride Dale joined me in the back yard for cocktails with music. 

We made a chicken pot pie for dinner and Dale made some Brussels sprouts with bacon and maple syrup. 

And had pumpkin pie for dessert. 

Fall-like dinner even though it doesn't feel like fall outside, at least for November. 

Pumpkin Pie

Sunday, October 18, 2020

We had leftover pumpkin pie from yesterday. We also had some leftover whipped cream. It lost much of its firmness sitting in the fridge overnight which is why is looks so runny. However, it tasted just as good. 

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. 

Thanksgiving 2016 - With Mom

Thursday, November 24, 2016

With Mom at the Normandy Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis. They put together a great Thanksgiving dinner. Served family style, it included their signature popovers,  caramelized Brussels sprouts with lardons, apple chestnut stuffing, maple sweet potato puree, gravy, cranberry compote, and of course turkey.  We all went for the pumpkin pie for dessert although apple and pecan were options. The pie was top shelf.

Fall Golden Hour Kickoff 2015 - Dinner

Saturday, November 14, 2015

First chicken pot pie of the season.

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 - Waiting

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

Thanksgiving 2014 - The Finished Pie

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

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 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.

And More Pumpkin Pie

From where else? Kowalskis.

The Season of Pumpkin Pie Has Arrived

From Kowalski's.

Thanksgiving 2013 - The Feast

Top left: The turkey we bought was unfrozen but Dale determined it was still somewhat so in the center. We let it thaw just a bit longer.
Top center: Dale made cranberry sauce. The recipe on the bag calls for adding 1 cup of sugar. Too much. Last year Dale put in a quarter cup. Too little. This year he added half a cup. Just right!
Top right: Turkey basted with red wine. 
Middle left: Dale boiled the giblets and diced some of them to add to the gravy.
Middle center: The backyard on Thanksgiving Day.
Middle right: Checking the turkey's temperature.
Bottom left: Appetizers of pickled herring and gouda cheese. 
Bottom center: The table is set.
Bottom right: Pumpkin pie and coffee for dessert.

Note: I made a fruit salad with whipping cream and two cans of fruit cocktail just like  Grandma Alice used to make. She added bananas to hers so I did too. Mom made the gravy and also brought sweet potatoes. It ALL turned out very well!

Thanksgiving 2013 - Finished Pumpkin Pie

I made these cookies from extra pie dough. I tried to add the one in the center before baking but that didn't work very well. It just sank in the batter. I baked it by itself and then set it on top of the finished pie which, by the way, turned out quite well. I think I like it with the stewed and mashed pumpkin rather than puree. It tastes a bit grittier and more rustic. I can't remember where I got the Minnesota cookie cutter. I think Mom gave it to me quite a few years ago. I bought the snowflake cookie cutters just last year. I anchored the snowflake cookies to the side of the crust but some of them sank to a greater or lesser degree. From above it looks like snowflakes in a hot tub with some trying to float their legs on the water and some with their legs submerged. 

Thanksgiving 2013 - Pumpkin Pie

This morning I continued the adventure of making pumpkin pie that I began last night. 

Top left: My own puree.
Top center: Adding the other ingredients (see below)
Top right: Mixing
Middle left: The baker
Middle center: Yes, it's Thanksgiving 2013
Middle right: Embellishments added before putting in oven
Bottom left: Out of the oven!
Bottom center and right: I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as the pie baked. I love Snoopy. This balloon is his 7th incarnation according to Matt Lauer.

Here's the recipe I used 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 added a dash a ground cloves, used a Pillsbury pie crust, and left in the oven about 5-10 minutes than called for by the recipe. This whole process was a blast!

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!