Thanksgiving Food

I've somewhat redeemed myself from last year's food.  This year, the sweet potato casserole was my favorite dish with the stuffing coming in as a close second.  Next year, I'll skip the green beans.  I only make them, so there's something reasonably healthy on the plate.

We had a quiet relaxing day.  Watched some football in the morning, snacked on appetizers at lunchtime and ate the big meal at 3:30.  Then, we had a Mexican Dominoes competition.

Moist turkey breast!  Gotta brine it!

The best Sweet Potato Casserole

Sausage, Artichoke, and Parmesan Cheese Stuffing

Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots and Shrooms

We didn't hit the sales early, but we did make a mid-morning run to Fred Meyer for some goodies.  Emil bought me a stick blender as an early Christmas gift since I've been making so many soups lately.  It will be super easy to puree soups now.  Pumpkin Black Bean Soup is on the menu for next week.

Time to work on my mittens and address Christmas cards!

Thanksgiving Menu

Here's the menu for tomorrow:

Honey-Brined Roasted Turkey Breast with Fresh Herbs
Gravy - Trader Joe's.  I cheated.  I admit it.  Move on.
Rhodes Rolls with Butter and Homemade Grape Jelly
Cranberry Sauce
Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots
Artichoke, Sausage, and Parmesan Cheese Stuffing
Sweet Potato Casserole

Apple Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip Ice Cream

Appetizers:  Asparagus Herb Goat Cheese Crostini, Fruit, and Cheese
Drinks:  Spiked Eggnog

Most of the recipes are new!  I'll post the successful ones.  Happy cooking to everyone!

White Christmas

So, I'm one of the only people out there who hasn't seen "White Christmas."  *Gasp*  A couple of girlfriends came over last night, and we dined on tapas and watched the movie.  What a lovely movie!  Bing Crosby is quite dashing.  Vera-Ellen plays Judy, and she has the smallest waist and such a delicate face.  I looked her up on www.imdb.com and read some interesting facts.

- She's from Norwood, Ohio.  Just a little suburb of Cincinnati....most of my family still lives in the area.
- She used to carpool to the Cincinnati Ballroom Dance Studio with Doris Day.
- Her waist measures 21 inches, and she had the smallest waist from the mid 1940's through 1960.

Are you ready for Thanksgiving?  I'm ready to redeem myself this year as I didn't like the side dishes I made last year.  This year, I'm trying three new recipes along with brining the turkey breast again.

Speaking of new recipes, I love reading cookbooks, and "The Art of Simple Food" by Alice Waters is fantastic!  She talks about experimenting with salt and the difference it makes in properly seasoning food.  And, she's a big believer in buying local foods, preparing them with minimal work, and coaxing out the best flavors.  I'm trying out a soup recipe from her tonight.  Will let you know how it turns out!  Onions, cheese, bread, stock, and fresh herbs.  How can you go wrong??

Butternut Squash Soup

So, I've been trying out new soup recipes over the last few weeks.  Perfect for several meals and then portioned out for the freezer.  I cheated for this soup and bought frozen squash, roasted it with onions, garlic and carrots before adding it to the broth.  It was pretty good, and I think it will be even tastier today for lunch...this time garnished with freshly grated parmesan cheese and of course, bacon.  Bacon makes everything better.

 

I did a little Christmas shopping yesterday on-line, plus I'm making some of the gifts this year.  Opened up my "Christmas stash" drawer and there were 15 knitted dishcloths.  Thank goodness, a friend is teaching me to knit mittens.  Let's hope I can catch on quick enough.

Some of my favorite sites are below:

www.coupondivas.com
This website is particularly good viewed via smart phone.  It's much better organized.  There are some great coupons on there for Barnes & Noble, Michael's, and many more.  Definitely work checking each day for the deals.

www.etsy.com
Love homemade items!  These vendors are wonderful, and I love the bags from Guten Tag.  She is located here in Oregon. 

And, of course, my super talented sister-in-law is an amazing artist.  She does silhouettes, pencil sketches, and more.  You don't need to be in Greenville for any of these items...she can do them from a picture.  Check it out at www.pattirishforth.com.  Perfect gift for grandparents and parents!

Happy Shopping!

Veterans Day Parade

I spent today volunteering at United Way of Deschutes County.  It's always fun to see my friends there.  We took a small break from envelope stuffing and walked to downtown for the Veterans Day parade.   It lasted over an hour, and two planes flew over at the beginning of the parade.  Sunny, blue, and 50 degrees.  Perfect.  A few photo highlights:

Note the gold chain

Dad - this pic is for you!

No big plans this weekend other than a little Christmas shopping and getting organized for the holiday.  I've been on this baking kick (surprised?), and I'm trying out some new recipes.  Hope the weather stays warm so I can walk at the Dry Canyon!

Family-Oriented

You all know I'm very family-oriented and super engaged with my nephews and nieces.  Emil and I are thankful for the time we spent over the summer with everyone.  It's hard being so far away from everyone.  Yes, Mother...I know you want us to move to Boone, NC.  Too hot!

My Uncle passed away last Thursday.  I know...if you're keeping track, it's been a rough winter so far for our family.  He was the oldest of my Mother's many siblings.  Many of my cousins traveled to the services, and I'm sad I couldn't make the trip.  Luckily, I talked with my oldest brother yesterday, and he filled me in on the weekend.  Sounds like a HUGE turnout 350 + at the memorial service...even the youth group leader from their church when they were kids attended.  She's in her 90's.

I'm fortunate because I saw Uncle Bill three weeks ago at my Grandma's memorial service.  We exchanged several hugs.  Sending many warm thoughts and prayers to my family! 

Vegetarian Cassoulet

Well, almost vegetarian.  I'm experimenting with some vegetarian recipes over the next few weeks since I have some free time.

The recipe link is below.  As usual, I punted a bit with it.  Threw in some extra carrots, celery, subbed chicken stock for the water, added half of an onion, skipped the cloves, and used browned seasoned bread crumbs on top instead of what it calls for...

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vegetarian-Cassoulet-241753

Very tasty!  More like a soup, but very good!

RIP Palmetto

I truly love the chickens.  They are fun to watch, and I chat to them when I'm outside.  Unfortunately, some kind of critter scooped up Palmetto yesterday afternoon while Lori and I were hiking in Bend.  At dusk, I went to tuck in the chickens, and she was missing.  And, she didn't miraculously appear this morning.  So sad.  Now, we're down to nine chickens.  Several of the spring chickens are laying, and they fight over the same box to lay in.  This morning, two of the chickens were crammed in the same box, squawking at each other.

Never a dull moment here.

Lori helped me process the 29 pound pumpkin yesterday.  We made a spectacular Southwestern Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup.  The rest of the roasted pumpkin is in the freezer, ready to make baked goods all winter.  I have to process the 20 pound pumpkin, but I may wait a bit.  The food processor needs a vacation from working hard.

Time to finish up my Christmas shopping and buy Christmas cards.  Tis the season!

LoMo Visits!

Another visitor from Alaska...they all want to come to Central Oregon.  Lori flew in late last night, and we've been going non-stop already.  Hiked to Monkey Face this morning at Smith Rock.  What a lovely day!  70 plus degrees, light wind and partly sunny.

Look closely for the rock climber on Monkey Face!

On a whim, we stopped off at the pumpkin patch to check out any last minute deals on pumpkins.  Hundreds of pumpkins left to choose from, and a 29 pound pumpkin called out to us, "take me home!"

Lori is ready to haul out the pumpkin

After a healthy lunch, we headed for a tour at Deschutes Brewery.  Josh, our tour guide was very entertaining and had a keen sense of humor.

Cheers!

Now, we are back home after a second pumpkin run to Fred Meyers....the 29er didn't have many seeds.  The seeds are cooling from the oven, and the pumpkin is roasting, so we can puree it for yummy pumpkin baked goods. 

Oh yeah...a quick stop at Level 2 for the Boy Choy Fried Rice.  They have the best Happy Hour food!

A close contender to Ray's fried rice in Anchorage.

Grapes Galore

This year, the grapevine was quite ambitious and produced about 18 gallons of grapes.  I said I wasn't going to do anything with them this year since my grape pie didn't turn out last year.  Emil picked them on Wednesday before the first frost hit. And now here I am surrounded by buckets of grapes.

So, I whipped up three grape pies (thanks to Carrie for providing the recipe).  They sit in the freezer ready to be baked next summer for you!  I've made 9 jars of jelly, and I still haven't emptied a bucket of grapes.  Time to offer the grapes to everyone I know.  This evening, I did a grape drop and run at Angie's house.  Tomorrow, I'll send grapes with some friends making their way to the Valley.  And, I have a jelly date with a friend from my knitting group.

In between burning myself with hot grape juice...the stuff is like napalm, I've been cleaning the house for the next round of company.  Hope the weather stays nice as we want to hike and be outside.  I'll post pics later of my grape jelly stockpile.  You may receive a six pack of jelly as a hostess gift if you invite us over for dinner.

Bunger visits!

Tommy Boy came to visit us!  It gives me the in-person opportunity to convince him to move here.  Throw in a fancy Fresh Hops Pairing at Deschutes Brewery (his favorite brewery), hiking, and visits to the other breweries, and I'm hoping he's in!

Tom arrived with a lovely box of goodies from Sugarspoon, my favorite bakery and chef.  Thanks, Sara Spud!

A little fuzzy, but you can see the main players

Autographed by the great Chef Sara

We hiked to Monkeyface at Smith Rock, and the weather was sunny, blue and 75 degrees.  300 days of sun here in Bend.  How many in Alaska, Tom? 


After our hike, we headed out for a beer at 10 Barrel Brewing Company.  With the weather so nice, we wanted to soak it all up.

ISA

India Session Ale... A brand new style from the twisted minds of 10 Barrel's brew crew.  Deep gold with orange highlights.  Big Citrusy aroma full of grapefruit and tangerine thanks to the massive dry hop!  Clean, crisp malitness with a hint of sweetness.  Pleasant, balanced bitterness as a result of the loaded late-kettle hop addition. 

Malts: 2-row Pale, Honey malt, Wheat
Hops: Summit, Cascade, Centennial

ABV: 5.5
IBU’s:  51

Off to Deschutes Brewery for their Fresh Hops Beer Pairing Tapas.  100 people or so gathered for the party.  Delicious food....pumpkin soup, pizza with butternut squash and pork belly, and beer.  Lots of Fresh Hops Beer.  I was DD, but I did have a sip of the porter.  A quick stop at Jackson's Corner since I knew Tom would like the atmosphere.

Deschutes Brewery Mountain Room - Fresh Hops!

Jackons' Corner - within reach of the self-service cooler

Today, we earned the right to be couch potatoes, cook up a bunch of food, and watch football.  Go Packers!  Go Saints!  Seattle?  Kind of a boring game due to the low scoring.  

We're knocking off the list of breweries in town and hit up Cascades Lake Brewing Company tonight to finish the Saints game and watch a little baseball.  Up next?  A tour of Deschutes Brewery, a pretzel at Deschutes Brewery Public House,a Captain Jack Sparrow at Brother Jon's, and a stop in at other breweries along the way.  Wish us luck!

Chicken Run

Scene:  The chicken coop has a large juniper tree growing in the middle of it, and chicken wire is wrapped around the whole coop to keep uninvited guests from entering.  If a chicken roosts on top of the coop at night, then the chicken generally is consumed as a tasty snack by an uninvited guest. Thus, Emil ensures all chickens are tucked inside the coop at night.

Enter:  Emil and Sara wearing headlamps

Tonight, two chickens decided to roost on top of the coop.  Emil snuck up a ladder with a butterfly net. Slowly, he moved the net closer to the jittery chicken until with one quick movement, he scooped up the chicken.  Funny how the net is the perfect size for chicken hunting.  One chicken down, one to go. 

The second chicken was further away from the edge of the coop, so we used thin rods to encourage her to move to the side within butterfly net range.  She was quite cranky and didn't want to move.  We finally moved her to the top of the garden shed/greenhouse, next to the coop.  Emil quickly relocated the ladder and used the butterfly net once again.

Ending:  All of the chickens are tucked in for the night.  They are accounted for, and I gave them a stern lecture.  We'll see how tomorrow night goes. 

Long Weekend in Cincinnati

Here are a few pics from my trip to Cincinnati.  All of my family was there, and it was good to see everyone.  No trip is complete without a trip to Skyline Chili and Aglamesis Brothers.

Bailey, the guard dog

Look at that sweet face!

Volleyball central

Black Raspberry Chip, please!

Aaron is the lucky one served first

Dear Emil - sorry you missed out on Aglamesis Brothers.

At the airport, I splurged on a Chik-fil-A sandwich and waffle fries.  Figured it might be awhile before I'm nearby that wonderful place again.  No plans to travel until next Christmas 2012 or so.

I'm glad to be back in Central Oregon.  Temp today was around 75 degrees, sunny and gorgeous.  Time to prep for Alaskan visitors over the next two weeks.  Brewery tours, hiking at Smith Rock, running on the Deschutes River Trail, and a Captain Jack Sparrow sandwich at Brother Jon's Public House.  Sweet!

Time to head home

It's been a good, but emotional trip back for my Grandma's Memorial Service.  Several of my cousins got up and spoke about Grandma, and my Mother told a touching story about Grandma helping her out without being asked.  She said she was the best mother-in-law she could ever ask for.

After the service, I met some of her friends and visited with both sides of my family who came to support my parents.  I also met some of my parents' classmates from high school.  I've seen their names on Christmas cards for years, and they've seen pictures of my brothers and I.

Yesterday, Ted and family and I played a heated volleyball game.  I may need to stay another week to practice for a rematch.  I managed to squeeze in a run on Friday afternoon with my nephew rollerblading next to me.  This afternoon, my other nephew wants to run with me.  He'll find out how slow I run....

Time to meet my brother for lunch at Skyline Chili.  No trip to Cincinnati is complete without a 5 way with hot sauce and a coney!

Remembering Grandma

My Grandma passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, September 24th.  She had just celebrated her 95th birthday on September 12th.  She still drove, had lunch with friends, played bingo at McDonald's, attended Sunday School, and wrote me letters every month.  We were really good pen pals.

My sister in law and Dad saved several items for me as they cleaned out her apartment.  Her recipe boxes, a quilt, a picture of me and Grandpa from her nightstand, and the Easter card I sent her.  I'll pick up these items when I attend her memorial service on Saturday.

This past summer, we used my brother's house as home base for several weeks while we did some side trips.  We were fortunate enough to have several meals with Grandma and Uncle Ron over this time.  Before I left, I invited Grandma out to Aglamesis Brothers for ice cream.  She told me to come to her apartment as she had ice cream there.  We dined on a brand new half gallon of Graeters Black Raspberry Chip Ice Cream and talked for several hours.

Here's what makes me feel better.  I imagine Grandma in heaven talking with Grandpa.  She's telling him all about Emil and how I chose a good husband (finally).  She's telling him about the great grandchildren...how they look, how well they play soccer or paint.  She's telling him about each grandchild and their lives.

Going Dark

My blog is going dark for awhile.  My Grandma passed away unexpectedly.  I'll head to Cincinnati in two weeks for a memorial service.  This gives us time to wait for my brother to come home from Afghanistan.  Please keep my family in your prayers.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Friends and family descended upon us today for a fun-filled week.  The freezer is full of homemade goodies, the menu is planned in a spreadsheet (of course), and the first dinner is behind us.  I made tapas tonight...three rounds plus dessert.

Round 1: Balsamic Bean Dip with veggies and pitas, fried green maters with ranch dressing
Round 2: Land's End (Homer, Alaska) Crab and Artichoke Dip with soft baguette, deviled eggs with pickled jalapenos.  Thanks to my mother in law for bringing 24 ounces of fresh dungeness crab!
Round 3: Trader Joe's Chicken Pot Stickers with homemade dipping sauce
Dessert Round:  Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (pictured below) and Lemon Sandwich Cookies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Recipe

3 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 T. cinnamon
1 T. ginger
1 T. cloves
2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
3 c. chilled pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling
3 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use silpats. 

In a bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger together and set aside.  In a separate bowl, whisk the brown sugar and oil together until combined.  Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly.  Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.  Use a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cookies comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack.

For the filling, sift the confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.  Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is completely smooth, with no visible lumps.  Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.

Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Be careful not to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure.  Note:  The filling can be made one day ahead.  Let the filling soften to room temp before using.

Assemble the pies:  Turn half of the cookies upside down (flat side facing up).  Use a spoon to drop a large dollop onto the flat side of the cookie.  Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling.  Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie.  Repeat until all the cookies are used.  Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up before serving.

This recipe is from a wonderful cookbook, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  One of my morning rituals is to drink coffee and read cookbooks that I borrow from the library.  This is a great read with super baking tips.  I encourage you to check it out!

P.S.  Email me sarrie7@yahoo.com if you want the delicious crab and artichoke dip recipe!

And then there were 11

This afternoon, I went out to feed the chickens and check for eggs.  Then, I went to the garden to pick ripe raspberries and tomatoes.  As soon as I opened the door to the garden, which is attached to the coop, I spotted a dead gutted buff chicken without a head on the ground.  Course, I took off running to the house....

"Dead chicken in the garden!  Dead chicken in the garden!" I screamed to Emil who was up in the loft.  My scream was a little high pitched, so Emil didn't quite understand me.

"It's a buff!  It's a buff!" I yelled as I ran up the stairway. 

Emil still didn't understand my screaming.  "Just shoo it out of the garden."

"NO!  DEAD chicken in the garden," I said slowly, no longer hungry for lunch despite my morning bike ride.

We have different theories on how the buff ended up in the garden and what predator had a tasty snack.  He thinks a skunk or raccoon entered the coop somehow and opened the door to the garden.  My theory involves a big bird who swooped in while the chickens were free ranging, grabbed her, and then dropped her in the garden because she was squirming too much. 

We really could use Chicken CSI to determine time of death.  Wet feathers in the garden lead us to believe an early morning snack or sometime before lunch.

So, now we're down to 11 chickens.  I love the chickens, so I want to keep them safe.  Emil upgraded the coop security this afternoon.  Keep your fingers crossed for no more losses!

New Recipe #2: Pork Carnitas

You may notice I skipped over mentioning new recipe #1.  That's because it wasn't all that tasty.  However, I found success with this new recipe for the handy slow cooker.  I combined two recipes and didn't measure much as usual.

Shredded and ready to go in a tortilla

Yum-o!

1 boneless pork shoulder or loin roast (2-3 pounds), trimmed and cut into 3-inch cubes
1/2 to 3/4 c. lime juice
Salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper
2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 onion, cut into quarters

In a slow cooker, toss in the pork shoulder.  Season with the above spices to taste.  Don't be stingy with the oregano, cumin and salt.  Pour in the lime juice.  Add onion and garlic.

Cook on high for one hour.  Then turn to low and continue to cook for 8-10 hours or until the meat is very tender.  Shred the pork with two forks (meat may look a little pink).  Then, set up a burrito bar with sour cream, salsa, avocado, monterey jack cheese, and any other goodies.

Note:  The onion cooks down into some dang good deliciousness.  Next time, I'll add another couple of onions.

On another subject...I just finished a HILARIOUS book that had me laughing out loud.  It's called I'm with Fatty:  Losing Fifty Pounds in Fifty Miserable Weeks by Edward Ugel (blogger on Huffington Post).  The book chronicles his journey through weight loss, joining a gym, doing a cleanse, and falling off the food wagon many many times.  There are no recipes, no diet he's following and wants to share with you...it's more about his love of good food and his thought process as he goes through this whole project.  I definitely recommend the book!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/im-with-fatty-edward-ugel/1102422105?ean=9781602861213&itm=1&usri=i27m%2bwith%2bfatty 

The Help

I loved the book.  Totally loved it.  Read it last year and promptly gave it to Emil to read.  He enjoyed it as well.  I finally gave in and saw "The Help" alone today while Emil saw "Harry Potter 18."  The movie surprised me....from the trailer, it looked like a comedy, so I was a little apprehensive to see the movie since I knew it was a serious book.  Emma Stone did a fantastic job, and the movie didn't stray too much from the novel.  Did you know the author was turned down 60 times from publishers????  Seriously!

Broke down today and bought a bike computer.  I am not a biker!  And, buying a little gadget that tells me how far I've biked still doesn't make me a biker.  But, I've been biking 10-14 miles (estimates) every day, so it was time to start tracking and keeping a ride log.  Still not a biker....

It's hot here...90+ degrees, so I am going to lay on the couch and read my book. Also, I'm trying three new recipes this week, so I'll keep you posted on any winners.