Black Friday Tradition

For many, Black Friday is about shopping for Christmas, mad and crazy crowds, lines and alleged deals.  For me, Black Friday is about seeing three friends I have known since elementary school for dinner.  A group of women has been getting together for Black Friday dinner for probably almost 20 years or so, but I have only joined in for the last maybe 7.  The ladies are a mix of some who have known each other for most of their lives to virtual strangers as each year a new guest is introduced or a sister joins in the merriment.

I very much look forward to having a meal with my friends and catching up.  Through the highs and lows we are there to listen, offer support or advice, buy a drink and lend a shoulder if necessary.  I was the needy one this past year as my life blindly crashed into a speed bump with the force of a runaway train.  I am currently in clean up and recovery mode.  While we all agree that any individual has to do what they think will make them happy in their own life, it is truly a comfort to share with friends (and at other time family) that unconditionally stand by you and your choices.  It is an amazing feeling to also know that if I change my mind and my course tomorrow, they may scratch their heads a bit, but, they would stand by me and offer encouragement.

And so we had a few drinks and I ordered the Eggplant Tower appetizer with a side of french fries from The Mountain View Bar & Restaurant which is sort of a second home for many of us.  Also on their table were a few steaks, a second Eggplant Tower and the Lobster Ravioli (which I have reviewed in the past - Mandatory Cosmopolitan post).  One friend is concerned when the plates are cleared that she did not see my take a picture of my food.  It is a comfort to be known and cared for with depth and understanding.

The restaurant began to empty and the bar began to fill.  An additional component to Black Friday is the informal gathering of high school friends.  This year, I just can't do it and give my friends big hugs.  I slip off into the darkness and home before I change my mind.  This is where I need to be right now and the time spent with my friends has certainly left me feeling Fed Well.

Thanksgiving Main Course and a Birthday in the House for Dessert

The main challenge for cooking a successful holiday dinner is ensuring all of the components are hot and ready at the same time without being dried out, over done or cooled off and under done.  This year, I made a beautifully flavored and silky gravy which was bubbling hot and my sister kindly ladled into a silver tureen.  

"Wow," she said, "This gravy is really hot."

Though the tureen had a rim to keep fingertips away from the heat generated through the metal and onto body parts, I grabbed it from the top and cried, "Holy Smokes!"

Immediately my sons began to make fun of and imitate me.

"Oh, is this hot?  Let me stick my thumb in it and check," they laughed.

"I didn't stick my thumb in it," I smiled but the fact of the matter remained, the gravy was smoking hot!

I prefer my vegetables and side dishes without heaviness or creaminess.  Green beans are simply sauteed, sometimes with a dose of olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

White corn with butter

Stuffing with bread, sausage, finely diced celery and onion (some don't care for it so I try to hide it by making it is tiny as possible), salt, pepper, and egg.

The mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes must have been camera shy.

One 21 pound roast turkey plus an additional turkey breast to ensure enough left over meat for all guest.

Homemade cranberry sauce - simply follow the directions for boiling sugar and water on the back of the package of fresh cranberries and you are a genius.  The first year I made it, I think my family missed the sliced cylinder rings of jellied cranberry, but now they are accustomed to the homemade version.

 

Carrots and parsnips are roasted simply with olive oil and salt & pepper until soft.

The family is quiet for the first few minutes as food is passed and plated.  Everyone finds their favorites and I make a plate with a spoonful of everything which creates a mini-platter of food but I manage to plow my way through it.

For dessert, this year we all went with store/bakery bought - apple, cherry and pecan pies.  Always a birthday celebration at dessert since my younger son was born on Thanksgiving and though the date of the holiday changes, we always honor his entrance into life.

 He gave me a bit of a hard time for putting the candles in the pecan pie when he has a reaction to some nuts but when I explained I could not place the candles in the flaky crusts of the other pies, I was forgiven.

Wonder what his wish was...hope it was for all of us to remain feeling Fed Well.

Thanksgiving Appetizers, Opening Bites & Caramel Apple Martini

I have surveyed my family of four to see what their favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal is and hands down it is the appetizers.  Through the years I have and will continue to morph the menu with a mix of items I know are crowd pleasers and then throw one or two new items in to see how they rate.  My favorite part of this year's "cocktail hour" was the actual featured cocktail - the Caramel Apple Martini (though I kept calling it a Candy Apple Martini - you get the idea).

One shot caramel flavored (or infused) vodka with apple cider - shaken with ice in a shaker and poured into a chilled martini glass!  Oh my!

 

 I visit the Famous Italian Delilicious Pork Store for many of our tasty bites.  Including:

 Marinated Mushrooms

 Mixed Olives

  

 The Sweet Capicolo on the left and the delicate Prosciutto on the right

 A hearty loaf of bread

and the fresh mozzarella for me to make these skewers - half with tomato and Genoa salami, the other half with just tomato, plus

 Zucchini Flower "Pancakes"

 and our all time classic favorite must-have every year - fried pumpkin!

Ok, yes, I do cook one or two components for the starter course. 

 Biscuits with cheddar and chives 

 

and "Red Tortellini Soup".  This year the soup was modified but the normal recipe is:

cheese tortellini - cooked

crumbled and cooked sausage

one can white beans of your choice

One large can of chicken broth or 1/2 gal. of homemade 

Approximately equal parts tomato sauce

The biscuits and soup are a classic combo and complimentary pairing of tomato and cheese.

I survey the table and see everyone has their particular favorite and know the groups preference is clearly the pumpkin since that is the first platter to empty.

The small talk starts slowly then builds.  I have included an activity this year with a Thankful Tree.  On the "tree" (a large stick found in the yard compliments of Superstorm Sandy), I have attached construction paper leaves with all of our names.  All family members are asked to write a reason why they are thankful for that person on the back.  This idea was morphed from a friend who has everyone write what they are thankful for on a leaf.  I skipped a step since most people say they are thankful for their family.  

 

After all, it is family that truly keeps us Fed Well.

Shameful Wasted Leftovers

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view), no photos will be available for this post.  In preparation for Thanksgiving the oven has been cleaned, the house spruced up and the refrigerator had to be cleared out.  An entire sink full of dishes were created in tossing unwanted leftovers.  The garbage pail had to be emptied because a variety of expired condiments were pitched.  I am saddened by the amount of waste both literal and financial my family of four can create in uneaten or never used food.

Last night while watching Food Network the Iron Chef competition involved celebrity chefs recreating dishes from Thanksgiving leftovers.  The biggest challenge in this, and I'm sure in many, houses across America is ensuring leftovers are eaten or that correct portions of food are cooked in the first place.  I try to plan meals around leftovers but it is the items that simply cannot be recreated into a brand new dish or if only 1/2 cup serving of something is left behind that it is wasted. At times is it simply unrealistic to thank every scrap can be consumed?  What if it cannot be thrown into a stir fry, soup or omelete?  

I am allowing myself to get off track here, but I do recall my mother-in-law feeding most uneaten food to the family dog.  Not going to happen here.

Any tips on cutting down food waste in our own kitchens?  If I could find a way to reduce the waste I am creating, I'm sure I'd sleep a little better at night and still feel Fed Well.

American Heritage Lunch

When language is cleaned up or edited to be more politically correct I can't help but think of George Carlin.  The cafeteria at my place of employment offered a "Special Holiday" meal and dubbed it the "American Heritage" lunch.  Really?  It's not Thanksgiving?  Well, why not call it the "Historically Incorrect Celebration of the Pilgrims and Native Americans," or the "No One Ate Any of This but We Like It," or to pretty things up a bit and add some flair, "Autumn Offerings?"  

Honestly, can't you hear George Carlin ranting about the ridiculousness of this lunch title? Granted, I work with people from a wide variety of cultures, but guess what, we all live here.  The jig is up.  America celebrates Thanksgiving and has attached a certain menu to the tradition.  Does anyone believe the people who ate this meal hundreds of years ago enjoyed a nice pumpkin pie with whipped cream?  No.  Did the foremothers spend the night talking about Black Friday bargains or Christmas shopping in any way shape or form?  No.  Was anyone watching a game of any kind?  No.  But, still, American Heritage?  

Maybe if the meal included roast duck, or venison, or some other game meat with a hunk of bread and a single vegetable then it should actually be called a replica American Heritage meal.  However, if serving the traditional turkey, stuffing, sweet potato (or yam - I'm still learning about the geographical defining differences), cranberry sauce, beans and gravy - well then, it is Thanksgiving.

By the way, on or near May 5, our cafeteria celebrates, "Cinco de Mayo" and a few times a year offers random "Sushi Day," and a special "Super Bowl" menu, but mostly we love our grilled foods, specialty sandwiches, and some of the soups.  Doesn't matter what they are called.  Thinking of the humor of George Carlin also leaves me feeling Fed Well.

Cherry Danish with Sausage

Sometimes a person just wants an unusual combination of foods.  The balance found with a sweet and salty dish can be extremely satisfying and with just a look, a woman can certainly order or purchase whatever foods will fill the craving.

Craving.  Did I use that word?  No, I'm not pregnant, but I do believe everyone should give into their food cravings within healthy reason.  If pickles and ice cream are really something you want, then yes, enjoy.  I have also been known to indulge in french fries with a salad - the perfect balance of good vs. culinary evil.

So what did I have one morning at work for breakfast from the employee cafeteria?

Yes, a cherry danish and a sausage patty.

The most satisfying part was dipping some of the sausage pieces into the cherry ooze.  Would I order it again?  You bet.  The only thing I would change would be to warm up the danish for a few seconds in the microwave.

What is the most unusual food combination you have eaten?  Please share so all the odd combo lovers can feel the camaraderie and still maintain being Fed Well.

Deconstructed Faux Shepherd's Pie

Ground beef, chop meat, whatever you may call it, the ingredient seems to reappear in the same old recipes in this house.  Meatballs are the number one choice, tacos, meatloaf, and chili are the standards.  When I buy groceries I don't always have a plan for all the items I purchase and this week's mystery was how to use this meat in a way I was not tired of and would be appealing to at least 3 out of 4 family members.

A variation on a Shepherd's Pie seemed to be the answer, but honestly, I did not feel like doing much work.  

I began with a large saute pan of onions, celery and carrots in a splash of olive oil with salt and pepper.  

Once the veggies were a little soft, I added the ground meat directly to the pan to allow the vegetables some more cook and soften time.  

The mashed potatoes were prepared and served separately as was the brown gravy (which is a cheat - I use Bisto granules  

Visit Bisto)

Creative, quick and fairly painless we enjoyed the less than glamorous but packed with familiar flavor meal.  It's a dish we don't have very often and though the vegetables were a bit more crisp than some may prefer, we enjoyed the modernized version.

Some flavor combinations, like meat and potatoes, are classic and while they may be revised through the generations, the profile stays the same.  The results leave the diners with a sense of comfort and a feeling of being quite Fed Well.