A Season of Excess

I don't get notes from readers...ever.

A few days ago I received my first, a note from a reader from,  of all places, Mumbai, India. Apparently he ran across my post on Turkey Gravy and contacted me after reading my family profile regarding a Medical Mission trip to his country.There is a task force called Global Initiatives that operates a clinic in Mumbai slum areas.

That does give one pause. A Turkey Gravy recipe while his country struggles with clean water and vaccinations. I am embarrassed I am who I am after that, being wrapped up in a preparation of excess with so much want everywhere in the world.

Logistically it sounds impossible, the cost, the time off, the convincing my family. How much can you possibly accomplish in a few weeks in a struggling 3rd world country? It makes you feel so insignificant and gluttonous at the same time. Realistically, I haven't even tried to calculate the logistics of it all but I am sure once I started I could manage it somehow.

We were out to dinner with folks that are pretty well off and the discussion turned to a group of young people from church looking for funding for a mission in Guatemala. The group referred to the sub structure of Omaha and how talents should be redirected and applied to our own community. As with most everything, it ends in talk and not action and lacks support for either mission.  It is a good point though and Omaha is so much closer in a dire need of similar support. Why are we so apathetic?

Thanksgiving has never been so...well, confusing

As I browse through buckets of information and recipes for the dinner of the year, I am overwhelmed bu the multitude of choices and the information contrary to what I held to be sacred. I am in a conundrum about what to make.

Potatoes? Always Yukon Golds but, what...Russets? Steamed? In the skins? Best option now?

No sweet potatoes this year? Not one member of my family is a fan.

Yes, I am still going to brine the turkey. I have too, or actually I am afraid not to. It makes such a huge difference in taste and especially texture. 

Dressing? Of course but how, which one? Sausage, cornbread?

Ben wants Gene's Potatoes with the Swiss cream sauce. Canned potatoes for Thanksgiving. NO. He asked me just to make the sauce. Really?  Use it like a gravy?

No Green Bean casserole this year. Never cared for it but I found a fresh recipe instead of canned soup. Still no. Okay,  just fresh green beans.

Corn Casserole. Standard of the house. That will get made of course. Kind of a starchy, gloppy mix of corn and Velveeta with broken spaghetti. I find it hard to improve the recipe but it definitely needs updating (Don't tell my Mother-in-law).

It's just us kids this year. My Mom is coming over (a surprise to us) and the kids will be in and out depending on their work schedule. Some are bringing others, whatever. There is always more than enough food. But what?

Turkey Gravy

I saw turkey wings at the market. They were huge and perfect for the beginning of Thanksgiving cookery. The turkey stock for the gravy. As you know, I use Tyler Florence's Ultimate Turkey Gravy with no regrets.

 

Basically I roast the wings, an onion, carrots and garlic till the wings are a dark brown and fragrant. I set them in a large pot after the roast with fresh thyme (from my garden, it still good!) celery and simmered away for several hours, adding a bit of salt and pepper along the way. The strained product is no the perfect base for gravy or stuffing and it shall be.

Thanks Tyler. You are the man.

A Broth to Remember, Take Stock

Ok so I am no poet but I have a huge stash of chicken wing tips and trimmings from whole birds. Our friend Lori's mom, Annette,  had surgery and I wanted to bring something over so I made a batch of Chicken stock for a base for some soup or something. Annette is recouping at Lori's house. I cannot imagine a more comfortable place to recover or a more gracious hostess.

So...on to the Stock, so easy but really delish.

I went out and picked a bunch of thyme from the herb pot and threw it in a large Marmite (stockpot). To this I added a whole unpeeled onion, halved, 3 cloves of garlic crushed, 3 large carrots washed and chopped, the top of Brenda's celery with leaves attached, about 10 peppercorns and all my wings (about 3 pounds). I filled the pot to an inch of the top and set it to simmer.

After it came to a good strong simmer, I skimmed it and added some salt and a scant teaspoon of turmeric. Instantly the already fragrant stock had a nice chicken golden color. It needed a bit of bouillon (about 2 good tablespoons) before I added any more salt  but the end result was chicken heaven. About 6 quarts or so.

So now...what to do with all?

A Busy and Lazy Weekend

We hit the ground running on Friday with a church meeting after work followed by dinner at a local eatery called "Hiro 88".  We had a grand time with our good church friends, John and Debbie Birge as well as some other aquaintances from church.

The menu at Hiro is about sushi but they also offered some common Asian dishes. One in particular that is near to my heart is 'Walnut Shrimp'. I  split a large portion with Brenda. John was intrigued and ordered it also. It was great and the Birges were happy with the choice. My attempt to make it at home is on the blog under 'Seafood'.

 We also had the squid salad which Debbie also ordered on our recommend and was very happy with it. One of very favorites we could eat by the bucket. It lacked the veggies that we find in other establishments but I found it very tasty in spite. It's all about the dressing really which, when finished,  I poured over a bit of rice. Delish.

Saturday morning was a work morning for our neglected lawn. We mowed and picked up leaves and bagged them. After a few hours of that we rewarded ourselves with a shopping trip and a lunch treat at 'Freddies' for a burger and split a few fries. That night for dinner I had taken out 2 fillets that I had previously cut and wrapped with bacon then froze. With a nice perfectly grilled medium and a side of broccoli it was a feast for just the two of us.

Sunday was church followed by the annual meeting, a brief report from the Auditing committee, a presentation of the Pentecost icon I painted to Fr. Nick Klodnicki and then off to home to relax. We skipped lunch after the church served fruit and yogurt with a delightful granola that I just couldn't stop eating.

I had taken a few chicken breasts out earlier in the day and I used 2 of them to make some fajitas and the rest I will grill or somehow prepare tonight for the rest of the week.  The 'Nativity Fast' begins this Friday and Brenda and I are trying to determine our level of participation. In the past, the former priest pretty much ignored these 'ancillary' fasts claiming erroneously that they were Monastic and not for the parish. We knew that to be untrue but went with it but now we are back on track with the real meaning of the season. It's a tough fast to follow in our American food obsessed society and it covers Thanksgiving which makes it really hard to be outside the family tradition, hence trying to determine our level of participation. 

Mackenzie stopped by for a late visit after work since she is leaving today to take of Christian after his sinus surgery in Sacramento tomorrow. Wow. That will be a relationship test for sure. We hope he has a smooth recovery and a patient caregiver. I am sure all will go well and we keep them in our prayers.

The Apple Pie with a minor addition

We had a few bags of caramels we bought on clearance so I tucked a few in with the apples and melted a few on top. How bad could that be? I wish I would have chopped them a bit on the inside but I am not a big pie maker. Recipe was posted a few days ago. The crust is really flakey.  I hope it tastes OK. It's for the in-laws dessert tomorrow.

The Husker Virgin

So for all the years I have lived in Nebraska, I have never attended a Husker Football game. It just never came up I guess. My Dad was a huge fan but rarely attended actual games.  I know all kinds of zealots and fans and season ticket holders but no one has ever asked us to go till last week. Our friends Bob and Kim Kropp we have known for 35 years or so. We shared an apartment complex with them in the early days before we were married and have been friends ever since although we rarely see them as much as we like, they are a very busy couple.

Bob and Kim Kropp and us.

When the opportunity arose to take advantage of some extra tickets and a drive to Memorial Stadium with them as well as spend a great few hours with them, we jumped at the chance. Mackenzie and Nicholas were also included so we made it a family affair. We brought a boatload of snacks and fluids.

Since I am a Husker Virgin, I had a few surprises and realizations in store for me. The crowd was amazing and dense. It was literally a sea of red with the occasional Northwestern purple thrown in. It was really loud, really loud, I shut my hearing aids off.  There is a lot, A LOT, of excitement in Lincoln for these games and it's infectious. Season ticket holders have almost permanent "neighbors" love 'em or hate 'em. The seats are really uncomfortable, not much you can add to that but I would think twice about attending games when I could lay on my couch and have excellent snacks at home.

The concessions were cheap. Really cheap. I was expecting some grand stadium prices but got instead, High School football prices, $3 for a dog, really? I'll have two.

Missing Benny who had other plans today.

The game was awesome and one of a kind that we just happened to be there at the right time, did not leave early as some did, and caught an amazing Hail Mary play that cinched the game. The crowd was deafening, excited, laughing, crying and generally amazed. Our hosts were lovely as they always are and it makes us wistful that we don't see them more but we had a great time, a great ride and a day of fun and excitement that you could not have predicted. Thanks again guys. We love you!

Do You Know the Muffin Man?

One of the children's most irritating "ear worms" when they were little, I have some bananas going south this week so I asked my lovely bride when I was auditing the church books on Tuesday to make me some banana muffins. I came home to none as she thought I was joking. I never joke about food.

Yesterday I stopped (fed my obsession) on the way home to pick up what I needed (yogurt) to make these "skinny" muffins. They are actually quite good and have no oil and surprising little flour that makes them almost healthy.  I had some whole wheat pastry flour on hand anyway. These were tender and rose high in the pan. I added walnuts and chips to the batter and did not frost them. Great with a glass of skim milk in the a.m.

I am not the family baker but these don't look too bad

 
The recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction:

Skinny Peanut Butter Chocolate chip Banana Muffins

• 2 ripe large bananas, mashed with no chunks
• 1/4 cup honey 
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup 0% Plain Greek Yogurt (or regular yogurt, any flavor/fat content)
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup unsweetened milk 
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 and 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional

• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, melted
• 1/2 Walnuts  ( I added this and skipped the frosting)

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Spray 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray ( I used another 6 count pan too as this made about 18 muffins). Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, honey, brown sugar, yogurt, egg, and milk together until combined.  Whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth and thick. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips together (if using).  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and lightly whisk until combined.  Try not to over stir the muffin batter or your muffins will have a tough (not soft) texture. Stir as little as possible until no flour pockets remain.
Fill the muffin cups practically all the way to the top. Between 3/4 full and all the way full.  Bake for 5 minutes at 425F degrees. Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350F and continue to bake for 12 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Drizzle muffins with melted peanut butter if desired. Muffins stay fresh at room temperature for 3 days. Muffins without peanut butter on top freeze well, up to 3 months.

About 120-130 calories each with little fat and 19 Carbs. Not bad for a lower carb, low cal breakfast/ snack item. 

A Weekend of New Beginings

 This was a busy week and weekend for the household. Trying to coordinate dinner for every one's schedules, meeting a new beau and a grand wedding.


For the Wednesday night introductions to Mackenzie's new guy, Christian, we had various cheeses, wine and Chicken Milanese who's recipe is on the blog already. A night of conversation and laughter with a table full of nurse's and conversation not for the faint of heart and positively disturbing at times.

I tried a new appetizer that was a big hit. A cast iron skillet full of Fontina cheese seasoned with Rosemary, Thyme, Salt and Pepper and a glug of olive oil. Baked at 450 for about 20 minutes till hot and bubbly and slightly browned, we sopped this up with a nice crusty baguette. So good,  this is a keeper. My buddy Dan added a little garlic and upped it notch. Not a bad idea.

Not my photo but it sure looks the same

We were kind of lazy Thursday as neither of us was particularly hungry and we ate late in the evening. I believe grilled cheese was on the menu for us. Simple and unassuming, it gave me a chance to use a lot of that sliced cheese that was growing older in the fridge.

Friday was Jeff and Emily's wedding day (Mackenzie's best friend). The festivities got us out of the house at about 4:30 and down to the church on time. The service was grand and long so everyone got their money's worth and then just a block or so up the street was the reception venue, our very own Joslyn Museum served as a back drop for a glorious occasion. Great band, fine food and nice company. A beautiful celebration for a charming couple that we just love. A late evening for sure but time well spent with all our kids and their respective dates.

Saturday, Brenda had an early class to attend with left me alone to my own devices. I roasted a slab of ribs for snacking later in the day and spent most of the day nursing my sore jaw (a long story and no, no one hit me) and tending to the pond for winter bedding, chasing off squirrels who happen to love my freshly planted tulips and general this and that around the house. Currently between commissions, I am enjoying the leisure of not having a deadline to meet.  The ribs were fall off the bone tender and delicious. We stayed in and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Sunday was church and lunch and dinner with Mackenzie and Christian. Lunch at Wheatfield's and great steaks and fantastic seasonal squash with Mackenzie's prerequisite "Killer Bread" (recipe also on the blog) for dinner.  Chatting and laughing again till it was past our bedtime, we woke a bit groggy this a.m.  I need another weekend to recovery fully.

Apple Pie contest winner

  Part of the purpose of my blog is to archive recipes for future use. I have not made this pie but it looks like a winner to me.


Val Fennell's Our Family's Apple Pie
Crust (makes 1 double crust):
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
• ½ cup frozen butter flavored Crisco cut into small pieces
• ¾ cup ice water
• 1 large whole egg
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Apple Pie Filling:
• About 2 pounds large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into ¼-inch slices
• 1 to 1½ pounds Royal Gala, Gala or Jonagold apples, peeled, cored and sliced into ¼-inch slices
• ¾ to 1 cup sugar depending on the tartness of your apples
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 2 tablespoons unbleached flour, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
• Zest of one small to medium lemon
• 1 tablespoon low sugar Pectin
• 4 tablespoons cold butter in tablespoon size pieces
• Juice of the lemon

Egg wash:
• 1 egg yolk or whole egg
• 2 tablespoons milk, half-and-half or cream
Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixing bowl or a medium bowl. Mix the dry ingredients for about 30 seconds just to combine. Then add the Crisco and butter and mix on medium speed until it looks like very coarse crumbs or small peas. Do not over mix. If combining by hand use a pastry blender with blades rather than wires.
Make a well in the center of the mixture.
Combine the wet ingredients and beat well. Pour into the well and with a fork mix until all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. If your dough seems a bit too wet sprinkle in a bit more flour but no more than one tablespoon. It will not be dry for sure.
Divide dough in half, then pat/shape into two disks, wrap snuggly in plastic food wrap and chill for about 20 to 30 minutes.
While the dough is chilling ready your apples:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Peel and slice apples and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the apples and toss well. Cover with plastic wrap.
Remove the first disk of crust from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured counter or Silpat mat. Lightly roll your dough in one direction, turning it to make it round and about 12 inches in diameter. Place the dough in a 9½-inch deep dish pie plate. With scissors, trim the crust to about ½ inch below the rim of the dish. Remove the next portion of dough from the refrigerator and repeat rolling.
Place 1 tablespoon flour into the bottom of the pie plate and gently spread around. Add 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg to the pie plate.
In a small bowl combine the remaining sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and pectin.
Rinse the apple slices and drain well. Toss the cinnamon sugar mixture with the apples and place into the bottom crust, being sure that the apples are solidly in place. Add lemon zest over the top of the apples.
Evenly sprinkle the remaining flour over the top of the apple slices and slightly shake into the apple pile. Place butter slices over the top of the apple mixture.
Cover with the top crust. Trim to about 1½ inches below the edge then fold over the lower edge and crimp the edges together.
Egg wash the top crust.
Make decorative vents in the top crust. If you have sanding or coarse sugar, dust or sprinkle the top crust lightly.
Bake for 15 minutes on a parchment lined baking pan, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees until the juices bubble in the center of the pie and the apples test tender in the center as well.
Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting/serving.
Combine with a fork until smooth, then gently brush onto the top crust of the unbaked pie. After egg wash, you may sprinkle with sanding sugar if you wish.
The egg wash makes the crust a golden, shiny finish.
— Val Fennell