… onto my walls, my floor, my clothes, etc.  D:

Ahem, before I get into all that, let’s start with Thanksgiving morning.  Thanksgiving morning greeted me like so:

Hello, I am impending doom.

Yes, that is a super thick, impenetrable layer of fog out my window.  Good morning indeed…

It was a bad omen.

The crust was the good part.  I actually got a little creative with that—I can say that I have a recipe for it.    My first ever, haha!  I was too lazy to make actual dough, so I resorted to using a “press in pan” crust.  It turned out pretty good. 

On the other hand, the pie filling was MESSY.  o_o  I screwed up a thousand times during the process of making it!  Actually, everything was going great… until the mixer. *shudder*  Electric whisks are dangerous.  When your squash ain’t fully blended.

-___- *facepalm*  How could I forget to puree the squash when the recipe calls for squash puree?!?!  Because I’m a nerd with no common sense, that’s why!  I ended up having the take out all the random hunks of squash in the mixture, along with any leftover seeds that were not scooped out initially… yeah, I’m fabulous at preparing squash puree.

Bleh.  It was a bleh experience, that’s what it was.  Cleanup was a pain in the (_|_).   However, I refuse to let my first go at pie-making bring me down for eternity!  I’m going to keep destroying my kitchen until I can make pie like someone’s grandma!  Yesss!  Who’s with me?!

puffin pie crust
makes 1 10-inch crust

- 2 + 1/2 cups Barbara’s Original Puffins
- 1/4 cup Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins
- 3 large handfuls pepitas
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- pinch of sea salt
- handful of granola

Throw all ingredients into a blender and pulse until fully combined.  The mixture should have a slightly sticky texture when it’s done.  In all honesty, I eyeballed all of these measurements (except the butter), so this is just a guestimation of what I actually used, but you should end up with 2 1/4 cups of cereal “flour” to combine with the other ingredients.

And the results, after divvying up among the family—

Yes, I topped it with black sesame seeds.  Yes I did.

My piece, with ahem, whipped topping:

Eat me, good friends.

The verdict? My family loved it.    Granted, it was just three people… four, if you include myself, but it was pretty tasty for my first pie!  I was really quite scared that they would hate it, and we’d have to resort to the store-bought pumpkin cheese chocolate ganache pie.  Uh, that sounds better than lame “kabocha pie” by a long shot.  But anyway, I’m pretty happy with the results, even though the steps that it took to get there were partial agony. 

Our turkey this year happened to be incredibly juicy.  OMG.  Succulent, tender white meat… no gravy even needed.  The trick was to flip the turkey upside down to bake and fill the dish with water (something like that), according to my brilliant mom.  The best turkey I’ve ever had, period.  I don’t think I’ll get sick of the leftovers this year

I was also responsible for mashed potatoes this year.  Although I’d much prefer to eat mashed squash or sweet ‘taters (mmmmmm), my family is just… one potato.  :/  I did put a little spin on the more “traditional” butter-and-milk recipe though.  Anyone care to try it out?

miso-olive oil mashed potatoes with oregano, garlic, sea salt
serves 4

- 6 yukon gold potatoes
- 1 tsp red miso
- 2-3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- splash of milk
- sprinkle of dried oregano
- sprinkle of garlic powder
- sprinkle of coarse sea salt

Boil potatoes until fork-tender.  Mash with your trusty potato masher until well-mashed.  Add a splash of milk and continue mashing—if the texture of the mash is still too dry, add another splash.  Continue adding milk until the potatoes reach the desired consistency.  Add olive oil (as much as you want—measurements are just an estimation of what I used), oregano, garlic powder, and sea salt to taste.  Mashmashmash.  The resulting mash has the slightest tint of red due to the miso, which I love, but of course, you could substitute any type of miso you happen to have on hand.

… I know, I know—I’m a terrible recipe-writer.  But I can’t help it—when I’m in the kitchen, I don’t think about measurements or anything (unless it’s extremely precise, like… oats).  I just do everything to taste and eyeball all the ingredients (which is why my crust recipe measurements may not be entirely accurate…).

I’m thankful for my sort of stellar Thanksgiving, the chance of reconciliation, and overall positivity for living in our new house.  Thanks for reading. 

Christkindlmarkt is the yearly Christmas bazaar that takes place under two giant tents under the Hill-to-Hill bridge. Food, entertainment, and live craft demonstrations make this more than just a shopping experience, although vendors come from all over the east coast! Most of the items for purchase are handcrafted, including things such as jewelry, art, pottery, and ornaments.

Many local schools have ensembles that are slated to perform, including Nazareth High School, Lehigh Valley Academy, East Hills Middle School, Freedom High School, Emmaus High School, Loptacong Middle School, and Palisades High School. Children will also be performing with the Valley Suzuki Strings, The Lesson Center, and Holy Infancy Strings. Moravian College and Lehigh University also have groups performing. Perhaps your child will become inspired to perform after seeing children his or her age perform!

Christkindlmarkt is open Thursday through Sunday, every week except the last week in December. Admission is free for children, and $8 for those over 13.

change my “appearance”!!!  It is that time of year to change my blog appearance.  I will return to what I had (or maybe it is time to change that too!) after a while.  Once it snows I have to change it to the iceburgg look.

Anyway, today was actually a really good day at work considering that it was Black Friday and I really expected people to be just shopping! 

DH & I started Christmas shopping this past Monday, we did get some stuff.  We have another day in December that we will finish up.  I picked up my Christmas cards tonight.  I will be working on getting those addressed and out in the next few days!

Thanksgiving was good, filling and enjoyable!

I hope that all is well with you and yours!!  Let me know if you have started shopping, just a little bit, or none at all!

By Annie

When it comes to homemade meals, it doesn’t get much easier than salads. But it’s a little too easy to get stuck in an iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing rut. To avoid this state of salad monotony, you need to build up a collection of interesting toppings and dressings.

Photo: Savour Life

There are so many great things you can do with salads, but sometimes you have to think outside the box. Try fruit instead of vegetables. Try nuts or seeds instead of cheese. And not all of your dressing needs to come from Kraft.

During the holiday season, there are a lot of festive ways you can dress up your salads. Here are some ideas you can use for inspiration.

Consumer First hopes everyone had a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving!

We’d love for you to share any pictures, stories, jokes, etc… that you may have experienced over the weekend.  If you’re interested, feel free to send some of your memories to be posted on the blog by emailing them to ConsumerIns@gmail.com.  Make sure to include names for the pictures, and any captions you’d like to include!

Also, don’t miss the exciting chance to receive a free $50 dollar gift card for Toys R’ Us.  Go to the Consumer First Insurance homepage, and click on the “Refer a Friend” icon to learn more!

As always, have a safe and relaxing weekend.

Autumn Maple by The Bruery

The Autumn Maple, by the Bruery, just might be the perfect beer to have with your Thanksgiving dinner.

The Autumn Maple is an unfiltered, bottle-conditioned, Belgian-style brown ale brewed with yams, molasses, maple syrup, and spices. The orange and brown label has maple leafs in the background, only fitting for a fall seasonal.

This mahogany colored ale pours with a large, light tan colored head. There are aromas of brown sugar and spices. Never having a beer brewed with yams, I certainly had some doubts on how this seasonal would taste.

Fortunately, this beer’s flavoring blew me away. There is not one flavor that overpowers the next. There is a perfect balance of brown sugar, syrup, and cinnamon with a subtle touch of yam. When thinking of ingredients to brew with beer, yams aren’t the first thing to come to mind. Good thing the folks at the Bruery like to think outside the box.

This maple flavored brew is medium bodied with mild carbonation. For having 10% ABV, it is surprisingly drinkable. The alcohol that is present provides a nice warming affect, perfect for a cold autumn night.

This seasonal by The Bruery is a deliciously unique brew. The label states, “We don’t need pumpkins in our beer!” I guess they’re right. When you got yams, who gives a damn about pumpkins?

Brewery website: http://www.thebruery.com/

The turkey was ravaged, sweet potatoes razed and the succotash dashed.  Yet hardly a dent was made in the rice, the beans were barely touched and most of the roasted vegetables remain.

What next?

General thoughts on leftovers:
1. Use them fast (within three days after cooking or preparing).

2. Do not keep reheating the whole leftover batch; reheat just the portion you think you’ll eat.

3. Try to change the texture and nature of the dish – puree it, chop it,  add ingredients to it, or make a cold salad out of a hot dish. This will add new energy to aging food.

4. Never use leftovers that have been reheated, reinvented more than twice. Throw them away.  My teacher, Denny Waxman (founder of the Strengthening Health Institute) says, “If you eat too many leftovers, you begin to look and feel like a leftover.”  True story.

Take your Thanksgiving leftovers to the next level

Leftover GRAINS

Quick sautée them. Heat olive or sesame oil in a pan; add chopped onion, cabbage, yellow or red pepper, a leafy green like bok choy and parsley. When they are wilted, add leftover rice, couscous, plain noodles or quinoa (these grains will work best) and mix well. When hot, add several drops of soy sauce to taste.

Make a salad out of them. Choose from chopped scallions, celery, radish, cucumber, capers, dried fruits (like cherries, figs or raisins) and parsley. Combine with the rice, barley, quinoa, plain pasta or bulgur wheat (these work best). Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with toasted tan or black sesame seeds and dress with extra virgin olive oil.

Leftover BEANS

Make a soup out of them. Purée the whole bean dish in the blender, add water if needed to thin to desired consistency and heat it gently on a low flame. Season to taste.

Make a salad out of them by adding some of the following: chopped scallions, red pepper, fresh blanched green beans or edamame, steamed corn, watercress or grape tomatoes. Dress with fresh squeezed lemon and extra virgin olive oil. This works best with chickpeas, black beans and white beans.

Leftover VEGETABLES

If they were roasted, make a soup out of them. Purée in a blender; add a small amount of water to get desired consistency; heat gently on medium low flame; season to taste.

If they were blanched or steamed, make a salad by adding chopped fresh lettuces, red onion, radish, nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds or peanuts) and fresh fruit (apple, orange or pear). Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Leftover PIES, CAKES, COOKIES

Make a fruit crumble out of a fruit pie (almost any fruit except pumpkin) by pouring the pie in a bowl and mixing. Top with granola, crushed nuts and maple or rice syrup.

Make a napoleon out of cake or cookies by layering them with fresh fruit, almond cream or fresh whipped cream.

As for leftover pumpkin pie, refrigerate it and enjoy it as is. Some classics are best left alone.

-Nancy

If you can’t see the video, click here.

Next week: Antique Erotica.

(Lots of shops listed to the right will be happy to sell you porcelain figurines, oil lamps and little spoons while you wait for your doctor’s appointment.)

…but they couldn’t wait any longer!  

The Library staff will be putting up our festive decorations today so between now and January the Library will be a little bit more sparkly than usual.

Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope this was an enjoyable, peaceful holiday for you, a time in which you could reflect upon and be truly grateful for the many blessings in your life.

As for me, I am thankful for each of you—my readers, friends, and family members—as I am for the roof over my head, the soft bed to which I am headed, and the plentiful meal that has sated my appetite today.

As fall gives way to the holidays, and soon enough to winter, I hope you find warmth, comfort, and joy in the coming season.

M B H

 Eternal Love Wedding Music by True Love Consort

2009 (10 tracks, 40:26)

seasonal

Now normally, I enjoy baking more so than standard cooking, but seeing that it’s Thanksgiving and the best part aside from traditional pie is traditional turkey. I’ve been making turkey for families including my own, for about four years now. This year I’m doing something a little differently, and as usual, trying to learn from past Holiday meals.

I’ve taken the liberty to brine my turkey first for about 15 hours prior to baking. (Standard time is 24 hrs. for brine) Seeing that time is of always a challenge, 15 hours seems long enough. I’m using a basic brine recipe that can be used for poultry or pork; (it’s great for chops!)

BRINE: (for a 12 lb. turkey)
* 1 Tbs Peppercorns
* 2 Tbs Juniper Berries
* 3 Ea. Bay Leaves
* 1 1/2 C Brown Sugar
* 2 C Sugar
* 1 1/2 C Salt
* 10 Gal Water

Bring to boil one quart and a half of water with peppercorns, juniper berries, and bay leaves to concentrate spices.
Mix brown sugar, sugar, salt, and remaining water in a container large enough to hold over ten gallons of fluid and turkey.
Mix concentrated water into sugar water and whisk until sugar is dissolved.
Before adding turkey to brine, make sure the brine is at least at room temperature and is NOT warm or hot.
Place turkey in brine and refrigerate for at least 15 hours.

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees

The “Rack”
* 4 C Yellow Onion
* 2 C Carrots
* 2 C Celery Hearts
* 4 Ea Garlic Clove (leave whole)
* 1/2 C Canola Oil
* 1/2 Tbs Salt

Cut the vegetables accordingly to the size of the type of meat being used… seeing that I’m using a 12 lb turkey, I’ve cut everything an inch or so thick to use as a “rack” to place my turkey on. (You do NOT HAVE to have an actual roasting rack and roasting pan to make an amazing roast.) Drain the brine, saving the spices.
Do NOT rinse your bird; it only defeats the purpose of that wonderful brine. Instead, just pat dry the turkey, inside and out. I’ve used a regular cheap foil pan to bake my turkey in. Place the roasting pan on top of a baking sheet to ensure stability.
Coat the vegetables with a little bit of canola oil and season with salt. Place evenly in the bottom of the foil roasting pan.
Rub all over the bird to coat with the remaining oil and place breast-side first down. This ensures that the juices flow toward the breast of the turkey so it won’t dry out before the turkey is finished cooking.
Bake breast-side down first for 1 hr. 15 min. After, turn bird over and bake breast-side up for 1 hr. and 30 min. or until internal temperature between the leg/thigh and breast reaches 150 degrees fahrenheit.

Stuffing:
* 1 (1 lb) loaf sliced white bread
* 3/4 cup butter
* 1 onion, chopped
* 4 stalks celery, chopped
* 2 tsp poultry seasoning
* to taste salt and pepper
* 1 C chicken broth

Let bread slices air dry for 1 to 2 hours, then cut into cubes.
In a deep sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and celery until soft. Season with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in bread cubes until evenly coated. Moisten with chicken broth; mix well.
When finished save, and use as a stuffing for turkey.
Take the turkey out of oven when internal temperature reaches 150 degrees between the leg/thigh and breast. Be careful it is HOT.
Carefully stuff the cavity of the turkey. Refrigerate any left overs for later consumption.
Place back in 350 degree oven to finish baking; when internal thermometer reaches 160-165 degrees fahrenheit.
Finally, when finished, let turkey rest up to 20 minutes WITHOUT taking out the thermometer… this will ensure the juices stay within the turkey and you should end up with an amazing moist and tender turkey.

I bake the turkey the majority of the way through before stuffing it and then baking the whole thing through to detain from creating any potential bacteria. See bacteria grows rapidly at temperatures between 70-90 degrees fahrenheit, so stuffing a raw poultry item with something that retains moisture, (what happens in the oven is the outside is hotter than the inside), creates a perfect warm environment for bacteria growth.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have. Bake safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving, a special observance

With prayer to the Lord above

For He alone is the way of life

And the way of life to love

We give Thee thanks each day, dear Lord

The humble of the living

But a day we set aside each year

For a specific Thanksgiving

Our forefathers were so grateful

That a hard year came to end

Followed by a successful harvest

Which no doubt didst send

They had a day-long festival

With the blessings that Thou gave

From a generous and a loving heart

For your children thus to save

This was in Plymouth colony

On the last month of the year

Of sixteen hundred twenty-one

When hope had cast out fear

With gratefulness and heartfelt thanks

Each in his way does say

As did the Pilgrims in the past

Thank-you, dear Lord, this day.

 Copyright 2009 Lucille Klenakis Poetry

All Rights Reserved 

 Christmas Cheer by Various Artists

2009 (20 tracks, 1:01:56)

seasonal

 Jingle Barks, Jingle Farts And Other Christmas Fun by Various Artists

2009 (15 tracks, 42:05)

seasonal

The Thanksgiving holiday evokes different memories for people, but in my house, Thanksgiving always meant two things: sweet potatoes and football!

1. Sweet Potatoes & Florida Oranges

Anyone who knows me knows I am not big on kitchen skills. I strongly believe a love of cooking is something passed down through memories of time spent with a parent lovingly doting over a blender and stove top. Well, those memories are nonexistent in my household, as my mother despised cooking as much as I do; so, my memories are of quickie meals done out of a few pots or of frequently eating out.  (I don’t blame my mother at all, as she spent her childhood in the legendary Morrison’s Cafeteria where all the wait staff knew her family by name! For generations now, the women in my family just aren’t that domesticated, I guess.)

Some of the few times my mother would put in an effort at cooking was the occasional holiday meal. No, not all of it was wonderful, as cooking takes practice, but there were some dishes that my mother made simply divine. I would put her sweet potatoes toe-to-toe with anyone else’s in the country. She takes the skinned, mashed sweet potatoes and mixes in freshly squeezed oranges, right off the tree. Something about the pulpy citrus juice creates this wonderful texture that almost caramelizes with the potatoes when cooked. Add the traditional toasted marshmallows on top, and it is one recipe that I proudly brag about.

What dishes remind you of this time of year? Any kitchen secrets you want to share?

2. Florida vs. Florida State

Yes, this is the other holiday tradition that simply cannot be missed in my household. Both my husband and I went to the University of Florida–he a swimmer and me a cheerleader–and so we take this weekend very seriously.  Although this football game amounts to little more than bragging rights as of late, it used to be a vital battleground for national rankings.   For almost as far back as I can remember, Thanksgiving weekend means Florida-Florida State.

"Top 5" editor Bess and another Cent. FL native Buffy Thompson before a UF-FSU game.

And, just for kicks, here’s a vintage cheer picture from the late eighties. OMG! I miss that big hair!

So, no matter who you are cheering for this weekend, remember to enjoy who you are cheering with…Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

After Thanksgiving, the air of the season jumps straight to Christmas.  I’m talking about trading pumpkin pie yogurt for jingly bells and white snow.  To be honest, I’d rather have the former… (Why, Stonyfield?  Why?!)  Jingly bells and white snow are nice and everything, but I can’t forgo the fact that even crueler weather is on the way.  o__o  I need to up my lotion and nut butter intake to make sure I keep crackly skin to a minimum.  Bleh.  Let’s not forget the midyear exams that will shortly follow winter break too… ><

What’s your (least) favorite part of winter? Holidays.  Angels.  My birthday.    Cold.  Wind.  Midterms. 

But it’s not winter yet!  And today was the first day of “fall” break (aka 4.5 days of food food FOOD!), so I’m in a particularly good mood right now—cutting off any and all negativity! 

Yesterday afternoon, I went to my favorite Korean grocery store to buy only the foods that I needed the most in order to save money.  … Psh, no.  What kind of food-lover-nerd does that?  I mean, I spend more on food than clothes, and I think that grocery shopping trumps clothes shopping by a long shot, even though I enjoy both.  Yes, my friends think I’m insane, but what gives?  I can’t deny the truth, or else that would really count as insanity…

Ze haul was quite enormous, so I won’t post everything.  I did, however, buy two kabocha squashes for the pie I’ll be making for my family today.  I’m a little nervous—this is my first time baking a pie!  o_o  I’m modifying the spice-kissed pumpkin pie recipe from 101 Cookbooks and partially winging the crust, so I’ll post about how much of a failure my pie was after I make it/we eat it. 

A pair of delicious kabocha lovers… :*

Some whole spices (cinnamon + cloves) for grinding—

My first time purchasing whole spices.

Oh, and I finally found chia seeds!!!  I was so excited—it seems like the entire blogiverse has eaten these teeny babies in some form or another (chia pudding, chia cookies, etc.), but I never had the chance to try them.  UNTIL NOW!  Muahaha, I can’t WAIT to use these.    Suggestions, anyone? Gimme the gold~

Chia chia come to mama…

And I restocked on my beloved MSG-free furikake and black sesame seeds!

Mostly shaved bonito flakes. 

Good for my hair, I hear?

Ohhh… and I bought another box of dried persimmons. Man I love these things—so sweet, fleshy, and delicious!  They’re absolutely my favorite dried fruit, beating out apricots by just a smidgen.  Seriously unique texture.  Unlike most dried fruits, the innards aren’t “chewy,” but rather, soft and melt-in-your-mouth.  It’s amazing—I encourage anyone who has the tiniest appreciation for anything tasty to give one of these a shot. 

Jewels of autumn.

And they’re even lovelier when they have a plentiful amount of sugary snow crystals…

I had a speedy snack after my long journey in food heaven: Fage greek yogurt, pumpkin purée, TJ’s pumpkin butter, cinnamon, peanuts, and the last of the Bear Naked Chocolate Delight granola. ‘Twas love, but now I need more granola.  :|

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I can’t exactly talk about my Thanksgiving traditions, because in all honesty, we don’t really have any.  It’s basically just turkey + Chinese sides + mashed potatoes, year after year (I mean, this is my first time making pie, after all).  Actually, we mostly just go to parties… So that’s why you should tell me: what are your Thanksgiving traditions?

As for the post title, I’d like to give 100% thanks to my family, my friends, the Lord and the many ways He has blessed me, and more recently—you guys!!!  The blogger community!  Blogging has been so much fun this month, and hopefully, it’ll continue to serve as an outlet for my creativity and strange humor, as well as a chronicle of my life and every delicious bite that enters my mouth.  I’ll be salivating a lot for sure for the next four days…

 Wassail! A Country Christmas by Magpie Lane

2009 (20 tracks, 1:01:07)

seasonal

Good friends
Ices
Vacations
Embroidery

Thai cuisine
Husband
Ankle bracelets
Naps
Kitten
Stories

These angels are really meant to hold a votive candle, but you know us, anything is fair game to be a tillandsia holder!

Concrete angel, $16. Tillandsia, $6.

Tillandsia, safe in a heavenly embrace!

There are many things I am thankful for and to name them all would take way to much of your time and you would probably get really bored sitting through the post. So as I spend this thanksgiving day with my family and enjoy a great meal and great company I wanted to personally say to the readers of george tallmage talks that I thank you. Some of you I have the privilege of knowing personally, but also realize that many of you I have never met. Thanks for your time in reading what I post and for your input and lessons that you have in life by commenting. While I take a break today and focus solely on my friends and family that will be gathering at our house I didn’t want to leave you out. So, as I think about what I am thankful for includes; My wife Chanelle, my children Peyton and Julianna, top the list. I am thankful for a great family, and some pretty awesome friends. I am also thankful for you. Though we may never meet in person, thank you for stretching me through your comments, and taking part in my journey, thank you for reading, commenting, and to those of you who have subscribed via email or the rss feed. Have a great Thanksgiving!

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