| Rayne Today Searching for dharma, in spite of the weather...
It smells like heaven in here. Or at least like my idea of heaven. Sage and parsley melded with onions and garlic and celery. Oranges and sugar. Sausage frying, bread baking. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cracked black pepper. The kids' noses almost jumped off their faces when they walked in the door after school. The smells made them dance in circles. I had to ply them with warm bread and butter to calm them. If only I could bottle this fragrance, I could make a fortune. 8:07:03 PM  comment []
All set, just have to put plastic wrap over the bowl and put in the fridge. The extra that didn't fit in this dish is in a jam jar; maybe I'll use it in aebelskivers this weekend. Hey, if you have an easy Thanksgiving recipe you are fond of, why don't you post it or share it here in comments? 2:33:17 PM comment []
Not really, I didn't forget it -- I'd already started the cranberry sauce. But I did forget to add it to the menu!! That would have resulted in the jumping up of the hostess from the table in the middle of dinner, digging in a panic for the cranberry sauce in the refrigerator instead of having it out on the table at time of setting. Whew! Thanks for the reminder, Mambrino (Mambrina?) and Marsha! Anything else I forgot? Oh yeah, by the way, my own T-Day rant: it's incredibly easy to make cranberry sauce. If you love cranberries, give it a shot. Too easy, really; there are those of you out there who cheat and use the stuff in a can. It's not the same, at all. (Yes, I know, some of you really do like that weird jellied stuff in the can...I'm talking to the folks who actually like cranberries.) Try it, make a big batch and use it instead of jam on toast or serve it on pancakes this weekend. Yummy! If you've got the time and not the cash for a hostess gift, make this -- only costs about 4 bucks to make a double-batch. For single batch: -- Wash in colander and pick over one bag fresh cranberries (get rid of stems and any squishy berries) -- Put in non-reactive saucepan with following: 1 cup of orange juice (approx. 2 oranges), zest of 1 orange, 1-1/4 cup sugar (only 1 cup if you like your sauce real tart) and a pinch of salt (cuts bitterness of zest and berries). -- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to barely a simmer, stir occasionally and cook until the berries are all translucent, soft and the juices are reduced to a syrup. -- Cool and put in a pretty jar as a gift or dish for serving. I am sorely tempted to make a batch with szechuan peppers or red pepper flakes in it...mmm-mmm...
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Blogging might be light today; I’m up to my elbows in Thanksgiving Day preparations. Nope, not going to have a bunch of guests here; just the elderly neighbor next door will attend as he has for several years running. Dinner preparations will be smaller; I’m only fixing a turkey breast instead of an entire bird. I’ve already been to the grocery store, bought everything except for the turkey (that’s hubby’s job this year) and started those foods that can be prepared well in advance. The menu:
Haven’t decided what wine to serve, but it’s just my spouse and I that will drink it; the neighbor is a teetotaler, won’t touch it. We’re serving a sparkling cranberry spumante (alcohol-free) for him and the kids. I’m leaning towards a gewürztraminer or a Riesling right now for me and hubby. Dessert will be very traditional: pumpkin pie and an apple pie. If we have guests pop in later (and we might), I’ll whip up a boysenberry cobbler. Even though I’m using my usual preparation cheat sheets and shopping list with only a , I feel like I missing something…can you think of it? Drop me a comment and let me know if you think of it. And what will you be doing for T-Day? Are you traveling? Cooking at home? Fill me in, love to hear. comment []
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