22. grateful

The time surrounding Thanksgiving is very busy and tiring for me, as my day job in retail management keeps me running (literally) up to 12 hours a day this time of year.  On Thanksgiving day I am simply grateful for a day off.

This year I decided to cook a Thanksgiving meal for the first time on my own.  As good fortune winked my way a couple-friend of ours found an airline flight deal and came down to visit.  In hindsight I now know that a rookie Thanksgiving-day-meal-cooker should always have a veteran by their side.  As a team we successfully pulled it off.

Turkey:  I ordered a fresh heritage turkey, the farm recommended cooking it like this, Heritage Turkey Recipe.  The almost ten-pound turkey fit in my large Pyrex dish so I was not forced to purchase a roasting pan.  (I love Pyrex, another post altogether.)  I also successfully made gravy last minute without a recipe, I remembered the method for roux and tried to follow it as best as I could remember.

[Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM]

Stuffing:  Since the turkey farm recommends not stuffing a heritage turkey I tried this Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta Recipe which was incredible.  I am not sure if I will ever try another stuffing recipe and will likely make it again throughout the year.

Mashed Potatoes:  no recipe needed, of course.  I used redskin potatoes (leaving the skins on) and roughly mashed them (leaving good chunks) with real butter, sour cream, milk, salt and white pepper.  I love rustic mashed potatoes and white pepper blends much better than black.

Vegetable: I've never liked traditional green been casserole, but a number of years ago my newest sister-in-law made Alton Brown's Best Ever Green Bean Casserole and it really was the best ever.  His recipes are notoriously laborious and this one indeed had a number of steps but ended up wonderful.  The leftovers only re-heated well for a couple days though so it's best to consume quickly.

Pie: Thank you Whole Foods for a delicious pecan pie, a.k.a. "candy in a crust" -- I enjoy the art of cooking more than the science of baking.

[Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM]

Wine: lots.  Due to my work schedule I could not enjoy a glass of wine with each dish as I was hoping.  I did open a dry Riesling, a Beaujolais Nouveau (of course) and something else I don't remember.  In hindsight I should have taken some tasting notes.

The day was not without it's snafus of course.  I left the thermometer in the turkey only to find out an hour later that it was not a leave-in thermometer.  Then as I was basting the turkey I tapped the end of the glass baster against the side of the Pyrex dish and the tip broke off.

[Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM]

As a whole, Thanksgiving Day this year was fantastic -- a day spent with friends being grateful for what we have and, more importantly, who we have.

16. the view from your window

What I see when I'm sitting at my computer, not looking at the monitor:

About an hour later, while gazing through the window I saw the sun just setting behind the houses and took my camera out to photograph this:

2012.11.16.

[Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS UD]

15. in your bag

On the 15th I drove down to my nearest metropolitan area and visited the closest locations of two stores I don't get to very often, Whole Foods Market and World Market.  I make this trip about once a month, it aids in maintaining my sanity while living in a small (by my standards) town.  My excuse was Thanksgiving preparation, but any reason would suffice really.

I keep a running list of Whole Foods items so when I get there I can keep focus, otherwise my pocketbook suffers dearly.  Generally there are always a number of bulk food items needing replenishment in my pantry, this time they included botanical (naturally caffeine-free) tea and salt and pepper for my grinders.  Bulk herbs and spices are very well-priced at Whole Foods so when my small jars empty I refill them from there -- I love it!  I have discovered many styles of spices I never knew existed and I love experimenting with them, one being Spanish sweet paprika and Chipotle chili pepper powder.

Coarse salt and peppercorns were a priority because my grinders emptied a couple weeks ago and I was using my backup McCormick grinders I had saved from when we moved and hadn't received our household goods yet.  I selected pink Himalayan salt and a smoked peppercorn blend.  Honestly, I have no idea the difference between those and conventional table salt and pepper but I will soon learn.

For the photo of the (yester)day I am showing you what's in my bag, my spice bag.

2012.11.16.
[Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM]

13. where you slept

A cold front slipped in bringing last night's temperature below 30 degrees.  I spread the blanket over the bed and set up the space heater just in case.

2012.11.13
[Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM]

9. small

Keeping the original intent of this blog, today's photo from yesterday's challenge displays a creative example of a small change making a big difference.

For the past 6 years I have worked for the same company which requires it's employees to wear name badges on a company-issued lanyard.  As I am very active at work this lanyard is constantly flapping around getting caught on objects and is a general nuisance.  The standard clip that attaches the name badge is the worst offender due to the metal tabs you pinch together to open it (I have no idea what the technical term is).  After years of frustration I finally had the idea to do something about it.  I changed the clip --  a super simple solution that I embarrassingly never thought of previously, of course neither had any other of my co-workers.

During November and December we wear holiday lanyards so I had to switch that clip as well, which is the  one photographed.  I also adjusted it's length by taking apart the safety release, trimming the fabric and putting it back together.

My photo of the day shows my replacement clip attached to the lanyard next to the original one removed.  I did some rough cloning to remove the company name.  I am proud of my easy fixes and it makes a significant difference in my daily performance.

2012.11.10

[Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM]

8. something you do everyday

Eat.

This evening I enjoyed the best grilled cheese sandwich ever.  "Enjoyed" is an understatement; it was divine.

When visiting friends in San Francisco we drove into the Sonoma Valley to the tasting room at Gloria Ferrer Winery where we tried their Blanc de Blanc Carneros Sparkling Wine.  I am very, very particular with Chardonnay and this selection earned my firm approval.  Because Spec's truly cares for my well-being, I am able to find this wine here in the depths of central Texas and I purchased a bottle this evening.

Am I the only one who makes a dinner selection based on wine preference?  Good.

Rudi's Organic Bakery makes a Rosemary and Olive Oil Bread that is incredible!  Due to blind luck I am able to find it here and buy it periodically.  Grilled cheese sandwiches seemed a reasonable pairing with the Blanc de Blanc so I assembled them -- 1 1/2 pieces each of muenster and provolone cheeses and 4 or so thin slices of black forest ham on the rosemary bread which I (real) buttered on both outside pieces and pan-grilled until crispy.  Sometimes it really is only a few select ingredients that compose delicious combinations.

2012.11.08
[Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM]

7. reflection

2012.11.07
[Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM]