Well, I've been a little busy and haven't had time to post.
I finally had company for my day-after-T-day dinner. It's been
a few years. (What with all my back problems and arthritis
aches and pain I kind of let the clutter build up over the past
few years and didn't have the energy to clean house for company.
Well, I finally managed to get it done! Hurray!)

So, I made my usual 20-lb. turkey so I would have leftovers to
last me till Xmas. I tried a new stuffing recipe that turned out
very well. It's a bread stuffing with sausage (I used sweet Italian)
and dried cherries and pistachios in it. Delicious.

I tried a new vegetable dish - green beans with oranges. That was
not as successful. I did it the way the recipe said - saute the
beans in a skillet over very high heat until they are blackened in
spots. Then you add fresh orange sections. With the leftover juice
you make a dressing by adding olive oil, vinegar (I used balsamic),
and some kosher salt. Now I liked the flavors but I hated the, to
me, undercooked green beans. I don't like my green beans crunchy.
So, I would make it again but use fully cooked or even canned green
beans (if no decent fresh ones were available). The oranges and the
dressing were quite nice. I think this could be a very good dish if
done right.

I also made mashed potatoes as usual, but I put garlic and sour
cream in them, which was new for me. Very good.

I made my usual pumpkin pies, but I forgot that after last year
I swore I wouldn't make pumpkin pie any more. It gives me horrible
acid indigestion. Even if I eat it for breakfast and have all day
to calm down the indigestion. I still wake up in the middle of the
night with acid reflux. So somebody please remind me next year of
my resolution to forgo pumpkin pie. But it just doesn't seem right
not to have pumpkin pie on T-day (or the day after). I think I'll
make a couple of chess pies next year. Maybe lemon and chocolate.
Yeah, that's the ticket.

There were also the family's traditional crescent rolls. It's also
not T-day without the crescent rolls. However, no sweet potato
casserole and no cranberry sauce. In lieu of cranberry sauce my
aunt made her Cranberry Waldorf Salad (without the walnuts, thank
you). Even though it's sort of trailer trash fare I still like it -
apples, grapes, cranberries, mini marshmallows, and Cool Whip. Yum.

I also made my traditional first course of Orange Pomegranate Compote.
I love this stuff. Fresh orange sections, pomegranate seeds, and then
dressed with a little lemon juice, a pinch of sugar, and some rose
water (I used orange flower water though because I was out of rose
water). Then I serve it in beautiful crystal stemware bowls and
sprinkle freshly grated coconut over it. (I took a picture this year
but being the retro camera geek that I am I used real film and stuff
so it will be a while before I finish the roll and get it developed
- yeah, they still do that - and can post the picture.)

My guests mostly didn't eat the pomegranate seeds which really ****ed
me off. I had to throw a lot of them away. (Maybe I could have rinsed
them off in a strainer and then put them back in the leftovers for me
to eat!) These people don't know what's good! I think they were just
afraid to swallow the seeds. Sheesh! If they weren't such nice people
with whom I've been friends for 20 years I would have had them shot!
Sheesh! At least my daughter told me beforehand so I just served her
the oranges - she didn't want the pomegranate seeds or the coconut - so
nothing was wasted. But it sure spoiled the look of the table. Sigh.

Well, in spite of my guests lack of taste they all seemed to really like
the rest of the dinner and we had a great time.

Hope everyone else had a marvelous T-day (or day after).

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

On Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:32:22 -0500, Kate Connally
> wrote:

>
> I tried a new vegetable dish - green beans with oranges. That was
> not as successful. I did it the way the recipe said - saute the
> beans in a skillet over very high heat until they are blackened in
> spots. Then you add fresh orange sections. With the leftover juice
> you make a dressing by adding olive oil, vinegar (I used balsamic),
> and some kosher salt. Now I liked the flavors but I hated the, to
> me, undercooked green beans. I don't like my green beans crunchy.
> So, I would make it again but use fully cooked or even canned green
> beans (if no decent fresh ones were available). The oranges and the
> dressing were quite nice. I think this could be a very good dish if
> done right.

I don't mind crunchy beans, but I do mine it when the squeak against
my teeth. If the only problem with that dish was under done beans,
follow the recipe and add a couple of tablespoons of water after they
sauté. Cover and allow them to steam a minute or two.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Dec 3, 1:32*pm, Kate Connally > wrote:
> Well, I've been a little busy and haven't had time to post.
> I finally had company for my day-after-T-day dinner. *It's been
> a few years. *(What with all my back problems and arthritis
> aches and pain I kind of let the clutter build up over the past
> few years and didn't have the energy to clean house for company.
> Well, I finally managed to get it done! *Hurray!)
>
> So, I made my usual 20-lb. turkey so I would have leftovers to
> last me till Xmas. *I tried a new stuffing recipe that turned out
> very well. *It's a bread stuffing with sausage (I used sweet Italian)
> and dried cherries and pistachios in it. *Delicious.
>
> I tried a new vegetable dish - green beans with oranges. *That was
> not as successful. *I did it the way the recipe said - saute the
> beans in a skillet over very high heat until they are blackened in
> spots. *Then you add fresh orange sections. *With the leftover juice
> you make a dressing by adding olive oil, vinegar (I used balsamic),
> and some kosher salt. *Now I liked the flavors but I hated the, to
> me, undercooked green beans. *I don't like my green beans crunchy.
> So, I would make it again but use fully cooked or even canned green
> beans (if no decent fresh ones were available). *The oranges and the
> dressing were quite nice. *I think this could be a very good dish if
> done right.
>
> I also made mashed potatoes as usual, but I put garlic and sour
> cream in them, which was new for me. *Very good.
>
> I made my usual pumpkin pies, but I forgot that after last year
> I swore I wouldn't make pumpkin pie any more. *It gives me horrible
> acid indigestion. *Even if I eat it for breakfast and have all day
> to calm down the indigestion. *I still wake up in the middle of the
> night with acid reflux. *So somebody please remind me next year of
> my resolution to forgo pumpkin pie. *But it just doesn't seem right
> not to have pumpkin pie on T-day (or the day after). *I think I'll
> make a couple of chess pies next year. *Maybe lemon and chocolate.
> Yeah, that's the ticket.
>
> There were also the family's traditional crescent rolls. *It's also
> not T-day without the crescent rolls. *However, no sweet potato
> casserole and no cranberry sauce. *In lieu of cranberry sauce my
> aunt made her Cranberry Waldorf Salad (without the walnuts, thank
> you). *Even though it's sort of trailer trash fare I still like it -
> apples, grapes, cranberries, mini marshmallows, and Cool Whip. *Yum.
>
> I also made my traditional first course of Orange Pomegranate Compote.
> I love this stuff. *Fresh orange sections, pomegranate seeds, and then
> dressed with a little lemon juice, a pinch of sugar, and some rose
> water (I used orange flower water though because I was out of rose
> water). *Then I serve it in beautiful crystal stemware bowls and
> sprinkle freshly grated coconut over it. *(I took a picture this year
> but being the retro camera geek that I am I used real film and stuff
> so it will be a while before I finish the roll and get it developed
> - yeah, they still do that - and can post the picture.)
>
> My guests mostly didn't eat the pomegranate seeds which really ****ed
> me off. *I had to throw a lot of them away. *(Maybe I could have rinsed
> them off in a strainer and then put them back in the leftovers for me
> to eat!) *These people don't know what's good! *I think they were just
> afraid to swallow the seeds. *Sheesh! *If they weren't such nice people
> with whom I've been friends for 20 years I would have had them shot!
> Sheesh! *At least my daughter told me beforehand so I just served her
> the oranges - she didn't want the pomegranate seeds or the coconut - so
> nothing was wasted. *But it sure spoiled the look of the table. *Sigh..
>
> Well, in spite of my guests lack of taste they all seemed to really like
> the rest of the dinner and we had a great time.
>
> Hope everyone else had a marvelous T-day (or day after).
>

Your stuffing sounds fabulous. Green beans, when I get company, I
usually do them the same way. I steam them until they are done, but
still crunchy. Then I saute' them in a pan with butter and almonds
and add some demi-glace. Pretty outstanding. You can get demi-glace
mixes, but I don't know how good they are. I make my own.

> Kate
>
> --
> Kate Connally
> �If I were as old as I feel, I�d be dead already.�
> Goldfish: �The wholesome snack that smiles back,
> Until you bite their heads off.�
> What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?
>

On 12/3/2010 12:32 PM, Kate Connally wrote:
> Well, I've been a little busy and haven't had time to post.
> I finally had company for my day-after-T-day dinner.
snip
> I made my usual pumpkin pies, but I forgot that after last year
> I swore I wouldn't make pumpkin pie any more. It gives me horrible
> acid indigestion.

It is nice to see you posting again. Your Thanksgiving dinner sounds
wonderful, all the way down to the pomegranate seeds.

You can substitute sweet potato pies for pumpkin, most people can not
tell the difference. Maybe the sweet potatoes will not give you
indigestion.

Becca

Becca

On 12/3/2010 2:21 PM, sf wrote:
> On Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:32:22 -0500, Kate Connally
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> I tried a new vegetable dish - green beans with oranges. That was
>> not as successful. I did it the way the recipe said - saute the
>> beans in a skillet over very high heat until they are blackened in
>> spots. Then you add fresh orange sections. With the leftover juice
>> you make a dressing by adding olive oil, vinegar (I used balsamic),
>> and some kosher salt. Now I liked the flavors but I hated the, to
>> me, undercooked green beans. I don't like my green beans crunchy.
>> So, I would make it again but use fully cooked or even canned green
>> beans (if no decent fresh ones were available). The oranges and the
>> dressing were quite nice. I think this could be a very good dish if
>> done right.
>
> I don't mind crunchy beans, but I do mine it when the squeak against
> my teeth. If the only problem with that dish was under done beans,
> follow the recipe and add a couple of tablespoons of water after they
> sauté. Cover and allow them to steam a minute or two.
>
Actually I tried that with the leftovers. I added water
and cooked them with the lid on for 20 minutes. The removed
the lid and cooked until the excess water evaporated. It
didn't do a thing! Still crunchy. I think you really have to
boil the beans from the start, until they are done. Then proceed
with the recipe.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

On 12/3/2010 4:50 PM, A Moose In Love wrote:
> On Dec 3, 1:32 pm, Kate > wrote:
>> Well, I've been a little busy and haven't had time to post.
>> I finally had company for my day-after-T-day dinner. It's been
>> a few years. (What with all my back problems and arthritis
>> aches and pain I kind of let the clutter build up over the past
>> few years and didn't have the energy to clean house for company.
>> Well, I finally managed to get it done! Hurray!)
>>
>> So, I made my usual 20-lb. turkey so I would have leftovers to
>> last me till Xmas. I tried a new stuffing recipe that turned out
>> very well. It's a bread stuffing with sausage (I used sweet Italian)
>> and dried cherries and pistachios in it. Delicious.
>>
>> I tried a new vegetable dish - green beans with oranges. That was
>> not as successful. I did it the way the recipe said - saute the
>> beans in a skillet over very high heat until they are blackened in
>> spots. Then you add fresh orange sections. With the leftover juice
>> you make a dressing by adding olive oil, vinegar (I used balsamic),
>> and some kosher salt. Now I liked the flavors but I hated the, to
>> me, undercooked green beans. I don't like my green beans crunchy.
>> So, I would make it again but use fully cooked or even canned green
>> beans (if no decent fresh ones were available). The oranges and the
>> dressing were quite nice. I think this could be a very good dish if
>> done right.
>>
>> I also made mashed potatoes as usual, but I put garlic and sour
>> cream in them, which was new for me. Very good.
>>
>> I made my usual pumpkin pies, but I forgot that after last year
>> I swore I wouldn't make pumpkin pie any more. It gives me horrible
>> acid indigestion. Even if I eat it for breakfast and have all day
>> to calm down the indigestion. I still wake up in the middle of the
>> night with acid reflux. So somebody please remind me next year of
>> my resolution to forgo pumpkin pie. But it just doesn't seem right
>> not to have pumpkin pie on T-day (or the day after). I think I'll
>> make a couple of chess pies next year. Maybe lemon and chocolate.
>> Yeah, that's the ticket.
>>
>> There were also the family's traditional crescent rolls. It's also
>> not T-day without the crescent rolls. However, no sweet potato
>> casserole and no cranberry sauce. In lieu of cranberry sauce my
>> aunt made her Cranberry Waldorf Salad (without the walnuts, thank
>> you). Even though it's sort of trailer trash fare I still like it -
>> apples, grapes, cranberries, mini marshmallows, and Cool Whip. Yum.
>>
>> I also made my traditional first course of Orange Pomegranate Compote.
>> I love this stuff. Fresh orange sections, pomegranate seeds, and then
>> dressed with a little lemon juice, a pinch of sugar, and some rose
>> water (I used orange flower water though because I was out of rose
>> water). Then I serve it in beautiful crystal stemware bowls and
>> sprinkle freshly grated coconut over it. (I took a picture this year
>> but being the retro camera geek that I am I used real film and stuff
>> so it will be a while before I finish the roll and get it developed
>> - yeah, they still do that - and can post the picture.)
>>
>> My guests mostly didn't eat the pomegranate seeds which really ****ed
>> me off. I had to throw a lot of them away. (Maybe I could have rinsed
>> them off in a strainer and then put them back in the leftovers for me
>> to eat!) These people don't know what's good! I think they were just
>> afraid to swallow the seeds. Sheesh! If they weren't such nice people
>> with whom I've been friends for 20 years I would have had them shot!
>> Sheesh! At least my daughter told me beforehand so I just served her
>> the oranges - she didn't want the pomegranate seeds or the coconut - so
>> nothing was wasted. But it sure spoiled the look of the table. Sigh.
>>
>> Well, in spite of my guests lack of taste they all seemed to really like
>> the rest of the dinner and we had a great time.
>>
>> Hope everyone else had a marvelous T-day (or day after).
>>
>
> Your stuffing sounds fabulous. Green beans, when I get company, I
> usually do them the same way. I steam them until they are done, but
> still crunchy. Then I saute' them in a pan with butter and almonds
> and add some demi-glace. Pretty outstanding. You can get demi-glace
> mixes, but I don't know how good they are. I make my own.

I didn't really follow the recipe, it was mainly for inspiration.
I just pretty much made the stuffing the way I usually do, but
added the sausage, cherries, and pistachios. I got some really
good Italian rustic bread from TJ's. I cut it up myself and
toasted the cubes in the oven. Then put them in a large pot
and added the herbs - basil, thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary,
parsley - then added broth made from the giblets, neck, and
extra fat globs from the turkey and seasoned with salt, pepper,
bay leaves, parsley. Then I mixed in the browned sausage (in
this case I used bulk mild Italian sausage but normally I use
bulk sage breakfast sausage), the cherries, and the pistachios,
then seasoned it with salt and pepper. I stuffed the turkey
with half of it and made a casserole with the other half.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

On 12/4/2010 4:57 AM, Omelet wrote:
> In >,
> Kate > wrote:
>
>> Well, I've been a little busy and haven't had time to post.
>> I finally had company for my day-after-T-day dinner. It's been
>> a few years. (What with all my back problems and arthritis
>> aches and pain I kind of let the clutter build up over the past
>> few years and didn't have the energy to clean house for company.
>> Well, I finally managed to get it done! Hurray!)
>>
> <snippety>
>
>> Well, in spite of my guests lack of taste they all seemed to really like
>> the rest of the dinner and we had a great time.
>>
>> Hope everyone else had a marvelous T-day (or day after).
>>
>> Kate
>
> Sounds like a great Thanksgiving. :-)
>
> I won't swallow Pomegranate seeds either.
> Ever considered juicing them and then gelling them?

No!!! It wouldn't be the same!!! I like it the way it is.
The heck with non-pom eaters. ;-)

> Pomegranate flavored gelatin, sliced into cubes and added to that should
> have good eye appeal too and sounds tasty.

I don't think so. I wouldn't look right at all afaic.

Kate
--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

On 12/4/2010 5:01 PM, Ema Nymton wrote:
> On 12/3/2010 12:32 PM, Kate Connally wrote:
>> Well, I've been a little busy and haven't had time to post.
>> I finally had company for my day-after-T-day dinner.
> snip
>> I made my usual pumpkin pies, but I forgot that after last year
>> I swore I wouldn't make pumpkin pie any more. It gives me horrible
>> acid indigestion.
>
> It is nice to see you posting again. Your Thanksgiving dinner sounds
> wonderful, all the way down to the pomegranate seeds.
>
> You can substitute sweet potato pies for pumpkin, most people can not
> tell the difference. Maybe the sweet potatoes will not give you
> indigestion.

I'm pretty sure it's not the pumpkin. I eat other things made
with pumpkin. It's the spices.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

On 12/4/2010 5:18 PM, Omelet wrote:
> In >,
> Ema > wrote:
>
>> On 12/3/2010 12:32 PM, Kate Connally wrote:
>>> Well, I've been a little busy and haven't had time to post.
>>> I finally had company for my day-after-T-day dinner.
>> snip
>>> I made my usual pumpkin pies, but I forgot that after last year
>>> I swore I wouldn't make pumpkin pie any more. It gives me horrible
>>> acid indigestion.
>>
>> It is nice to see you posting again. Your Thanksgiving dinner sounds
>> wonderful, all the way down to the pomegranate seeds.
>>
>> You can substitute sweet potato pies for pumpkin, most people can not
>> tell the difference. Maybe the sweet potatoes will not give you
>> indigestion.
>>
>> Becca
>>
>> Becca
>
> Butternut squash works well too, unless it's an overall allergy to
> winter squashes. I second the sweet potato pie concept and I've even
> heard of subbing carrots.

As I replied to Ema, I'm pretty sure it's not the pumpkin.
And I just recently started eating butternut squash (refused
to eat any winter squash in the past except for pumpkin in
pumpkin pie) and don't have any problem with it. But I wouldn't
touch cooked carrots with a 10-foot pole! And it's a abomination
to use carrots in sweet things - carrot cake, etc. :-)

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?