Done!

My mom showed up and I got way too busy to post anymore. I finished everything, we all pigged out, and I am SOOOO full. We didn't eat the pie, which is ironic, considering how much time I spent on it, But, it looks beautiful, and I am having a leftovers potluck tomorrow that I am sure it would be perfect for.

Checkpoint

Cranberry sauce, done

Hey, all youse who like it from the can. You have obviously not tried this recipe. It has fresh orange zest, not peel. It is imperceptible, texture wise. I also added a few tablespoons of Grand Marnier. Mmm mmm.

Now I am going to make oyster stuffing. Mostly for me. Stuffing (or dressing, as my father called it) is the most important part of Thanksgiving. Oh, and I am simmering giblets for the gravy.

Checkpoint

As of 2:20 p.m.:

Pie, done

Camera, acting up (damn!)

Turkey, in the oven with cornbread apple and sausage stuffing (dang, forgot to put in almonds. I think they will go in the oyster stuffing to make up for the mushrooms. Don't question my logic, because I am NOT going back to the store.)

House, cleaned by husband Picky, who even ironed the table cloth and napkins. Love ya, honey *smack*

Kids, playing up the street

Mom, told to hold back and wait since the kids aren't here and she isn't that into cooking

Beer, open

Feet, up

Note to self

PE coaches do not make good assistants when trying to delicately peel rolled out dough off of parchment paper.

Dough is torn and then rerolled, AGAIN. I will NOT be trying the transfer to the rolling pin method again. This time I will try to peel off one side of the parchment, flip the whole thing over into the pie plate, and then peel off the back. Right after my head explodes.

Rrrrrg stinkin pie

I had noooooo pie plans. None. I am not a dessert maker in general, and tend to shy away from baking or anything that takes too much precision. But, my mom handed over about 6 pounds of apples and some refrigerated pie dough made by a chef for an event at her school that fell through.

I have been wrestling with the pie. Rolling it out between two sheets of parchment paper was a dream. I mastered this clockwise 1/4 movement that my cookbook recommends. Then, just as I tried to wrap it around the rolling pin, Z, the 3 year old, senses the horrible timing and comes in to "help mommy" by grabbing the pin. Well, the dough fell apart, and as annoyed as I would like to be at Zach, I think some of it had to do with it being at least 10 degrees warmer in my kitchen in South Florida with the windows open than it is in most kitchens. So, I am chilling my rolled out dough before trying the transfer. Wish me luck!

Now to go tell Coach Stu to corral Z...

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Good evening, and welcome to my Thanksgiving play-by-play.

First the menu:

Breakfast:
Croissant breakfast sandwiches

Snackies throughout the day and hors d'œuvres:

Grapes
Pear and apple slices
Crackers
Hard salami
Port Salut cheese
Camembert cheese
Manchego cheese

The big dinner:

Roasted turkey and gravy
Honeybaked Ham (Coach Stu gets this every year - he insists on having it)
Oyster stuffing (shit! I forgot to buy mushrooms!)
Apple sausage and slivered almond cornbread stuffing
Green beans with almonds and persimmons
Mashed potatoes
Macaroni and cheese
Baked sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon

For dessert:

Pumpkin crème brûlée
Apple pie

I was very unmotivated earlier, and didn't get home from shopping for Thanksgiving until 9 p.m. tonight. I have to start the pumpkin crème brûlée tonight so it can chill. I also am making at least one pie if not two tomorrow morning, and then the turkey goes in the oven. So the crème brûlée is in right now.

I have a confession. Food has been falling in my lap this week. Not only did I not cook my own pumpkin because my mom gave me two huge cans of pumpkin today, but I also have pie dough in my fridge she gave me, and a tray of mashed potatoes and a tray of macaroni and cheese in my freezer that were untouched leftovers from a school function. I usually insist on making everything from scratch, but it was hard to turn any of that good fortune down.

I will make and effort to update this post and link to recipes if I got them from online.

Parmesan ties it together

I haven't had the time to blog at all that much since starting med school. I still cook as much as I can. I rush home before evening review to try to squeeze out a hurried homemade meal. Sometimes (OK, all of last week) I forget to defrost meat for dinner. So, we had carbonara pasta, tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and roasted brussel sprouts (thanks Stefania!). All with freshly grated real Parmigianno-Reggiano on it. Yum yum.