Thanksgiving

Well, I'm so thankful the holidays are coming that I'm doing Thanksgiving dinner early. Plus, I get a chance to cook for a bunch of people (2 of them Swedes who don't have Thanksgiving). The only problem is that it will be on a Tuesday, when I have to work, adn I have a doctor's appointment. So......... my anal-retentive planning side is coming out and I get to write a detailed plan, menu, and execution schedule.

Side note: Since I don't let anyone I know in on the fact that I write this blog, I can admit that for Easter Dinner last year I had 12 guests, had it on a Sunday, and I wrote a 6 page plan. To include down-to-the-minute ations for completing parts of recipes and a by-location grocery list, cross referenced to the recipes, and matched to the wine. And all of this was out of my 5x10 kitchen with semi-broken electric stove.

So, needless to say, this gives me an excellent opportunity to start my extensive planning process. Below is the tentative menu:

Turkey (I'm thinking I need a 10lb turkey for the 8 people)
Gravy
Marscapone and Chive mashed potatoes
Wild mushroom and sage stuffing
Cranberry sauce (of some sort)
Grean Beans
Salad
Bread (of some sort)
Pumpkin Pie
Some other desert (TBD)

Well, looks like I have some holes to fill in this menu. Bring on the glass of wine, cookbooks, and my planning tools!

More Than a Grain of Salt

Well, its been a while. Unfortunately I don't have that much to write about. I've spent the last month traveling almost non-stop. And then coming home on the weekends and collapsing. On the plus side, I have worked through about 1.5 years of backlog cooking magazines and pulled out the recipes I want to keep. Although I still haven't filed, categorized, or cross-referenced them as I would like. Where is my detail-oriented mother when I need her?

Of note, I had one of my good friends and on of T's co-workers over for dinner. The soup was terrible. Its actually a very lovely soup.....when it isn't overwhelmed with salt. Same issue with the pork, too much salt. I was really off my game. The saving grace of the meal was my sticky toffee pudding that my friend said was "so good I wanted to dive into it and eat my way out."

So while it wasn't a complete disaster, it wasn't much fun for me. The food wasn't great, and the company was strange. Not that either of them were actually strange, just a strange combination. I guess I'm not ready to be THE COMMANDER'S WIFE. It made me uncomfortable to realize, half way through the dinner, that everything I said was going to be repeated across the entire office. Sigh.

Well, since that experiment (both food and company) was a flop, in a "get back on the horse after you've been thrown off" sort of way I'm going to have T's deputy (not the one who is a flake, the one who isn't) and his wife for dinner. T proposed that I not do an overly complex meal.....which of course made me pout. In a rare moment of compromise, we collectively came up with the following menu:

Mini tarts of atichoke hearts and marscapone
Garden Salad with Raspberry Vinagrette
Turkey Breast Tournados (this is the new dish I'm trying) - Stuffed with Pancetta
Grilled Antipasta Vegetables
Fontina Cheese Sauce (for the Turkey, to approximate chicken cordon blu, and the Veggies)
Popovers
Apple Tart Tartin

So only 1 new dish, but I've never done a turkey break before, and it should look pretty if I can do it right. Plus T helped me put the menu together, so I think it will be good. And probably something they will like, as opposed to suffering through one of my creations. Speaking of which, I need to find someone like Greg to suffer through my creations. I won't ever get any better by making traditional food. I think its time for another cooking class.

Or perhaps some sleep...... I'm exhausted. I'm off to go dream of the best grilled cheese sandwich in the world (from Sesame).

Treats and Treatments

Living in Charleston is terrible for my face. I'm sure when I'm 50 and don't have any wrinkles from all the moisture, I won't feel this way. But being in my 20's (I'll admit, late 20's), I feel that I've had my share of acne and its time for it to go. I'm not exactly a high-maintenance girl, but due to mounting frustration I gave in to my vanity and went to get a facial. I have had one only one other time, and it was administered on a cruise ship, where I kept slipping off the table, the woman kept slipping while doing my extractions and poking me in the eye, and it made me look hideous. So I was pleasantly surprised with this one. While the picking at my acne still hurt, there was nice smelling things, steam, soothing music, and no snotty british woman making fun of my sensitive skin while poking me in the eye as I try not to get sea sick.

I know what you are thinking "what is she talking about a facial for in a food and travel blog?" Well, between the massage (akin to kneading), the chocolate and vanilla oil, the steam, and having my hands wrapped in plastic and stuffed into heated gloves......I felt like a pastry, in the nicest sort of way. I left feeling perfectly yummy and ready to ooze into an easy chair.

In order to prolong the wonderful soft feeling, I decided that champagne and cheese was the best medicine. I'm finding more and more that while I love to feel like the pastry, cheese is more of a treat than almost any sweets. Which is, I suppose, why I have earned the nickname of Mousy.

And now, the Mousy is off to nibble on some cheese, make a nest in the couch, and revel in the feeling of being a perfectly contructed chocolate pastry.

Coast to Coast dinner

So, what goegraphical feature does the US have two of that most countries have only 1 of, if any?

One of my dearest friends from Europe was in town, and of course, came to dinner. When I asked him what he wanted he said "something interesting, local, something you can't get in Europe." Those rather vague directions and one expensive trip to Whole Foods spawned the Coast to Coast dinner. (In case you haven't figured out the beginning question, the US has coastline on 2 oceans)

Appetizer was wild-caught South Caronlina shrimp over grits
Main course was Colorado Bison, with some hickory seasoning
Sides were wine-braised mushrooms and Southwest Chipotle Cheddar popovers
Desert was candied California Valencia oranges over white chocolate scramble

In all, it was a fantastic dinner. The white chocolate scramble reminded me why I shouldn't ever make deserts without a recipe. While it was very good, the white chocolate, cheescake, and crust all kind of oozed together and came out looking more like an egg-white scramble than the white chocolate tart I was going for. But again, you can't go wrong with chocolate, butter, and sugar.

And the bison wasn't bad either......if one were to like red meat I think it would actually be wonderful. My favorite was, obviously, the popovers. But in all, a great meal. And even better since I came up with it only about 2 hours before I served it. I may be getting better at this entertaining thing!

Cheese is not a diet food

Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Fig and Honey Recipe - Cheese - MyRecipes.com

I'm sitting at my desk, nibbling very, very slowly on a bagel, cheese, and onion sandwich trying to make it last as long as possible and somehow trick my body into thinking it is a full lunch (when I really wish I was eating the sandwich above). T and I are on a diet, kind of. Well, he wants to lose weight, and I just can't cope with my exercise/gorge/fast/guilt-trip/exercise/repeat process. So we are trying to eat more healthy. Its really hard, he likes to just eat cold canned beans, and I feel bad about eating when someone else isn't, and of course there is the wine that we like to drink. Sigh.

The good news is that my mom and dad are coming and I can probably get them to eat the things I cook. I'm definitely going to make the egg bake that T loves. And it is our anniversay while they are there. Well, we celebrated our anniversary in Whilmington a few weeks ago, but the actual day is coming up. I had wanted to make a really nice dinner, but I guess my ideas of "really nice" also mean "really heavy, fattening, and filling." Another sigh. I'll figure something out. I guess I should see this as a challenge.

I just like to be able to cook things based on what I think they will taste like and look like, it bums me out to make specifically healthy food. It makes me feel like I'm being punished.

Oh well, I'm off to a second lunch. Even though I'm almost full now. I need to get better at managing my calendar, social engagements, and my own darn stomach.

What country am I in?

Well, Sweden was, on average, the 2nd best places for restaurants that I've ever been (Venice being the best, but perhaps it was the company and the cheese........). Everything was extremely flavorful, very colorful, and exquisitely plated. Although I didn't have much traditional Swedish food. Except for the Moose Burger with Reindeer Bacon. I liked it just about as much as I liked Duck Breast or Venison Loin (meaning it fell somewhere above brussel sprouts but below broccholi). Other than that, I had lots of what can best be described as eclectic food that was intensely flavorful. Especially the Asian-style food.

The trip after that was in Washington, DC and consisted of Americanized Irish pub food and mediocre beer. Well, you can't win 'em all. At least I was able to exercise in DC, as opposed to the excessive "experiencing the culture" that happened in Sweden outside of the 12-hour work days. So I guess the motto is, once again:

Work Hard
Play Hard
Eat Well
Drink Well
Sleep on the Ride Home!

Travel Food

I love the Alton Brown show about Road Food on his show called Feasting on Asphalt. He travels across the country looking for good, authentic American cuisine as found along the road. And while I'm on the road a lot (at the moment I think the count is up to 1 full week at home over 3 months), I don't seem to have the same great things to say about American cuisine. Last week was Tampa, this week was Fayetteville, I've also hit San Diego (twice), and DC. And while I've had some good food some of those places, I can't seem to find the same good, authentic American cuisine. I'm currently sitting in a Chicago-style pizza joint in Wilmington, NC. The pizza was mediocre at best, but at least the beer is cold.

Well, now that I think about it, let me be fair. San Diego had two FANTASTIC restaurants that mom and I went to. One was definitely my style, very cutting edge, modern, and super creative call Chive down in the Gas Lamp District. The other was Anthony's Fish Grotto, which I think would play well on Alton's show. The fish was great, but what was more fun was getting my mom to order a big blue drink. Since she doesn't drink much its always fun to get her to try a new cocktail, somehow it feels like a mini victory in getting her to understand me. But when it comes to food, she and I are in pretty close agreement. Both places were great.

Unfortunately, the other trips were less colorful, interesting, or even tasty. Mostly chain restaurants and steak houses. But perhaps that speaks more to the tastes of my coworkers than what America has to offer. And just in time to keep me from really falling into a funk over unoriginal food, a trip to Sweden has just popped up.

So.......ludifisk here I come!