Lots of fun trying to plan, coordinate, organize, and execute a full Thanksgiving menu (a few coworkers came over). I was relieved the turkey came out good, but I thought most of the sides needed a few tweaks that I would have caught had I had more time/energy while putting on the finishing touches (e.g. pecan topping on sweet potatoes wasn't toasty & sweet potatoes were way too sweet). But everything was edible and fine, and nothing was a major disaster.
Turkey:
-A brining bag was perfect as was 10-11 pound bird
-Followed Alton Brown's recipes on Food Network site with success
-500 degrees for first 30 min, then 325 for about another 1 hour 15 min (maybe even a bit longer). Got thrown off because breast temp was 190 F, but bird was not overcooked at all--not sure why that happened.
Make Ahead Gravy:
-Had trouble getting a deep, rich flavor; definitely would not follow the recipe that said buy some turkey wings ahead of time. Will just use giblets and neck from bird and work on tweaking that for make ahead gravy.
Cranberry Sauce:
-Adding a granny smith apple and pear (chopped up very finely) was a nice addition. Kept it simple with orange juice/sugar bath to boil it all in.
Mashed Potatoes:
-Tip from friend to add some garlic (preferably in a tea steeper) to the boiling potatoes was a good idea. Also, liked using Boursin flavored soft cheese as the mix-in.
Macaroni & Cheese:
-Still struggling to get a good strong flavor to the bechamel + cheese sauce. Need to play around with multiple recipes and figure out what I like.
Sausage, Cranberry Stuffing:
-Do not use turkey sage sausage, go back to porky salty Jimmy Dean or similar--sausage was really bland this time around.
Chestnut Pie:
-Don't overcook next time. Bake until it's set but not firm, leave a little wobble.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
A year ago today
OK, I am happy I have this web log of jottings.
I checked my postings from Nov 2010 and discovered that a year-ago today I received the offer for my current job. That was a good day.
But more importantly, I re-discovered my Thanksgiving stuffing recipe with full detailed notes on the modifications I made. Unfortunately, I have no idea what I meant when I said "One 24-oz loaf of hearty bread". What the hell is hearty bread? Oh well, I'm going to be substituting in some gluten-free breads for one of the guests anyway, so I'll be limited in what bread choices get used.
I checked my postings from Nov 2010 and discovered that a year-ago today I received the offer for my current job. That was a good day.
But more importantly, I re-discovered my Thanksgiving stuffing recipe with full detailed notes on the modifications I made. Unfortunately, I have no idea what I meant when I said "One 24-oz loaf of hearty bread". What the hell is hearty bread? Oh well, I'm going to be substituting in some gluten-free breads for one of the guests anyway, so I'll be limited in what bread choices get used.
Way too social
Been trying lots of eats around Portland lately. There's an intern and new team member at work who both live by me and they've been doing a good job of dragging me out of my house.
I just noticed that I complained about the price for every one of these places. I don't know if I'm just out of touch with what restaurant prices are these days or that I am a cheapskate. Probably a bit of both.
Olympic Provisions for happy hour: Just had some tastes from a charcuterie sampler--seemed pretty good though pricey. Will try purchasing one of there to-go cured meats another time. Can't say I'm particularly compelled to try them for a full dinner.
Laurelhurst Market: Not what I was expecting based on the name. Mainly a fancy butchery with a few sandwich selections. Super overpriced but delicious. I had a cup of meat-bean soup and a half of a ham sandwich thing that was $10.50 total for a teeny portion of soup and teeny half sandwich.
DiPrima Dolci: Possibly the closest I've ever seen Portland match an East Coast Italian style eatery. Love the atmosphere (zero hipsters) and that they sell freshly made Italian pastries. Not sure whether the food is worth the price, seemed like there was pre-cooked frozen peas/carrots in my bolognese sauce. Will come back here another time and try the pizza--has potential.
Broder: Swedish breakfast. Overpriced but worth it. Delicious round light fluffy pancakes with fresh lemon curd, wow. Decent potato hash with smoked trout, small little chunks of walnut toast on the side. Would have loved portion sizes that were about 25% larger...but I would definitely eat here again. Coworker from Europe said the food at Broder was better than any she'd had in Sweden. Apparently Swedish food is generally ill-prepared and that people there really do go eat at Ikea (akin to Americans eating at Costco).
Otto's: Always notice that people are hanging out at this deli as they grill sausages out front on the weekend. I didn't think the chicken sausage link I got was that fantastic for $3.25 (and that was the price without a bun)--but I enjoyed how un-zen it was to eat a sausage right after yoga.
I just noticed that I complained about the price for every one of these places. I don't know if I'm just out of touch with what restaurant prices are these days or that I am a cheapskate. Probably a bit of both.
Olympic Provisions for happy hour: Just had some tastes from a charcuterie sampler--seemed pretty good though pricey. Will try purchasing one of there to-go cured meats another time. Can't say I'm particularly compelled to try them for a full dinner.
Laurelhurst Market: Not what I was expecting based on the name. Mainly a fancy butchery with a few sandwich selections. Super overpriced but delicious. I had a cup of meat-bean soup and a half of a ham sandwich thing that was $10.50 total for a teeny portion of soup and teeny half sandwich.
DiPrima Dolci: Possibly the closest I've ever seen Portland match an East Coast Italian style eatery. Love the atmosphere (zero hipsters) and that they sell freshly made Italian pastries. Not sure whether the food is worth the price, seemed like there was pre-cooked frozen peas/carrots in my bolognese sauce. Will come back here another time and try the pizza--has potential.
Broder: Swedish breakfast. Overpriced but worth it. Delicious round light fluffy pancakes with fresh lemon curd, wow. Decent potato hash with smoked trout, small little chunks of walnut toast on the side. Would have loved portion sizes that were about 25% larger...but I would definitely eat here again. Coworker from Europe said the food at Broder was better than any she'd had in Sweden. Apparently Swedish food is generally ill-prepared and that people there really do go eat at Ikea (akin to Americans eating at Costco).
Otto's: Always notice that people are hanging out at this deli as they grill sausages out front on the weekend. I didn't think the chicken sausage link I got was that fantastic for $3.25 (and that was the price without a bun)--but I enjoyed how un-zen it was to eat a sausage right after yoga.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
October Workouts
I finally got a Garmin GPS watch -- I love collecting my running data with it -- I wish I would have bought one years ago.
Anyway, I'm now tracking all my workouts through Garmin's site, so now I finally have my workouts formatted nicely, though you have to click on the image to see it in full.
I joined a Crossfit gym this month; the accountability of having to show up for classes has been really helpful for me in staying on track each week with good eating habits. It's still tough at times in the office of endless treats and managing going out to eat with coworkers; but staying consistent with my workouts (and staying clean with my own eating at home/packed lunches) has helped keep it all in check.
I'm also loosely following Hal Higdon's 1/2-full marathon training planning with my runs; at its simplest, it is 3 short runs a week (3 to 5 miles) plus one longer weekend run (6 or more miles). As I said, loosely following...there's some nuances built in about tempo and increasing mileage each week.
Anyway, I'm now tracking all my workouts through Garmin's site, so now I finally have my workouts formatted nicely, though you have to click on the image to see it in full.
I joined a Crossfit gym this month; the accountability of having to show up for classes has been really helpful for me in staying on track each week with good eating habits. It's still tough at times in the office of endless treats and managing going out to eat with coworkers; but staying consistent with my workouts (and staying clean with my own eating at home/packed lunches) has helped keep it all in check.
I'm also loosely following Hal Higdon's 1/2-full marathon training planning with my runs; at its simplest, it is 3 short runs a week (3 to 5 miles) plus one longer weekend run (6 or more miles). As I said, loosely following...there's some nuances built in about tempo and increasing mileage each week.
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