Thanksgiving memories

It's that time of year again when Thanksgiving gets lost between the ghoulish, sugar fueled giddiness of Halloween and the bedecked hysteria of Christmas. I like Thanksgiving. I like Halloween and Christmas too. But I'd really like Thanksgiving to have its due. 

Growing up, we always spent Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family. Each year was at a different house. There was a rotation for Thanksgiving and another for Christmas, based on who had enough space. Some years Grandma hosted, or Great-Aunt Elaine, or my mom, or one of my aunts.

The food was usually the same, with minor variations: turkey roasted in the oven, sage stuffing cooked in the bird, gravy. Heart-attack mashed potatoes, with a brick of cream cheese and a stick of butter. Sweet potatoes. Broccoli casserole - the kind with Velveeta and crushed Ritz crackers. Caponi Macaroni, my grandma's macaroni salad that beats store-bought hands down. A choice of Jello-like canned or Aunt Jill's homemade cranberries. Rolls. Pickles and olives, usually eaten as hors d'oevers while we waited for the turkey to be ready.

Grace would be said, giving thanks for the meal before us and for all the good things that had happened in the family that year. The uncles would pile their plates high, everything mixing together. Some of us kept our food neatly separated*. When we were all stuffed and couldn't eat a bite more, there were the pies: pumpkin, of course, and apple. Often a chocolate variety as well. We'd pile whipped cream on the pumpkin pie until it toppled over. 

Afterward, the kitchen would be cleaned, the tv turned on. If we were at Aunt Elaine's, she would play the organ. I have fond memories of sitting next to her while she played Christmas carols. At Grandma's, the kids would disperse to the basement play area tucked next to Grandpa's work bench. We knew better than to play with his tools. 

Some time in the evening, the adults would draw names for the Christmas grab bag. They would each write their name and three gift ideas under $20. The trick was to get a name that wasn't in your own household. 

On the way home, we'd tune the radio to a station playing Christmas carols. These were the first signs of the Christmas season. It wasn't a never-ending barrage from September on. But once Thanksgiving was over, all bets were off.

We would go to the Christmas tree farm and cut down our tree on the day that has come to be called Black Friday. It would go in a bucket of water in the shed until we were ready to put it up, much closer to Christmas. We'd spend the weekend decorating the house, starting with the outside lights. Christmas music would blare from the record player; hot chocolate would be drunk. This was the start of Christmas.

But not before we enjoyed our Thanksgiving. Not before we gave thanks and enjoyed a day with family.

Nowadays, we usually go to Chris's parents'. There are some different dishes and ours are the only kids there.  My parents usually join us, and Chris's grandparents, and some friends. We eat, the kids play. Sometimes the kids watch a movie while football plays in the other room. There's often ham in addition to the turkey. Sometimes Downs family specialties like creamed onions and turnips join a wild rice dish from a family friend. Dessert is usually a fantastic creation from another family friend who loves making cheesecakes and other delights. There's usually still a pumpkin pie for the traditionalists.

___

* Legal moves when filling a holiday plate: the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing can touch. They can all be covered with gravy, depending on preference. A skilled plate fille will use the mashed potatoes and stuffing as walls around the turkey to keep the gravy from spreading. Cranberries must be segregated from everything else, especially the mac salad. Putting broccoli casserole between those two is an excellent buffer, although some broccoli may be lost to spreading cranberry juice.

Kale strata

The first month of our CSA has been an interesting experiment. We have discovered we like beets and kohlrabi.

But the kale, which we have received nearly every week, has been a test of my (not very good) culinary skills.

Week 1 I made pork, white bean and kale soup. It was pretty good.

Last week I tried kale chips. I'm not crazy about them. Really, the whole reason to eat them is for the salt.

This week I decided to try a strata. I usually make strata with spinach, but thought kale might be an ok substitute. One of the things I really like about strata is its versatility. I can usually clean stuff out of the fridge, changing up the ingredients each time.

My basic recipe is thus:

Make 1 box of Stove Top stuffing, following the directions on the box.
Mix in filling ingredients.
Beat 6 eggs and stir into stuffing mixture.
Pour into greased 8" square baking pan.
Top with cheese.
Bake at 375º for 35 minutes.

Now, the change-up is always the filling. For tonight's version, I very lightly sautéed the kale in olive oil and minced garlic and fried up some bacon to crumble in. I also had some left-over ricotta cheese that I stirred in because cheese always makes it better. I topped it with shredded Swiss cheese, since that was what I had.

Kale, bacon and ricotta strata, topped with Swiss cheese

The verdict: it was ok. The kale is more bitter than spinach, and spinach is better, but this was edible. My three year old ate it without prompting and said he likes kale. My five year old ate with some prompting, but didn't complain.

I do have to say soups seem to be the best use of kale. I have a Zuppa Tuscana recipe ready to go next week if we get more kale (we probably will).

Vegetables galore

We picked up our first box of vegetables from the CSA today. We bought a half share from Stranger's Hill Organics, which we will pick up each week through October. (There were still shares available a week ago, so call them if you want to try a local CSA.)

Our box

I love the idea of a CSA - what could be better than farm fresh, locally grown vegetables, in season? And these are organic, too.

Ooh! What did we get?

In practice, it will be interesting to see how this works. We're pretty set in the few vegetables we usually eat. I'm more adventurous than Chris and even I am not sure what to do with beets and radishes, which we received this week, or some of the other vegetables we will receive throughout the season.

Lettuce

Lettuce

Sage and oregano

Beets

Carrots

Radishes

Looks like lots of salads right now. And I can dry the herbs. Sam loves carrots, so he was thrilled to see those, even telling Ben, the CSA coordinator, how much he likes them. 

So let the experiment begin! Anyone have any idea what to do with beets?

I am thankful for...

There are many, many things to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Eve. Before I start my list, grade school style, there are two thoughts I would like to share. First, LeVar Burton tweeted this earlier today: gratitude = grateful + attitude Second, I've read a lot of posts in the last few days with tips for surviving Thanksgiving with the family. And I find it sad that family is something to be endured for so many people. Maybe we're boring, but I am so glad our family avoids all the drama, that we get along and can have a good time without reminders to "be respectful". So here's my Thanksgiving survival guide: Remember that this is your family. If everyone can do that, no one has to go home in tears. Unfortunately it seems there are a lot of people who forget this and make each other's lives miserable. So, this Thanksgiving I am thankful for a caring family, a great bunch of wonderful friends, our reasonably good health (Chris's current cold is minor compared to what we could face), a home that is more than a roof over our heads, Chris having a job he likes, being able to pay our bills, Chris finishing his degree this semester, our loving cats. I am so grateful we have opportunities to do what we love and that, when things go wrong, we can remind ourselves that they are first world problems. I am thankful we can afford to put food on the table, that our kids have shoes and warm coats and a safe place to sleep at night. There are so many things to be thankful for, but I think that's a pretty good list. Happy Thanksgiving!

About sandwich crusts

Before I was a parent, I always told myself I would never cut crusts off of sandwiches. It always seemed such an indulgent thing to do. I told myself kids needed to suck it up and learn to either just eat the crusts or eat around them.

Then we had a child who would not eat. For over a year, he wouldn't eat anything other than Cheerios and the occasional gold fish cracker or Nutter Butter. He survived on milk and Pediasure.

We tried everything. We offered food. He went regularly to the pediatrician for weight checks. We heard advice and admonitions from so many people. I'm sure some were well-meaning, but it wasn't helpful.

Yes, we tried cutting back milk. And he didn't eat more. He actually lost weight. So we went back to what worked, under the advice of the pediatrician, hoping he would outgrow this stubbornness.

I think it was his regressing and rebelling when his baby brother was born, but I'll never know for sure. As suddenly as he stopped eating food, he suddenly decided he liked it. He developed an appetite and could recognize when he was hungry.

But he's still a very picky eater. Little things will kill his appetite. We have a one bite rule with dinner. He has to have at least one bite before he can say he doesn't like it. He has discovered some things he likes, but often will stop after that one bite.

So when my very picky child, who can be stubborn enough to not eat for months on end, will only eat a sandwich if all the crusts are cut off, do I cut them off? You bet I do. I know the alternative. I cut every bit of crust off.

We have well-fed birds and squirrels and chipmunks in our yard. Some days they don't even scurry away when I toss the crusts out the back door.

And I have two children who eat their sandwiches.

Fun times in Nashville

Nashville, IN, that is. This past Saturday we went on a double date with my parents to see Robert Shaw and the Lonely Street Band in both "Heartbreak Hotel", his tribute to a young Elvis, and "Man in Black", his tribute to Johnny Cash.

Wow. Both shows were fantastic. Seriously, if you have time to go to Nashville before the end of October, take the time to see these shows at the Palace Theatre.

The only thing that marred our evening was dinner. Actually, that would be the lack of dinner.

The first show started at 5 and ended at about 6:45. The second show began at 8. There is a restaurant right next door, Holy Cow, a steak house. Considering the proximity we figured they would be used to serving the crowd between shows. We even stopped in just before the first show to make sure we could be seated and served, with time to eat, before the 2nd show. They claimed it was possible and took a reservation. Or so we thought.

Come 6:45, we walked next door only to be told that they had our name down but that it wasn't really a reservation. They would do their best to seat us. Which they did, at exactly 7. It was 7:15 before our waitress came to the table. We ordered 4 burgers. 7:30 passed. And 7:40. At 7:45, we decided that even if our food came out, a half hour after ordering it, we wouldn't have time to eat it. At 7:50, with still no food, we asked for the bill. (They didn't charge us for our drinks when we told the waitress that we had been told we would be able to fit in dinner before the 8 p.m. show and we just didn't have any more time.)

Yep, we sat through the second show on basically empty stomachs (2 sodas and a tiny roll didn't do much but give me heartburn). The only good thing about our non-dinner is the cinnamon butter for the roll. That was fabulous. And I'm sure the food is good - if you have a lot of time to sit and wait. Really, over 45 minutes waiting is not acceptable in my book. Over 30 minutes to cook burgers? WTH?

So, bottom line: go see the shows (we didn't see the Sunday afternoon "How Great Thou Art", gospel music of Elvis show, but I assume it's good) but find somewhere else to eat.

In the fridge

So I was talking to some friends the other day and mentioned that I bought 6 gallons of milk the other day. The checker at the grocery store ask me, rather incredulously, how many kids I had. I have 2. And a husband who drinks chocolate milk by the gallon (ok, a little exaggeration). My friends were shocked that I even had enough room in the refrigerator to hold that much milk... and also that I bought that much at a time.

So here goes. I went shopping again today. And took a picture of the inside of our refrigerator.

What's in our fridge?

So it's not the best picture, but here goes:

Note 8 gallons of milk (about a week's worth) - 4 in the door and 4 on the shelf. (2 of those are partials)

There are 2 1/2 loaves of bread - we go through 3 or so a week.

Tonight's dinner (meatloaf) is thawing in the front.

There is also juice, yogurt, bagels (a treat!), fruit in the bins, cheese and ham in the meat drawer, eggs, peanut butter (we go through a jar/week) and jam. Oh, and tortillas.

When we got our new refrigerator, we got the biggest one that would fit into the space we have, but it is actually one of the smaller ones easily found in a store. It seems even fridges are getting bigger these days. We have a bottom freezer because we spend more time going into the refrigerator section than the freezer. The freezer is currently full of make ahead meals.

Wavelengths

Something amusing happens quite often in our household. I'll make something for dinner. Chris will come home.... and laugh because, whatever I made, he had the same thing for lunch. Pizza, tacos, sandwiches, pasta, burgers...

I figure there are two explanations:

1. He has a yummy lunch and sends out food vibes of how much he enjoyed whatever it was and I pick those up and make dinner. 
2. We both are in the mood for a particular meal and he just takes the opportunity of being near so many restaurants and having to get lunch to eat it while I wait to make whatever it is until dinner time. 

I like to think it's the latter - that we're so in tune with each other but miss on the timing. 

Garden pictures

I took some pictures of the vegetables and herbs we are growing.

Here is the box Chris made last year. This year it has parsley, rosemary, basil, thyme, cucumbers, oregano and beans (seeds, on the end):

Next is a pot of spinach plants:

My tomatoes (roma and grape):

Fennel that re-seeds itself every year:

Chives that we've grown by the front steps for several years:

Thyme that we've been encouraging as a ground cover near the front steps:

And..... our first apples on the tree we planted last year! There are only 2, but I didn't expect to get any this soon.

I'm really encouraged by the apples. I hope the plants I planted today do well and we get a nice harvest.

Walk a mile - or two or three

I've been trying to walk a lot lately. It's a form of exercise I can do with the boys (put them in the stroller or wagon and go), plus I hate running and 'working out'. And adding exercise is good for me because it improves my health plus it has the added benefit of possibly losing a little weight or at least toning and slimming so my clothes fit better. I'm not very good at dieting - and that only works on half the issue anyway. Plus, I like food.

I push it when I can, trying to make my walks actually work even if I'm going slow. Thursday I walked to Petco to pick up cat litter. It's about 1.5 miles from home and I was pulling about 50 pounds of toddler in the wagon. Add the 40 pounds of litter on the walk home and the sore muscles are understandable.

Here's the thing: after that walk, I put on a bra and realized it was way too loose. I know that walk alone didn't do it, but it was gratifying to realize that I'm losing some of the fat around my ribcage. (For the record, I lost the girth not the cup size.) I also have dropped 1/2 pound. If this keeps up, I'm well on my way to hopefully having more energy and being healthier.

I'm tired of being tired and I really don't want to have to take daily medication any sooner than I need to, so losing a little weight and trying to be fit is a good way to get there. I should be able to walk 3 or 4 miles easily. I want to get to where my hips, knees and/or back don't hurt at the end of the day.

Aging is inevitable, but I can do it in a better way. I can minimize the damage and hopefully one day become a crusty old broad full of spirit rather than fade away. Yes, there is much more I could do. I could eat better (I'm trying, but I will never be a vegetarian or be able to give up pizza and chocolate.) We try to control portion size so we can eat what we want, just in moderation. I try to eat a lot of fiber (raisin bran is a great source and the boys love it too.) I try to be somewhat aware without being completely paranoid.

I want to LIVE, not just endure. And enjoying a good meal is part of that. So is feeling good and being able to do rather than just watch.

Productive Sunday

Now that the weather has broken a bit (more normal rather than 90's and humid), we were able to get a bit of work done, including the long awaited play area for the boys. It isn't done, but finishing touches and expansion can happen as we go along.

Our garden is also doing well, with the exception of the rosemary, which I think is not getting enough sun. For next year, we need to make a second box so one is only tomatoes and the other can be for whatever else we want to grow. The box is extremely convenient and easy to manage, with very little weeding. Below are pictures of 1) some of the tomatoes, 2) the pepper plants flowering, 3) the basil, 4) my mystery plant, which turns out to be eggplant, and 5) the rosemary that is not doing so well.

June challenge status

We are 1 week into our June challenge and so far it is going well. Chris forgot and had a burger at lunch mid-week, but otherwise, we chose Saturday as our meat day and managed to find other options for the rest of the week. 

It helped that I made a cheesy pasta bake on Monday and we worked on leftovers for much of the week. Lots of pb&j, ramen, beans & rice and pasta, but we like those things and they are cheap, so it's good for the pocket book. 

Are you up for a challenge?

After reading the National Geographic article "The Global Food Crisis: The End of Plenty," Chris and I have decided to challenge ourselves for the month of June. Here's our challenge: 

Can we move to a less meat diet by only eating meat once a week for 30 days? 

This will be tough, especially in grilling season and since Chris doesn't like many vegetables, but there are lots of veggie options we can still do. Examples include beans and rice, bean burritos, grilled cheese, cheese pizza and pasta. 

Obviously, we won't solve any major problems by ourselves, but moving down the food chain is actually a very environmentally friendly thing to do. We're never going to be vegetarians, but maybe we can lessen our impact. (I did learn all this years ago as part of my Environmental Science degree. So, this is not new, just becoming more critical.)

So, anyone want to join our challenge?

Meal time

I'm not the greatest cook. I have to give Chris credit for eating some of the stuff I've made. But I've been trying lately to plan meals, so here are a few of the meals I've made lately. They are fairly easy, generally kid-friendly, and usually inexpensive. I won't claim they are necessarily the most nutritious.

Pizza - Pillsbury makes a pretty good refrigerated pizza dough - I recommend the thin crust. Pretty easy to make: I roll out the dough and bake it first so it's a little crispier, use store-bought pizza sauce (Kroger's store brand is actually pretty good), add 4 cheese Mexican blend shredded cheese and whatever toppings we might want. Usually we make cheese, pepperoni or spinach.

Hamburger Helper - I can cook when it comes out of a box, and HH has some really good Italian and Mexican meals. I've even taken to mixing 1/2 ground beef 1/2 ground turkey (all turkey is a little dry for Chris). 

Pasta - always a staple, I can boil water. Of course, we must have garlic bread with our pasta, so lots of carbs, but yummmmmm!

Beans & rice - This has become a staple and favorite. Our neighbor who doesn't cook introduced us to this when we used to do dinners on Wednesdays. Heat a can of seasoned black beans, make the rice of your choice. We've made it with Rice-a-Roni, plain white rice and will try brown rice next. To mix it up, we sometimes put the beans and rice in a tortilla with sour cream and cheese.

Meatball sandwiches - Is there anything better than a good meatball sandwich? I highly recommend getting a good crusty bread, although a hoagy roll will work in a pinch. 

Meatloaf - I can't believe I hadn't made meatloaf in ages, but it's one of the first things I learned to make, modifying (yes, I modified a recipe and made it my own) the Disney cookbook version.

Jambalaya - another good boxed meal, Zatarain's. Cut up some beef smokies, only 1/2 lb. is really necessary. Excellent with cornbread (last time I made it, it was not good, so we've been buying the fresh made from Kroger's deli.)

Gyoza - I got saucy and actually made (frozen, packaged) gyoza last night. Amazingly, it turned out. Served with ramen last night, but also good with rice.

Jenn's cheesy pasta bake - Ok, this one is a little pricy because of the cheese, but it's soooo good!

Grilled cheese - I'm a sandwich master. I have now mastered the grilled cheese. My secret is to frequently flip so as not to burn the bread.

Ham - Only as a treat, but the best way to cook a juicy ham is in the crock pot. I usually use the 8 hour setting, but only for 4-5 hours. Water works fine, but for extra flavor try apple juice or apple cider. Egg noodles as a side. 

Corned beef - Another treat, but 'tis the season. Once again, the crock pot is a really easy way to make corned beef.

Burgers - I don't grill, but the Forman is just my speed. I don't do burgers often, but I have to say I was pleased with the results when I made them.