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Foodie Friday: Thanksgiving ’09 – The Verdict
WIN!
I don’t usually gloat about my cooking. In all honesty, I fail just as many times as I succeed. But, thanks to Chef Ryan (my guest chef for Foodie Friday last week), my Turkey Day was a hit!
My immediate family is spread out far and wide, from Hawaii to Boston to Afghanistan. Needless to say, we miss quite a few holidays with everyone. But, fortunately this year, I was able to have a wonderful Thanksgiving with my mom, my mother-in-law, the Dude, and the Monkey. It might have been small, but it was lovely. For that, I am thankful.
I ate so much that I didn’t even leave room for dessert. That’s a first! But we’ve got leftovers for days. Weeks even. I may even have to extend Foodie Friday over the weekend to discuss some great tips for all those Turkey Day leftovers.
Hope everyone had a great holiday, even if you couldn’t be with everyone you love.
Thanksgiving at Ain’t Yo Mama’s House (click on pics to expand):
My tablescape, complete with felted fall produce created by my mother-in-law. How cute are they? I wish I was that crafty.
Another view of my tablescape, including the pumpkin pie I didn’t touch. I’ll get you tomorrow, pie.
Right out of the oven! This 15lb locally grown, all-natural, and fresh turkey cooked in only 1.5 hours. It was brined for 2 days and then coated with a sage, paprika, and brown sugar butter rub. It was perfect. (continues…)
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It’s Hard Out Here For A Cashew
Yesterday was apparently National Cashew Day.
Yay!!! Finally!
It’s great to finally get some respect and recognition. Everyone else gets a parade and a holiday, so why can’t the Cashews?!?
From the early 1990′s, I called myself a Cashew. While I didn’t make up the slang term (or at least I don’t think I did), it’s been around for a while. Check Urban Dictionary if you don’t believe me. If you’re still puzzled, here’s the fuzzy math:
Catholic + Jew = Cashew
I know it doesn’t totally flow, but it worked. And I always thought it was kind of cute.
There are a lot of Cashews out there and the numbers just keep growing. There are also a lot of Pizza Bagels (Italian Jews), Jewbans (Cuban Jews), and Jewanese (Jewish Japanese). I’ve met quite a few varieties over the years and, I have to admit, it was (and still is) always nice to meet another one. It’s like a special club of some sort Unless you’re mentioned in an Adam Sandler song, it’s hard to know who is half-Jewish. I mean, did you know Gwyneth Paltrow, Goldie Hawn, Harrison Ford, or Paul Newman was half-Jewish? How about Lenny Kravitz? Uh, nevermind. I wonder how many people call him when they’re really looking for Lenny Kravitz, the kosher butcher.
I often get asked, so what’s it like being a Cashew? OK, not really. But in case you’re curious, I’ll tell you anyways.
It’s really not a whole lot different than being “half” of anything else. Growing up, it was hard to know where I fit in. Sometimes I felt ostracized from one side or the other. I spent 12 years in Catholic school, but I never really felt comfortable going to church and confessing my adolescent “sins” a few times a year. Sure, I was always glad when the priest let me off with a few Hail Marys for pinching my sister and calling my brother a name. My mother, however, was never that forgiving. (continues…)
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Mental Monday: Beating The Holiday Blues
The holiday blues can get to any of us.
‘Tis the season for large family gatherings, spending more money than we should, eating more than we should, and driving ourselves crazy trying to be thankful, happy, and merry.
The “most wonderful time of the year” ain’t always that wonderful.
Holidays can often wreak havoc on our mental health as we try to live up to the emotional expectations and obligations of the holiday season. We are often stressed out and stretched too thin as we prepare for a time of peace and joy. The holiday season can easily take a toll on any of us, but for some people it can be a time filled with serious conflicts and emotions.
There are people that tend to be more prone to the holiday blues. People who have lost a loved one may be flooded with unresolved grief and painful memories of a once joyful time of year. For people with strained relationships with family members, this time of year can be filled with stress and conflict. Some people are not able to join their families for the holidays, which can bring on feelings of guilt and loneliness. And for people and families that are struggling financially, stretching the wallet or debt even more can trigger feelings of shame and depression.
For many people, the next 6 weeks are often filled with anything but holiday cheer.
If you’re feeling stressed or anxious during the upcoming holidays, make the time to check in with yourself. Putting on a happy face to “get through the holidays” isn’t doing anyone any favors, especially not for you. If this time of year is usually more stressful than festive, figure out what you need to do to alleviate that stress and make some changes.
Here are some great tips to beat the Holiday Blues from the Mayo Clinic: (continues…)
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Guest Post: Foodie Friday Special Edition — This Ain’t Yo Mama’s Turkey!
Chef Ryan to the rescue!
My Special Guest Chef, Ryan Gromfin, trained at and graduated from Johnson & Wales Culinary School and has been a professional chef for over 12 years. Chef Ryan has worked at a number of 5 star hotels and restaurants, including the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. After years of working in fine dining establishments, Ryan is now applying his culinary expertise and experience to restaurant development and operations in the Central Coast area of California.
The Best Thanksgiving Turkey…EVER!
First of all, I wish people would cook turkey more often than just on Thanksgiving. If you choose to prepare your turkey using my method you will see that you don’t need to cook your bird for 8 hours, taking up the entire oven, and basting it every 20 minutes. It also doesn’t need to take up all the room in your fridge for 3 days. I gave up cooking whole turkeys many years ago because I hate dried out white meat that needs cranberries and gravy just so you can swallow it. I also decided a few years back that, as much as I love cooking Thanksgiving, I also enjoy spending the time with my family rather than only in the kitchen. Along with everything else included in my Thanksgiving menu, my turkey is prepared a day or two before, and only needs about 2 hours to cook. The trick is cooking the legs/thighs separately from the breast. This turkey carves easily, presents beautifully, tastes amazing, and guarantees success.
One Week Before Turkey Day: Unless you insist for other reasons, flavor doesn’t require that you buy an heirloom or organic turkey for $4.00/lb. But nor should you use one of those free turkeys you get for spending $100 at the grocery store. Order a fresh turkey from your butcher a week before Thanksgiving. It can have been previously frozen, but just make sure it has not been brined or has had any added water. If you’re not experienced in butchering birds, ask your butcher to separate the leg/thigh quarter from the breast and remove the rib cage from the double breast. Make sure to leave the bones in and skin on. Also, make sure the butcher saves the neck bone and rib cage (cut in 4 pieces). He can keep the liver, heart, and other trimmings. (continues…)
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Guest Post: The Dude Speaks (and Speaks…) About Marital Name-Change
Dude here. First things first: I didn’t pick that nickname, and I certainly don’t use it at home. Aimee calls me certain expletives and my friends call me by last name. Speaking of last names, after reading Aimee’s identity theft post (the one about maiden names, hyphenation, yadda, yadda), I offered to write a complementary post on the topic, as viewed from my perspective. Here goes…
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
— Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
The oft-quoted passage from Shakespeare obscures Romeo & Juliet’s real lesson. While a rose by any other name may indeed smell equally sweet, I’m not sure that Signores Montague and Capulet fixated on scent. It was pedigree and genealogy about which they worried, and, to that end, names disclosed and meant quite a bit.
Names come to define and signify us. More than just labels, they also become laden with emotion, identifying information, and meaning; giving up a name means forfeiting a portion of our identity. People have come to know me as my name, and to know my name as me. I wasn’t willing to give that up when I took my vows, and I didn’t expect that Aimee would be any happier to either. (continues…)