Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Rosie's Busy Thanksgiving Eve Day.

Rosie's here and she's kinda tired
 and I wanna go to bed.
 But I really wanted to come online after working all day
 and talk to all my friends. 
Here's today's effort:
Rosie has her new routine in the morning
 since certain morning routines have been taken out of the equation.
 It's hard to change. 
Your brain doesn't like this change.
 It's resistant to change. 
 The Hawthornelets and their animals returned to the fold last night. 
 This morning, Giada, bless her heart,
 remembered our routine.
 She came in my bedroom about 7:01 AM.
 She sits on the floor at the top of the bed,
 her face two feet away from mine.
 Her presence is made known.
 Junior has been on my side all night.
 He turns over and stretches.
 Dogwood has been half-way down the bed.
 He says screw it.
 The crew's here.
 I'm outta here.
 Dogwood exits stage left. 
 Giada is insistent.
 So is Junior. 
So, we run. 
Halfway down the street, it starts raining.
 We keep on. 
No wimps here. 
 I needed that run, as did Giada and Junior.
 Whenever we run,
 I always have Giada on a choke collar and Junior on a halter.
 Dixie walked, trotted, cantered, loped,whatever, behind us.
 Never any reins on that beauty. 
Sometimes, Dixie pranced in front of us.
 And when I say prance, I truly mean prance.
 Most of the times she was behind us.
 We all looked back this morning. 
Several times. For Dixie.
 I think I saw her.
Giada, Junior, and I made it home around 8AM 
and I started on breakfast. 
Homemade biscuits -
 flour, baking powder, lard/crisco/butter/buttermilk.
 Good stuff.
 A friend had brought us deer sausage.
 Mr. H. cooked that up
 and he made a cream gravy and it was perfection.

 I love it when my day starts out well.
 Because then, I can continue in the same vein.
 One of my most funnest things ever to do
 is to prepare something of Julia Child's.
 I love her Gateau de Crepes
 and every Thanksgiving, I prepare this.
 It is my tradition which I leave to my family
 and hope somebody may remember me years down the road,
 and, as the descendants are quaffing around the kitchen table,
 one might raise his glass high and say, 
"We doth thank ee, Angus Abercrombie! 
Tis a good thing you left for us, this Gateau of Crepes!" 

Let's cut back to yesterday. 
Tuesday! 
That's when I made the crepes.
 In the morning.
Thankfully, Mr. Hawthorne was at work so I could work. 

Notice, I have Julia's cookbook in the rear,
opened to the gateau of crepes.
 Crepes ingredients:
 I always double what Julia gives me since I'm not a great crepe turner.
 Crepe Batter (doubled):
 2 cups flour,  instant blending preferred
 1 1/3 cup each milk and water
 6 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 TB melted unsalted butter
Flour's ready for milk and water.
 When I say milk, I use fat free milk and heavy cream.
 Here's 2/3 cup each water and cream mixture going in.
And the other 2/3 cup each. A bit over a teaspoon of salt. Pretty salt shine! Rosie loves her some eggs. Rosie likes egg shots! She tries another.
Mix well after the addition of each egg.

Admire the butter.
Pretty swirls. Be sure to incorporate the butter.
For the first crepe, use a tablespoon of butter.
No butter necessary for the rest of the crepes.
 30 seconds the first side. 15-20 seconds
Side B. Just. Do. It.
 The first crepe is never the best.
 About 2-3 TB batter in the hot pan.
Swirl it in the pan.
 It's all in the wrist.
 Commit to it.

Lovely crepe, by the way.
 Let me walk you through my day.
 I woke up.
I took Beau out to peepee.
 Then I came back in and got Giada and Junior for our run.
 We ran. It rained. I soaked got.
 We got home. I took a shower. And I started cooking.
First, I brined our turkey.
 12.47 pounds of bird.
 $1.59/pound reduced to $0.48/pound.
$5.99 turkey.
One cup salt per gallon of water.
3-4 TB peppercorns
Brown sugar. 1 cup?
Two big sprigs of fresh rosemary.
It's around 10 AM.
 Wednesday.
Turkey is brining.
Now, I'm on to Julia Child's Vegetables.
 Her Gateau de Crepes.
I'm only preparing the veggies to use tomorry.
 I've already done the crepes!
WHOOT!
Head of broccoli, pound of carrots, pound of mushrooms.
I match-sticked the carrots.
Check it out.
Hot pan.
 Carrots into melted butter.
 For a 3-4 minute swish.
Dump the carrots in.
Whenever I deal with sweet veggies,
 I always add in a little sugar.
 It brings out the natural in the natural.
 Trust me.
Went outside and got some fresh dill.
 I love the fact that I can walk pretty much anywhere in my yard
 and find something I want to eat
 or find something I might like to use on what I'm eating.
I added in my fresh dill to the carrots.
 BTW, I also have baby carrots growing in my garden.
Cover the carrots and and frigerate.
Let's turn to the next veggie in the trio:
broccoli.
I trimmed, peeled and sliced a head of broccoli.

Dropped the broccoli into boiling salted water.
 Three minutes.
 Period.
No More.
 Drain in colander.
Immediately plunge the broccoli into the ice water.
Drain and pat dry.
 Chop.
Set aside in tupperware.
Turn to the shrooms...
Don't you like the blue?
I'm well on my way to the third layer of Julia Child's Gateau de Crepes.
The mushroom duxelles.
I went out and got some scallion.
 I liked the colors here.
 I liked the roots on my onions
. I liked the blue of the package with the white shrooms.
 I liked my shallot.
Rosie went ahead and chopped and sliced.
She's very interested in her staging.
Scallion and shallot for the mushrooms.
I liked the pictures.
 What can I say?
My family is home.
 My babies are here, except for Dixie.
 I'm happy.
Except for Dixie.
One pound mushrooms in the Ninja.
Process.
Then take about 1/3 mushrooms at a time and put in a cloth.
Twist the moisture out.
This is the dried-out shrooms.
I melted buttah in my pan
 and crumbled the dessicated shrooms into my pan.
 Cooked about 5 minutes.
Added more butter and the scallions and shallot.
 Freshly ground salt and pepper.
Shot of sherry.
Burn off.
It's like the best meat ever,
except it's not meat.
 Rosie has met her goal.
 She is ready to assemble Julia Child's Gateau de Crepes tomorrow.
 She's got the crepes.
 She's got the broccoli.
 She's got the carrots.
She's got the mushroom duxelles
. For assembly, click on Thanksgiving Day.
 I can go to bed not.
 Heh. I meant now.
 I wrote not.
So what did Rosie do?
She carried on and made a Sweet Potato Casserole!
 Here's her recipe:
3 cups smashed, cooked, sweet potatoes
 1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 TB vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream
 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Combine first 6 ingredients.
 Pour into 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Beat sweet taters.
Add in sugar. I used dark brown.

Rock the brown sugar with the potatoes.
Next, excite the eggs.
Marry the eggs into the happy mixture.
 More excitement ensues.
 And ensures.
A partay is not complete without vanilla.
Half cup heavy cream in the sweet tater.
Ya gotta love the buttah.
 1 stick, melted
Just mix it.
Pour into buttered 9 x 13-inch dish.
Arrange toppings:
 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
 1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
 1 cup chopped pecans
 And some marshmallows.
I mixed the brown sugar, flour, and butter.
 Nuked it.
 Poured it over the top.
 Entirely.
Add pecans on the left half.
 And marshmallows over another half.
 I do this because my family has particular likes and dislikes.
 Freakin' idiots.
Check out my marshmallow progress.
 Tomorrow, I'll bake this at 350 for about 40-45 minutes.
 It'll be terrific.
I covered all this up and it's waiting for tomorrow!
I wish you all abundance, wonderful food, and friendship.
 Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
 PS Oh Shoot.
 I forgot to mention the four-legged critters.
 PPS Oh Shooter! I forgot to mention Mr. Hawthorne's efforts!
 Stay tuned.

4 comments:

Marilyn said...

"We all looked back this morning.
Several times.
For Dixie.
I think I saw her."
She was there. I believe.

White button shrooms? Rosie, I'm disappointed in you. Crimini mushrooms have so much more flavor that it must be criminal.

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Dixie hides behind the trees.

She's a camouflage dog.

Her color (in AKA?) is actually called "deadgrass."

Shrooms shruums shraams. I gets what I gets.

Catherine said...

Dear Rosie, I read every word! I just am glued to your posts. I feel like your talking to me.
I wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. Catherine

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Thank you, Catherine. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!