getting ready
to give THANKS!
so much turbulence but we need to be grateful for the serenity we can create for ourselves.
one of my FB groups offered a singular event that was only open two days this season. a family opened their property, which they'd decorated with a fairy village along a winding path through their woods, and invited families with children especially to come enjoy the fantasy and be outdoors with God's creatures. the owner's daughter's name is Denali (!!) and she was delighted to learn that I knew not one but two other Denali's! they have taken in several rescue animals, so besides their goats, they have pigs and llamas, chickens, ducks and turkeys, fluffy rabbits, and burros and donkeys. here are some of the adorable fairy dwellings and critters I saw on the sylvan trek.
after several severe bouts with vertigo and dizziness, I worked up a little energy to cook something I was craving. based on two meals I had in SoDak, I made an open face char siu bao taco and topped it with spicy peanut cole slaw from an internet recipe like the one I love from Armadillo Willy's.
two days later, as it was cold, rainy and windy outside I made rib-stickin' spicy boom boom shrimp with cheddar grits. the pancetta and garden grilled scallions bumped it up to next level!
we had a ready-made pie crust in the fridge nearing expiration and some blueberries in the freezer, so I made a blueberry galette, which was incredibly tasty even though it didn't want to release from the tart plate.
we hosted this little girl over a weekend ... we think her owners may have been away or somehow left her outside by accident. she was skittish and ran if we came near the patio door, but she meowed at us when she saw us. that's a learned behavior! so we fed her leftover chicken until we could buy a bag of healthy kibble, and I put a giant beach towel out for her to at least try to stay warm.
on another cold and rainy day, during my work lunch break I started making a "baked potato soup" using a recipe from my catering friend in Tracy. by dinner it was done, and we "topped" it like we would any baked potato with cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, and instead of chives we used chopped scallions from the garden. I also slivered some sun-dried tomatoes just to add a little punch! it was delicious, and someone called it a keeper! leftovers the next day were just as tasty.
Craig got some fresh raspberries during a shopping excursion, so I thawed some puff pastry baskets and whipped up some cream cheese custard, and made these delicious tarts!
I used the very last of the garden's eggplants and made my fave spicy tofu eggplant for lunch one day. we didn't have any red bell peppers, but I did chunk up a very large scallion from the garden too, and that made a nice substitute. we both finished it in one sitting. so good!
the week before Thanksgiving week I got the sad news that a woman Janet and I have known over 50 years, so much like a sister, had passed away. she had been struggling with health issues for many years, but we never expected it was her time to go. I was blessed to be able to make her wedding dress for her - she trusted me of all people to be able to make a dress fit for all of her - of course I could. she also asked Joyce to be her flower girl! and Joyce and I have very special memories of a crazy/wonderful trip to Disneyland too! Lisa, alarms are off in memory of you, dear friend!
another loss I found out about on turkey day was the mom of our rabbi's wife. she had lived to be 85, so certainly a long life. but we've been away from our Congregation for so long that it was a shock and surprise to hear she had passed.
started the process of holiday decorating. Craig found a live wreath when he was food shopping and couldn't leave the big box store without it. We'll keep the forever wreath under wraps for a year, or find another place to hang it.
for dinner we had a honey-baked spiral ham and buttery yams. and I made more of the raspberry custard tarts with buttery filo dough this time. I've now used up all the "leftover" pre-formed pastries that we had in the fridge and freezer.
wished happy T-Day to all the cousins and aunts and uncle on FB, and got a few replies back. caught up with Aunt Denali on a 30 minute phone call before the Ducks game! Janet has a leg injury so she was housebound this year, but was happily watching football when we texted.
the two days after T-Day, Craig made pomegranate short ribs - I demonstrated the easiest way to pick seeds - and then I made a mustard and brown sugar glazed salmon with steamed green beans drizzled in lime butter. excellent ways to end the month, full of food and gratitude.
