Turkey for beginners, gravy, mashed potatoes, dressing~only turkey thighs~sweet potatoes~cranberries~lamb neck, for a change~white port from Georgia~disasters in my kitchen
My husband likes nothing better than a grilled cheese sandwich, which he almost inevitably orders when we’re on the road. I usually have a bite or two and am not impressed. Often the cheese is melty and very orange but lacking in taste and the bread isn’t crisp enough. The most memorable grilled cheese I can recall was my mother’s: open face on rye, cheddar on top, broiled and puffed till it crusted over, sometimes a bit blackened like a volcano hiding bubbling cheese underneath. I’ve never been able to duplicate Mom’s creation and have had a few kitchen disasters while trying.
Thanks for all your Thanksgiving tips and links, Wayne. Always up for stuffing and mashed potatoes (the handwritten recipe is adorable!). Turkey not so much.
1) That mashed potatoes recipe reminds me of a recipe card my mom kept for years, one that I'd proudly written up at around age 7 or 8:
Jello Delight. Instructions: Make Jello. Add whipped cream. Eat.
2) Food disaster: the year I made turkey lasagna with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. No need to say more.
3) Grilled cheese, midwestern-style (we called it a "toasted cheese sandwich"}: we always used Velveeta, buttered the outsides of the slices of bread, and browned the compiled sandwich in the oven. Velveeta is creepy, but I still use it for grilled cheese as well as mac and cheese.
We've been pescatarians for over 20 years now, so Thanksgiving means the challenge of making Tofurkey reasonable. Spices and mushroom gravy work wonders.
How much butter did your mom use in her mashers? Have you ever inserted pear halves in lime Jell-O? You browned your toasted cheese sammy in the oven, not grilled in a pan? Have you ever thought of having flying fish at Thanksgiving to approximate a pescatarian turkey?
I'm thankful for you and Vintage Morels - whenever I read your newsletter, I get so many good ideas. It was fun reading your dad's mashed potato recipe - bet those soft, buttery taters were soooo good. Based on your advice, I'm going to leave the stuffing in the oven longer this year and get it nice and brown. If you don't feel like making turkey, you could always fry up a nice pan of bacon as an alternative - just a thought! Happy Turkey Day, Wayne!
You are kind to say. Try doubling or tripling the butter in the mashers to approach the French version from the long-gone Jamin restaurant. It's not death by butter but you'll never forget them!
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My husband likes nothing better than a grilled cheese sandwich, which he almost inevitably orders when we’re on the road. I usually have a bite or two and am not impressed. Often the cheese is melty and very orange but lacking in taste and the bread isn’t crisp enough. The most memorable grilled cheese I can recall was my mother’s: open face on rye, cheddar on top, broiled and puffed till it crusted over, sometimes a bit blackened like a volcano hiding bubbling cheese underneath. I’ve never been able to duplicate Mom’s creation and have had a few kitchen disasters while trying.
Thanks for all your Thanksgiving tips and links, Wayne. Always up for stuffing and mashed potatoes (the handwritten recipe is adorable!). Turkey not so much.
3 things:
1) That mashed potatoes recipe reminds me of a recipe card my mom kept for years, one that I'd proudly written up at around age 7 or 8:
Jello Delight. Instructions: Make Jello. Add whipped cream. Eat.
2) Food disaster: the year I made turkey lasagna with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. No need to say more.
3) Grilled cheese, midwestern-style (we called it a "toasted cheese sandwich"}: we always used Velveeta, buttered the outsides of the slices of bread, and browned the compiled sandwich in the oven. Velveeta is creepy, but I still use it for grilled cheese as well as mac and cheese.
We've been pescatarians for over 20 years now, so Thanksgiving means the challenge of making Tofurkey reasonable. Spices and mushroom gravy work wonders.
How much butter did your mom use in her mashers? Have you ever inserted pear halves in lime Jell-O? You browned your toasted cheese sammy in the oven, not grilled in a pan? Have you ever thought of having flying fish at Thanksgiving to approximate a pescatarian turkey?
I'm thankful for you and Vintage Morels - whenever I read your newsletter, I get so many good ideas. It was fun reading your dad's mashed potato recipe - bet those soft, buttery taters were soooo good. Based on your advice, I'm going to leave the stuffing in the oven longer this year and get it nice and brown. If you don't feel like making turkey, you could always fry up a nice pan of bacon as an alternative - just a thought! Happy Turkey Day, Wayne!
You are kind to say. Try doubling or tripling the butter in the mashers to approach the French version from the long-gone Jamin restaurant. It's not death by butter but you'll never forget them!
Thanks for all the tips! I, too, grew up with Velveeta in upstate NY. Sorry that you don't enjoy turkey, Wayne.
Well, turkeys are happy I don’t!
Point taken!