Thanksgiving Trip

I surprised my dear mom this Thanksgiving by popping out from behind the fridge! I didn't think I was going to make it home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but about a week before Thanksgiving I found out I was off Thursday and Friday. So, I called up my dad and asked him if he could perform a miracle. I worked two hours longer on Wednesday night in order to get more prep done for the Thanksgiving buffet and went home to pack and finish cleaning and sleep. I got about one hour of sleep before heading to the airport. My dad picked me up and of course, we had to hit a couple of stores for last-minute items. I called my mom on the way home and told her that I'd just woken up and that I was going out to eat since I didn't have any time to cook. I then asked to speak to my dad and since he wasn't there, I told her I'd call back later. By this time, we're in the driveway. My dad goes in first and I can hear mom tell him that I'd called. Next thing she knows, I'm standing right there! She couldn't believe it. She chased me around the kitchen and kept hugging me. After a sandwich, I took a rather long nap, ate dinner, napped through a movie, and was in bed by 9:00. I believe overall, I slept about 16 hours. I needed it. I didn't cook my contribution to the Thanksgiving meal until Friday when we had leftovers. I made Not Your Mama's Green Bean Casserole from the Food Network's Party Line with the Hearty Boys, which I'd seen one day while laying on the couch. I didn't follow the recipe exactly because, first, I didn't have the recipe with me, though I could have printed it out, and second, I don't like sherry. It's basically a form of mushroom duxelles, which we made in Culinary 101. It turned out great, we all really liked it. The only thing I did differently was I blanched my green beans until crisp-tender.

The return trip to Chicago was tricky. I got up at 3:00 to make a 6:00 am flight. On the plane, they had a problem with a battery not charging, so they shut down the plane completely and we sat in darkness for about a minute. They ended up canceling the flight, and I didn't get out until 11:50, which made me about two and a half hours late to work. It was also a coworker's last day, so we went out across the street for a couple of drinks. Needless to say I was up for 24 hours, but I'm glad that I got a chance to go home and see my folks, otherwise, I wouldn't have seen my mom in a year or more.

It was in the mid-70's in Houston, and here in Chicago, it's been in the low 60's. With weather like this, it's difficult to get into the Christmas spirit. I've narrowed down my recipes to 4 candies and hoping they will work, should be able to get those made and out by December 18. I'm looking online for a company that will let me buy candy boxes but not by the case. I'm treating myself to lunch at Big Bowl provided I get out of the house. I'm taking it easy today.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

L2O Pain au Lait Rolls

Image
Last year for my birthday, I had the pleasure of dining at L2O, a fine dining restaurant that tastefully uses "molecular gastronomy" here in Chicago. I'd done a stage there, unfortunately it did not work out, but I am still quite impressed with Laurent Gras' food philosophy, how well run and organized the kitchen was, as well as the vibe between the cooks. Anyway, months later I had the pleasure of receiving the recipe for their pain au lait rolls via email from Time Out Chicago . These rolls were so good that I chose them more often than the others that were offered in selection from their bread basket. I'd filed the recipe away, and recently had the pleasure of making some for a dinner party. Initially the recipe was converted from weight in ounces to volume, so when I made it, not only did I double-check the accuracy (I found discrepancies) I converted it to a more accurate gram measure. So, pulling out my measuring cups, I converted it correctly to grams...
Read more

Key Lime Pie

Image
I will admit that I don't like a lot of citrus desserts.  I like my lemons sour-I eat them with salt-and I'm not too keen on key lime pies, though my mother loves them.  Making lemon curd is torture to me.  To stand over the pot, stirring the mix of yolks, lemon juice and sugar while smelling the proteins in the yolks coagulate is not a thing of pleasure.  I honestly think it stinks myself, but to each his/her own.  This doesn't mean I don't make the things I don't like very well.  In the world of pastry, you have to cook for your guests and customers, even if that means making something you don't eat. When changing jobs, going into a new kitchen and executing the previous chef's menu, you're torn between keeping their style, and asserting your own (these events are often booked months in advance, and some have tastings where the expectations are established).  So when I read Deconstructed Key Lime Pie on the menu, like a flip book, the ideas flicker...
Read more

Taste of Chicago

Image
Bear with me. I took photos when I went yesterday, but since those photos include my friend's daughter, I won't post them here. Instead, I'll feature the biggest reason I returned to the Taste this year: the Original Rainbow Cone. I introduced myself to this addicting delight last year. The only day I had off to go to the Taste was on the last Saturday of the event (I believe) and it was the worst day to go. Everyone and their aunt-uncle-cousin-grandma-greatgrandpa-was there. I had to fight to get to the food, fight my way out to Buckingham Fountain to enjoy the view of the lake and to eat my food without an elbow in my face, then fight my way back into the crowd to start all over again. I don't know how I ended up in the monster of a line for the ORC, but I did know that it had to be worth it, seeing as how I practically had to fight to keep my place in line. When I finally got to the counter, I took my cone back out to free space and began to enjoy the best ...
Read more