Thanksgiving In the Homeland

We headed up to NJ on Tuesday and came home yesterday. It was a great visit. I came prepared with lots of arts and crafts things to do with the kids because when the three of them are together in my mom's living room its like three crazy hot balls of energy bouncing off each other in a 10x10 foot metal box--someones getting burned. Here's our turkey, indian headress, and our fish basket.

Connor especially loved the fish basket (but only once Aunt Michelle made the fish!). It's funny the things that inspire their imagination. Once he had the fish basket in hand, about 90 minutes of improv imagination play began that involved him being some sort of fisherman/fishmonger and me being some poor homeless old woman with a bad Manchester UK accent. He wants to sell me fish, I say I have no money. He tells me too bad, then he comes back and tells me to take the biggest fish because he knows I need food and he doesn't want me to starve. I ask him how he can afford to give fish away and he says its okay because he has millions of fish because his fishing boat is really a Navy ship that they let him use because he is such a great fisherman he feeds the Navy. I thank him profusely and he hugs me (with tears in his eyes, I swear) and tells me to eat it and be safe and happy. Too sweet. I almost cried it was so nice. Then he comes back and we do the whole thing over and over and over again. Each time there are variations, the most interesting of which is the time he tells me he wants to help me because I remind him of his dead old mother who died of liver cancer. I wonder where he got that and I wonder what it says about his fears? He loved going through different iterations of it and working through all sorts of life problems in the context of the role playing. I think we'll have to do more of it. I'd best get some costumes and other accents in my repertoire.

He also suddenly is interested in poetry. Again, I have no idea where this is coming from, but I'll gladly encourage it. He announced that he wanted to write a poem, told me to get him some paper and sit down. Then he spoke the poem aloud and asked me to give him the letters to write it down. Here it is:

"Angels in the blue sky. America in the gods." So weird and funny and interesting!

After dinner on Thanksgiving we headed down to Smithville, NJ. When I was a kid, it was one of those actual working villages where we would go on field trips to learn about "olden times". I always liked it. I particularly remember some actor who roamed around with a horse and carriage doing "Snake Oil" sales demonstrations and a band with guys playing the jug, the spoons, and washboard. There was always a section of shops and restaurants outside the entrance. Now, it has entirely been converted to shops. Kind of sad. But it was nice out and good to give the kids a place to run, get a carousel ride and a spin around on the train.

On the way home yesterday we stopped in Camden, NJ to visit the Battleship New Jersey. We took the "Fire Power Tour" and spent about two hours walking, crouching, and climbing all over her. What an entirely awesome thing to see. We were able to go inside the main gun turrets and learn how they loaded the 15 inch guns--every 30 seconds. It was amazing. Our tour guide was super nice and let Connor (the only kid on the tour--lucky him) do all sorts of fun things like sound the warning alarms and use the periscope. We stood right next to the Tomahawk Missile box launchers and learned about the ship's incredible history. She was launched on the one year anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and served in pacific during WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and off of Beirut, Lebanon in 1983. She is the most decorated US battleship. We all enjoyed it and were reminded of the sacrifice that so many have made on our behalf.

Two Things About Work

I've mentioned before this big project I'm working on right now....well, its never ending and challenging and confusing and crazy. But I feel really appreciated by everyone. My Inbox at work is getting its fair share of thanks and kudos. But this week I got the two best gifts from two men I work with.

First, this Martha Stewart designer bouquet with a lovely thank you note. This is the actual bouquet--not a picture off the web. It is sitting in my living room looking spectacular right now. This was sent my our eastern region executive sales director in New Jersey. Lovely. Just lovely.

The second gift I have no picture of. It was a sound effect. From my co-worker and friend, Jeff, in Atlanta. He knows I've been frustrated over everything that's been going on even though with most everyone else I "put on a happy face". He was at his parents farm in NC this week and on Friday he gave me the great gift of calling me from his cell phone, setting it down on ground, and shooting off his shot gun in the woods. BAM!!! This was a lovely catharsis.

How's that for covering both ends of the spectrum?

Random-icity

Not much momentous going on here this weekend and its been a long week at work. Here are some tidbits, though:

1. Connor got good behavior stars FIVE days in a row this week. One week, he's out of control. The next week he's great. Consistency is not his strong point. As a reward he got to eat out at a restaurant (remember, I cooked last weekend so there was no eating out all week) and got the High School Muscial 3 soundtrack. He came home, got his mini-basketball, put on a tank top, and proceeded to dance to the basketball song (I can't remember the name of it--Now or Never, I think). Too funny how he tries to spin on the floor like a breakdancer and integrates basketball moves into the dance. I really really need to sign him up for dance class.

2. It is *&%$#) cold outside (and inside). I'm not used to it and I'm walking around like some homeless woman in Boston in January. Two pairs of socks, sweats, two sweatshirts. All I need is a shopping cart. I started muttering to my self months ago, so I've got that covered.

3. We're going to NJ on Tuesday. We may be making a stop off at the Pop Shop on the way!!

4. I just scrubbed the kitchen from top to bottom. What a pain. When Connor is out of daycare next fall I'm getting housekeepers.

5. I just booked a night for us at the Gaylord National the weekend before Christmas. They have a ton of special things going on there for Christmas and it looks fun and its nearby. It actually snows in the atrium each night. We'll go earlier on Saturday and spend some time in Old Town before heading over on the water taxi. More and more things have opened on the National Harbor side and there are choir concerts pretty much every night. It should be fun and festive.

6. Getting my hair done tomorrow. Haven't had it done since September 27th. That might be an all time ROOT record.

7. I'm going to a birthday party this evening and I think the boys are going to go see "Bolt". It looks really cute.

Encouragement

Arianna and Colin are here for a playdate. Colin is in the family room having a truck and car extravaganza. Arianna and Connor are in the kitchen with me and we're drawing and coloring. Connor leaves the table and comes back and looks at Arianna with a forlorn, sad stare:

C: Arianna, you encourage me.
A: I what? (confused)
C: You E N C O U R A G E me. (still, the sad face)
D: Connor, do you know what "encourage" means?
C: Yes.
D: What does it mean?
C: It means she makes me do something.
D: Kind of. What is she encouraging you to do?
C: She's encouraging me to think about Buddy. (our dead cat)
D: Why is she ecouraging you to think about Buddy?
A: Because she looks just like a cute kitty cat.

Arianna smiles. So do I.

The Cooking

Started at 3pm and just finished cleaning up. I made the carrots and the soup. They're both packed in the back fridge waiting for a dinner this week. I also made Michelle's beans---I ate a few tablespoons of those for dinner. YUMMY. I also made a Wegman's sun dried chicken breast for myself for dinner but only ate a few bites of it---someone small and demanding decided he really liked it so he at a bunch of it. The big project of the night was a giant pan of Butternut Squash Mac N Cheese. Found the recipe on the internet and it looked interesting--and it is. Had a bite or two and it is weirdly good. That's Monday or Tuesday's dinner. Tomorrow I'm making a north african flavored brisket and I'm baking a big Wegman's honey brined turkey breast with fresh sage and parsley stuffed under the skin.

There will be no Dominoes or McDonald's this week! Hurrah!!!

Tis the Season to Cook

This week we ate junk. Just junk. I didn't eat much of it, but the boys did. So, with a quiet weekend and no plans for Saturday night, I'm cooking for the week ahead so that we're not wasting calories and money on stupid food choices this week. That's not to say that I'm only making healthy things. But stuff you cook yourself is always better. Right now the plan is to make a meat in the crockpot, prep a meat for roasting later in the week, make a pasta dinner of some sort, make a bean dish if I can get my dear friend Michelle to give up the recipe I want, make a pot of soup, and make a batch of homemade salad dressing. I'll let you know what I finally decide on.

While prepping for this extravaganza, I dug out some of my old cookbooks. When I saw my 1981 "Modern French Cooking" by Wolfgang Puck I got so happy! Connor is on a major carrot kick (the only healthy thing he ate all week) and we were talking about my spectacular mashed carrots the other night. But they are not mine--they are Mr. Puck's--from this book. The book is splattered with the evidence of many happy cooking occasions. Most of which took place while I still lived at home with my parents. And since my mom has some sort of spiritual objection to appropriate cooking tools, that made it all the more a challenge at the time. Really, there are so many great and special recipes in this book. I've not shared any recipes on this blog but I now feel compelled to do so with my two favorites. The first--those lovely carrots. This is a Thanksgiving regular for me.

Wolfgang Puck's Carrot Puree (Mousseline de Carrotte)

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoons sour cream

1. In a large saute pan, melt the butter. Add the carrots and saute over a low flame for 20-25 minutes until tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Transfer carrots to a food processor and process until smooth. Add the heavy cream and sour cream and continue to process until well combined. (If the mousseline is too stiff, add more sour cream, a teaspoonful at a time).
3. Correct seasoning to taste.

If you don't have a food processor I won't lecture you about all the reasons why you should. You can still make this by finely mashing the carrots in a stand mixer. But really cook the carrots until they are super soft. Heaven.

Now, this one is just inexplicable. It is so easy and so not typical. When you think of this soup, you think of Campbell's paste. This is the antithesis and the lemon does something spectacular to it. Dancing mushrooms on the tongue--imagine them.

Wolfgang Puck's Mushroom Soup (Creme de Champignons)

1 pound firm white mushrooms, cleaned
1 medium lemon
1 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 teaspoon water
1 Tablespoon minced parsely

Warning: This soup must not be overcooked.

1. Sprinkle the mushrooms with juice from the lemon. Coarsely chop them.
2. Melth the butter in a heavy saucepan an lightly saute the shallots. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf and saute over moderate heat for 10 minutes or until the liquid disappears.
3. Add the salt, pepper, cream and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the cornstarch to the soup and continue to simmer 10 minutes longer, stirring constantly.
5. Correct seasoning to taste.

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y

Heard "The Bay City Rollers" in the car on the way back from Target tonight.....forgive me.

Morning
Hour long hike in Banshee Reeks. What an awesome place! I think I like it more than Great Falls--less crowded--as in almost no one else was there. We totally busted into the Visitor's Center through a side door. We thought it was open, but it wasn't. A kind volunteer working upstairs came down and helped us with a trail map. This slice of wilderness in the middle of random housing developments is just the coolest thing. Nicely mowed trails and great trail markings. We'll be back and we're going to see if there are any volunteer opportunities. The boys spent some time chucking big rocks into Goose Creek and we got to see the beaver's pond before it disappears. The beavers are, apparently, relocating.

Afternoon

Wii has taken over. We did a fair amount of Wii Play and Wii Goosebumps-Welcome to Horrorland which is actually a very cool amalgamation of arcade and carnival games. Connor and I nearly wet our pants watching Bob shake the nunchuck remote to get bats out of his hair in the "Batting Cages". Hysterical. Wii Bowling is still my fave.

Evening

I don't know where this came from. It was in the back fridge. And after an hour of Wii it seemed advisable. Very interesting! Here's the review from "The Wine Lover's Page":

Shingleback McLaren Vale "Black Bubbles" Sparkling Shiraz ($21.99)Inky dark purple, pours up with a frothy pink mousse; bubbles are lasting, with the persistent, pinpoint quality I would expect of a fine, classically made sparkling wine. Good black-fruit aromas blend plums and berries. Mouth-filling and fresh, bubbles add a creamy texture on the palate. Fresh and appropriately tart; although its residual sugar maps to moderate sweetness, carbonation and acid balance present a "dry" flavor impression. As quality sparkling Shiraz should, it shows the flavor profile of a fine McLaren Vale red with bubbles added; and that's fun. US Importer: Precept Brands, Seattle. (May 30, 2007)
FOOD MATCH: Usually drunk as a refreshing aperitif or for casual party sipping, this fine Shiraz will pair with red meat, is recommended with chocolate desserts, and shows surprisingly well with spicy Asian fare. It was remarkably good with the offbeat, aromatic West Chinese cumin lamb featured in yesterday's Wine Advisor FoodLetter.

The bubbles stand up like on a cappuccino. It would be GREAT with Kung Pao!