In reading A Meeting At Corvallis, mention of fish stew (which would have to be the same as a fish chowder) served in a restaurant made me crave something like that, which seems odd but there you go. Having been into making soups and stews lately, it seems that much more intriguing.
Have you ever made such a thing? Any recipes or tips to share?
I would think that would make it possible to use fish that might not be as good served another way.
When do you eat Thanksgiving dinner?
Traditionally in my family it has been a mid-day meal
, as early as noon to as late as 2:00 or so, but essentially lunch. In Deb’s family it was always a late day meal, when supper would be, allowing time for the turkey to cook without getting up early.
I forgot between last and this year that we went with her timing, so I was all focused on having things ready by early afternoon, even planning to get up early, as I did do for one holiday involving turkey; perhaps that was Christmas. Or perhaps that was a day when I made a turkey for company.
It does make sense, though it also feels weird. Thus we’ve eaten leftover spaghetti for lunch today, and the turkey is still in the oven, probably about ready for attention again.
Do you have a traditional meal the night before Thanksgiving?
For us it seems to have accidentally become pasta with red sauce. That avoid poultry overload and produces non-poultry leftovers for one meal in the subsequent two days.
Yesterday I made popcorn the old-fashioned way for the first time in many years. I long resisted microwave popcorn due to the absurd cost
, until eventually I was seduced by the convenience. It also helped that I was in a position where messy preparation was frowned upon, where I used little enough oil that it tended to go bad before I could use it, and where the price of microwave popcorn wasn’t literally out of reach. When I went through my poorest phase, many days my food for the day was a giant pan of cheap popcorn.
Traditionally, I would use melted butter, maybe a light amount of salt, but usually butter alone.
Yesterday I made a smaller pan of popcorn for a snack. That was between half and two-thirds what I used to make for myself, yet it was a big snack for four of us. We used Deb’s flavoring of choice, besides the butter, sprinkling it with Parmesan and Romano cheese (the combined stuff is way better than parm alone, so that’s what I buy). That was awesome.
That and memories of childhood got me thinking about things to make with popcorn, and ways to flavor it. What’s your favorite?
I once tried a recipe for taco flavored popcorn, which would have been better were it not microwave stuff. I think that’s the only deviation I’ve ever made before yesterday. I can remember once or twice stringing popcorn and cranberries for the Christmas tree, in a non-food use. I can remember having some kind of popcorn balls. I figure inventing something like that would be easy enough.
Any suggestions or recipes?
I am planning to make pie Real Soon Now. As in I have apples, I have unsalted butter if that’s what it takes, etc.
I have never made crust. At least, not since I was a kid, with maternal assistance.
Any recommendations, be it by way or recipes or tips? Mainly I am thinking of traditional pastry crust, though I will want to do a crust more suited to pudding pies or cheesecakes at some point, too.
