Right quick...

  Aaand it's December!  The month is starting off as it should, with the mountain range shrouded in thick mist.  I suppose it's snowing up there.
  Before one holiday ends, it seems we are already bombarded with the immediacy of another.  It was hard to ignore the news stories and footage of the chaotic shoppers converging on stores and malls all over the country the day after Thanksgiving.  Record amounts of money were spent on, well, crap.  What is it with this nation and retail therapy?  Maybe it was all paid for with credit cards that can never be paid off, and maybe the national unemployment rate is steadily hovering at 9%.  By golly, my toddler will have that petroleum-based toy that will end up in a landfill in a year.  Have we become the Land of the Gimme Gimme?  Where, what's mine is mine and what's yours is also mine?
  I'm not saying that we shouldn't buy things to show the people we love that we appreciate them.  However, I am asking, and hoping, that we can shop locally, consume a little less and do all of that with the presence of mind that those 'things' are not equivalent to the happiness and joy that those people bring us.  The Venerable Cheng Yen said: 

Happiness does not come from having much, but from being attached to little.

  The great minds of meditation and yoga tell us to 'un-know' everything, and let the sound and motion of the world flow over us as we listen.  That by letting go and learning how to comfortably control the roller-coaster that is the mind, we obtain a greater understanding of our emotions and thoughts.  In turn, we are happier and healthier for it.
  Not that any of that is easy.  It's hard to 'let go' sometimes.  There are times when the mind won't stop, when even the beat of the heart matches the quickly pulsing thoughts and feelings.  To ignore them would be impossible and naive, but giving them free rein would be allowing ourselves to be overcome.
  The simplest, easiest way to ease and calm the mind and the body is to breathe.  Slowing the breath, counting the inhales and exhales, even just being aware of the shallowness or depth.  Taking this time increases our awareness, all working towards that letting go thing.  
  My point with all of this is that, practicing these philosophies in our daily lives can help us to familiarize ourselves with the word enough. 

  Here are two quick and easy dinners that I made this week using Thanksgiving leftovers.  Sometimes it can be a challenge to find things to do with the leftover turkey, or some of the other ingredients that you just didn't quite use all of.  This week we had lots of turkey to get through and a big container of crushed tomatoes to do something with.
  Tuesday night is Yoga Night, and we don't get home until after 8:30.  So we need something that is fast and semi-good for us.  Here's what we had:

Thanksgiving Turkey Chilaquiles

  You can find the original recipe here, but I'd suggest some alterations.

• Use blue corn tortilla chips- unsalted is key!
• Add one can of drained black beans when adding the salsa.
• Pepper Jack Cheese gives it a great kick.
• Omit the turkey for a vegetarian meal, and use vegan cheese and sour cream for a vegan meal!

  Last night, I walked the aisles of our minuscule neighborhood natural grocery for a good 15 minutes trying to decide what I was going to have for dinner.  When I realized that I had everything I needed, I left empty-handed.

Tomato Sauce On the Fly w/ Roasted Garlic and Fusilli

    The key to this is simplicity, and using what you have.  I love the warm, rich flavor of roasted garlic!

Ingredients

• 1 T minced shallot or onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2-?? cloves whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 3 T olive oil
• Pasta, preferably whole grain
• One can crushed tomatoes
• Dried oregano
• Dried thyme
• Salt & Pepper
• Pinch of sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Make a package with aluminum foil and garlic, drizzling 1-2 tablespoons (or more) to coat cloves.  Place package in the oven, roast for 25-30 minutes.
Saute the shallot or onion in one tablespoon of oil until it begins to soften, 3-4 minutes on medium heat.  Meanwhile, place crushed tomatoes in a pot and put over medium-low heat.  Add minced garlic to the shallots and saute until garlic is fragrant.  Add shallot and garlic mixture to tomatoes.  Season to taste, using thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.  After sauce begins to simmer, add a pinch of sugar.  Simmer sauce while pasta cooks.
Toss cooked pasta with sauce.  Remove roasted garlic cloves from peeling and mash or add whole to pasta.

Here's to December:

 The world is your oyster.  Yes, but in that oyster is the pearl, and to get to the pearl one has to first discard the shell and the flesh.  

~Ian Gardner

 Good luck, my fellow pearl-seekers.

 

Indulged, indeed.

  Someone once said that it's not so much where you are, but who you're with.  My confidence in this comment has wavered somewhat over time.  When I wasn't where I wanted to be geographically, at least I was with the one I loved.  When I was where I wanted to be, the one I loved was far away (though on his way.)  And this Thanksgiving, I am where I want to be, with the one I love, but without the nearness and warmth of my dear family.
  Don't get me wrong, I love my life and my career, even if they have taken me farther than I've ever been from my loved ones.  Weeks and months pass by quickly, with the normal grind taking over one's schedule, but it's really during the holidays that I have the time to reflect on the fact that I'm several states, and a couple of time zones away from home!  But as a friend also living far away from home remarked, we are incredibly lucky to have such wonderful people to miss.
  Thanksgiving was a small affair for us this year- normally we attend anywhere from three to four in one weekend!  Three of us gathered around our modest table as it all but groaned under the weight of all of the food, and practiced the annual tradition of over-indulgence.  Not one dish was less than wonderful, if I do say so myself, and we have been exuberantly eating leftovers for the past couple of days!

Menu

Tuscan Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad   

Parker House Rolls

Simple Roast Turkey

Roasted Vegetable Gravy
Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Farmhouse Herbed Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce

Haricots Verts with Roasted Fennel and Shallots

Parmesan-Roasted Butternut Squash

Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie

Classic Double-Crust Apple Pie

Homemade Whipped Cream  

Parker House Rolls

Tuscan Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad

Loaded plate

Classic Double-Crust Apple Pie

Feeling a little ambitious, I decided to make a beautiful, golden stock from the turkey carcass.  Since that wasn't very much work once it was in the pot, I thought I should probably also make some bread in the bread maker Allen's grandma gave us.  It was my first time using a bread maker, and I really enjoyed how you just put the ingredients in the pan, close the lid, put in the yeast and press Start!  I took the recipe right off of the bag of King Arthur Bread Flour- Oatmeal Toasting & Sandwich Bread, and despite the fact that I didn't really follow their instructions, the bread turned out nicely.  It's a little bit sweet and has a velvety, without being crumbly, texture.  I can't wait to use my machine again!

As this was my first Thanksgiving cooking everything, I decided to make a list of  the things I learned and share them:

5 Things I Learned About Thanksgiving

1. Turkey is overrated.

2. A potato ricer is the key to perfect mashed potatoes.  Buy one.

3. Planning, planning, planning.  Unless you want to eat at midnight, when it's not even Thanksgiving anymore.

4. If you must cook a turkey, high temp/short cooking time is the way to go.  Figure about 10 minutes per pound at 450 degrees F.

5.  The simpler the stuffing, the better.

And, of course, enjoy it all to the last bite!

Giving Thanks

Symphony of hiss, sizzle, and saute. 

Steam-kissed windows beckon with promise.

Edible treasures await:

Crimson cranberry orbs, flaky dough coins, glaringly golden squash.

Today, we eat.
Today, we bow our heads in thanks that we were not the weak, the primitive, the godless.
And we give thanks that our ancestors etched their conquests on the cherub cheeks of history,
Otherwise we might be living out someone else's appreciation;
A different tale of gratitude.
Scrape of the knife, clattering plates, and forkfuls of forgetfulness to sate our
starving, overweight nation.
The corporations have turned my favorite holiday into
a gravy boat segway to Christmas decorations.
But they still can't make Hallmark cards that capture:
Family, friends, food and the feeling of Together.
Grateful and gracious we gorge our collective memory on the fulfillment of unity;
There is no more gratifying dish.

Decadence from a past Thanksgiving

This time of year I'm practically giddy with excitement.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's all about the company and the food.  The pressure of consumerism is just around the corner, and the end of year hustle is beginning.  There is no better time to do some good ol' gut-busting cooking and spend time with the people you care about.

I don't know if it's the fact that I miss my family or that I just want the traditional Thanksgiving meal, but I've taken a bit of a, ahem, how shall we say, detour from my recent dietary changes.  By detour, I mean that we're having turkey.  So really, it's less of a detour and more like I pulled the emergency brake while in motion, but oh well.

My dilemma is that Tofurkey really does not appeal to me.  It doesn't look appealing, doesn't sound appealing, no thank you.  I've been a vegetarian through many a Thanksgiving and was always just fine with eating the sides.  The meat substitute was never an issue, and never really something I desired.  So how did we arrive at the bird carcass, you ask?  Sheer vanity.  I wanted turkey!  And it's really just that simple.  I also wanted real butter and real eggs and real cream for the few recipes that actually call for them.  In a way I feel like I'm giving up on eating healthier and cruelty-free foods, but this is more of a dalliance than it is a lifestyle change.  I'm thankful that I'm able to make these changes in my diet without suffering any serious consequences.

Pictures of the feast to follow!