I have low expectations. But Drew Brees is King of Bacchus, and we are all very, very happy here to have our Saints in the Super Bowl after 40 years. After never, ever going to a single dance in high school, and finally being invited to the senior prom, it’s great just to go to the prom. You don’t have to be prom queen, too.
And when it’s all over, we will still be New Orleans, a city with culture and gumbo, bursting with creativity and corruption and the third highest murder rate in the entire world, behind only Caracas Venezuela and Capetown, South Africa. There have been parades all this weekend, and for the last month, and there will be parades all next weekend. We will still be New Orleans, while you will still be…Indianapolis.
My DH drives a truck to deliver food to needy people for our church. A couple of weeks ago, he went to give them a renewal of his physical results (because only the very fit can drive a truck.) While he was there, they gave him two five pound bags of large gala apple and three huge bunches of turnips with greens. I had recently learned how to make greens when I bought mustard greens at the farmer’s market, so the greens were easy to deal with. I made a spinach and cheese pasta dish with them that was wonderful, and put half in the freezer for later.
I had no clue what to do with the turnips. The web site allrecipes.com only had about three recipes with turnips in them, and they all called for additions like heavy cream and bacon. I was seriously thinking of just tossing them. But on Saturday at my book club meeting, the hostess made a roasted vegetable dish with sweet potatoes, beets, onions and something else. I mentioned that I had a bunch of turnips at home and wasn’t sure what to do with them. The book club ladies assured me that they were very tasty. Liz suggested I google “how to cook turnips” instead of turnip recipes. I found some encouraging ideas, so I tried roasted turnips as a side dish with dinner. They’re prepared very much like roasted red potatoes. Clean and trim the top and root, then quarter. Toss with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and (’cause I’m Hungarian) paprika. Bake at 350° for about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese and server.
They were pretty good. I mean, they aren’t the best vegetables I’ve ever had - maybe with heavy cream and bacon! But they had a nice snappy flavor and they were really filling. And you can’t beat the price (free).
For dinner:
Boneless rib roast, cooked medium rare
Mashed potatoes with roasted garlic
Glazed carrots
Green bean casserole
Sauteed mushrooms and onions
For dessert, pumpkin and pecan pies.
I told Mark we are having four meals today: breakfast, shrimp dip, dinner and pie.
Aside: I wonder if it’s true that potatoes ferment in your stomach and turn to vodka, which is what makes you tired on Thanksgiving after eating. Because now that dinner is over, I am SO ready for my Thanksgiving day nap.
I wrote this food post on Sunday night on my way home, but the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was write a blog post. I have no excuse for Monday. No prize for me.
I didn’t get a chance to eat lunch before I left the resort today, so I ate at “La Hacienda Express” at the Albuquerque airport. Rather than go with one of their numbered combos (burrito, tacos, enchiladas, yawn) I selected one of their daily specials - a bowl of posole with a tortilla. But first, I questioned the young man taking my order.
“Explain to me what posole is.”
“It’s pork with oregano and onion and chilis.”
“Is it like a stew?”
“Yes.”
“A” tortilla?
“It’s a really big tortilla.”
So I ordered it. I put about 2/3 of the stew in my very large tortilla and wrapped it up like a burrito to eat. What wonderful flavor! I like spicy foods; this had a distinct chili taste, but it was more highly seasoned and “warm” than hothothot. It was also loaded with hominy, which gave the stew some heft that was different from what potatoes add to similar dishes. I was pretty full after eating just the burrito, but I finished the rest of the stew anyway. It’s a gift.
When I eat a dish out that I enjoy, especially if it’s something new, I always try to find a recipe so I can replicate it. The internet says this is a popular Christmas Eve dish in Mexico, served with garnishes like shredded cabbage, onion, cilantro, and/or lime wedges. There are many different recipes; I think this one, at Urban Farm Girl, and this one, at The Reluctant Gourmet, look especially good. The closest thing I can find to a crock pot recipe that might appeal to me is this one at about.com. Several of the recipes I’ve seen call for canned enchilada sauce, which I just don’t get at all. Why on earth would anyone put canned enchilada souce in a recipe like this?
Vincent and I work together. Larry is his partner. This evening I went to one of the restaurants here at the resort to get some dinner. I had decided to heck with the daily meal allowance and to get the prime rib buffet. Larry and Vincent arrived shortly afterI did, and after some consideration of their other options (including a more casual place here) they decided to join me.
The food was good, but that wasn’t what I liked best about the evening. The company was wonderful. Both men are so kind, and so friendly and so warm and accepting. I always feel like I’m in the company of brothers when I spend time with them. But that’s not what I liked the best, either. Every time I came back to the table after stepping away to the buffet, Larry stood up. How charming is that! Something about being treated with such gallantry really brought out my best manners too, I think. Being in the company of gentlemen makes me act more like a lady.
Tonight I am in Albuquerque at my company’s annual user conference. I was very excited about being here for real New Mexican food. I still am, but it’ll probably be tomorrow before I have any. I had very little time between arrival and the beginning of the conference, so I had to settle for a roast beef sandwich. It was tasty enough, but not exactly authentic New Mexican cuisine.
Flying all day is draining. I’m glad to be going to bed now.
Bowl of gumbo - $5.95
Vanilla bean creme brulee with fresh strawberries and orange shortbread - $5.95
Meeting someone you’ve known for over six years for the first time in Real Life - Priceless.
I’m going to have to keep track of all the food ideas I come up with writing about. They just pop out of nowhere from seemingly unrelated things I see and do. Maybe everything is about food, it’s just a matter of finding the angle.
For example, today’s Google logo had Big Bird legs. The hover text reminded me that today was the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. That immediately brought to mind a food topic. Immediately, do not pass go, do not collect $200.
It’s a restaurant. My parents love this place. They’ve been coming here for over twenty years, I think. It used to be they would be the youngest people around. Now, not so much. Though I think I was one of the younger folk in the place.
Nothing fancy. It’s kind of small, with a nautical theme of sorts. Lots of dark paneling. It’s quiet, you can hear yourself think and others talk. Dad always gets the open face steak sandwich with fries. Mom always gets a mall order of ribs with fries and coleslaw. I had a small slab of ribs with redskin potatoes and a tossed salad.
It was a nice dinner. I didn’t have lunch today (unless you count two Pop Tarts from the vending machine as lunch) so I was really hungry. I’m also woefully undercaffeinated, so I’ll be glad to go to bed early tonight.
Tonight I met my friends Dave and Vilo for ice cream at Jeni’s Ice Cream in Dublin, Ohio. Jeni’s is rich and intensely flavored ice creams and sorbets in interesting flavors. They have a combination of four half scoops they call a “study.” I had heirloom pumpkin 5-spice, thai chili, dark chocolate, and gravel road. It was AMAZING. It is always amazing. It’s a good thing I don’t live hear because it is so not good for you (all-organic ingredients notwithstanding). I’m sure the sorbets and yogurts are lower in sugar and fat, and they are also wonderfully flavored, but I just can’t bring myself to forgo the peanut butter, coconut milk, toasted coconut and cayenne pepper flavors in the thai chili ice cream.
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