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Happy Thanksgiving!

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Clarissa

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The bready thing next to the mushrooms and broccoli is brie baked in puff pastry with cranberry sauce and pecans. It’s the first time I’m making it, and it’s delicious.

The cranberry sauce turned out great for the first time in my life. Of course, it’s only the third time I’m making it but it was horrid the first two times. The turkey should have come out of the oven 15 minutes earlier but since my sense of smell got compromised, I haven’t figured out how to cook without it.

Our extended family is far away and Thanksgiving is a month earlier there anyway. So it’s just us.

Celebrate your hearts out, my friends. There’s a lot to be thankful for.

11 responses to “Happy Thanksgiving!”

  1. Post Alley Crackpot Avatar
    Post Alley Crackpot

    “… since my sense of smell got compromised, I haven’t figured out how to cook without it.”

    About a year Before The Rona, I had some kind of sinus infection that eventually led to becoming hyper-sensitive to smells for a few months.

    I could smell whatever was cooking in the oven well before it would be remotely close to done.

    That period was interesting because it gave me a perspective on fast food I’d never appreciated before, and that got me interested in finding out what’s in the fryer oil at most of these places.

    The worst was Popeye’s — I could smell one Popeye’s in particular about a quarter mile away if I had the vents open.

    Apparently the worst smells came from the places that used “defoamer fryer oil” so they wouldn’t have to change it out frequently. Eliminating those places from my diet helped get rid of a cause of quasi-IBS that had appeared after eating more fast food.

    In Miami, there were plenty of good independent restaurants, but in rural North Florida?

    At least the bread at Subway supposedly doesn’t contain exercise mat chemicals (anymore).

    Anyway, glad you’re enjoying Thanksgiving.

    Here we didn’t do any of that because we’re packing for another road trip that may last several weeks.

    BTW, if you have supply chain problems, sometimes it works if you show up with a few trucks, a lot of cash, and an offer to take delivery of supplies on the spot.

    Just make out the purchase order to Big Enos Burdette. 🙂

    (Other Florida people will get the joke.)

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  2. Avatar
    Anonymous

    “The turkey should have come out of the oven 15 minutes earlier but since my sense of smell got compromised, I haven’t figured out how to cook without it.”

    Ah, Clarissa, when I finally taught myself to cook 24 years ago, after finally retiring from 21 years in the USAF, my sense if smell never had much ti go with it! I tested various oven temperatures and baking times for my choice of fowl cuts (several Omaha Steaks 4.5 oz “Steakhouse” bone-in chicken breasts w. skin present). Best method; heat oven to 425 degrees, season chicken and bake skin UP first for 20 minutes, then turn over, season new top side, and bake for another 20 minutes. The chicken is tender and the skin adds flavor. Buy canned cranberry sauce and warm it for several minutes in the microwave; ditto for creamed corn and mashed potatoes. Add a supermarket-prepared pumpkin pie, and you have a full Thanksgiving Dinner to be grateful for!

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  3. methylethyl Avatar
    methylethyl

    It can be done! Even with a compromised nose. You have to train your family to give you lots of feedback is all. I haven’t been able to eat wheat in 12+ years, but I still bake bread and cookies. Any time I try a new recipe, I get the family to tell me whether I should cook it again or not. Seems to work. It is good that I learned to bake bread while I could still eat it, though.

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  4. Pen Avatar
    Pen

    Is that blueberry pie in the corner?

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      Cherry! It’s store-bought, though. I cook everything except desserts.

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      1. cliff arroyo Avatar
        cliff arroyo

        No pumpkin pie?!?!?!?

        Enemy of the state!!!!!

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        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          I saw pictures but my brain doesn’t process it as food. The recipes sound weird, too. Maybe one day I’ll get assimilated enough for it.

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          1. methylethyl Avatar
            methylethyl

            I make pumpkin custard. I never have leftovers.

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            1. Clarissa Avatar
              Clarissa

              Could you share a recipe? This sounds like something much more up my alley than a pie.

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              1. methylethyl Avatar
                methylethyl

                We do it because I have sufficient family that are gluten-intolerant, so crusts are out.

                I don’t have a recipe, I just wing it every year: I buy the canned pumpkin (same as everyone uses for pie, but not the seasoned– it should only contain pumpkin in the ingredients) and the evaporated milk, I kinda sorta look at the directions for pie filling on the back of the can, but cut the sugar in half and add more eggs, plus a couple of yolks for funsies, and use however much allspice, nutmeg (go easy!), and powdered ginger I feel like to season. Sometimes I bake it in a casserole and slice it up, and sometimes I get fancy and bake in little custard cups in a tray of water– it’s good both ways. It’s hard to mess it up. Everyone likes it, and I make whipped cream to go on top when it’s ready to serve (also ridiculously easy, and usually just put in a little vanilla and no sugar). Best to bake a day ahead and refrigerate overnight.

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              2. Clarissa Avatar
                Clarissa

                Sounds really great. I’ll definitely try it, thank you!

                Liked by 1 person

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