Monday, November 27, 2006

you'd better think (think! thinkthink!)

The food:

Turkey breast, done up traditional. Oddly, it came in a string mesh sack thingy which, according to the directions thereon, was supposed to remain in place while during cooking. We did so, and it was fantastic. Even the overdone parts were good (there was a preheating time mishap. Mistakes were made. Passive voice was used.)
Mashed potatoes with a garlic and leek cream sauce. I'm actually competent with the dairy sauces now. This is a milestone. At any rate, my logic was this: if garlic, cream/milk and butter are all gold as far as mashed taters are concerned, why not just add more in sauce form and moosh them all together? With leeks. Everything, I think, could use more leeks.
Cranberry sauce, sort of a la KT. Well, I used lime juice and no dehydrated orange bits. The premise and huge tartness factor was largely the same, though.
Green beans, sans Campbell's glop. I steamed those mofos halfway (parsteamed? can I do that?) and then cooked 'em up with ginger, that awesome garlic chili paste, soy sauce and a huge glug of sherry. The sherry was actually some old Tokaj (Hungarian white wine -- great stuff) Roberta had sitting around that had become sherry. It was nice to have some spice on the T-giving table for once.
Corn risotto. Courtesy New Seasons. For color, I think.
And my first completely solo piefromscratch. Apple. The crust was almost too buttery. Mmm.

The rad:

On Buy Nothing Day, I traded a pair of socks for a cup of coffee. Not twenty minutes later did a cavalcade of West Ank-o-ragers come trooping through the door of my little southeast PDX coffee spot. Since they were actually folks I was excited to see, it was a really big, delightful coincidence.
Later that evening, further socializing at a pal's parents. Birthday style. There was cheesecake involved. RAWK. Followed by breakfast with the birthday girl at Cup and Saucer. If I could be a brunch cook in Portland, I think my life would be much, much richer for it.
Met up with different 'ragers for coffee as a part of my project. Operation: Actually Visit 'ragers in the Pacific NW Once in a While.
Hung with Lolly at a wings joint and her joint and Plaid Pantry, but not in that order. Scratch black strap rum off of the To Try list.

The smugly:

One class is DONE. Ovah. Well, after I turn in this paper, but still.
Also, I age soon.

4 comments:

ktb said...

things i want from erica (all i do is take take take):

1) step-by-step on those most excellent-sounding potatos.

2) corn risotto recipe

also. did you make said socks? or simply remove them from your own feet in a timely fashion.

i can say conclusively by now that your mail has the best timing of any mail of all time. so, thank you. wish i could accompany you on your brunch adventures or vice versa (there's an amazing moroccan restaurant whose breakfast potato recipe i keep trying to decipher, for instance...)

ktb said...

oh, there was supposed to be a third thing. rule of threes and all that: your papers. i want your papers!

erica said...

potatoes: make mashed potatoes however you care to make them. meanwhile, chop/slice a large leek into 1/8 inch rounds or so (or as skinny as you can get 'em.) in a hot and large-ish saucepan, melt a goodly pat of butter. When sizzly, add the leeks. Cook until soft and squeaky. Add about an 1/8 cup flour slooooowly. The original recipe says 1/4 c, but that's way too much considering the starchiness of the spuds. Brown that business for a couple minutes, stirring always. Add 1.5 to 2 c milk or a milk/cream blend, extraordinarily slowly. It's basically the cream sauce from the lasange recipe, minus the nutmeg and plus paprika. Actually, that's exactly what it is.
We didn't make the risotto. Bert bought it at Wild Oats. I was a little insulted.
I just happened to have an extra pair of freshly laundered socks on me, actually. That's what living in the land of wet feet will do to a girl...

erica said...

L,

Working on it! Right now, I'm seeing triple from paper-writing and hangovers. But. I'll be dere soon enough.