Thanksgiving Part II - Dinner, Black Friday, and Sherlock

What better opportunity to blog about good eats and good times than Thanksgiving?! We’re driving home from Portland where we spent the last week celebrating the holiday with family. If I were ranking our visit I’d give it a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Each and every day was perfect…filled with the kind of good times that make lasting memories. By Wednesday afternoon we’d already had a great visit with Maria and our pies were ready for the big day. Thursday morning Jana arrived from L.A. and Scott drove down from Seattle with the bird…an organic, free-range turkey raised in Sonora (about an hour from Volcano). Funny…we drove 650 miles to have a California turkey. Preparations were stress-free (if you’ve ever watched Verne and me in the kitchen, you’ll understand the significance of that statement) and our traditional Thanksgiving dinner was the best we’ve had in a long time.

Part of our Thanksgiving tradition is a visit to the mall on Black Friday. The tradition started several years ago when Amazon would offer Black Friday deals at midnight Thanksgiving day. Each of the girls would be ready at their computer taking advantage of the low, low prices for CD’s and DVD’s. Two years ago we decided to join the crowds at the mall on Black Friday. Our strategy was to arrive very early Friday morning as the all night shoppers left and crowds thinned. It worked. This year we threw caution to the wind and arrived at the mall at 8 p.m. Thursday evening when the stores opened. Very bad idea! You would not believe the number of people who bring the entire family and do all of their Christmas shopping that night. It. Was. Crazy! And, are the prices really that exceptional??? Let me share my experience…

I went to Macy’s to buy one item: an Artisan Kitchenaid Mixer. It was $350, 10% off for Black Friday with a $50 manufacturer’s rebate and I will get 10% back in January from Macy’s Thanks for Sharing Program, bringing the price to $233.50. I stood in line for about an hour to make my purchase all the while getting more and more irritated by the bungling sales staff (many of them ill-trained temps) and little kids running around unattended as their parents shopped. Friday morning Lauren suggested we check the price at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Good idea, as it was $230 after discounts and rebates. I thought long and hard about the $3.50 difference, but finally decided I’d keep the mixer I bought. However, Lauren had bought an attachment for the mixer the previous evening and the difference in price between Macy’s and BBB was $15…worth a trip to return her original purchase to Macy’s. One of our last errands Sunday afternoon was to do just that. Lauren made the return in record time. However, she returned to the car where we waited with some bad/good news…the Kitchenaid mixer was now on sale at a price $15 less than what I’d paid Black Friday! I was out of the car and into the store for my price adjustment! Thank goodness I didn’t return the mixer earlier, re-purchase it at BBB, only to find Macy’s had the best deal! There are a few lessons to be learned here: (1) Black Friday deals are not what they’re cracked up to be and (2) if you’re going to shop Black Friday, do it on-line and avoid the crowds and all the Crazies!

The highlight Saturday was the afternoon at Cinetopia watching Catching Fire, the second of the Hunger Games Trilogy. Doesn’t sound too exciting? Then you haven’t experienced Cinetopia or its equivalent (and you are obviously not a Hunger Games fan). Imagine a theater with over-sized screens, exceptional sound, and various levels of comfort and amenities: the Movie Parlor (one for families and one for adults only); the the Living Room theater with cushy chairs, loveseats, and ottomans; and, the Grand Auditorium. All of them have in-theater food and alcohol service and, surprisingly, the food is good. It’s like watching a movie on a huge screen in your own living room...possibly more comfortable than your own living room! Quite the experience for special movies, such as Catching Fire, or The Hobbit, which we saw last year at Cinetopia.

Our final day included a trip to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) for the International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes. Lauren attended the exhibit last month and was anxious to have Verne (another Sherlock fan) experience the fun. It was well worth attending and made all the more fun by Lauren's enthusiastic approach to it. We started with the history of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his path to creating the character, Sherlock Holmes. Next we had a crash course in the scientific approach to crime solving. Finally, we were presented with the details of a murder along with Inspector Lestrade's police report and enlisted by the one and only Sherlock Holmes to assist in analyzing the facts using forensic science (blood splatter, footprints, trajectory lines, and more). I'm happy to say we were successful and identified the true perp! 

After the exhibit we took Verne to one of his favorite restaurants, Deschutes Brewery, for lunch and a beer tasting. I think it just might have been the highlight of the weekend! 

Thanksgiving Part I - Holiday Pies

I'm writing this in Portland. We drove up early for our Thanksgiving visit so that we could spend a few days with Maria. She's the designated pie maker at all holiday events with her family and friends in Seattle and although they consider her a master pie maker, she looks to The Master and her mentor, Chef Verno, for cooking and baking tips and inspiration. In particular, this year she wanted to hone her pie making skills and learn the secrets of Verne's butter crust and his new rustic mini pies. Here's a picture of Maria with her teacher...and, yes, there is a cat on the counter!

We've been making and eating the rustic mini pies all summer. Not only are they a perfect size for two people, but they are quick to make and can even be made ahead, frozen, and then baked fresh when you're ready to serve. There's not a more forgiving pie. The free-form crust, which is one-fourth of a single crust, is rolled out to measure about 8" in diameter. Anything goes...misshapen, raggedy edges, more or less filling...it's all okay and they all end up with a rustic look that has pie-appeal!

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday Maria makes several traditional pumpkin, pecan, and apple pies. After collaborating with her mentor, she decided to mix it up a bit this year and make two traditional pumpkin pies, pecan pie bars (I'll get to that in a minute), and a few rustic mini pies, including apple and minced meat. We've found that whether making a full sized apple pie or one of the mini pies, it's best to partially cook the filling (thinly sliced apples, sugar, spices, butter, and apple juice). In the case of the mini pies, we use one cup of cooked filling for an 8" crust and bake it for 45 minutes if freshly made and 55 minutes if frozen. The filling may be frozen in the pie crust or separately, in which case it should be thawed and used in a fresh pastry. These little pies are a great do-ahead dessert...and I mean well ahead. They may be frozen for up to three months.

Now to the mincemeat...or should I say minced meat(less), which is what I'm calling the filling I made and canned. I know that mincemeat pie is NOT universally loved. But, I love it! My mother made it every Thanksgiving and Christmas and it was my favorite. The holiday season is lacking if I don't get at least one piece of mincemeat pie. Scanning my Ball book on preserving, I found a few recipes for mincemeat and decided to try it last week. I'll give you an idea of the ingredients ...apples, light and dark raisins, dried figs and cranberries, currants, minced citrus (including the rind), candied peel, spices, brandy, sherry, and apple cider. NO MEAT! Yes, originally mincemeat pie was a savory pie that included meat. But, not anymore. It's basically a dried fruit pie and it is delicious. I need to tweak my recipe just a bit, but overall it has an excellent, fresh taste of the mincemeat pie I remember having as a child. I canned the filling in 8 ounce jars - perfect for one mini rustic pie and perfect to have for those few people at a dinner party who like mincemeat pie!

As for the pecan pie bar, it's just that...a "bar". Imagine the same ingredients that are used in a pecan pie placed in a 9"x13" cake pan, baked, cooled, and cut into bars. One of our egg customers (and excellent cook and baker) gave us this recipe last week. She raved about it! From past experience with her recipes, I knew that we'd love it. The bottom layer is a typical butter crust, but it's patted into the pan and baked until golden brown. The top layer includes all of the usual ingredients found in a pecan pie, but slightly different amounts (an extra egg and a bit less liquid) so that the filling is firmer than in the traditional pie. We made 24 bars, although they may be cut smaller to yield more. They are the perfect finger-food to top off a festive dinner or to take home in a to-go bag! Ideal for a buffet table!

If you happen to be making a butter crust, here are a few tips from The Master:
     1. Use unsalted butter;
     2. Cut cold butter into very small cubes;
     3. Add a few cubes at a time to dry ingredients in a food processor using the "pulse" mode;
     4. Stop processing as soon as the pie dough comes together...in other words, DON'T overmix!;
     5. Chill before using;
     6. Roll to desired size and place in pie dish and chill again before baking.

Fall Colors and More

Our trip to Connecticut last week to visit Jeff, Trish, and the boys was timed perfectly. Not so in past years…two years ago we traveled mid-December and froze our arses off. Last year our plans were canceled when Hurricane Sandy arrived a day before our trip. This year, however, we enjoyed temperatures in the mid-60’s and a beautiful display of fall colors. Perfect!

We spent our first day, Friday, touring the Mark Twain House in Hartford. Samuel Clemons (Mark Twain) was as charming as he was handsome and used both to win the heart of a very wealthy young woman. Smart man! The mansion they built together in Hartford, where they lived for 17 years, was an architectural work of art inside and out and would have cost millions in current dollars. We finished the two-hour tour around noon and drove to New Haven on the coast to have lunch and visit the Yale University Art Museum. It was exciting to see the Yale campus…beautiful old buildings, each filling a long city block, clustered together in downtown New Haven. The Art Museum is a newer, more contemporary looking building and includes four floors of African, Asian, European, and American art divided into pre- and post-1900 works. 

From there we drove on to Newtown arriving late afternoon. Jeff had planned dinner at Fusion 25 where the McKenzie’s celebrate all birthdays and other special occasions and some not-so-special occasions. This visit was to celebrate Verne’s upcoming birthday! After a warm greeting by the owner and a short wait, we were seated at one of the eight tables that offers the full experience of hibachi-style cooking and eating…think Benihana’s.  A good time was had by all!

There’s never a dull moment in the McKenzie house with one commitment or another all day long. I was told the Friday night-Saturday we spent with them is typical...The three boys are active in sports so it follows that the weekend included either a practice or game for each. We finished Friday night with an hour long tennis lesson for Parker…he’s got great foot work and the sport suits him very well. Saturday morning we started our day with Peyton’s golf match, walking with the team through the second hole. It was so cute to see him carrying his little golf bag, practicing his swing, chatting with his golf buddies…all of them so serious about the game and never fooling around. They looked like a foursome of little old men out for a round of Saturday morning golf. We were then off to Patrick’s baseball game. Some things never change…I spent years attending Scott and Jeff’s Little League games and saw the full range of parenting and coaching skills. In all cases, the kids just try to please the parents. Saturday morning was déjà vu all over again! (Yes, I know that’s redundant…it’s meant to be funny!)

We spent Saturday afternoon attending a Sandy Hook event to support local merchants whose businesses have suffered over the past year since the tragedy last December. We enjoyed lunch at the McKenzie’s favorite Italian restaurant where we again were met with a warm greeting from the owner…not Italian, but Albanian. He had me fooled. We were seated inside, and then outside, and then back inside for lunch. Parker must attract bees, because he was stung on the walk to the restaurant and no sooner were we seated outside on the patio to enjoy the warm afternoon sun than the bees arrived and began circling for another taste. It was back inside for us.

Mid-afternoon Jeff casually mentioned he’d invited a couple of families over for dinner that night. The mere mention of a dinner party is enough to cause my blood pressure to rise off the charts. Verne and I have been hosting dinner parties for over 20 years now and we still experience the same anxiety beginning about a week (sometimes two weeks) before the event. There’s hours spent planning and sometimes experimenting (practicing) with the recipes. By the day of the event, we’ve worked ourselves into a nervous frenzy. I’ve even been known to have a small meltdown as our guests begin to arrive. I watched in amazement as Jeff prepared for his company… He and Trish left to shop for groceries around 5 p.m. (YIKES! Not at least the day before???) He returned and began to make guacamole by hand…slowly in a Zenlike state he carefully minced, diced, and chopped the veggies. (Where’s the Kitchenaid mini-processor???) Jeff seasoned the chicken and put it on the grill, sliced the peppers and onions and began to sauté them on the stove, steamed the tortillas in the oven…gradually the fajitas came together. Friends arrived during the process (YIKES, this is when I’d definitely have a melt-down!), the wine was poured, we talked, we laughed, we enjoyed the food (the guacamole was excellent!) and good conversation, and around 1 a.m. (YES! 1 a.m.) our day came to an end. Whew! We were exhausted and hadn’t done a thing!

The balance of our visit was spent hanging out with the family. No sports. No company. Several glorious hours sitting on the back deck in the sun with a view of the woods, stone wall, and creek. Much of the time Patrick was running around playing football by himself, chatting non-stop, occasionally yelling “touchdown” and falling down and rolling in the grass. What a cutie! One of Jeff’s close friends owns a nursery and, more importantly to Verne, restores old cars and engines, so we made a trip to admire his collection, Jeff bought flowering plants for the deck, and the boys each chose a pumpkin from the fall pumpkin patch.

Patrick, now in third grade, wrote a note to his parents when he was in kindergarten thanking them for going to a “learn to be the best parents ever school.” Not only are Jeff and Trish the best parents ever, but active parishioners and community members. They manage to juggle all of these roles with ease, calm, and humor! 

Family Visit

Visits from family and friends always involve about as much time planning and preparing as the total visit and the Burkhard's visit this past weekend was no exception. Verne came up with a brilliant idea for our entertainment...a tour of the Kennedy Mine in Jackson followed by a short hike to the Kennedy tailing wheel, which has recently been the subject of a community improvement project to preserve it by enclosing it in a building. A few years ago we had hiked to see the tailing wheel, which is the only complete and standing tailing wheel remaining of the original four. When we got to the top of the hill on Saturday, the sight took our breath away. The tailing wheel now stands enclosed in a magnificent metal building with a beautiful paneled glass front for viewing. It's a work of art! The structure was paid in part by a grant with the remaining funds coming from community donations. The completed project might not have had such an impact on Verne and I, but we had seen the wheel before, standing there slowly decaying after being abandoned in 1942, and soon to join its sister wheels as a pile of decaying lumber. It was heartwarming to see that beautiful old wheel standing tall and now protected so that future generations may visit and learn its history.

I think everyone enjoyed the adventure, although the kids were ready to rest their tired little feet and have a Starbucks by the end of the walk. It certainly was far better (shorter, that is) than the hike Grandpa Verne took Kendall and Sam on a few years ago when one of the kids asked, "How big is 40 acres?" and Grandpa showed them by walking the entire perimeter of the property...through some of the scruffiest, rockiest, buggiest terrain in Amador County. Their bloodied legs healed with time (just joking), but their shoes were so dirty and full of burrs that they went home in a bag and were later mistaken for trash and accidentally thrown away! Our hike on Saturday was about a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10...very citified and complete with an asphalt trail and picnic benches. 

Here are a few pictures from our big event...

Pies of the Hand

First, let me explain the title. It was only after about a decade of marriage and a lot of movies, old and new, that I realized all of Verne’s really good lines and most of his good lines were from movies or music. Initially, I just thought he was incredibly clever. Then I started to hear his words when we’d watch an old movie together or listen to one of his favorite CD’s…although, scratch the music…I have and always have had a problem hearing the words when I listen to music. But, at times he has recited the entire lyrics of a favorite song and, lo and behold, I’ll hear one of those clever lines I’d credited to him. Understand, even after discovering most of his lines are not original, I was no less charmed by the man. His delivery is excellent!

As for “pies of the hand”, think back to The Witness when the grandfather talks to the young Quaker boy about a “gun of the hand” that was discovered after they took in the injured detective recovering in their home. It follows (at least to Verne) that the small pies we started making in June should be called Pies of the Hand. He refers to the book we bought entitled Handheld Pies by the same name, Pies of the Hand. Cute!

It has taken us years since the girls left for college to adjust our cooking for two. It’s especially difficult with desserts. Not so much cookies, because I freeze the cookie dough and bake a few at a time. Cakes and pies are a different story. I’d stopped making them unless we have company, because “sharing” to Verne means one piece for him and the rest for me. The pies we started making in June are sized for one to two servings, as are all of the pies in the book, Pies of the Hand aka Handheld Pies.  We started by making a single standard-sized pie crust, dividing and freezing it in quarters for future use as a small crust for a freeform, rustic tart. As the process evolved, we began making and freezing the rustic tarts (complete with filling) on a cookie sheet, bagging the pies individually after they were frozen, and then baking them whenever we got a hankering for pie.  We’ve now perfected this process and can go from the hankering to eating pie in 45 minutes!

We’ve enjoyed apricot, plum, and peach tarts this summer. Fall has arrived and so have the apples. This past week Verne helped our friend Otti harvest apples from her orchard. He wasted no time and within 24 hours had put by a dozen apple rustic tarts. It’s always wise to taste test, so we had one last night with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Just imagine…a flakey butter crust filled with just-picked apples generously seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of lemon juice HOT out of the oven topped with French vanilla ice cream. The serving is just enough to leave you wanting for more. It was nummy! We just may need to do one more taste test tonight…

  

Portland in September

I’m beginning to write this blog as we drive home from Portland where we’ve spent the last week. It’s a beautiful day, beginning to look and feel a bit like Fall. Since we made the drive a week ago, a storm has moved from Southern California up into Oregon and Mt. Shasta, which we just passed, is now snow-capped. From the time we left Lauren’s condo this morning at 7:30 a.m. it has poured and continued to rain the 200 miles to the Oregon-California border, where we were greeted with blue sky and sunshine. We experience the weather-phenomena at the state border just about every time we make this trip. The rain (Oregonians call it “liquid sunshine”) abruptly stops as we drive across the state line. Crazy!

Our good friend Sally Simms flew to Portland the day after we arrived last week and we spent the next several days being tourists. After our last trip to Portland in June when we missed the factory tour of Bob’s Red Mill, I was determined to do it this time. Mission accomplished! We took the 1-1/2 hour guided tour on Friday morning and then visited the store and bought several of the products, including ground flaxseed, which our gluten-free tour guide swears by. Since Bob makes it, I’m assuming he eats it, and I’m sold! We met the man and he looks darn good for 86…

He still runs the company and has been a life-long advocate of organic, whole grain foods. I won’t share all I learned about Bob in this blog (come to Portland and we’ll take you to the mill for a tour), but he has written a book called “People Before Profits” (I love the title) and it seems he lives by those words, because when he turned 80 he gave the company to his employees. Quite remarkable!

Saturday morning it was off to the Lake Oswego Farmers' Market...

Lauren discovered the Market in June and has gone every Saturday morning since. She’s described it in detail to me, but I was in no way prepared for the size and quality of the market. It is Incredible! First of all, the setting is beautiful with over fifty vendors lined up along the park next to Lake Oswego selling everything from handmade pasta, fresh fish, and flowers to farm-grown pork products, including a fresh BLT. The Pig Guy wasn’t there this past Saturday, but his BLT’s are Lauren’s favorite way to start her weekends. All of this is good, but it’s the produce stands that are head and shoulders above any market I’ve attended. Did you know that carrots are available in a red, yellow, and purple as well as the typical orange?

Attending the Northwest Quilting Expo in Portland the third weekend of September each year has become a tradition and this trip, as well as all of our September trips to Portland, are scheduled with this event in mind. The show includes art quilts created by the top quilters from Oregon and Washington and traveling exhibitions from around the world. It’s a humbling experience for me. I used to think I was a fairly accomplished quilter. All it took was attending this regional show that first time in 2009 to realize when it comes to quilting I’m not the expert I thought I was, but rather an advanced novice. The winning quilts at the show are the Van Gogh’s of quilting. I always leave the show realizing my quilts are a step above the paint-by-number’s of quilting, but not by much.

There were probably over a hundred vendors at the show demonstrating and selling all things related to fiber arts…fabrics, threads, books and patterns, and all types of notions. There are always lots of  “specials” that are only available if purchased during the three day event. Actually, it sounds like a good sales pitch, but I’ve found it to be true. For the most part, we were good this year and resisted the temptation of getting caught up the shopping frenzy. That is, we didn’t buy much at the show. We did our share of damage at a local fabric store called the Craft Warehouse, where we found flat-fold fabric (same quality and some of the same fabrics we've used in our quilts) for as low as $4.00 a yard, down from as much as $13 a yard.  We shopped until we dropped…literally!

We’d gone to Portland prepared with a wheelchair as we figured Sally would need a little assistance in getting around the convention center. By the end of the day, I suggested that she take her turn pushing so I could give my feet a rest. I didn’t spend much time in the chair, but it was good for a laugh…

On Sunday, we did another factory tour of the Tillamook Cheese Factory located in…surprise, Tillamook, Oregon. It was a self-guided tour with the viewing area of the factory about the same size as Bob’s Red Mill, but our time spent reading and watching the production lines was far less because it was self-guided and we didn’t have the albeit interesting, but chatty guide.  The samples were great, including a smoked cheddar and garlic cheddar that aren’t offered at our markets.  The factory store offers their full range of cheese, blocks and off-cuts from the factory, and we are going home with a little bit of everything.  

P.S. On the drive home Verne told me that he's not going back to Portland if all we do is talk about cats...can you imagine that? As I finished this blog I realized I hadn't mentioned Lauren's adorable (and spoiled) kitten, Chloe. Here's a picture of the Little Princess...

Chile Today, Hot Tamale

“Chile Today, Hot Tamale” is a Verneism, something he's been saying for as long as I've known him. Corny, but I decided it's the perfect name for the salsa we've created over the past couple of weeks. I had no idea what it means and figured he didn't either, for that matter. So, I went to my favorite source...the Internet. The first thing that popped up was "chile today hot tamale joke," which goes like this: "What is a Mexican weather report?..." You know the rest! I then asked Verne if he knew what it meant and he repeated the joke verbatim.  That is, after he told me a fifteen-minute story about growing up on Sig and Flo's ranch in eastern Washington, a neighbor named Jay Polumsky, and dinner at harvest time when the joke was originally told. If you know Verne, you know he never gives a direct, one-sentence answer, but instead sets the stage with one of his colorful stories as background. I love it, unless I'm in a hurry! 

A little more research and I learned that Chile Today, Hot Tamale has become a favorite name for chile powders and salsa. Damn! However, that's not going to stop me from using it. Afterall, our salsa is for our own personal use (and gifts) and if someone should get testy about a copyright violation...we do have two (three counting Bashir) attorneys in the family. So there! Chile Today, Hot Tamale it is! 

Verne has been making a fresh salsa for over twenty years, but it’s just been in the last few months that he’s experimented with a cooked salsa that may be served as-is or used as a base for a fresh salsa. It’s taken a bit of tweaking, but I think he’s done it!  Our most recent batch is as close to perfection as we’re going to get. Did you notice it’s gone from “he” to “we”…well, it turns out most of our adventures in and out of the kitchen are a joint effort and this is no exception.

We begin the salsa-making process by making a trip to the Davis Ranch, also known as Sloughhouse, and buy several pounds of Roma tomatoes, a large basket of jalapenos, green bell peppers, onions, garlic, and cilantro. Verne calls the Davis Ranch and other farmers' markets "our garden". We've had a garden in past years, but decided the best garden is someone else's...much more cost-effective and a lot less work! Davis Ranch is one of our favorites...

Here's the beginnings of our salsa...

There’s probably an hour of chopping, dicing, and mincing; another 30 minutes of cooking; 

then 20 minutes of processing in our steam canner. A single batch makes about five or six pint jars. After the processing time, which differs for each type of product that is being canned, the jars are removed from the canner and carefully placed on the counter to rest, undisturbed, for 24 hours. The final step is to check for a good seal, label the jars, and store them in a dark, cool place. In our case, it's our pantry. 

There is something so satisfying about this process and the resulting product. Yes, it’s a lot of work for just five or six pint jars of salsa and it would be a lot easier and probably cheaper to just go to Safeway and buy it, but the experience would be far less fulfilling. I thought I was alone in this canning love affair, but it turns out small-batch canning is a hot new trend. We read an article in the paper just this past week about home canning and it seems Ball jar sales are up 30% from previous years. Everybody’s doing it! That also explains the large number of books available on the subject. And here I thought I was doing something rather original! Well, while it may not be very original, as Martha would say..."It is a good thing!"

P.S. This picture of our salsa is just half of what we canned today. Verne has called a halt to my canning and threatened to hide my steam canner!