We Smelled It ... It Had To Be Eaten! Christmas Eve Food Porn posts #1170 & #1171!!

[PNO4TE]

Better yet... order my mother... she'll come and cook...

 

[oybolshoi]

Thursday, November 27th - We Cooked Some of It ... We Smelled All of It ... And We Ate Most of It: A Stinktown Thanksgiving!

Small family gatherings call for creative thinking, especially on Thanksgiving since no one wants to be daring and fix something other than a big bird stuffed with three-week old bread. Not being a fan of turkey myself, I often look for ways to get around the whole concept of TRADITION (now might be a good time to play the soundtrack from Fiddler on the Roof ... ). This year I hit upon the perfect solution while ogling the most recent catalogue from Dean and Deluca: Turkey Roulade with cranberry sauce / sage stuffing.

By ordering this I guaranteed that no one would have to slave in the kitchen all day to produce a dried out bird with way more meat than six people could eat in three months. And since it only took about two hours to cook, I guaranteed an on-time dinner service at precisely 4PM ... a Thanksgiving miracle!

Without further ado ... pictures of the yumminess that was our day. I hope you enjoy it!

First up ... Fresh Cinnamon Bread ala' Pillsbury Mix!

We washed down the bread with some Brandy Milk Punch, which is a holiday favorite at our house ... interested in the recipe? Go to my blog - it's still listed there for your alcoholic pleasure.

Without nutmeg...

With nutmeg...

Our tasty port-poached pears with blue cheese ...

Our Stinktown dining room - I would have liked to have used our china for once in something like seven years for a more elegant table setting, but since we have to store it in a bedroom closet we decided it was more trouble than it was worth to dig it out and use it for dinner only to have Grimace call us snobs for doing so.

Pre-candle lighting ...

Candles lit for snooty ambience

Would you like some wine with dinner? You have a choice ...

Moscato

Beaujolais

Our fur-baby Handsome Pete sitting at the kitchen table waiting for tasty scraps...

I'm behaving ... now gimme something good!

How can you resist my irresistableness???

Next up ... Jon's homemade cranberry sauce. I don't eat it but everyone says that it's way better than that jelled stuff from a can.

It's crantastic ... or so I've been told.

Jon's sweet potato mush ... I actually like mine better but he wanted to do most of the cooking this year and who am I to say no?

It's mushy all right.

 

[oybolshoi]

Thursday, November 27th - We Cooked Some of It ... We Smelled All of It ... And We Ate Most of It: A Stinktown Thanksgiving!

Picking up from where we left off ... Jon makes the best homemade rolls at the holidays, and he shapes them like little birds! He knows how much I love bread so he always makes these at Thanksgiving and again at Christmas.

Bird rolls!

And because my mom worried that there wouldn't be enough food, she brought a little honey-baked ham for everyone to nibble on, too.

Mmmmmm, who doesn't like pig flesh?

And now ... the glorious turkey breast!

Fresh out of the oven ...

Sliced up and ready for hungry guests.

A close up ...

Other yummy items we had for dinner ... Butternut Squash Soup, Homemade Stuffing, and A Melody of Vegetables.

Pot o'soup.

Brenda's bowl o'soup.

Jon's homemade stuffing!

Squash ... carrots ... zuccini ... beans!

Brenda's dinner plate ... a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Now, who wants dessert???

Jon made a pumpkin pie ... from scratch. The man really is a terrific cook!

Yum!

Dylan's wifey, Jen, made an apple pie from scratch which was awesome, and I'm not usually a big fan of apple pie.

More yum!

And in a stunning display of unplanned genius, Jay and I made homemade Cinnamon Ice Cream. It tasted like a frozen, creamy cinnamon roll and paired exceptionally well with both pies, although I thought it worked best with Jen's apple pie.

Maw, somebody's bin at the frozen cream agin!!!

Brenda's dessert plate...

Jay's dessert plate...

And thus ends our Turkey Day feasting. It was a pretty darn tasty meal, if we do say so ourselves! Thanks for letting me share ... I'll get back to the WDW food porn in a couple of days with some more F&W booths and then a trip to Party for the Senseless.

 

[TigerKat]

Small family gatherings call for creative thinking, especially on Thanksgiving since no one wants to be daring and fix something other than a big bird stuffed with three-week old bread.

By ordering this I guaranteed that no one would have to slave in the kitchen all day to produce a dried out bird with way more meat than six people could eat in three months.

Great idea Brenda! I spent two days and lots of $$$ cooking for myself, DH & DS. We're still looking at leftovers. Not doing it anymore, we're going out for Thanksgiving dinner next year.

Your furbaby is adorable!

Those bird rolls are too cute and that turkey roulade looks soooooo good!

 

[travelmel]

[
I'm behaving ... now gimme something good!

OMG That's funny!

Your pear tartlets look amazing! So does the cinammon ice cream. Wow, you rocked your TG! LOL

 

[DisneyMom5]

Can I come to your house next year???

Everything looks great.

I'm especially attracted to the rolls and the pies and that divine looking ice cream. MMMMMMMM........

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Looks like you had a good dinner. I took pictures of mine as well. Me and my mom pretty much split up the work, she made corn, stuffing, and cranberry stuff, then I did two pies, sweet potatoes, and green beans. My sister even actually helped this year, and made mashed potatoes, granted, they were from a box, but they weren't even too bad.

 

[Circusgirl]

After Thanksgiving dinner I thought I'd never be hungry again, but your feast has taken care of that for me! Thank goodness - my dinner at V&A is only week and a half away.

Thanks for sharing the delightful deliciousness!

I especially wanted to dive head first into the big pile of rolls - just like autumn leaves only much tastier.

 

[BriarRosie]

I did not take any food porn of my holiday meal. My SIL and her family would have thought I was bonkers. (And yet we already know that. I don't want them to know that! )

I thought your cat looked like Morris, but I was more intrigued by the Simpsons fridge graffiti and the disturbing one of Homer in his tightie-whities.

The turkey I made last year didn't take that much more time than your roulade....and it was FREE. My company gives us a turkey each year before Thanksgiving, a hen about 12-14 lbs. The trick is to ignore the pop-up timer. If you went by that timer, you've overcooked the bird, turning it into a meaty desert wasteland only saved by dousing it liberally with gravy. I take it out when the meat thermometer stuck in the deep part of the thigh reads 160º and let it sit out and cover it with foil for 20-30 minutes. My other secret is to pour some 3 Buck Chuck red wine (aka Charles Shaw from Trader Joe's) over it about 30 minutes or so before you're ready to take it out. I think it helps crisp up the skin and gives some good flavor. I'm sure white wine would work, too.

I do think it's understandable to avoid making turkey if you're having a small group, and a turkey breast is a perfect alternative. The turkey roulade looked fabulous.

We also had ham because my brother got a honey baked ham FREE (because his company gave coupons for them). Very tasty piggie, indeed!

Loved the baked goods, especially Jon's rolls and your pear tarts. We had pumpkin and apple pies, too, but I only had eyes for the pumpkin. I would have loved cinnamon ice cream with it!

 

[Me&3]

That ice cream sounds wonderful. Did grimace behave?

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Great photos Brenda! looks like a great T-day. I couldn't help but notice your Colonial Williamsburg decor and glasses. I love those taverns

 

[LiteBrite]

Aw, look at you guys with a piano in your dining room! (I bet you noticed that too, didn't you PNO4TE? ) Do you play?

And your feast looks really good - especially the ice cream, which would have been just the ticket to redeem the pumpkin pie debacle at my house!

 

[cntkg1]

ooooh Bendy, it all looked delish! Well, everything except the pig flesh. Maybe next year Stinktown and your friends from WI can unite. You do all the cooking and I'll bring the family. Sounds even steven to me.

Thanks for sharing your Turkey Day dinner with us.

 

[oybolshoi]

Great idea Brenda! I spent two days and lots of $$$ cooking for myself, DH & DS. We're still looking at leftovers. Not doing it anymore, we're going out for Thanksgiving dinner next year.

Your furbaby is adorable!

Those bird rolls are too cute and that turkey roulade looks soooooo good!

Thanks Kathy! We've struggled for the last several holidays getting the right amount of food without overdoing it ... I think we're finally getting there. When Jay and I are in charge we'd rather have a few really good quality items rather than a big spread of crap. But Grimace says that means we're snobs.

Pete is a cutie, isn't he? And the bird rolls ... yummmmmie! We split them three ways at the end of the evening and ours are already gone.

OMG That's funny!

Your pear tartlets look amazing! So does the cinammon ice cream. Wow, you rocked your TG! LOL

Hiya Mel! Thanks for stopping by ... isn't Pete a baby? We just finished polishing off the last of our pear tarts this afternoon ... yummy! And we still have ice cream left ...

Can I come to your house next year???

Everything looks great.

I'm especially attracted to the rolls and the pies and that divine looking ice cream. MMMMMMMM........

Give us enough notice and we'd be happy to have you!

Looks like you had a good dinner. I took pictures of mine as well. Me and my mom pretty much split up the work, she made corn, stuffing, and cranberry stuff, then I did two pies, sweet potatoes, and green beans. My sister even actually helped this year, and made mashed potatoes, granted, they were from a box, but they weren't even too bad.

I knew I wasn't the only one!!! Your dinner sounds pretty tasty, too. And we totally forgot mashed potatoes, how shameful is that?

After Thanksgiving dinner I thought I'd never be hungry again, but your feast has taken care of that for me! Thank goodness - my dinner at V&A is only week and a half away.

Thanks for sharing the delightful deliciousness!

I especially wanted to dive head first into the big pile of rolls - just like autumn leaves only much tastier.

Hi there Circusgirl! Oooooh, I'm jealous ... V&A in just 10 days. I hope you have a great dinner there (of course you will, how could you not???). Those rolls are so good - they defy description by word. You have to try to translate the sounds people make while eating them and I've never been able to quite capture it.

I did not take any food porn of my holiday meal. My SIL and her family would have thought I was bonkers. (And yet we already know that. I don't want them to know that! )

I thought your cat looked like Morris, but I was more intrigued by the Simpsons fridge graffiti and the disturbing one of Homer in his tightie-whities.

I was hoping you'd notice our Simpsons magnets on the refrigerator. Every time our younger neices and nephews come over they strip Homer and family down and then forget to re-clothe them before they leave. Jay and I have obviously been remiss.

As for Pete ... he does look like Morris but his personality is much more down to earth. He's a lovey kitty who thinks he's part canine.

The turkey I made last year didn't take that much more time than your roulade....and it was FREE. My company gives us a turkey each year before Thanksgiving, a hen about 12-14 lbs. The trick is to ignore the pop-up timer. If you went by that timer, you've overcooked the bird, turning it into a meaty desert wasteland only saved by dousing it liberally with gravy. I take it out when the meat thermometer stuck in the deep part of the thigh reads 160º and let it sit out and cover it with foil for 20-30 minutes. My other secret is to pour some 3 Buck Chuck red wine (aka Charles Shaw from Trader Joe's) over it about 30 minutes or so before you're ready to take it out. I think it helps crisp up the skin and gives some good flavor. I'm sure white wine would work, too.

I do think it's understandable to avoid making turkey if you're having a small group, and a turkey breast is a perfect alternative. The turkey roulade looked fabulous.

We also had ham because my brother got a honey baked ham FREE (because his company gave coupons for them). Very tasty piggie, indeed!

Loved the baked goods, especially Jon's rolls and your pear tarts. We had pumpkin and apple pies, too, but I only had eyes for the pumpkin. I would have loved cinnamon ice cream with it!

I have never cooked a turkey ... I always leave it to Jon who refuses to admit that it's finished until that damn pop-up thing comes out. Needless to say dried out bird flesh has been our lot for years. The roulade was really good - I wouldn't hesitate to serve it again or recommend it to someone else.

I can't say enough good things about those rolls ... I wish I was eating them right now, but I finished them off at breakfast.

That ice cream sounds wonderful. Did grimace behave?

The ice cream was quite yummy. And Grimmie was very well behaved ... she did a good job Thursday of having a good time.

Great photos Brenda! looks like a great T-day. I couldn't help but notice your Colonial Williamsburg decor and glasses. I love those taverns

Thanks! Jay and I are big Colonial Williamsburg fans ... we actually honeymooned there. And the taverns were our favorite places to eat ... can't wait to go back some day!

Aw, look at you guys with a piano in your dining room! (I bet you noticed that too, didn't you PNO4TE? ) Do you play?

And your feast looks really good - especially the ice cream, which would have been just the ticket to redeem the pumpkin pie debacle at my house!

Hi Litebrite! Jay is the piano player in the family ... he's actually quite talented and took lessons for many many years. I love to listen to the piano but have never managed to figure out how to play. I don't think I have the coordination any longer.

Our feast was quite good, thank you! And if I could have sent you some spare ice cream I would have.

ooooh Bendy, it all looked delish! Well, everything except the pig flesh. Maybe next year Stinktown and your friends from WI can unite. You do all the cooking and I'll bring the family. Sounds even steven to me.

Thanks for sharing your Turkey Day dinner with us.

Hiya Goosie! What have you against that most magical of animals, the pig?

You'd be more than welcome but please understand ... I didn't do much of the cooking - that's why dinner turned out so well. I'm really only reliably good with desserts.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I knew I wasn't the only one!!! Your dinner sounds pretty tasty, too. And we totally forgot mashed potatoes, how shameful is that?

That's pretty shameful, LOL. My sister had to make them, because we couldn't have Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Hi there! I've been MIA lately but have enjoyed spending the afternoon catching up on your report and languishing in denial that tomorrow is back to work after the holiday!

Sorry to hear you've been having a rough go of it. Hope that you are feeling better and will continue to feel better still!

Love your Thanksgiving pics. I too am drawn to the bird rolls. Those look yummy. You forgot mashed potatoes? Oh and your wine selection... Georges Debeuf... that's a taste of Epcot right there!

 

[whogirl'smom]

Thanks for the turkey porn, Brenda, it all looked so nice! I'm loving Grimmie's ham she brought! We had a very anxious, icky Thanksgiving weekend, so these updates were nice to come home to. DH's uncle has cancer and the doctors didn't think he'd make it past Sat. so we made an emergency trip to Richmond Fri and Sat, with 5 other family members. We had leftovers at my parents house tonight and it was wonderful, esp. my chocolate bread pudding with rum sauce!

 

[PNO4TE]

Moscato

It all looks and sounds delicious!

Wow! I can't believe you had a Martin & Weyrich Moscato, Brenda! We can't get it here. But I know the winemaker who made that bottle! We visited him at the winery in July 2007 and had a wonderful behind-the-scenes tour. He has since gone onto another winery, but one of Alan's specialties is Moscato.

 

[PNO4TE]

Great photos Brenda! looks like a great T-day. I couldn't help but notice your Colonial Williamsburg decor and glasses. I love those taverns

Aw, look at you guys with a piano in your dining room! (I bet you noticed that too, didn't you PNO4TE? ) Do you play?

I noticed both those things too. We love eating at the taverns in Colonial Williamsburg a few times a year (but there is this other place there... The Trellis... that owns our heart and palate). And yes, LiteBrite... I do know a bit about the piano.

 

[oybolshoi]

Hi there! I've been MIA lately but have enjoyed spending the afternoon catching up on your report and languishing in denial that tomorrow is back to work after the holiday!

Sorry to hear you've been having a rough go of it. Hope that you are feeling better and will continue to feel better still!

Love your Thanksgiving pics. I too am drawn to the bird rolls. Those look yummy. You forgot mashed potatoes? Oh and your wine selection... Georges Debeuf... that's a taste of Epcot right there!

Hi Christine - thanks for posting! I appreciate the kind words and while the sciatica is still a problem my other issues seem to be calming down, so that's good progress.

The rolls ... so warm ... so yeasty ... so good! And I can't believe we forgot mashed taters either ... I love mashed potatoes. Apparently I had a massive potato-sized brain fart on Wednesday night at the grocery store.

We love the Georges Debeuf Beaujolais ... the store we like to shop at suggested it to us several years ago and we buy it a lot. A nice wine for less than $10 a bottle ... can't beat that!

Thanks for the turkey porn, Brenda, it all looked so nice! I'm loving Grimmie's ham she brought! We had a very anxious, icky Thanksgiving weekend, so these updates were nice to come home to. DH's uncle has cancer and the doctors didn't think he'd make it past Sat. so we made an emergency trip to Richmond Fri and Sat, with 5 other family members. We had leftovers at my parents house tonight and it was wonderful, esp. my chocolate bread pudding with rum sauce!

Hi Jamie! So sorry to hear that your Thanksgiving weekened was so stressful and sad. I hope our Turkey Day update made you smile ...

Now, about that bread pudding ... I don't suppose we could finagle a recipe could we?

It all looks and sounds delicious!

Wow! I can't believe you had a Martin & Weyrich Moscato, Brenda! We can't get it here. But I know the winemaker who made that bottle! We visited him at the winery in July 2007 and had a wonderful behind-the-scenes tour. He has since gone onto another winery, but one of Alan's specialties is Moscato.

Hi Elin! If you want the next time we go back to our favorite wine store I'll pick a bottle up for you if they still have some. I think we only pay about $11 or $12 per bottle. It's one of our favorite moscatos ...nice and light. Yum!!!