What's Cooking (Take Three!)

Jenise, have you ever tried using baking soda and water on your teeth? My dental hygienist told me she has several folks who used only that (maybe it was a "thing") decades ago?? She said they have wonderful teeth and gums. I tried it a few times only to discover my mouth did not get along with the baking soda.

[Jenise]

Karen, I have. My sister--who smokes and drinks more coffee in a day than I do in a week has brilliant white teeth. But it totally inflamed my gums, couldn't go there.

Jenise, have you ever tried using baking soda and water on your teeth? My dental hygienist told me she has several folks who used only that (maybe it was a "thing") decades ago?? She said they have wonderful teeth and gums. I tried it a few times only to discover my mouth did not get along with the baking soda.

Hm, maybe I should try that.

Pumpkin uses some bleachy tooth trays to keep his pearlies... pearlescent. I think he's out of his ever-lovin' but....

I'm chugging along on T'Giving prep. I've made the cranberry sauce, cinnamon ice cream, and the gravy base. I've also made egg nog but that's for New Year's. Tomorrow (er, um, today) will be the "pompkin" pie, the celery salad the next day (or the next), and that brings me to Thursday when the whole shootin' match goes off.

I recently discovered this person on Facebook and I like his no-nonsense attitude toward cooking. Here is a copy-and-paste statement he made regarding canned tomatoes. What say you? Also, check out his post on cooking a turkey. I could relate to his comments.

Daniel Mancini
4d
Tomato Tip.
If your using canned tomatoes, and you should, only use whole peeled don’t use crushed, puree. When you start with whole tomatoes you know exactly what you have. Crushed and puree well that is anyone’s guess. As far as what brand to buy well I say stick with one you like when it goes on sale load up. Oh and my opinion…stay away from any even with stamps DOP etc, San Marzano I just don’t believe they are authentic. As Stanley Tucci pointed out in one of his shows when he went to the location in Italy, where they are grown, it’s impossible to supply what we see when that land is less than 400 acres. So buy a whole plum, or whole tomato.
❤️Daniel Mancini l

[Jenise]

I'm chugging along on T'Giving prep. I've made the cranberry sauce, cinnamon ice cream, and the gravy base. I've also made egg nog but that's for New Year's. Tomorrow (er, um, today) will be the "pompkin" pie, the celery salad the next day (or the next), and that brings me to Thursday when the whole shootin' match goes off.

On Saturday I bought a pumpkin pie at our local Food Co-op. First ever commercially baked pumpkin pie I've ever bought. I've tasted many though, as they show up at so many community events around this time of year, in particular the Costco ones which are deplorable. All sugar and cinnamon, no complexity, usually weepy. Yuck. Well this one was pretty good: we ate the entire pie yesterday. In our defense, it was pretty shallow, maybe half of what my deep dish versions usually are.

I've decoded that I'll be making Paul Prudhomme's chicken and andouille gumbo for Thanksgiving. I'll be shopping for the Cajun Trinity and other ingredients today.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Yesterday I made a huge pot of split pea soup. It's meatless, in fact vegan, and seasoned with herbs, lots of green peppercorns and garlic. I smooth it out with the immersion blender and the result is silky and refreshing. Comforting, good protein and no fat.

Today I'm cooking a few things to take to a friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm providing a loaf of cranberry sauce, an apple and yam casserole for the main course and a starter of green onion-smoked cheddar stuffed mushrooms. Can't do a turkey as my Viking oven is still on the fritz. The parts have been ordered but Viking won't even supply an ETA--no idea when they'll get here.

Can't do a turkey as my Viking oven is still on the fritz. The parts have been ordered but Viking won't even supply an ETA--no idea when they'll get here.

The supply ships follow behind the next assault on the Danish coastline so probably early Spring or whenever Odin says the time is right. ⚔️

[Jenise]

LOL!

(Don't ever buy Viking.)

I have a Round Sirloin Tip Roast in the slow cooker. I browned it first, seasoned it with smoked paprika right inside my new slow cooker (great feature) took it out, and added a large, sliced onion to brown a little in the still-hot insert. Placed the roast on top, then poured a mix of beef stock, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and onion powders, parsley, a little salt, and pepper. A mix of colorful baby spuds and carrots will be added during the last few hours of cooking.
A side dish of roasted acorn squash, stuffed with roasted red bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes, all seasoned with olive oil, Turkish Oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Toasted pine nuts and Feta cheese are added on top at serving.

Jenise, have you ever tried Pandora's Turkey on the grill? I did this all the time with my Thanksgiving turkeys. On a Weber Grill, we bought just for this recipe. My boys still do this for their families. A sure save for more room in the kitchen and it is delicious. Just make sure no one opens the lid for three hours. Comes out perfect every time.

https://www.robinettefarms.com/post/pan ... p-the-oven

I made andouille and tasso jambalaya last night.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Karen, no I've not tried that. Bob isn't into clever cookery and of late, due to his illness, outdoor cooking is just outside his comfort range. Sounds great though, I'm going to send that article to a friend who has a Weber. Would probably be excited to have a new use for it.

I'm doing lamb shanks tonight. Haven't done these in a year or more, and I'm excited about it! Will serve them on Palestinian couscous with steamed broccolini.

Thanksgiving has come and gone: We started with a slice of foie on toast with an apricot dressing, always good. We made the Smoky Pumpkin Soup for the first time in many years and we cannot imagine why we ever stopped; it's terrific as a starter and as a base for a casserole-ish leftovers dinner. The new Celery Salad was excellent, lots of crunchy vegetables with a mustardy vinaigrette, almonds, and blue cheese. The cranberry sauce came out not too sweet, which is good, and all the Standard Stuff was just like it should be: heritage turkey (14#), sausage stuffing, brown gravy. The 1796 "pompkin" pie has good flavor but the texture is kinda watery; we'll revert to a modern recipe for next time. I also made a batch of cinnamon ice cream and a bit of Cointreau-scented creme chantilly. Of course, I made 3 or 4 quarts of stock from the carcass.

And, tonight... Thanksgiving Burritos:

2023-11-26 18.22.46 sm.jpg

Whole wheat tortillas wrapped around a goodly handful of stuffing, gravy, turkey, and cran, folded over and baked till crisp.

Those look and sound delicious Jeff. I made a casserole once after Thanksgiving with leftovers and tater tots. everyone loved it, especially the littles.
Lunch today is a Mediterranean salad with Black Cavier Lentils, baby spinach, parsley, cucumber, radish, cherry tomatoes, and red bell pepper with a vinaigrette of Balsamic vinegar, roasted walnut oil, maple syrup, garlic, Dijon, fresh thyme, and S & P. One can sprinkle Feta Cheese over the top or Pomegranate seeds. The colors are awesome,

[Jenise]

Jeff, would you share the recipe for the celery salad? I'm a slut for tart/raw/fresh food with every meal as y'all must realize, and that sounds like a perfect thing for a Thanksgiving table without resorting to the big bowl of lettuce. And the celery would be very sympatico with everything on the table.

Jeff, would you share the recipe for the celery salad? I'm a slut for tart/raw/fresh food with every meal as y'all must realize, and that sounds like a perfect thing for a Thanksgiving table without resorting to the big bowl of lettuce. And the celery would be very sympatico with everything on the table.

Of course. Done, see nearby thread.

[Jenise]

Didn't make the salad yesterday. Terrible day, doctors galore, chasing things. Food isn't the priority it used to be. I don't like this.

Oh my, what's happening?

[Jenise]

Late Sunday night Bob was hot and flushed. Took his BP. It was high,168/73, and rising. Reached 203/97 in the next 35 minutes so I took him to the ER. Next day around noon it was 89/46. No idea what's happening yet.

Pretty scary blood pressure episode. I hope he's alright going forward.

I have some canned tomatoes and tomato sauce left over, so I'm going to make chicken cacciatore, a dish my mother used to make frequently and that is a fond childhood memory. I haven't had it in years.

-Paul W.

A pork tenderloin is marinated for the last day in brown sugar, dry sherry, grainy Dijon, and pepper. It will be seared tonight and then finished in the oven. A side dish of baked Japanese Sweet Potatoes, mashed with pure maple syrup, a wee bit of butter, and fresh thyme. I am also making a salad of freshly cooked Midnight Black Beans, cherry tomatoes, fresh corn cut off the cob, jalapeno pepper, red bell pepper, and cilantro. A dressing of olive oil, fresh lime juice and zest, red wine vinegar, and garlic.

[Jenise]

Oh I love chicken cacciatore. My mother made a great version when I was a kid. It wasn't something she did frequently at all even though we all loved it, somehow it struck her as hard (it's not) so she didn't want to go to the trouble often for a family of 6-7. I do remember that it was one of the few dishes that she made exclusively in an electric skillet. Maybe that was the problem, just getting the darn skillet out of whatever stack it ended up at the bottom of--because it had feet--in whatever hidey hole she stored it in.

On Thursday I made a five pound batch of meat loaf, a 3:2 ratio of turkey and a bulk Italian sausage that's fine ground not coarse. The turkey came in a 3 lb pkg hence the scale, and I roasted half coated in parmesan cheese and froze the other. I love the flavor of this loaf and wanted to make something that would provide leftovers for sandwiches or eating cold since I was going in for surgery yesterday morning and didn't know when I'd be up and around. So I made enough (I thought) to last all weekend but there's only a 2 inch piece left. I also made a pot of meatless collard greens. I miss the ham, but this is healthier so there.

I think I'll do pork tonight as well, Karen, I have two lovely thick portherhouse cuts in the freezer that would love to be my next dinner. I'll marinate and grill them in some fashion, not sure yet of what route I'll go on seasoning.