Alright So…. a bit of a hiatus there. The last few weeks of school are a bitch, and eliminate all time for fun things like baking and blogging, not that I haven’t been baking, just no time for the blogging part.
I thought it would be good to provide a little update as to what I’ve been doin and cookin and eatin these last few weeks and I’ll have some new recipes up later this week.
First things first, Thanksgiving was incredible. I cooked all day while Rhino watched from his bed that I had lovingly placed by the kitchen heater, wearing his bright green sweater that I made from the sleeve of a giant wool sweater. I got a beautiful 9 pound Heritage Turkey, which I first brined overnight.
For a brine I do about a cup of salt (non-idiozed) per 2 gallons of water, you need enough water to cover the bird completely (I used a 32 ounce bottle to measure how much water actually went into the mix then added the appropriate amount of salt). I dissolve my salt in some boiling water before adding it to the brine. Next I added a cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped fresh sage, 1 cup of white wine, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and probably some other stuff I can’t remember… The important part is salt, it makes your bird juicier!
After its aromatic overnight bath I rubbed that bird down with some dijon mustard then covered it in honey, black pepper, fresh sage, and of course, tons of butter. I surrounded it with a big ole pile of potatoes, onions, garlic, and some chopped apples and shoved it placed it lovingly in the oven. 4 1/2 hours or so later it came out lookin tasty! And oh it was indeed. Two days later I made a broth with the carcass and added veggies to make a brothy spicy soup that was delish if I may so so myself. 
After the bird was in the oven I assembled a gratin of sweet potatoes, spinach, purple potatoes, and caramelized onions. I will post this recipe in the next few weeks so yo
u can try it out for your holiday celebrations if you like! Basically, I caramelize the onions and set them aside, next I saute the spinach until wilted and season with salt and pepper and set aside in a strainer to drain out the liquid. Next step is grating about 5 oz. of Gruyere cheese and making a Bechamel sauce.
Next I slice the potatoes quite thin, then begin to assemble the gratin, layering everything in a few layers then topping with the remaining cheese and sauce.
Also on the menu was missy’s pea soup and pumpkin pie, Bailey’s green beans and stuffing, Patty’s roasted garlic mashed taters, Johns cranberries, and Amandas cheese and scallion biscuits. We spent the day together cooking, ate an awesome amount then finished by drinking hot toddies and watching Jaws. It was a fantabulous Teesgivins!
I guess thanksgiving was the biggest news in the last few weeks… Aside from doing tons of reading and writing for school, I made cookies, and soup and other lovely things that I will be sharing with you in the coming days. I’ve also got a mean craving for shortbread cookies so get ready!
EatingForEva 