Thanksgiving | BulgingButtons

November 24, 2015
by BulgingButtons 7 Comments

Five Things I’ve Learned This Week

This week I’ve learned a few things. I like that. Learning is great. I want to do more of it!

Something like this seems sweet and reasonable, but I don’t think this is what some of those new moms have in mind.

Push Present – A gift that a woman receives after giving birth, presumably as a reward for doing a good job carrying and delivering a baby. Sounds a little peculiar to me, but maybe this tradition isn’t as weird as it sounds at first. I think I’d like it to be a token of love to commemorate the milestone of adding a child to the family rather than a reward, but then again, I’m not in charge.

Cherry Eye – A red angry-looking growth that dogs can get near the eye. Apparently it can be surgically removed if the dog is otherwise healthy. Unfortunately it can prevent an otherwise perfect animal from finding a new home.

In work news – The end of this school year will mark twenty years of employment with the state for me. In preparation for filling out financial aid forms for my son, I looked up my retirement information, and was surprised that it had been this long. I was also pleased to learn that I had a little more in my retirement fund than I expected. Not a lot, mind you, but more than I thought.

On the culinary front – My son likes traditional green bean casserole. We haven’t had it the past few Thanksgivings, and I didn’t think anyone missed it, but the other morning he asked if we could have it. I think it’s time to teach him how to make it.

Speaking of Food – All protein bars are not created equal. I was at a different store and they didn’t have the brand I like, so I tried something else. Yuck. Protein bars are pricey, and I was disappointed. I’ll eat them (did I mention that they’re pricey?) but yuck. Clif Builder Bars all the way, baby (chocolate mint is my favorite).

What have you learned lately?

November 9, 2015
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Test Kitchen

My sweetheart loves to cook. LOVES it. And he’s very very good at it, too.

The man is a grill guru, a smoker swami, and an oven oracle. Really, he’s good.

He also loves to experiment. He gets ideas in his head for various things he’d like to try out, then he researches his ideas before planning to execute them. This is the man who, before I met him, created his own TurDucKin (turkey, duck, chicken for those of you unfamiliar with this bizarre culinary concept). He tells me it was way more work than it was worth. I could have saved him the time, had I known him.

One of his recent successes was cilantro-lime rice, similar to the rice that’s served at Chipolte. With this recipe, you actually use a lot more water than usual and end up draining the rice at the end. Who knew that would work? It did, though, and it was wonderful.

His new project is cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving. He’s made this recipe for the past two years, and while the flavor is excellent, the texture is problematic. The first year it was sort of blobby. Delicious, but weird on the tongue. Last year he cooked it in a shallower dish, and it turned out more like a casserole. Again, delicious, but not quite right. He’s still at it, puttering away in the kitchen looking for the solution. He will perfect this recipe, it’s just a matter of time.

I dare not go into the kitchen, it might interrupt his flow. There’s a grocery store roast-chicken waiting in the fridge to join this test stuffing (doing both in one day would require an effort similar to Thanksgiving, and we’re not ready for that quite yet). The house is starting to smell good, and I’m starting to get hungry. Cross your fingers that this experiment works out. It would be great to have the “perfect” stuffing on Thanksgiving.

November 8, 2015
by BulgingButtons 2 Comments

The Beverage Industry Has Stolen My Idea

When my son was little this time of year brought about a special drink. We called it Christmas Punch, and we looked forward to it every year. The first time we would have it would be Thanksgiving, then it would show up again throughout the holiday season, all the way to New Year’s Day.

We even would sometimes have it on airplanes. He would order one part and I would order the other, then I would mix it up for us. What a treat!

What is Christmas Punch? It’s just 7-Up and cranberry juice, in about equal parts.

It’s delicious, and it’s a beautiful deep pink color, just right for the festive time of year.

Well, apparently word got out, and the beverage industry now offers it pre-mixed and bottled. A couple of different versions are available. I broke down and bought a bottle today, just to try it. I brought it home, and my son tried it too. We’re in agreement, “homemade” Christmas punch is better. Maybe because we missed the pink, I don’t know. I just think that ours tastes better. Let me know if you try it.