Festive Foods, Now Featured

Review of some notable meals and dishes still cherished, even if not previously featured.

Ombre apple pie inspired by New York Times recipe, except with apple slices arranged in circular - rather than horizontal - pattern, prepared for Thanksgiving.  Next year, if repeated, I would dip one side of each slice in a cinnamon sugar rather than sprinkling the sugar at the end to avoid obscuring the color of the peels in order to enhance the ombre effect. 

I often grab images of the dishes I am lucky enough to enjoy or proud to have produced, but then don't find the time to edit them for Instagram or to write a blog post in which to feature them (even with my "abbreviate, return to edit later" - my "ARTEL" method, let's call it - which happens each time a post is tagged as "compromised").  Such are the rhythms of a modern life.

But with the segue provided by the last post on lucky New Year foods, now seems a good time to revisit those fondly remembered dishes that might otherwise get lost to time.  They are mostly from Thanksgiving...

Mother Hen's roast Thanksgiving chicken stuffed with glutinous rice with ham, Chinese sausage, shiitake mushrooms, onions, chestnuts.  This chicken deserves its own blog post.

Our blessedly laden Thanksgiving table (dishes listed starting from upper right, zigzagging to left): Salad of kale with apples, Craisins, walnuts; mashed cauliflower and potatoes (prepared by yours truly and voted best side dish by the sibs); air fried Brussels sprouts with pomegranate seeds; roasted root vegetables; mushroom gravy; Mother Hen's Thanksgiving stuffed roast chicken; corn and peppers salad; sauteed green beans; ombre apple pie; pumpkin pie in chocolate walnut crust; crab asparagus egg drop soup. 

Pumpkin pie in chocolate walnut crust.  Next year, fewer walnuts and more cocoa and some flour; this year's crust was a little greasy from all the walnuts with butter.

One of everything savory (other than the soup).

Slice of pumpkin pie.  The combination of pumpkin and chocolate is lovely. 

And from Election Day weekend this past Fall (cannot now recall why we were back at the Mothership - perhaps just to restock)...

Bowl of Mother Hen's bun bung - packed for transport and reheated chez moi.

And the first outdoor dining meal, from the second week of October.  Sissy and I were more wary than most New Yorkers of COVID outdoor signing.  We scoped out a spot that had seating far from the sidewalk's meandering pedestrians, on a side street, and ate lunch in late afternoon when no one else was seated near.  It happened to be a Greek restaurant - Yia Yia's.  I had grilled veggies on a pita with a side salad and lemon potatoes.  It was soooo good - not to have to cook for myself, to have restaurant food quickly after preparation and at the right temperature, to sit outdoors for dining.  I miss it so.

Grilled veggies on pita, with Greek salad and lemon potatoes.

It is also a reminder of how very fortunate I have been in these most difficult of times.  And to share of my better fortunes.  I had planned to include food pantries in my year-end charitable contributions, but then work went through to close to 9pm on New Year's Eve, and I hadn't even eaten, and then I found a movie on PBS's "Masterpiece" series - "The Chaperone" based, apparently very loosely, on a pivotal time in the life of Louise Brooks - that was perfect to mentally unwind from the workday, and year, and before I knew it, midnight came around and I had managed only one charitable donation.  And upon review, I may even have missed all of my regular mid-year alma mater donations... shaking my head.  With the year now newly opening, I may just shift to something I have considered for a while - regular monthly recurring donations.  The solicitations seem to indicate that the organizations appreciate the regularity and predictability of smaller donations spread across the year, and it would allow me to avoid the end of year rush, so win-win!

[Last edited January 4, 2020.]