Is it November already and time for In My Kitchen? This post is part of a compilation of records of kitchen events from the last month. Here’s the fun part, the kitchens are all over the world. Bloggers from both the northern and southern hemispheres take part. You can read the other posts at Sherry’s Pickings, the link is here. You will learn about new kitchen gadgets, recipes, unusual ingredients, wine, cheese, and chocolate…need I say more?
The holidays are approaching way too quickly. I am starting to think about my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a day that celebrates friendship and family, one that has more meaning to me than Christmas these days. After the last three years, I value and appreciate my close connections to other people (and furry friends) even more. Thanksgiving is less commercialized (unless you count the frenzy of Black Friday). For years I hosted Thanksgiving, but as my friend’s families have grown with grandchildren and in-laws, I surrendered the honor. Now our little family is a happy participant.
This year I am planning to make sous vide turkey roulade, plus a large casserole of vegetarian raisin stuffing. Vegetarian sausage products have improved so much over the past few years that there is no compromise using it rather than regular sausage. I will post the recipe for the roulade, there are several on this site for turkey but I haven’t tried this particular one before. Sous vide has turned out to be the all-around best technique for turning out tender, moist turkey.
And, I am writing this post on election night in the U.S. because I am filled with anxiety. It’s a case of avoidance. I cannot bear to watch the minute-by-minute news programs. I cannot change things. I try to cultivate a long-range view, things have been this bad before. But, here and now, I despair.
But, on to what is new In My Kitchen over the past month.
I purchased this padded mat for the kitchen. It’s easy to clean and comfortable when I am standing in front of the sink and prep area.
Padded Kitchen Mat
I’ve been trying a lot of recipes from a new cookbook. I’ve found the fall recipe section especially inspiring.
Salad Freak by Jess Damuck
So far I have made (all slightly adjusted to what I had in the fridge and on hand):
Shredded Kale and Brussels Sprouts with Roasted Squash and Walnuts
Health Food Salad
And a roasted vegetable salad (recipe to be posted soon).
Roasted Vegetable Salad
A cookbook rarely inspires me this way.
It’s the season for soups and this one was welcome on a cool evening.
Friends have a dog (no longer a puppy) only a couple of days older than our Shanna. We have been scheduling ‘puppy play dates’ over the past 12 months, ever since they were fully vaccinated. Of course, it’s only an excuse for wine and snacks (sometimes a full dinner) on our deck as we laugh at puppy craziness. For our last meeting, we decided on a Greek tapas theme. I made this roasted eggplant with tomatoes and a miso-tahini sauce dish. It was a hit.
Eggplant is usually not one of my favorites, but this time it was roasted to a wonderfully charred deliciousness. It changed my mind.
And that is most of the notable events in the kitchen over the past month. We took a 4 day trip up the coast for a long weekend with hikes over to the lost coast and through the redwoods. It’s on my schedule to write a post detailing our adventures and some of the pictures. Walking through the redwoods feels like entering a cathedral. If you haven’t had an opportunity to visit, I highly recommend the experience. The burls look like creatures out of Lord of the Rings. Here is one:
Looks like a ghoul to me, pulling itself out of the tree.
I wish all of you in the U.S. a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with friendship and love. And, I love comments. Please let me know what’s new in your kitchen over the past month.
Your meals look wonderful! I was making red lentil dishes for a while, and then dropped out for no reason. Your photo makes me think I need to go back to it!
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks, we had some vegetarian visitors for dinner and debated what to serve. It turned out to be just right, filling but not too heavy.
Drooling as usual. Thanks Liz.
Thank you.
I hope the election results are positive in your area! And all those meals look delicious. We too have a puppy play date once a week. Only to keep our Holly from getting too bored with only human company. I like the idea of the Padded Kitchen Mat but I am not sure I would tolerate the feel under my feet in the heat of summer 🙂
I am lucky that the summers here are cool compared to most of the US. In the summer I am also mostly barefoot in the house.
I don’t worry so much about elections here in California, it’s the rest of the country, or even the whole of the country that makes me anxious. At least it appears, so far, that the electorate rejected most of the crazies.
I love that mat! Do you ever trip on it? Cause I’m afraid I would!!! Great recipes this past month.
It sticks fairly well to the floor so I haven’t. But I can see that could happen. It certainly is comfortable to stand on.
i love roasted veg. in salads! esp. pumpkin and brussels sprouts. so tasty! Love that padded mat too; what a great idea when standing up for ages cooking in the kitchen. that creepy figure in the burl on the tree trunk is amazing. like a fairytale creature. Forgot to say i really love eggplant!! thanks for joining in IMK this month Liz.
cheers
sherry
Your walk through the redwoods sounds fascinating, we love to do that kind of thing, and the ghoul indeed is realistic. Your salads look delicious, and adding roasted vegetables makes so much sense. I love cooking with fresh eggplant when I have them. Lovely post, thanks.
Those salads look amazing. It’s hard to find a cookbook that inspires with so many recipes. Love the kitchen mat!
I agree, this one is very unusual. And everything I’ve tried has been a winner.