Monday, October 10, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving, Duck, Guest Posts. Wifi.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian readers. I almost want to go out and get a turkey now LOL.



We decided to buy a second duck as they are so very cheap at the moment. That one can sit in the freezer until, maybe, Christmas Eve. Or, I might even cook if for American Thanksgiving. I made a kind of invented sauce as I really didn't have all the ingredients of all the sauces I found on the net. I put Orange Juice, Orange marmalade, orange zest, giblet stock and port together, thickening it up with a little cornstarch. That worked very well and was delicious. Next day: it all turned out OK. I was a tad disappointed that the skin didn't crisp up properly but just as well as I would have eaten lots of it and duck skin is definitely NOT on my diet. This is not a picture of my efforts by the way. I followed the instructions on the bag in which the duck came, won't do that again, The meat was tender though and we enjoyed it. Another thing I won't do again, quarter the duck. That too was  recommended on the bag. Difficult to do and very messy. I have another recipe I was going to use but didn't. Of course we still had half a duck to eat for Sunday night.

I am very flattered, I have been asked to do some more guest posts for The Really Real Housewives of America.

By the way, I have been b**ching about my wifi connectivity. I was talking to somone the other day who said he had the same problem. They said it was his modem, his computer, his wiring, etc. etc. it finally turned out that some kids had thrown shoes over some wiring and by so doing broken the amplifier. They finally fixed it and he has no more problems. I passed this on to my ISP and they are sending a tech out to check.

Although today, Monday, is officially Thanksgiving, Matt and I will be bowling as usual. Not sure how many league members will turn up tomorrow. I checked that last week's birthday girl will be there as I have a photo for her. Don't think all our team will be there, but we will!!

Bon Appétit came up with this cocktail as an aid for Americans to get through the forthcoming election. The way it has all been going I think you probably needed it before. Actually I can think of a much stronger cocktail which Matt used to make with champagne. A couple of them and you won't give a hoot about the election.

The Swing State Cocktail

This is one of the strongest, yet tastiest, cocktails we’ve ever created using ingredients inspired by swing states—just in time to help get you through the election.

4 oz overproof bourbon, such as Old Grand Dad 114 Proof Bourbon, divided
2 oz sweet vermouth, such as Atsby Armadillo Cake, divided
1 oz fresh orange juice, divided
½ oz fresh lemon juice, divided
½ oz simple syrup, divided
6 dashes Peychaud’s bitters, divided
8 oz lager, such as Yuengling
Small orange wedges (for garnish)
American flags and patriotic straws (for serving; optional)

1. Fill a gallon-sized, resealable plastic bag with about 4 cups ice cubes. Using a rolling pin, crack (don’t crush) ice. You can also do this by wrapping a clean kitchen towel around the cubes and smacking them, but be prepared for ice shards to escape out the sides.

2. Fill 2 pint glasses with cracked ice. Combine 2 oz. bourbon, 1 oz. vermouth, ½ oz. orange juice, ¼ oz. lemon juice, ¼ oz. simple syrup, and 3 dashes bitters in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with cracked ice, cover, and shake vigorously until outside of shaker is very cold, about 20 seconds. Pour into prepared glass. Repeat with remaining 2 oz. bourbon, 1 oz. vermouth, ½ oz. orange juice, ¼ oz. lemon juice, ¼ oz. simple syrup, and 3 dashes bitters. Top with lager and more ice. Garnish with orange wedges; serve with American flags and patriotic straws, if desired.

Servings: 2

Source: Bon Appétit

Have a great day
 

18 comments:

  1. Interesting that something as simple as that can affect wi-fi. I hope they can resolve your problem as easily.

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  2. Hi Jo - I sure hope that fixes the WiFi problem ... and am so glad the duck was successful ... I know crispy skin is not to be left for others! Cheers Hilary

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    1. Me too. I really enjoyed it, more than Matt I guess.

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  3. Happy Thanksgiving, Jo. A few years ago when I had cable problems, I told the company it was not my house or connection that was the problem. They re-wired my entire house anyway. Then, when the problem continued, they finally checked the main box for the area. Problem solved, but it took weeks of having intermittent signals on some of the channels before they got it right. Hmmm. Maybe I should take up drinking and just sleep more, lol.

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    1. Thanks Denise. It is amazing how they spend money on fixing stuff which doesn't need fixing.

      Drunken sleep doesn't do you much good I'm afraid.

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  4. Happy Thanksgiving! Just as well you didn't have a reason to devour all that skin.
    Shoes over the wire? Now that's a first.

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    1. You're right Alex and thanks. Actually, there is a wire near our shopping mall with shoes on it. Whether it's the same one or not I don't know.

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  5. I've seen the connecting wires from houses to the terminal on the pole (old tech) with shoes on them, but never knew they could result in computer connection problems for those homeowners. And yes, duck skin is not very healthy nor is any other 'bird' skin. I'm not fond of duck, but hubs was. Happy Thanksgiving and good luck with your bowling. We are delaying our holiday meal for a visitor, we'll do ours next Sunday. That is better for me too, as my dishwasher decided to be a problem this weekend.

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    1. Just shows you, I didn't know either. I love duck and really love the skin. It tasted good even if it wasn't crispy. Only had a taste though. Always something isn't there!!!

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  6. Happy Thanksgiving! Give me a nice crispy duck over turkey any day (duck skin is very much in my diet), and spending the day bowling sounds way better than just sitting around getting sleepy.

    I think I need a constant supply of Swing State Cocktails to get me through the rest of this election.

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    1. Me too Bryan. Goose is even better but round here a goose can cost about $60. We enjoy bowling as you know. Even if none of the team bowled particularly well today.

      I am not surprised, but I would choose champagne cocktails instead.

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  7. Happy Thanksgiving! My hubby made the turkey and mashed potatoes and peas and beans. I made the stuffing and gravy because I told him...I'm not cooking a thing this weekend. He has been a sweetie. The duck looks good and I like duck. Have a great time bowling.

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    1. Same to you Birgit. Way to go with hubby cooking. You should check your local Zehrs for ducks, they were $14-$15 the other day. Enjoyed bowling even if we didn't do too well.

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  8. That's quite the cocktail. I guess you'd need something that strong to get through this fiasco. Hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving weekend. I look forward to ours next month. Have to have turkey though. I tried a piece of duck once and it wasn't my forte'.

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    1. I think so JoJo. Well, of course when you are retired, weekends are much of a muchness. However, we enjoyed our duck. It does have to be cooked right so depends where you had it. If I go to a restaurant that serves duck you can almost guarantee I will choose it.

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  9. Mmm...I haven't had duck for years. That looks so good. I don't think there is a drink strong enough to smooth all the disgust wrought by this election.

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    1. I've eaten it in restaurants but not cooked it in years. I know, makes me glad not to be living in NC any more although of course we couldn't vote.

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