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
 

Overindulgence, Updraft.

As you may have noticed, no post yesterday. Have to tell you that for once I bowled well on a Monday. We started early with lots of sandwiches and goodies together with Christmas card exchanges for some. I ate too many brownies and Nanaimo bars. Matt and I were given a whole load to take home so we didn't have to prepare supper last night. However, the scales punished me for my lack of control. I can put on weight so very easily if I am not careful. Of course at this time of the year it is so difficult not munch through all the goodies available. Matt is one of the lucky ones, he can eat what he likes with no adverse affects whatsoever.

I have just finished a great book which I really enjoyed, a first novel by Fran Wilde called Updraft. It

is about a world of fliers and people living in living bone towers (this part puzzled me, there are more books coming so maybe this will be explained) above the clouds, the ground being shrouded in mystery and legend. The story is full of secrets which have to be uncovered by Kirit a young woman who wants to pass her wingtest and become a trader like her mother. Unfottunately, she is a bit of a rebel too. Just to liven up the story there are flying monsters which cannot be seen, they have huge mouths and lots of very nasty sharp teeth. I had trouble putting  this book down. Last night, for instance, I had to force myself to bed at 1 a.m. The general consensus on Book Reads is that this is a book worth reading.

Not sure how much I will be posting over the holidays. I will leave you with the recipe for Champagne Cocktails which we drink on Christmas Day.

In a champagne glass, add a cube of sugar or equivalent amount of loose sugar.

Add a few drops of Angostura Bitters
1/2 a shot of brandy
Top with chilled champagne or if it isn't French, sparkling wine.
Squeeze a little orange peel over the glass and then drop it in.

Drink and enjoy. These are pretty lethal so be careful with them.

Have a great Christmas Week.
 

Christmas Brunch and Christmas Day

I often mention that on Christmas morning we have sliced ham with Colman’s mustard and champagne cocktails. We always have Colman’s mustard in the house, but if you don’t, it can be obtained from Amazon.com. When you buy a ham, (Costco’s do a good one) check it is already cooked and then serve it cold, do not cook it again, if it isn’t a spiral sliced ham, get a really sharp knife and carve it very thinly and then just add a small amount of mustard as you eat it. The mustard is very spicy (hot to the tongue) and you really don’t need much, but it improves the taste tremendously. I gave the recipe for Champagne Cocktails on October 6, 2011, but just in case, here it is again :

In a glass put:
1/2 shot of brandy
1 cube or 1 tsp sugar
Twist of orange peel (no pith) and a couple of drops of Angostura Bitters. 
Fill up with champagne.

 
Drink with caution. They are pretty lethal. Of course there a dozens of recipes for champagne cocktails but this is what we always serve on Christmas morning for brunch. My family tradition was always just champagne, but Matt is not that keen on straight champagne so he changed the tradition to cocktails.

If you are cooking a turkey that day, I suggest you have everything well in hand before you start sipping on these. As we are going out for Christmas Dinner to a local restaurant, I won’t have to worry although I will miss a few traditional items that they don’t serve, bread sauce and chestnut stuffing being a couple of them. I have to buy some chestnuts, I have had a craving for a week or two now they are so delicious roasted even if not made into turkey stuffing.

I bowled pretty well yesterday so figure you must all have had your fingers crossed for me, thanks. Our second game was “I beat my average” for which we get a small prize at the end of the year, I didn’t beat it I smashed it, LOL.

The following recipe we served as a Starter on Saturday night and it was enjoyed by all concerned, it is so easy to do and very tasty to say the least. There was enough left for us to have some on Sunday as well.

Artichoke Bruschetta

By An American in Spain on November 02, 2004

Photo by erinj

Yield: 8 tapa servings

About This Recipe

"A really great tapa that will get you many compliments. Really simple to make. The original recipe was by Roxanne. I have served this at many of my "Wine and Tapa" parties and was always pleased by the response."

Ingredients

1 (6 1/2 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 medium tomato, seeds removed and diced

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese or 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 garlic cloves, crushed

5 tablespoons mayonnaise (the real thing please)

1 French baguettes, cut into 1/3 inch thick slices

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast lightly under the broiler.
3. In a medium bowl, mix marinated artichoke hearts, Romano or Parmesan cheese, red onion, crushed garlic, diced tomato and mayonnaise.
4. Top the lightly toasted French baguette slices with equal amounts of the artichoke heart mixture being careful to spread the mixture over the entire surface.
5. The edges of the bread will tend to burn if not covered by the artichoke mixture.
6. Arrange slices in a single layer on the baking sheet.
7. Broil in the preheated oven 2 minutes, or until toppings are bubbly and lightly browned.

Have a great day

Polling, Mustard, Christmas Drink. In the News.

This is Wednesday night. Sandwiches are made and in the fridge, fruit washed and ready, plus a few cookies, just a bit of salad to prepare and we are all set for election day. Our Returning Office phoned us this afternoon and will do so again at 7 a.m. in the morning just to be sure nothing is stopping us from turning up. We have to be at the station at 8 a.m. and will probably not leave til 9 p.m. We don’t try for the more senior jobs as we don’t wish to be involved in counting votes and possibly having to stay quite a bit later, especially if there is a problem.

 

We had a call from our friends in North Carolina they had received the Colman’s mustard which they thought was a great joke, only trouble was they wanted the ham to go with it. We buy a good quality ready cooked ham and then slice it thinly and serve it with the Colman’s Mustard, not forgetting the champagne cocktails of course. This is a very hot mustard, and really brings out the taste of a good ham.

 

Just before posting this I caught a couple of news items, one that Apple co-founder has just died at the age of 56, very young. There is an obituary at http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/10/05/apple-jobs-death.html. The second item was that Sarah Palin is not going to run for President. Matt said he wasn't surprised, she just likes to make a noise that's all. I really thought she would go for it. Anyone who voted for her would have been nuts in my opinion, she didn't even complete the job of being Governor of Alaska.

The weather was absolutely delightful today, we sat out on our balcony in the sun for a while and it was really quite hot. It is supposed to be the same tomorrow so we may get a good turnout at the polls.

Not sure if I have ever given a recipe for our champagne cocktails. The picture looks like it could be the same, but the basics are there.

In a glass put:
1/2 shot of brandy
1 cube or 1 tsp sugar
Twist of orange peel (no zest)
Fill up with champagne.
Drink with caution. They are pretty lethal.

Of course there a dozens of recipes for champagne cocktails but this is what we always serve on Christmas morning for brunch. My family tradition was always just champagne, but Matt is not that keen on straight champagne so he changed the tradition to cocktails.

That’s it for today, and if you live in Ontario, don’t forget to vote. Have a great day.