HAPPY SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY!!!

 JENN McKINLAY: Happy Small Business Saturday! Yes, this has been a national holiday since 2010 when American Express launched it to give small businesses a post-recession boost and it was quickly co-sponsored by the Small Business Administration. 

Because I am fortunate enough to live down the street from The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Old Town Scottsdale, I will start my day by doing some gift shopping there and then move on to the Old Town Farmer’s Market and The Mercantile, which houses 70 different artists and makers. I’m not a shopper by nature (as in, I loathe shopping) but I do love books, fresh food, and arts and crafts, so it’s not really shopping. 

How about you, Reds, what are some of your favorite local small businesses? 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Oh, there is the cutest store in our town center, just two blocks away, called THE PAPER MOUSE. It is owned by an artist who uses the name Felix Fu  and is full of his Felix Dolittle creations; cards and stationery and bookplates. Here’s an example of a Felix Doolittle card:  

It also has as every single gorgeous stationery item you could possibly imagine.Washi tape. Wrapping paper. Amazing pens. And the whole little store is shockingly gorgeous, not an item out of place, all very Zen. It is my supplier of my beloved Blackwing pencils, and just—beware if you go inside. It is jaw-dropping and irresistible. https://www.thepapermouse.com/  And yes, they do mail order! 

PS. Debs, here is the fountain pen page. https://www.thepapermouse.com/collections/fountain-pens-and-accessories

And for all, here is the wrapping paper and such.  https://www.thepapermouse.com/collections/gift-wrap-accessories

 

LUCY BURDETTE: In Key West and Madison CT, I am lucky to have three independent bookstores within easy reach: Books and Books Key West, Key West Island Books, and RJ Julia Booksellers. What else could we possibly need? Oh, and ps, I also did some shopping ahead at the Strand Bookstore in NYC earlier this fall, and picked up some stocking stuffers in Scandinavia. I think I am set!

HALLIE EPHRON: After one after the other of our local independent bookstores closed, finally (drum roll) one is opening! WELCOME to “The Next Chapter Bookstore” in Quincy, Ma. The owner is a retired high school assistant principal (of course!) fulfilling her dream. So brave and so fortuitous for me since I live literally ten minutes away.

RHYS BOWEN:  I’m lucky that Book Passage is my local indie bookstore. They had  a talk on Saturday with suggestions for books that make great presents. The only problem was that I checked off half of them!  We have a new shoe shop opened but I don’t think it will survive. I love going up to my daughter in Sonoma where the whole plaza is full of fabulous small shops ( all rather expensive but…..)

What I really love is our farmers market each week. Local cheeses, fish, mushrooms, eggs as well as veggies. 

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Count me in on the farmer’s market as well! We have so many terrific vendors that I buy from every week. It’s not just the fresh fruits and veggies–there’s the pasta stall, the tamale stall, the pizza stall, the Mexican food stall (which sells amazing whole wheat chicken tetrazzini!!) There’s my friend Sarah who makes wonderful soy candles and goat’s milk soaps (always on my Christmas gift-giving list,) and the Texas Olive Oil stall, ditto. There are many more, I’ve just cherry-picked some favorites.

As for actual shops, we have the most amazing bakery and we feel so fortunate. Also our local butcher shop, housed in what was once the Greyhound Bus station just off the town square. They sell a good deal more than meat. There is some produce, wine and specialty cheeses, house salad dressings, dairy from Texas producers, etc., etc. You can even find candles (from the market vendor above), bread, honey, olive oil, and tea. In short, they are the “village shoppe.”

We do now have an independent bookstore that I am ashamed to say I have not been in. A visit there will be on my Christmas shopping list.

Your turn, Readers, what are some fabulous small businesses is your area?

FRIDAY FUN: Word Search!

JENN McKINLAY: Happy Friday, Reds and Readers! Because I have spent the week either cleaning something or cooking something, I thought it would be fun to have a silly game for today! I'm hoping this game board is viewable on your phone and tablets (I made it on my laptop). Tomorrow I will posting the answer key :)

For future reference, Reds and Readers, what's your word game of choice? Crossword? Wordle? Scrabble? Other? Let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can come up with on another Friday Fun Day! Good luck!

 

Ah, Thanksgiving...

Ah, Thanksgiving--a day dedicated to food, family, and the annual tradition of Uncle Jim reading just one more headline about politics on his phone before someone “accidentally” unplugs the Wi-Fi. 

It’s a brutiful blend of burnt rolls, mismatched tables and chairs, and the eternal debate over whether cranberry sauce should jiggle like a gelatinous can shaped cylinder or have real berries and reside in a crystal dish.

Naturally, there’s always that one guest who arrives three hours early “to help” but spends the whole time narrating their latest health drama--with photos if you're lucky. Meanwhile, the kids are either reenacting an MMA match in the living room/octagon or covertly feeding their green beans to the dog, who is now visibly regretting his life choices and lack of turkey.

The kitchen is its own battlefield, where General Grandma is whisper-shouting about her secret stuffing recipe (which everyone knows is just Stove Top that's been zhuzhed with extra sage), and someone’s trying to “fix” the gravy with copious amounts of wine--and not in the pot.

But despite the mayhem, it’s a day we wouldn’t trade for anything--because every laugh, eye roll, and second helping is a reminder of what family and friends are: gloriously imperfect, endlessly entertaining, and the best thing to be thankful for--just as we are thankful for you, dear Readers. 

From all of the Reds to all of you, Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Vintage Recipes: Wacky Cake

JENN McKINLAY: I've been decluttering and one of the things I found in my office was my grandmother Dee's old recipe box. I love opening it and seeing her handwritten and typewritten recipe cards. I love the time and care she put into curating her favorite recipes. Sadly, but unsurprisingly, these days I just search online for recipes when I want them. 

Grammy was the sort of culinary genius who could whip up a five course meal with three ingredients. She was an Iron Chef before being an iron chef was a thing.  

I think my favorite story was when my mother invited all of the neighborhood children over to her house for her birthday party--there was no birthday party planned--and my grandmother whipped up a fabulous dessert (a trifle if I remember right) which, as my mom reports it, made it the best birthday party ever.

Imagine my delight when Grammy's family favorite recipe for Wacky Cake was done by Dylan Hollis of TikTok/Instagram/YouTube. Dylan finds vintage recipes and bakes them and reports the results. He is a delight! And he has a cookbook out: BAKING YESTERYEAR

 

Here's the full picture of Grammy's Wacky Cake recipe, which has stood the test of time as my aunt taught it to her daughters and granddaughters and my mom taught it to me. 

I also love that Grammy cites her source and I wonder what happened to good old Judy Whitcomb...hmm.

Reds and Readers, do you have a favorite recipe that has been passed down through the generations? What is it?

How observant are you?

 Jenn McKinlay: The other day the Hub asked me about a decorative tile on the wall. His question: "How long has that been hanging there?"

I glanced at the tile. It was a gift from my mom to commemorate our trip to Florence, Italy in 2007. Yes, the tile has been hanging in the same spot in a doorway for SEVENTEEN YEARS. Now I'm not picking on the Hub, but of the two of us he is less likely to notice things like cat hurl on the floor, a dead houseplant, or where the ketchup is in the refrigerator--this is known as "male refrigerator blindness" in our house. 

All teasing aside, I don't think it's a gender issue as I've had female roommates who never noticed the dishes piling up in the sink, the pile of shoes by the door that you had to vault over to enter or exit, or that the guy they were crushing on was just not that into them. Ahem.

Because we're all mystery buffs here and our brains naturally go to crime, I'll share the stats that the levels of accuracy for police lineups is 80% for sequential (one at a time) lineups and 76% for simultaneous lineups. In other words, not great. 

And I know that we've all had the experience of witnessing something  that the person beside us also observed but saw it completely differently. It can be maddening and you find yourself thinking one of you has the observational skills of a rutabaga and you're positive it's the other person.

Naturally, I had to look for a quiz on observation just to see how I rated. You can find it here: How observant are you?

I was chuffed to get this ranking:

So what makes a person observant? The short answers from the articles I read were curiosity, active listening, mindfulness, and a desire to be constantly learning. I feel as if these traits go hand in hand with being writers and readers.

Now I ask you -- how do you think you rate on the observational scale, Reds and Readers? And if you take the quiz, what did you get?

Food Fight!

 

I saw this map on Threads - I have no idea where it came from or how valid it is.

JENN McKINLAY: Potentially, the most controversial meal of the year in the U.S. is Thanksgiving dinner. Folks can be downright persnickety about what they deem acceptable and here are the top five areas of conflict. 

1. Sweet potato casserole or mashed potatoes?

    Mashed!

2. Stuffing (in the bird) or dressing (out of the bird)?

    Dressing! (mostly because we deep fry our bird)

3. For the turkey: oven roasted, deep fried, or smoked?

    See above!

4. Homemade cranberry sauce or canned?

    Canned!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Dessert: Apple pie or pumpkin pie? 

    Why not both and a cake wouldn't be out of line as well.

How about you, Reds? Where do you stand in the debate?

RHYS BOWEN:  As one who did not grow up with Thanksgiving I have no strong feelings about anything except sweet potatoes with brown sugar and marshmallows. No thank you. Never. Never.

1. Sweet potato casserole or mashed potatoes?  See above

2. Stuffing (in the bird) or dressing (out of the bird)? Both. I do sausage stuffing and herbed croutons stuffing both in and out of the bird.

3. For the turkey: oven roasted, deep fried, or smoked? Oven roasted. Last year my son dismembered the turkey beforehand and roasted the pieces, removing each when it was done, and thus the breast did not get too dry.

4. Homemade cranberry sauce or canned? I don’t mind canned but like the berry one, not the one that looks like dog food.

5 Dessert: Apple pie or pumpkin pie?  Apple for me, although the rest of the family likes pumpkin.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: 

1. Sweet potato casserole or mashed potatoes? I like sweet potatoes. But they are already sweet. I never got the marshmallow/brown sugar thing. Leave mine alone.

2. Stuffing (in the bird) or dressing (out of the bird)? Cornbread dressing out of the bird.

3. For the turkey: oven roasted, deep fried, or smoked? Oven roasted, but I do like smoked turkey. Son-in-law has a smoker–maybe he could be convinced to try smoking a turkey for Christmas…

4. Homemade cranberry sauce or canned? My homemade cranberry relish is my one non-negotiable TG tradition. It’s an old recipe from Gourmet. Not sure anyone but my daughter and I would really miss it if I didn’t make it, but we love it. She even gave me a special cranberry relish dish a few years ago.

5 Dessert: Apple pie or pumpkin pie? Don’t leave out pecan! I like them all. Hubs doesn’t like pumpkin or pecan, so I try to come up with (do you hear me, Trader Joe’s?) something apple for him. Son-in-law doesn’t like any of the above, requests cheesecake.

HALLIE EPHRON: 

1. Mash those russets, please! Though I wish I could find a recipe for sweet potato and apple casserole that we had when I was growing up. IMHOP marshmallows do not belong on dinner plates. Ever.

2. Stuffing IN the bird because otherwise it doesn’t taste like stuffing.

3. Please oven roast that turkey but I wouldn’t turn my nose up at one someone else fried or ‘cued. But then the stuffing would be pallid since it would have to have been separately baked.

4. Canned cranberry sauce. With whole berries. Essential for next-day’s turkey sandwiches.

5 Apple AND pumpkin… AND custard pies… topped with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. My people have the strongest opinions about this and so we try to please everyone. Leftovers are scant. 

6 ADD ON: For my son in law: mashed turnips. It says “home” to him. Peeling a turnip is not for the faint of heart.

Jenn: I hear that. I used to make mashed turnip and carrots for the boys. Oof.

LUCY BURDETTE:

1. Sweet potato casserole or mashed potatoes? Oh definitely mashed white potatoes! Sweet potatoes have their place, but not under a pile of marshmallows…Yes to the turnips! They can be mixed in with the mashed potatoes…

2. Stuffing (in the bird) or dressing (out of the bird)? Out of the bird. Cornbread preferably. Sausage for the carnivores. I think I read years ago that you can get some kind of bug if you stuff the turkey, so I’ve adapted!

3. For the turkey: oven roasted, deep fried, or smoked? Roasted. I will eat the others but not make them.

4. Homemade cranberry sauce or canned? Canned. With ridges. No whole berries. Sorry Debs!

Jenn: There's my soulmate in cranberry sauce - jellied. No berries!

5 Dessert: Apple pie or pumpkin pie? Pumpkin, with whipped cream. Though I made a fantastic pumpkin cheesecake with caramel sauce a couple years ago. Best of all!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:

1. Sweet potato casserole or mashed potatoes? I love mashed potatoes more than I can even describe. With butter, and or bacon bits, or chives, or garlic. Or not, whatever. Ah. LOVE them. Baked sweet potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes are fine, very nice. Not transporting, though.

Marshmallows and whatever else, pineapple? That is –horrible. 

2. Stuffing (in the bird) or dressing (out of the bird)? Out of the bird.  Pepperidge Farm, with celery and onions and butter and I would eat that FOREVER.

No oysters, no sausage, no anything but the most basic of basics.

3. For the turkey:  Oven roasted. Just do not mess with this.

4. Homemade cranberry sauce or canned? Oh, the kind I make with whole cranberries and sugar and water and triple sec and orange peel. I have never had canned cranberry sauce, and I know this is a thing, but I am so happy that you are happy with it, and I will leave it at that. 

5 Dessert: Apple pie or pumpkin pie? Pumpkin, yes. Because it’s tradition. And a tiny piece of apple. With ice cream, vanilla or coffee. But I just  need one bite and then I’d like some more stuffing, please.

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING 

1. Sweet potato casserole or mashed potatoes? If I only get one, mashed potatoes. How many times a year do we get to make a fluffy, milk-and-butter plumped bowl for an entire ladle worth of gravy?

2. Stuffing (in the bird) or dressing (out of the bird)? I serve both, but I prefer dressing. One of the few food textures I dislike is moist or wet bread.

3. For the turkey: oven roasted, deep fried, or smoked? I've had deep fried and LOVED it, but there's no way I'm making it at my home. I think it's a dish designed for the southern states, where the weather is still mild on the holiday and they have car parks in which to place the deep fryer and the cooler full of beer.

4. Homemade cranberry sauce or canned? Why, thank you, I'd love you to bring your homemade cranberry sauce! Oh, I'm responsible this year? Hope you like it cylindrical and ribbed for your pleasure.

5 Dessert: Apple pie or pumpkin pie? Yes, please. Also, pecan, chocolate chiffon, and caramel-apple trifle.

 

How about you, Readers? Where do you stand in the debate?

Sunday Supper: A Perfect Meat Pie for Fall

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It's Sunday, so of course that means another delicious recipe from our chef de maison, Celia Wakefield. Today she has the perfect luncheon or dinner dish for these cooling days, and as someone who got to eat (two large helpings!) I can assure you it's well worth the effort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning my dear Reds and Readers, after missing Julia’s last turn around the internet, here I am again and most grateful for so many things. I will list a few as this is Thanksgiving week. For your friendship, whether we have actually met or not. I promise I will get to a mystery con one day. For open discussions which help understanding and lead to friendship. For the beauty that surrounds me in Maine together with the quirkiness that identifies a Mainer. There’s more but on to the real topic of the day.

 

And my question for you: Other than our obvious gratitude, family, security, peace, etc.,

What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?

 

 

Is there anything more delicious than a meat pie covered with golden puff pastry. The smell alone can be enough, releasing the savory steam as one cuts into the pastry. Eating it seems almost unnecessary.

 

I have always advocated that an important part of cooking skills is making pastry. When I opened my catering company, many years ago, I gave myself a stern talking to and declared I would learn how to make pastry well. And I did. I’m not a real expert but I can put a pie together without a soggy bottom.

 

With the weather growing colder and the night closing in earlier I felt we needed a warming meal. Plus I have lots of lamb in my freezer therefore why not a meat pie? Now I am inclined to go down many different paths or tangents when writing but for now let us concentrate on lamb, delicious roast lamb, lamb burgers, spiced meat balls, lamb wrapped in filo pastry. But what about lamb and climate? Lamb is expensive, but with the addition of air travel lamb can fly a long, long distance just for our enjoyment. How can I with my environmental conscience buy New Zealand or Australian lamb knowing the distance it is flown to feed me? Moving to Limerick, Maine gave me the opportunity to have my lamb without feeling guilty. One of my friends here raises lamb and I buy a half lamb each autumn - that’s roasts, stewing meat, ground lamb and other little goodies. Did someone say kidneys?

 

I grew up with a leg of lamb being Sunday lunch. Such an important family meal set in my grandparents big dining room (imagine it about half the Downton Abby dining room size; any children misbehavior was not tolerated). The roast lamb was served with roast potatoes, at least two green veggies, one of which would be Brussels sprouts, real mint sauce and of course gravy. So delicious. But a meat pie? That’s work. Considering our various food needs at this time I felt using ground lamb would be gentle on the digestion. And as there’s generally not enough time perhaps I should just buy a packet of puff pastry. Now that is a radical idea, or as my daughter said, “No, that is smart Ma!”  Plus consider it research as I have never used store bought pastry.

 

Let’s take a step back to catering days. I catered several parties for a client who loved meat pies. Making pastry covered pies for an evening of 20-50 people is challenging. But I came across an awesome hack. Make the pastry, measure, then roll it out the size of the pie, but BAKE it separately at the last minute and carefully slide it on top of the pie filling. Serve immediately. This works well.

 

A second important hack is to use dried mushrooms, I used Porcini. I consider this important because the liquid from soaking the mushrooms gives the pie a boost of umami and adds so much flavor hiding the fact that I am using no regular salt due to my low salt diet. Although dried mushrooms are expensive to buy, a small amount goes a very long way. There are 1.25 oz in the photo which was enough when soaked to flavor the whole pie. If you choose to use fresh mushrooms I recommend baby Bellas, however you will need to add some stock to compensate for the loss of the dried mushroom liquid.

 

Celia’s Lamb Pie

 

These weights and directions are general, as we all have a different meat pie in mind:

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2# ground meat, if using chicken I would recommend boneless thighs

1 red onion sliced into small cubes

1.25 oz dried mushrooms (see soaking directions)

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

Olive Oil for sautéing

1 Tbsp Butter

Herbs, pepper as required

1 cup frozen peas added before baking

 

 

The meat filling:

 

1)         Break the mushrooms into smaller pieces and place in a glass or stainless bowl, then add hot water to cover.

            Press the mushrooms down to assure that they are covered completely by water.

            Leave to soak for at least a half hour then pour off the mushroom liquid through a sieve into a clean bowl and reserve.

 

2)         Coat a frying pan on medium heat with olive oil.

 

3)         Add chopped onions with chopped garlic and saute till transparent over a low heat.

 

4)         Chop the mushrooms and add to the onion mix with the butter, saute gently

 

5)         Scrape the onion mixture into a bowl and set aside

 

6)         Using the same pan add more oil if necessary and saute the meat until the raw pink is cooked.

 

7)         Mix in the onions, garlic and mushrooms, add herbs of choice, pepper etc

 

8)         Strain the mushroom liquid a second time using a fine sieve, coffee filter etc. to remove any dirt left in the bottom of the bowl.

 

9)         With the meat and onion mixture well combined add enough mushroom water to moisten but not drown it and bring to a light boil stirring and mixing well.

 

The meat is now ready. Blanch the frozen peas and add to the mix.

If not using immediately remove from heat and store in the fridge or freeze for future use.

 

Baking the pie

 

            If using the store bought puff pastry, read the directions very carefully re defrosting and baking temperature. 

 

            Try not to open the oven as that lets heat out and can deflate puff pastry. If the pastry is cooking faster than the pie filling arrange some foil strips over the areas which are getting too brown. 

 

            Every oven is different and convection ovens usually take less time than regular ovens. But you know your own oven.

 

            If baking the pastry to add to the filling, again follow the instructions on the packet and after rolling the pastry to your desired size place it on a sheet of baking parchment and on to the baking sheet. 

 

 

One final thought. Do you remember the sugar plum recipe I did last Holidays, Julia will supply the link and here you can be ahead of the holiday gift list with a different sweetmeat. Just remember the recipe makes a large amount of sugar plums so consider halving it. I do.