I’m not feeling very well today. Whether it is continued allergies or incipient virus I cannot tell, so I stayed home from rehearsal last night and went to bed early. Since I can’t swallow or breathe normally, I didn’t sleep well, and I had to be up at 4:30 a.m., so that all by itself could explain why I’m not feeling my best. The allergy medicine arrived in the mail yesterday, so I’ve now had two doses of it. If it’s allergies, I’ll be fine by Thanksgiving.
Yesterday I took Fiona, our big dog, for a walk. It is possible that this improves the exercise value of the walk, because of all the upper-body strength involved in avoiding being simply dragged through the streets by the dog. However, it gets in the way of the thinking part of walking. We scuffled through great falls of leaves, and sometimes a wind would come up and we would be surrounded by flights of leaves, and it was quite lovely.
I finished the Native Americans subunit for the 2nd grade book, and will be moving on to the rocks and minerals one, but probably not till next week. Today I will be up at the store, tomorrow will be a bit on the computer and then lots of preparation, then comes Thanksgiving, and then I will be back up at the store on Friday and leaving from there for #2 daughter’s place for the weekend.
I’m still thinking about vegetables in a desultory way. Janalisa sent me a recipe for baked cucumbers. I’ve never even thought of baking a cucumber, so I can’t say how it would taste, but I think it would be pretty. She also sent me a recipe for stuffed mushrooms made with tortilla chips and taco seasoning. I think she might have been joking with these recipes, but I am not sure. Here is her recipe for baked cucumbers:
Baked Cucumbers
4 cucumbers, peeled and quartered, lengthwise
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon crushed dill seed
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon saltPlace a layer of cucumbers in the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ baking dish; dot with half of the butter. Mix together the dill, pepper and salt; sprinkle half over the layer of cucumbers. Add a second layer of cucumbers, dot with butter, and sprinkle with remaining seasonings. Bake uncovered at 400º F for 1 hour or until done. Stir cucumbers lightly once, pushing the top layers to the bottom and lifting the bottom
cucumbers to the top. Recipe best when served hot.
It sounds easy. Julia Child has a similar one, but with more herbs, and I do have a lot of herbs in the garden. Julia says to use “48 inches” of cucumber, which adds a bit of whimsy to the recipe. There is an old recipe book referenced online which says that this dish finds favor with gentlemen, so I am really thinking about it.
Janalisa reminded me of the classic green bean casserole with canned soup and fried onion topping. I have never tasted that, and don’t want to. It could be that my guests all love it, though, and wonder why we don’t have it at my house on Thanksgiving.
Janalisa also reminded me that if I preheat the stoneware baking dish, it will keep my plain steamed green beans hot for a long time, which is a huge plus. I had forgotten that.
My plan right now is to make some 7-grain cereal, get the essential computer work done, and go back to bed till time to leave for the store.
Cucumbers? Hmmmm.
Hope you feel better soon and may you and yours have a thank-filled Thanksgiving Day!
Here’s hoping my local grocer has 48 inches of cucumber available. I am definitely trying that recipe.
I’m not a huge fan of green bean casserole, but I LOVE the over-processed cranberry sauce that comes straight from a can.
The idea that you might have the flu for Thanksgiving Day is terrifying (although, given your workload, it’s not surprising); if that seems likely, please issue An Alert — fast! — so that the festivities can be moved to some other location and there’ll be time to prepare that other location for company before Thursday morning…
Whenever a bunch of people bring dishes to a community event, the odds are 50-50 that one of them will bring green bean casserole. I’m surprised you haven’t tried it.
It tastes better than the individual ingredients would lead you to believe. I like it in spite of being allergic to mushrooms and onions.
Making anything you’re not familiar with for Thanksgiving may not be a good idea, though.
I hope you’re feeling better soon.
Hope whatever it is does clear up soon.
RYC: Neither my grandfather (who played the piano) and my uncle (who played the violin) read music either – they both played by ear. My niece also played guitar and piano by ear when she was a kid. My sister, whose ear for music is better than mine, plays by both ear and music. It seems that those with a very good ear for music often do not read music very much, probably ‘cos they don’t need to. It’s good for solo, off-the-cuff music, but not useful for playing in a band or orchestra.
does anybody really eat green bean casserole, seriously. I usually see the who dish shoved back into the fridge after thanksgiving dinner. ryc: no, not the belss, but I do attempt to sing in our choir! I’m an alto who should be singing tenor.