The Sandwich Life

I Tried: Rod Picott and Turkey

I tried, I really did. I put the 15 pound turkey in my shopping cart. I'd already spent quite some time leaning over the open freezer case at Schnuck's, obsessing over every turkey they had and their various sizes. I started to walk away, pushing the cart, but I kept slowing down and looking at the turkey. Ernie sighed and said, "Whatever you want Cynthia." I stopped and said, "you know, it just doesn't seem BIG enough for a turkey." I turned around and he followed me back to the freezer case. I said, "well, what about we just get two small ones?" Ernie shook his head and nodded, putting a 14 and a half pounder in the shopping cart as well. I paused and said, "well, you realize we now have almost 30 pounds of turkey....maybe we should just get the 22 pound turkey instead?" Ernie shook his head again and, with great stoicism, put the two turkeys back and put the 22 pound turkey in the cart.

I felt much better.

Turkeys should be big. They shouldn't just look like big chickens.

Of course this does put my spatchcocking plan at risk, because a spatchcocked 22 pound turkey will be too big for any pan I have. Something to think about. Hmmmm.

I got a few extra turkey parts  yesterday and made a batch of stock yesterday. Today I'll simmer it a bit and turn it into some gravy base, ready for the pan drippings.

There will be turkey, gravy, and I'll make mashed potatoes. Lisa Kesler is bringing stuffing. Maybe I'll make some cranberry sauce---unless somebody wants to bring some. Side dishes and desserts are welcome.

I can't wait for Pretend Thanksgiving with Rod Picott!

Don't forget.....Thursday, November 5 at 6:00 pm. This way you'll have your weekend free for the Folk & Roots Festival....

Please feel free to invite others. All are welcome. $20ish suggested donation. Bring what you can. BYOB. Come enjoy the potluck even if you can't bring anything---there should be lots of turkey....

 

Please and Thank You

Nobody ever hits my and my blog up for sponsored posts or reviews or any of those other things that other bloggers get. Well, wait, I did get a t-shirt once. And once or twice I’ve gotten an email ‘offering to help me with content’ but I have just ignored them because they always seems somewhat scammy….and as you probably know if you read this, this blog is purely for me to report on, and reflect upon, my life, my interests, and my loves.

A week or two ago I got an email that I ignored right off, but went back and read again later. It was from a woman named Heather Von St. James, and she was asking for me to write something about mesothelioma awareness. This email tugged at me a bit though, because she was writing as a cancer survivor, trying to support awareness about causes for the cancer she suffered from. If you know me, you also know that cancer has touched my life (as it does to almost everyone at some point). Ernie continues to live with Stage 4 prostate cancer, and although he is living a full and (reasonably) happy life, it hangs over our heads. The loss of my beloved sister Judi, from bile duct cancer, still haunts our family some 6 years later. I also seem to have a great deal of friends that have cancer. My colleague Nancy and I laugh sometimes as we identify my friends---‘oh wait, is that the one with brain cancer or lung cancer or….’

As I go on through life, accumulating losses, I also read more and more about environmental and other issues that may very well be causing some of these. I read with a heavy heart about the cancer cluster found in St. Louis and wonder, or rather know, how that has touched those I love. 

It is, of course, a slippery slope when you start to worry about these things. We can start to panic and wonder how to live our lives. There are times though, when answers seem relatively clear and causes direct. So after reading Heather’s email I decided to write this post and give you a bit of information.

Mesothelioma is a very rare and very aggressive form of cancer that can often go undiagnosed for decades.  It's caused by exposure to asbestos fibers that are inhaled and become lodged in the lung lining.  Tumors develop and can cause pleural, peritoneal, or even cardial mesothelioma.  Treatment for mesothelioma includes surgery, and often removal of the affected organs, a form of heated chemotherapy, and radiation.

Heather was a new mother and undertook these treatments because even then, she knew she had to survive for her husband and for her daughter.  She is celebrating 10 years of survivorship this February.

Apart from her amazing story, the most important thing to take away is that Mesothelioma is a preventable disease, if asbestos were made illegal and abatement (removal) policies were properly followed. Please click the links and think about this, and help spread awareness of this issue.

Thanks.

 

Happy Anniversary to the One I Love

Twenty seven years today. It was a sunny day in our Rogers Park apartment. The night before we'd gone to the O'Hare antique show. I ran the first pair of stockings I put on but I had one left. I smiled all day long.

I love you baby.

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life

1. I don't know whether it's sobering or amusing that, given how much I love to cook, to experiment with new recipes, and find authentic ingredients, that my son's favorite meal of mine is frozen ravioli layered in a pan with pre shredded mozzarella and Paul Newman's Sockarooni sauce. Ah well. It made him extraordinarily happy and didn't taste bad on a dark rainy night. He also suggested we try making our own ravioli...so we shall see.... Perhaps a project for the weekend. Does anybody have any ravioli/pasta making tips? Recipes? Suggestions? 

2. Bob is off to the vet today. Sigh. Another phantom car payment no doubt. We'll never have a second car. Oh well, I can't complain. After all, Ernie's the one that had to get the stool sample from Bob!

3. I don't know if I can bring myself to watch the Republican debate tonight. I try to listen to these things. I figure if I don't listen to both sides I'm not doing my job....but....I just don't know if I can do it. This is when I need my sister Judi. She would call me halfway through and yell, "Did you HEAR that? I can't believe this. Oh, I can't watch this" and so on. It was very entertaining....

4. They really ARE impressive beasts, are they not?

5. Can't wait to see Rod Picott next week.....since it's a weeknight we'll get things moving a little earlier so it's not too late for anybody. Here he is playing one of Owen's favorite songs at our place a while back....

 

 6. And for no reason at all....a couple of old pictures of the guys that amuse me....

 

Break Ins and Japanese Gardens....

As many of you know, I work at Japan House, a Japanese teaching facility with Japanese gardens surrounding us. Sunday night we were broken into. I had somehow left my phone on airplane mode so I didn't get the call from the alarm company. Oops. I raced in as soon as I heard the next morning and really, we were incredibly lucky...only some cash from donation boxes was taken. If the tea rooms had been vandalized it would have been devastating. Still, all of us that work here felt so unsettled and vulnerable all day. Japan House is a place that promotes peace and tranquility, the joining of different cultures, and the four spirits of the Way of Tea: harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility, so to have the space violated did shake us a bit.

Our apartment in Chicago got broken into years and years ago. I remember being somewhat insulted at what they took. They rifled through my underwear drawer and dumped things on the floor, looking for jewelry no doubt, but of course I'm not really a jewelry kind of girl. It's just an unsettling feeling even if the actual loss is slight.

So, on a grey day, I will cheer myself up with pictures from our weekend. I have long wanted to visit Anderson Japanese Gardens. It was an utterly glorious day on Sunday and the colors of the leaves glowed almost unbelievably. It was relatively crowded which made me not really able to take time with the pictures. These really don't begin the capture the place. 

 

 

Trains, Herring, and a Walkman....

It was a full and wonderful Autumn weekend. Friday evening we met our beloved friends Boo and Doug for dinner at the Esquire. They seemed to know half the place and we seemed to know the other half, so there was lots of talking and laughing. I must have had an extra glass of wine because when my friend Amy asked me if I wanted to wear Gene Honda's Blackhawks championship ring I said, "YES" and then said "take a picture, take a picture." Very un-Cynthia-like which made me laugh all the more. The absolutely fascinating thing was its incredible weight. We tumbled home relaxed and happy, chatted with the boys and rolled into bed.

Saturday morning we left only 40 minutes later than planned for our trip. Not too bad. Leo drove most of the way to Union, Illinois. We got to Union after Google maps led us through one cornfield or another. Sometimes you really would just be better consulting a map yourself, but it was entertaining. We found an old tavern with a delightful tin ceiling and walls and enjoyed a meal together before heading over to the Illinois Railway Museum. It's hard to believe we had never been there before, but somehow we hadn't. Our extraordinary friend Van and connected us with an old friend of his that works there. He spotted us before we could even track him down. Perhaps Leo's Milwaukee Road hoodie gave us away....

I had expected him to be lovely, after all, he is a friend of Van and Karin's, and he had been kind enough to show us around but he was absolutely incredible. He had asked ahead of time what Leo was particularly interested in and had found out where everything was. He took us on a tour for three and a half hours. Talk about above and beyond. Leo was absolutely glowing. He actually got to get in the cab of the Little Joe 803 which he was most interested in. He photographed like crazy. I did o.k. walking. I didn't do it all. I sat out some but actually I was pretty happy that I managed to do as much as I did. Those engines really are amazing beasts. The sheer scale of them is mind boggling. It was a wonderful day. There is nothing better than seeing one of your kids so happy. My sweet pea Leo.

On Sunday we went to a Swedish restaurant for breakfast. It felt like we were in a conference room, complete with a screen pulled down...they were showing the Food Network on it. At first I got excited thinking it was close captioned in Swedish. Then, after asking Leo, I realized I just can't see very well and it was English. I ordered fried herring with eggs and hashbrowns. I decided afterward that perhaps I should tone down the experimental ordering. At lunch on Saturday I ordered a burger with jalapeno, peanut butter and jelly. Yes, it sounded somewhat disgusting but it was called the Lipsmacker and I thought, what the hell. Actually, it might have been edible if the burger hadn't been overdone. The fried herring for breakfast wasn't bad....just STRONG and SALTY. I know, I know, it was salted herring, what did I expect? The hash browns were great though. I always order hash browns with great hope in my heart and so often they aren't great. These WERE. Perfectly crunchy tops, tender inside. I will however, probably skip the fried herring next time....I burped fried herring all day long...and that was after only eating a portion of it. Oh well.

After that we visited Anderson Gardens and then hit a few antique malls and stopped at Toad Hall (thanks for the recommendation Annette and others). Owen and Ernie were beside themselves and Owen bought several Sparks albums, some Stones, Who, Springsteen and Genesis I believe. Oh, and a Beach Boys cassette because he found an ancient Walkman in the basement and has been using that. In fact he dug out some old cassettes of ours and played some of them on the way there as Leo drove. He played the first Mavericks album and I could have just cried listening to it. I don't even know why. Of course Raul's voice is so beautiful it could break your heart, but it was more than that. I couldn't help but sit and look at the pictures of all of them and think about how young they had been, and all the nights we spent seeing them. It just brought back this time that in hindsight seems so innocent...a time of excitement and anticipation. Listening to it under the dark grey skies as we drove along touched my heart somehow. When it clicked off we asked Owen what he thought and he said he'd loved it. My baby.

Driving home I said,'This was a nice weekend" and all three boys chorused, "Yes, it was!" A good feeling.

 

 

 

Beautyberry and Eggs

Fall, fall, fall.

Last night after work I went and sat in the front yard with a glass of wine. It smelled like fall and the light just seems to glow as  more and more leaves turn gold and red. I couldn't figure out what to fix for dinner. Finally I told everyone it was a scavenger night and they were one their own. The boys ate and Ernie and I sat in the dark, enjoying the air, and the rustle of the leaves falling, for a long time. Finally it got too cool for us. I went inside and stared dispiritedly at the contents of my refrigerator. I remembered Heather mentioning a recipe so I looked it up and went about pulling out bacon and eggs and leftover rice. The Bacon and Egg Fried Rice was perfect for the night, comforting as hell and tasty and easy. The fried egg on top was perfect. We forgot to put the green onions on the finished dish but it was beautiful anyway and now our leftovers will be very green oniony. We threw in lots of peas and it made for a delightfully simple late dinner. Thanks Heather!

I love these beautyberries. I took this at work as the plant I bought for us I forgot to plant and it died. Oh well. Maybe next year?

 

Bacon and Egg Fried Rice

via Serious Eats

1/2 pound (about 8 strips) bacon, coarsely chopped

5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 teaspoon minced or grated ginger

1 medium clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)

2 cups cooked white rice

1/2 cup thawed frozen green peas

3 eggs, beaten, plus 4 un-cracked whole eggs.

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili paste

1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sliced scallions and/or chopped cilantro leaves

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Pour excess bacon fat into a small bowl, rinse and wipe out skillet, then return to high heat. Add one tablespoon bacon fat and heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add 3 more tablespoons bacon fat to skillet (if there is not enough bacon fat, add vegetable oil to make up the difference), then add cooled rice. Cook, stirring and shaking constantly, until rice grains are separated, pressing to break up lumps with a spatula, about 2 minutes. Add peas and mix until ingredients are evenly combined.

Move the rice to the sides of the pan, creating a well in the center. Add the beaten egg. When it starts to set, stir it into the rice.

Add soy sauce, chili paste, and sesame oil, and stir and toss to combine until well coated. Mix in reserved bacon, cover and remove from heat.

Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add whole eggs and fry to desired doneness, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Divide rice between 4 plates, top each plate with a fried egg, sprinkle with scallions and/or cilantro, and serve immediately with extra chili sauce to pass.

Three Little Random Notes I Forgot to Add to My Last Post

1. After cavorting to 1980s videos we had dinner (so-so...used too much sriracha in my sweet potatoes, chicken was meh, but salad greens from Sola Gratia were delightful). Ernie and Owen and I sat down to watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Leo declined. Ernie and Owen love it but it's not my favorite really. I got bored but then I told myself, "it's half an hour of Charlie Brown, your sitting with two of your guys...SUCK IT UP." I love the Christmas show and God knows I love the Vince Guiraldi music, but whenever I watch Peanuts stuff I wonder why all the girls are either really mean or else clueless. Anyone else?

2. I SWEAR I'm going to try not to schedule so many house concerts.....really...I promise, but we do have one coming up. It's on a Thursday night, weird I know, but it's freaking Rod Picott. Please trudge on out because Rod is incredible and his new album is great. It's getting tons of raves and if you've seen Rod, you know he does a great show and is funny as hell despite all the sad songs. Don't worry about the potluck...I know it's hard on a work night....but do come. I have no idea what I'm going to make. I was actually thinking of roasting a turkey in honor of the season but then I decided I was insane. Who knows....

3. Please go read this Upworthy article about my friend Jordana Mendelson and the artwork her two guys are making. Incredible.

 

Feeling Very 1980

Credit for this goes to Cody Sokolski. He walked into the kitchen at the last house concert and started singing this. I gotta say I didn't know it. Jona Lewie....Stiff Records, 1980. I pulled this up last night while I was waiting for some chicken to brown before I popped it in the oven and it made me ridiculously happy. SO of the era, and very Stiff records indeed....

I turned the chicken over and realized I had forgotten turn the oven on. So as we waited for the temp to go up to 45o degrees, watched the remake done for an Ikea commercial.

Again, very happy.

I put the chicken in the oven and played this one too....

O.k...on to the day, feeling very 1980....

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life And How Is the Weather?

1. The other day Owen came home from school and said, "Hey Mom, I really don't have homework tonight." Evidently, that was unlike the other nights when he just TELLS me he doesn't have homework.

2. Wonderful chicken stock from my chicken feet!

3. The red cooked pork turned out pretty well for the house concert. They key is refrigerating it overnight before you serve it. You can then just pull off the huge amount of fat that you get from a pork shoulder and be left with a pretty clean broth and the pork.  A few people asked about the recipe so I will post it again. This is one of those tried and true recipes...I've made it a ton of times. It's also good made with chicken.

Red Cooked Pork Shoulder
from one of the more recent Joy of Cooking editions...forget which one...

Heat in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat:

    1 T oil

Add and toss in the oil just until heated through, about 1 minute:

    4 scallions, cut crosswise in thirds
    2 large cloves garlic, crushed
    One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced

Add:

    4 cups water, or 2 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water
    1 cup dark soy sauce
    3/4 cup rice wine, scotch or sherry
    1/4 cup packed brown sugar
    4 star anise, or 1 1/2 teaspoons anise seed
    one 3-inch cinnamon stick

Bring to a boil, then add:

    1 pork picnic shoulder (about 7 pounds)

Turn the meat to cover it with liquid and color it.  Reduce the heat and cover the pan.  Simmer, turning the meat every hour and basting it, until it is fork tender, 3-4 hour.  Remove the meat from the pan and spoon off the fat from the pan juices.  Slice the meat, serve with pan juices and white rice.

4. Leo's most recent video....

5. Every time Owen comes home from his shift at Exile he has a bag of records. I can't begin to tell you how familiar that is to me.....can not TELL you. Last week he came home with a Turtles album, a Bananarama album, and the Stone's Some Girls album.

Man I love those boys of mine.

6. Oh yeah, and Owen decided he wanted an older receiver, so he used some of his grass cutting money and ordered one off of eBay. He's rather pleased with it.