Menus, November 20, 2012

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;

okay, quote collectors- is it from...
a. A Shakespeare play
b. A strange old treatise on war and tigers
c. One of the coolest movies of all time
d. All of the above

the answer is.... d.
Shakespeare's Henry the fifth, to be precise- and in my mind, when I slam into the tired wall long before the job is done, it's always Kenneth Brannaugh's Henry urging me to summon some courage and face the fray.

you know it's a great movie when spit
flies during the speeches, and blood
flies during the scenes between speeches.

Okay. Will Shakepeare didn't really have the American Holiday Season in mind. But, I'll bet that if there had been America,or what we call The Holidays, he would've appreciated the application.
Will's words ran through my head tonight, as my daughter and I, having driven from her side of Texas to this one,unpacked the car, forked some pho into our hungry tummies then finalized our Thankgiving list and headed for the grocery store.

the Kroger clock reads 11:10 p.m.
(we were both pretty wiped, but actually?
It turned out to be a lot of fun)

And it wasn't just Lizzy and Henry V keeping me company in that (surprisingly crowded) store. These guys were there too:


It's true Shakesiphiles, in my mind, Henry V to keeps company with Disney cartoon characters. Is that a. heresy
b. apostasy
c. sacrilege
d. all of the above?

 Ariel, Aladdin, Belle and Henry V- they have a lot in common, but I wasn't thinking about the great hair.
I was thinking that all of them faced a daunting task that required all the courage and energy they had. And about the courage they found when it was time to go toe to toe with particular  monsters.
I was thinking that all courage comes from love.
I've thought about it a lot, and I'm pretty sure that inside every story about courage is a story about love.
Quick! Think of the bravest person you know.
Got em?
What battles have they fought?
Who (or what) do they love?
See what I mean?

And I was thinking that I'm one of the lucky ones. The people we're sharing Thursday's feast with are people we love, love to cook for, and love to be with. Experience tells me that before it's time for dessert, I'll have laughed and played and laughed again, because of the super duper Black Friday Eve bonus: there will be people there who still have all their baby teeth!!!!
As I said. Lucky. And grateful for it.

This is what we'll be making, and taking, this week:
Wednesday: smoky bacon chili and cornbread
There'll be fun fun fun going on in the kitchen all day, but whad'ya wanna bet- at the end of the day, people will still want dinner.
so I'm going to find a non-kitchen-counter-space-taking space, plug in the slow cooker and let the chili happen while we play.
I made carnitas on Sunday- I'll be using that meat instead of beef (not a big culinary decision there, I just forgot to get beef) and the cooking liquid from the carnitas (of course I saved it! It was so packed with flavory flavor! How could I just tip all that meaty goodness down the sink?)
I'll make a double batch of cornbread, and turn the leftovers into dressing on Friday.

Thursday: All the crucial elements- turkey, dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and pie will be waiting for us at the host house....
 (elements. Makes it sound very communioney, doesn't it. Hmmm. That deserves further thought)
We're bringing grilled asparagus salad, bread, pumpkin salad,
pumpkin whoopie pies, and a cheese and cracker plate with baked brie
Can't wait!

Friday:  Turkey,green bean casserole, dressing and baked sweet potatoes
That's right, it's Thanksgiving, part two.
Because, you see, there will be 4 adult people who happen to have once been my children, or are as dear as if they had been, leaving this home for their homes this weekend, and I must do my motherly best to ensure that they leave carrying enough little ziploc bags full of leftovers to visibly flatten their car tires.
That means, if we don't gallop madly into the fray of Black Friday, we'll be ...err..making leftovers.
like these guys



Saturday: Turkey pot pie and salad.I've got pie crusts in the fridge, but if you don't, remember- you can put all these lovely filling ingredients in a dish, and top it with whatever doughy carby thing you want to- puff pastry, refrigerated crescent rolls, cornbread batter, biscuit dough...the wonder of this sort of recipe lies in it's gracious forgiveness of any deficiencies in your fridge and/or pantry.

Sunday: Turkey and dumplings peeps all gone, house all quiet, and all the unmade decisions of Christmas clamoring for attention.
I may need a little comforting.
If you tried this recipe with chicken, you know why I'm using it on a comfort-food kind of day.

Need a few more interesting ideas for the leftovers? Martha and Real Simple can help you out with that.

Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more-
Summon up all your courage and face down that exhausting car trip, that impossible schedule, those worries about next week, those inlaws that set your teeth on edge, or even that lonely table for one.
I'll bet, if you close your eyes, and breathe, and summon up whatever love you can find, you'll have found all the courage you need. The courage to fight your own particular tigers like a tiger.
At least, I hope so.

happy thanksgiving, guys-