Gator Pam

חנוכה שמח! Happy Hanukkah!

Rabbit Rabbit! Rabbit!!

As we reflect on this past year, I still wish one and all that the New Year will be… https://youtu.be/rk3KH46dy3w?si=mOCCKwZF03BJkRma

Happy Hanukkah! There is sound, but I light the candles first. https://youtu.be/yqkwfcs9Akk?si=_RmnI0pC4ghM0V2M

A lovely end to Advent and entrance to Christmas. I remember this. https://youtu.be/MUWMjUjit_U?si=FKeEGO0rpGGPDUJ1

My plans for the next couple of days. More for myself so I hopefully don’t forget anything. Today: Get up and have coffee to function Start the “oxtail” au jus, although I use beef shank bones rather than oxtail. For less than half the price per pound, the shank bones work great Beorn’s Hanukkah gift finally arrived and his holiday package is ready to be mailed. Stand in line at post office while au jus gently simmers and reduces Make copycat Arby’s horsey sauce Cool: au jus and refrigerate Make béchamel for incorporating into dinner Layer and then bake lasagna for dinner Enjoy lasagna for dinner Put together and refrigerate overnight french toast casserole for brunch Wednesday morning Make garlic and herb paste to season standing rib roast overnight, then apply to roast Put individual apple sauce cups in refrigerator to chill Tomorrow: Get up and have coffee to function Listen for others to awake, if not already. Pull french toast casserole out of refrigerator to take the chill off while preheating oven and opening stockings, if we’re doing them Bake casserole while opening gifts Serve french toast casserole and have second cuppa Since it gets dark so early, light Hanukkiah and gift Hanukkah presents Make note of time and start reverse sear process on roast at appropriate time Grate potatoes and onion for latkes Prep honey-maple glazed carrots Pull roast from oven to rest Clear Hanukkiah from table and set for dinner Start carrots and finish au jus about half an hour before final sear Preheat oven to 550 degrees F Make latke batter and heat oil for cooking Brush herbs off roast so they don’t burn and turn acrid during sear Make latkes and put roast back in oven for 10 to 15 minutes Remove roast, turn off oven, and put plated latkes in cooling oven to stay warm Put au jus, horsey sauce, apple sauce, and sour cream on table if not already done Slice roast, plate carrots and latkes, and serve Relax, possibly enjoying any received gifts Enjoy Brenda’s homemade pumpkin pie! Thursday: Relax, until last minute notice of errands needing to be done is received Enjoy any planned overs Package what’s left of the roast and freeze to be pulled for beef stroganoff on either NYE or NYD, depending on what we choose to do Light second night Hanukkiah candles Sunday: Attend giant menorah lighting by CHABAD of Kirkland at Totem Lake At some point later during the following week, possibly on NYE or NYD, try my hand at sufganiyot

Definitely time for Sir Patrick Stewart reading A Christmas Carol to take center stage. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLLiEya-Q4RR9U-s18jp6l4XgjPX16oAK&si=gp8tLwxYTyW3-4lR

For the holiday season. Symphony North - The Bell Ringer. I listen on YouTube. Recorded during lockdown, there are two versions: Full band playthrough: or the version I prefer… Full band play through with story narration between songs to tell the full concept: While not flashy like Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s live shows, the approach is the same. A Christmas-themed tale with rock music, including both original rock songs and classic Christmas carols done in a rock style. While a rock album, like T-SO it is very musical theater in approach. I definitely enjoy it at Christmas.

Ooo… This is good to know. It does appear to have never left Colorado, according to tracking. I’ll give it a try.

It’s been a mixed morning so far, and I haven’t even been awake an hour yet. Good news is Social Security has approved my Medicare application and I have been issued my Medicare number for coverage to start next month. I need to go to DSHS to apply for Senior Medicaid (as my standard adult Medicaid ends at the end of next month) and for assistance with premiums and deductibles. Bad news is Beorn’s Hanukkah present was supposed to be delivered yesterday. I even received an email from USPS to expect delivery by 9 PM. It didn’t arrive. This morning Informed Delivery shows the last time the package was scanned was in Colorado on Sunday, and the update says “arriving late, expected delivery unknown.” I reached out to the company who mailed it, but haven’t heard back and honestly don’t expect anything from them since they mailed it out on time.

Christmas dinner menu is being discussed. I’m planning on our usual reversed seared standing rib roast with au jus and copycat Arby’s horsey sauce. Vegetable is up in the air. Usually I do either baked potato, baked sweet potato, or garlic mashed potatoes for our starch. However, since the first night of Hanukkah falls at sunset on Christmas night, I think this year our starch will be latkes. I’ll definitely have both sour cream and apple sauce available, and maybe I’ll get some caviar as well for an extra festive touch.

Congratulations!

@Brad I’m wondering if it’s possible to make an exception? I think some people who may not frequent the forum regularly may only come once a month to post here. If they come on the 1st, and this thread opened on the 4th and closes on the 30th, they missed the window. Since this thread was started on the 4th, could the sign up window be extended to the 4th of December? That way it’s the full 30 days?

Rabbit Rabbit! Rabbit!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving prep continued today. Cranberry sauce is made. Compound butter to rub on the turkey is made. Since I use roasted garlic and onion with a little broth to thicken my gravy, similar to how bean soup is thickened with some broth and the beans rather than with a roux or a slurry, I roasted them at the same time I roasted the sweet potatoes for the sweet potato casserole. Ingredients for the cranberry sauce Orange zested before juicing Dry ingredients for the sugar syrup Wet ingredients added (fresh squeezed orange juice and water) IMG_2483.MOV Simmering away to become syrupy Some of the aromatics removed before adding the cranberries In go the cranberries Simmering away so they burst and thicken I had yet to remove the cinnamon stick and cloves before adding the zest and rose water Cranberry sauce finished and ready to refrigerate overnight Onion, spring garlic, and elephant garlic packaged for roasting for the gravy Gravy thickener (roasted onion and garlic) and sweet potatoes for the sweet potato casserole The sweet potato purée contains: Butter Crushed pineapple Shredded coconut Brown sugar Ground allspice Ground cloves Ground nutmeg I forgot to add a splash of vanilla extract After baking for 45 minutes to heat through and meld the flavors, the casserole will be topped with mini marshmallow

Thanksgiving prep has begun. IMG_2473.MOV Giblet broth simmering away. Finished broth waiting to be added to Instant Pot bone broth 1/2 & 1/2 for gravy and to moisten stuffing.

So, my laptop says I actually use Jeffrey Eisner’s recipe for Instant Pot Chopped Liver on his Pressure Luck Cooking website. He uses the IP only to cook the hard boiled eggs; otherwise his version if very traditional. The one change I make to his recipe is to add a tiny bit of sugar to taste once it is all mixed up and before putting it into the refrigerator overnight. The sugar cuts the bitter taste of liver and reinforces the sweet. The overnight rest allows the flavor to meld together perfectly. I chop my eggs coarsely by hand, and hand stir them in for a less puréed texture. I hope you enjoy!

A question out of ignorance. I understand Amazon has servers all over the world, so the major power outage here in the Puget Sound area due to the bomb cyclone which passed through yesterday will not affect the sale going live? Since Amazon headquarters is in Seattle?

I only decided to try for a few things in the past week: Three light rechargeable flashlight gloves, especially as we go through a long power outage after last night’s bomb cyclone A purple “The Z” dual 1.5” zipper binder from Case-It A good quality but affordable ceramic nonstick pot and pan set with a 12” deep skillet and lid, if possible for my landlords son just starting out Some of those 3-D printed gear fidget balls for stocking stuffers

We keep a refrigerator out in the garage for such tasks. Although it’s not set to the lowest temperature, things take a long time to defrost in that refrigerator. It can take three days to a week to defrost a five pound chicken, so I expected a 14 pound bird to be fine, before our power went out due to the bomb cyclone which blew through last night. All should be well, if power is restored soon. But current updates from PSE are not looking hopeful. That said, I’m seeing fresh turkeys currently for sale at Trader Joe’s with use by or freeze by dates of December 1st. As long as your refrigerator stays at least 40 degrees F or lower, a turkey for use on November 28th should keep fine.

If I remember, I’ll find my recipe on my laptop when we get power restored. I’m only bringing my phone out with me to recharge at places like the library while our power is still out.

I had a thought… (A dangerous habit I know) This year generic “Do not open until December 25th” tags and labels work for both Christmas and Hanukkah.

Niiiice!!! Thank you!