Friday
Short version: Chicken thighs, rice, carrot sticks
Long version: I made chicken thighs for the sole reason that I would need more poultry stock on hand for our delayed Thanksgiving meal. Dressing and gravy take a lot of stock, way more than I get from the actual turkey.
Knowing I would be using the bones of the thighs for stock, I didn't season them very heavily with many spices, instead just using salt, pepper, and thyme on them. I did salt them for a few hours before baking them, which seems to help a lot of with texture and flavor.
Saturday
Short version: Freezer skillet, fried bean tacos, raw radishes
Long version: I spent most of the day in the kitchen doing Thanksgiving prep that included pumpkin and pecan pies, cranberry sauce, and the aforementioned chicken stock.
A sink full of cranberries is very pretty.
So are pies.
For dinner, I pulled out some leftover taco meat I had frozen before we left, as well as the last cup or so of rice that I had frozen before our trip so it wouldn't go bad. Those I just heated up in a skillet and then added sour cream.
That wouldn't have been quite enough, so I also used an open can of refried beans from the refrigerator to make tacos. I made them A-style by frying the corn tortillas first on both sides in lard, then adding the beans and cheese, folding them over and frying until brown and crispy, and then baking for a few minutes in the oven to insure the cheese was all melted.
A very filling peasant meal.
Sunday
Short version: Turkey day! And everything else.
Long version: For our delayed Thanksgiving meal this year, we had the turkey and gravy, sage sourdough dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, maple carrots, frozen corn, pecan pie with whipped cream or ice cream, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and crispy rice treats.
The MiL saved Thanksgiving for us this year by randomly sending in a box of other things a paper bag full of herbs from her garden that she had dried. As usual, I forgot to buy sage, but there it was, in the bag. Also thyme and marjoram, which I used in the cavity of the turkey. Thanks, MiL!
I have learned that the best part of holiday desserts is abundance, which is why I made two pies. The crispy rice treats were mostly for a guest who doesn't eat gluten, but my children were quite pleased to see them as well and I think everyone had one along with their pie.
I got both pies just right this time. Yay, me.
Monday
Short version: Leftovers, of course
Long version: We had leftovers of everything except the cranberry sauce. I failed to freeze the two bags of cranberries I bought before our trip, so by the time we were picking through them, almost half of them were starting to go bad. Boo. But good thing I bought two bags to start with, I guess.
Tuesday
Short version: Hamburger patties, leftover mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey noodle soup, garlic bread, corn on the cob, green salad with vinaigrette, green grapes, Mexican wedding cookies
Long version: Turkey break! Well, except for the soup, which I made expressly for the child with a nasty sinus infection.
My parents also arrived for a visit this day, and they brought all the produce. I was out of all fresh vegetables and hadn't had a chance to get to a store, so my mom brought all the vegetables and fruit. She also brought the Mexican wedding cookies. She purchased those somewhere, and my children were quick to assure me that they weren't anything like mine.
Maybe not, but I also didn't have to make them, so enjoy your cookies!
Wednesday
Short version: FFA dinner at school
Long version: Every year our FFA chapter does a fundraiser around Christmas at which the elementary kids provide the entertainment*, there's an auction, and the FFA students prepare and serve dinner to everyone. It's pretty much the same every year: ham, "French" rice (I'm told by my son who helped prepare it that it's French because it has cans of French onion soup in it) green beans, salad, rolls, and a sopapilla cheesecake.
Thursday
Short version: Chicken tacos, refried beans, raw broccoli, cherry pie with vanilla ice cream
Long version: I took out what I thought was a pork butt only to find it was a bag of chicken leg quarters. No problem! Anything can be in a taco!
I put the leg quarters--still partially frozen--in a pot with water and simmered them until I could easily pull the meat off. After I made corn tortillas, I fried the meat with spices on the griddle pan in the rendered fat from the hamburgers.
Two cans of pinto beans mashed up to make refried beans. Raw broccoli because my mom brought some and a couple of kids don't put any toppings, and thus no vegetables, on their tacos.
The pie is the one my parents always get from the place they stay. Lucky we had vanilla ice cream on hand.
Refrigerator check:
Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?
* This year it was a talent show. The only boy still in elementary school did a fly fishing demonstration/humorous skit with his friends, and Poppy sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" (solo and a cappella, amazingly), acted in a skit with her class, and did a dance to "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" with her cheerleading team.
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