Thursday, November 22, 2012

"...in the presence of pie."


Cooking for me is an ultimate act of love and respect- for the food and ingredients themselves, for my partner, for friends, for my face. In the kitchen I feel like I am dancing, painting, singing, ultimately creating tasty harmony. It makes me very happy. I also have a LOT in my life to be thankful for each and every day... which means...

Thanksgiving is one of my top two favorite holidays Evar. 
The other being Halloween.

For the past five or six years (?!) my Seattle family and I have spent the delicious holiday in Sun Valley at the folks house. All crammed in the house together, family meetings included, we love and laugh the long weekend away. K-Schlo and Thompson have always ruled in the kitchen, churning out a feast of Edwardian depth. 

While in the presence of chefery genius like theirs I picked up a few tips. While I was not in charge of any thing near as important as the turkey, stuffing, green beans, potatoes... well... I was not in charge of much outside of salad dressings and ambrosia salad (another post for another time) I WAS allowed to watch, ask questions, taste, and suggest slight alterations. I felt very special. And I learned. To take risks, to throw in a dash of this, to sample the wine while cooking, to create with style. What I learned most was to trust in recipes but to ultimately trust in your own tastes.

This year we are staying in Seattle for the holiday! 
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS!??! ALL of the siblings and family members are DOING A PORTION OF THE COOKING! This is huge, people. HUGE. 

For Thanksgiving Dinner this year I am contributing with the following...



Appetizer-
Baked brie and fig toasted fillo bites

Veg side dish-
Honey and ginger roasted yams

***Keep in mind when you see the following photos- 
USUALLY I am competent in the kitchen. 
I make elaborate meals from scratch and they mostly taste pretty good. 
I DO NOT bake very often.
 In fact I had to go back to the store three times and attempted the pies twice. 
Pretty sure the filling of the burnt one is still delish!*** 


Desserts-

Pecan pies 
(Second try on the left. Sampling the burned...)

Pies from John Darling's grandmother
 Nobie Harding's early edition of 
The Joy of Cooking




Cookie with sweet cream and raspberry bites
(the cookie cups would not come out of pan. 
I hacked at them. They are not pretty but they taste good.)

I will be posting photos tomorrow of how amazing it all turned out, the photos above are not very appetizing and do not do this meal justice. Expect amazing food porn tomorrow to remind you of all the filthy gluttonous things you did on Thanksgiving! Oh the Gluttony.

List of Thanks
-My family's health, love, and enduring support- my John Darling, JoSchlo, Sissy, Androolius, Lala, Roddy, W&K Schlo, Thompson, my five little nephew munchkins. 

-The love and support of my creative and ever evolving friends-  Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Maple, Sista Trista, SDipity... and so many more. Without you this world would not sparkle as bright. 
"And you were there, and you were there..."

Personal Wishes-
May I be an effective force on this world and leave happiness and love in my path. 
To change the world one meal at a time :) 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. 
Love and Light,
JSchlo-Hard



“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.” 
― David MametBoston Marriage

“I am not a glutton - I am an explorer of food” 
― Erma Bombeck

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations.” 
― Oscar WildeA Woman of No Importance


2 comments:

  1. Love it. Thanks for sharing Schlo!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mmm, Love it! Have fun. This is my first Thanksgiving hosting in many years and probably the first one with number one son in about a dozen years!

    ReplyDelete