The day that's in it (and Fuzzy People 23)

In recognition of the day that's in it:

Here's the menu:

Turkey: brined overnight; stuffed with apple, onion, rosemary; roasted at 500 for 30 minutes, then slow-cooked at 260 for another 2.5 hours (for the carnivores);

Vegetarian chili: onion, stir-fried tofu, black beans, chopped tomatoes, and very much garlic; made it up and now a staple;

Mushroom tofu stroganoff: out of Ed Brown's great Tassajara Recipe Book (first of the cookbooks after the brown "Bread Book" and "Cook Cook"--bibles for both cookery and Dogen's Instructions to the Cook);

Onion soup: learned the recipe by osmosis while talking my way into a head-cook job at age 20;

Mashed potatoes: learned probably from the cradle--my people's "ethnic" cuisine, but with the added improvisation of a very large dose of garlic and buttermilk;

Garlic roasted fresh green beans (are we sensing a theme here?), learned out of the Silk Road cookbook (a great one)

Mexican cornbread with kerneled corn and jalapeno: never made it before, but I'm daring enough to cook biscuits for Southerners and cornbread for Mexican-Americans

Dessert: pumpkin, chocolate, and chocolate-pecan pie

Aperitifs: Cranberry martinis (3 vodka : 2 Pama liqueur : 6 cranberry juice)

With dinner: Yellow Tail shiraz, Vampire pinot noir

Cordials: Irish hot whiskeys (lemon, clove, honey, Power's whiskey, hot water)

Here's the toast:

"Thank you for the families we create. Thank you to all creatures who gave their lives for this meal. May all beings be fed."

Here's Mr Man, tiptoeing his way along the dry spots out of the snow. Thanks to Chipper for the "Fuzzy People" appellation.


On a day of plenty, let us pray for, and work toward, a world in which all are safe, warm, and well.

More photos below the jump.