serinde: (maneki neko)
serinde ([personal profile] serinde) wrote2005-11-23 10:44 am

The joys of the low-maintenance holiday

Much as I really enjoy putting on a big spread for Thanksgiving, I have to say there's something gloriously freeing about not doing so this year. Ordinarily I'd've been a complete head-case by this point in the week.

I did get a duck to roast for supper, just 'cuz, but the nice thing about duck is that you don't have to pay a bit of attention to it during the procedure. Three cheers for the self-basting fowl. Now, I may get ambitious enough to make it a-l'orange...but then again, I may NOT.

[identity profile] dkfromtk.livejournal.com 2005-11-23 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
From now on, when I tell you how much I love you, realize that it's a lot less kidding.

Cooking is my Zen.

[identity profile] syringavulgaris.livejournal.com 2005-11-23 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Exactly. Well, my true Zen is baking, but I get a lot out of cooking, too.

For you, then, the whole menu: duck, wild rice blend, homemade cranberry sauce (the secret ingredient is cardamom), whatever vegetable looks good to me, and if I get super-ambitious I might leave out the sourdough starter overnight and make rolls. And pumpkin pie, so Steve knows it is, in fact, Thanksgiving. Served with pinot noir, if I can find one that does not smell like sweatsocks for under $15.

I have a butternut squash lying around. Maybe I'll make soup, too. ...Is cooking the avoidance behavior for packing, or is packing the avoidance behavior for cooking?

[identity profile] dkfromtk.livejournal.com 2005-11-23 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Definitely the former.

I have no idea why anyone would ever want to avoid cooking.

DK's Thanksgiving Menu - Whatever he can scam out of the kitchen at work. At the nursing home. As you can likely tell, I'd shoot myself in the foot for some duck a-l'orange. Sigh.

[identity profile] sweh.livejournal.com 2005-11-23 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Reason #1 to avoid cooking: I can burn water without trying.

[identity profile] syringavulgaris.livejournal.com 2005-11-23 09:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe Fortune will smile on you, and they will be feeding duck to the old people.

...yeah, I don't think so either, but.

Surely they permit you to leave at some point, though? And then you could fix whatever culinary delights your heart desires?

[identity profile] dkfromtk.livejournal.com 2005-11-24 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
If by "permit" you mean "the administrator hates working holidays and weekends so I damned will take a break and eat at some point," then yes, yes they do.

[identity profile] syringavulgaris.livejournal.com 2005-11-24 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
Poor batling! I want to come up with a care package and feed you now.

[identity profile] dkfromtk.livejournal.com 2005-11-24 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
And believe me, I want you to.
lillilah: (Default)

[personal profile] lillilah 2005-11-23 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I totally agree. While I adore cooking, my tinsy tiny convection oven/microwave can only bake one thing at a time, which means that I have to start cooking way in advance. However, if you add that to my problems with the smaller-than-half-size fridge, I don't have much of a place to put stuff if I make it in advance. Tomorrow, I'll be making a couple of things, but we are going to be with friends, who will make all the big stuff. I'm glad too, 'cause otherwise I'd be such a basketcase right now.