Success!

Nov. 28th, 2008 12:20 am
swordmage: (Approval!)
That was a very good Thanksgiving.

First off - in my complete sanity, I did all the cooking. For eight. We had [livejournal.com profile] domnall and myself, my father, [livejournal.com profile] churchofwonk, [livejournal.com profile] elinor_dear, [livejournal.com profile] reynier, and my aunt and uncle. Admittedly, our conversation turned horribly geeky near the end, leaving the older generation out, and I feel a little bad. But everyone seemed at least to have enjoyed it all and left happy.

There was turducken, green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, a butternut squash/sweet potato soup, parsnips roasted with maple syrup (quite good), andouille sausage wrapped in bacon (don't ask, [livejournal.com profile] domnall was responsible...), and biscuits. For dessert there were pumpkin, pecan, and mince pies. The jar of cranberry jelly was unopened as the can opener had trotted off into hiding.

Afterwards there was geekiness - gaming talk and much laughter over my attempts to play Portal.


All in all - fun, good food, and I am happy. My desire to cook is rising rapidly. Also, I may start looking into those gel things for kitchens... Or a specific pair of shoes for cooking. (People seem to like crocs, at least according to a post recently on The Kitchn.)
swordmage: (Lyra and Iorek)
Let's see what's going on in Willa's world...

A) Semester is rapidly coming to an end. Grades are a mixed bag, as usual. *sigh and shrug*

B) Have started the application process for grad school. Have asked both teachers who I want to write me letters - and both have agreed. Need now to ask my boss. Even though I only need two letters, I think having that third will help. I'm putting archiving as one of my interests and it shouldn't hurt.

C) Extra time in Santa Fe! Also, if I get into grad school - they're going to look into keeping me.

D) Thanksgiving plans are puttering along. I have, in my finite wisdom, decided to cook everything myself. well, [livejournal.com profile] domnall is certainly helping. Granted, this is probably actually less work than it sounds like. It's also serving as a jump-start for general cooking. I cleaned the fridge - a depressing thing, as I should have done it a week ago - and now need to re-fill it.

E) I have wool and linen. Since [livejournal.com profile] domnall and I both need new SCA stuff, I decided to bite the bullet and order a better-quality of fabric. Viking-era, here we come! (Also - where in particular do you lot go for leg-wraps...?)

Also - [livejournal.com profile] budgetscadian

F) Also, there shall be sewing of pj-pants. Need to get some fleece though...

G) Damn it - I may not be a total period-perfectionist, but I'll admit, the troll over on you-know-where really annoyed me. Yes, yes, I know, troll... Shouldn't grouse... It did remind me, again, that I really need to make sure I have appropriate head-coverings for Estrella.

Thus far, Estrella purchase plans are more along the lines of supplies for various things. (and trying not to drool over any of this stuff, namely the first set of brooches...)


And finally - damn this illness going around. My dad had it at one point (he told me over the phone), [livejournal.com profile] domnall had it, and now I do. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of being able to take sick days - namely because I'm running a bit short on cash right now - and so have been drugging myself up and going to work.
swordmage: (:P)
Currently home early as everyone else (all 2 people right now) needed to leave at 1:30. Such is life.


Weekend was nicely productive, in it's own way. Didn't end up seeing Gonzo, but *shrug* The best bit was we got into a lovely amount of trouble at Williams-Sonoma. Lots of new baking items, some other stuff (such as glass bowls and a number of KitchenAid attachments. Oh yes, a roasting pan - turducken here I come!).

We also hit 17th Street, which was (as usual) successful. Bought lamb and some tamarind curry - not for the same recipe, I should add. Lamb is one of my all-time favorite meats, and I'm always pleased to have an excuse to cook it. In this case, it was [livejournal.com profile] avilina and [livejournal.com profile] taranos over for dinner and the initial use of the tagine. Mmm... lamb and onions and garlic and corriander (which may be one of my new favorite spices).

The tamarind curry is something else. A while ago, I happened to be there and pick up a container of a tikki masala simmer sauce. Just add meat, simmer, and you're good. Figured it'd be tasty for the times when I just wasn't feeling fully up to cooking. It was - exceedingly so. So, the next time we were there, picked up the coconut curry - which was fed to my father the last time he came over for dinner. Quite tasty, we had it with rice, peas, and lamb. (Did I mention my deep love of lamb?) The brand is Maya Kaimal, if anyone's interested. It could be argued it's a bit expensive ($6.50 for 15 oz) but the sauces are tasty, really easy, and the ingredients fall into "no unpronouncable or unrecognizable things". (In the case of the tamarind curry: onion, all natural coconut milk, tomato puree, water, vegetable oil, ginger, spices, garlic, salt, brown mustard seeds, tamarind, green chili, fresh curry leaves, and turmeric.)


Side note, Judi Dench as M is love.
swordmage: (Approval!)
Williams-Sonoma, as I have said before, is like crack to me.

I do not however, give King Arthur Flour enough credit. Just got the catalogue, and can see (at first look) several things I wouldn't mind having at all...


Also, finally we picked up Watchmen.

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