Thanksgiving Weekend Images

Good morning,

I've finally had a chance to sit down and format some images that I took last weekend. 

These first two images are of turkey #1 that was grilled outside.  The ice pack is to freeze that area so that it would cook slower and not burn while the rest of the turkey was being grilled.

This is the turkey preparer, our daughter Catherine.  Above she has turkey #2 that was prepared in the oven.

They were both fantastic!  We thought we would have 19 for Thanksgiving dinner, but part of the family couldn't get to Cincinnati so we were down to only 13 guests.

 Catherine even made her own turkey broth for dressing and soup that we enjoyed later in the weekend.

 I got so busy on Thanksgiving that I didn't take many pictures of the guests or the table when we finally got it set.  We had another section in the table and it looked quite different with a blue tablecloth and many more place settings on Thanksgiving.  The image above was taken the following night and the table is set for the seven of us still here.  We hosted four of our grandchildren for the weekend while their parents had a little couple time.

 Everything that comes out of our kitchen has been Lab tested.

 We have two very experienced Lab testers. ;)

 So, this is my "night after Thanksgiving" dinner.  It was even better the second time around.

 Having four of the kids here for the weekend was fun, too.  Alex borrowed Grandpa's Blackberry tablet to play some games.  Fun!

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday as much as we did.

All the very best,
Lois

Christmas at Sea - Freedom of the Seas

Good morning,

I took this image last Christmas.  This traveling Christmas tree is on the Bridge of Freedom of the Seas.

All the best,
Lois

Santa's Arrival by Resue Boat

Good morning,

Last year at Christmas we were aboard Freedom of the Seas.  On Christmas morning we were in Labadee, Haiti, where Santa managed to find us!

Santa arrived by Rescue Boat!  After circling the ship a couple of times, he came aboard with gifts for all of the children.

I had to give Santa credit!  It was HOT out there and I bet his North Pole suit was pretty warm.

All the best,
Lois

Christmas Music and Fireplace - at Sea

Good morning,

Just because you go on a cruise you don't have to miss sitting in front of a fireplace and listening to Christmas music.

Every evening during the holiday season aboard Freedom of the Seas a TV channel was devoted to a fireplace featuring a warm (you could almost feel it) fireplace complete with stockings hung with care and a moving train.  After awhile, the milk and cookies disappeared.  ;)

We enjoyed this channel every evening when we were aboard last year.

All the best,
Lois

Windjammer Greeter - Freedom of the Seas

Good morning,

Can you tell what port we are in the day I took this picture last year?

The Windjammer Greeter aboard Freedom of the Seas usually dresses in an outfit related the port we are visiting each morning.  In addition to being a happy face who always makes us smile, the greeter reminds everyone to use the hand sanitizer before entering the Windjammer Restaurant. 

In addition to being a really nice guy, this man amazingly remembers so many people from day to day.  That's no easy task with several thousand people on board the ship.

Enjoy,
Lois

Dinner Party Preparations

Good morning,

Do you do much of your food preparation for big dinners ahead of time.  Today's images are a few snapshots of preparations the day before dinners at our home.  Above is a pork tenderloin cut in serving sizes and ready to to be seasoned...

...with some olive oil and seasoning...

...then just before putting in the oven, covered with bread crumbs and baked to perfection. 

 Another day I whipped up a double batch...

 ...of liver pate...

 ...and processed it to creamy goodness in the food processor.

 This is a double batch of my home made cranberry sauce that will be yummy with pork, ham, or turkey.

And, of course, another daily batch of fresh bread.  :) 

The house smells so wonderful.  We just love eating at home.

For those interested, some of my recipes are here:

Cranberry Sauce

Liver Pate

Bread

Enjoy all of those holiday meals!  I love seeing all the recipes you are all publishing.  Wow, such good food!

All the best,
 Lois

Onion Soup and Fresh Bread on a Very Cold Night

Good morning,

Ah, soup and fresh bread.  That's one of our favorite dinners when just the two of us are home on a cold winter's evening. 

I made onion soup a couple of nights ago and just put it together as I went along.  Above is about two cups of chopped onion, both red and yellow, in one stick of butter.  I let it get very brown, added a tablespoon of brown sugar to help it brown even more and kept stirring to keep it from burning.  As soon as it got pretty brown and there was a layer of brown in the pan, I added a cup of wine to de-glaze the pan.  Any wine will do, but I used a light sweet wine.  It had been a part of a bottle left over when we had opened it for guests.  I had sealed what was left in a plastic container and refrigerated it until needed for cooking.  I was drinking a half glass of the dry white wine that I wouldn't want to have to use for cooking.  ;)

I digress....

After all of that browning and de-glazing I placed it all in a large pot and added two large cans of chicken broth.

I cut up more onions.  In fact, many more than these in the image above.  I used both red and yellow onions again and filled that bowl with them.

I added the fresh onions to the large pot, added a very little sea salt, and my secret ingredient, one table spoon of orange marmalade.  OK, it's not a secret anymore.

I had another sip of the dry white wine while I brought the mixture to a boil.

As soon as it came to a boil, I turned it down to simmer for about an hour. 

Although I had enough soup to prepare at least six huge servings, I prepared only two since only two of us were home.  I cut hunks of home made bread and put them in bowls then covered them with chunks of mozzarella cheese.  That's the kind of cheese I happened to have available when this onion soup idea hit me so that's what I used.  It was a great choice.

I scooped soup into the bowls...

...and placed more cheese on the top.

I baked it in the oven at 350 F for ten minutes...

 ...while I sliced a loaf of my home made bread and put it on the table.

That is a cheese bread closest to the Cheesy Whole Wheat Bread recipe I published earlier.  I didn't happen to have whole wheat flour so used all bread flour.  I generally just go to the kitchen and make bread from what I have available.  I need a trip to the grocery to stock up on ingredients. 

I had a sip of dry white wine while adding a few items to the grocery list.

If you're interested in bread recipes, I have quite a few of them that I have published during the last few years.  Click here.

I digress once again...

 The soup was delicious and, when served with fresh bread and a glass of cold milk, it was the perfect combination on a cold night. 

I had no idea what I would make for dinner that  morning when I got up.  This sure beat a trip to the store to get more ingredients when it was only 10 degrees F outside!

All the best,
Lois