Thanksgiving !

9:20 AM.  My turkey, about to go in.  Half-an-hour at 425, then 325 the rest of the way.  Basting will occur at 15 minute intervals.

Stuffing is a bread stuffing with shallots and celery.  Bell's seasoning and a little salt and pepper.  The bird was rubbed with melted butter and then sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Chili

Chili !  Nature's perfect food ( or is pizza nature's perfect food ? ).  2-1/2 pounds of hamburger, 2 big cans of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of kidney beans, 3 jalapenos, 1 green pepper, and seasoning.  I sprinkle some shredded cheese in when I'm dishing it up. 

Boston Public Garden

 

 I rode the T today to Park Street and walked across the Common and the Public Garden.  The Garden was beautiful even this far into Fall.

 

 

The ducks were doing their usual thing.  I walked the length of Newbury Street ( no, I did not get a manicure, pedicure, facial, or anything ! ).  Then I cut over to Boylston and walked back.  With a stop at Au Bon Pain for decaf and a Ham, Egg, Cheese sandwich.

Roast Chicken, Potatoes. Onions

 

 

I'm roasting a chicken along with potatoes cut in half and onions also cut in half.  I drizzled a little canola oil and some melted butter on everything.  Then I sprinkled some Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper on all of it.

 

The smells are wonderful.  I get to enjoy them for about 2-1/2 hours, or, until the thermometer pops up.

Sunday, October 3rd

 

Delayed posting - this was my Sunday adventure.  I hopped on the trolley to Harvard Square and walked around Harvard Yard and the surrounding streets.  I love the area.  It seems so alive and different from the rest of the Boston area.

 I took almost 50 pictures.  I really enjoy the blend between old and new buildings on the campus.  Sunday morning between 8 and 9 is a very quiet time there ( late night partying the night before ? ).  You almost couldn't tell that you were in the middle of a major metropolitan  area.

2010 Deutsche Bank Tournament

Ernie Els, waiting to tee off at the first hole. After he hit, he spent some time signing autographs and posing for pictures. He was especially nice to the kids who were here.

Zach Johnson, getting ready at the 15th tee. I am volunteering for the third year here in Norton, Massachusetts. The practice round on Wednesday and the Pro-Am on Thursday are the only days cameras are allowed.

Too Much Tuna

I think the new girl at the sandwich shop needs a little more training. Believe it or not, there IS bread underneath the overflowing tuna salad.

This was yesterday's lunch. It was not easy to pick this up and eat it.

Fire Water in Providence

If you ever get the chance to be in Providence, Rhode Island on a Saturday night near Providence Place Mall, check out the Water Fire celebration.

Sorry (again !) for the poor Blackberry photo, but this is pretty cool. A boat proceeds along the canal, lighting these wood fires that sit above the water in sconces ( how often can you use "sconce" in a sentence ? ).

They broadcast classical music along the canal while the fires burn.

Pasta 'n Chicken

Sorry for the blurry phone-cam photo. This is one of those Birds-Eye frozen skillet dishes that I keep in the freezer for those nights I'm really, really lazy.

I like the fact that I have absolutely no control over how much sodium and other stuff is in this !

Panera Bread

Lunch today is a Turkey and Artichoke panini from Panera Bread. My co-worker picked it up for me ( I am answering the phones ) along with Broccoli Cheddar soup.

I love their food; I just wish it wasn't so damn expensive !

Spinach Lasagne

My friend Scott has my lasagne pan so this is an "abbreviated" lasagne. It's two layers instead of three, and it's shorter by the width of a lasagne sheet. I put spinach in this one in addition to ground meat (veal, pork, beef) and I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta.

Lobster

A first for me . . . lobster ! I have eaten lobster before, but I haven't cooked it. Our Boston location serves some of the fishermen and every once in a while they bring us lobsters, crabs, or fish. We also serve the food industry and sometimes get fresh baked bread.

I steamed these 2 and then tore them apart and ended up with two pounds of lobster meat. I will make some sort of lobster roll or salad out of it.

B'Day ?

One of my favorite meals, chicken in black pepper cream sauce. This is phase one, where the chicken is sauteed in oil and butter.

The finished product. Along with rice pilaf and creamed spinach.

Safe Ride Home

Here's my safe ride home these days. The only part I don't like is the fact that I got to Quincy Center only to be looking at an hour-and-fifteen-minute wait for my bus . . . so I walked the half-hour walk home. At least the threat of thunderstorms held off so I didn't get drenched.

Grill Marks

I have been obsessed with perfect grill marks . . . I have finally achieved ! These are boneless chicken breasts cooking in my cast-iron grill pan.

Accompanying will be rice pilaf and creamed spinach. I rubbed Stonewall Kitchen's Chicken and Pork Rub on the chicken before I put them on. Pretty good.

Car Show

I went to the car show in Dedham at the Endicott Estate today. This is a Corvair, if you can believe it.

A Chrysler Town and Country ( no, I did NOT take note of the year, sorry ).

A Thunderbird. Again, due to the sheer overwhelming numbers of vehicles, I did not note the year. It was wonderful, and hot. We walked until our legs were sore, and then hopped the shuttle bus to the parking.

My co-worker Chuck and our former co-worker Mike attended with me, along with Mike's Uncle. We have gone the last three years and thoroughly enjoy it.

My Two New Best Friends

Part of my new commuting schedule ( think "Charlie and the MTA" by the Kingston Trio ). A bus to either Braintree or Quincy Center ( Red Line ); then transfer to the Green Line at Park Street.

Then, unfortunately, a half-hour walk to work. I have seen the bus, but haven't caught it yet. That's where my OTHER new best friend helps out.

My trusty IPod Mini ( first or second generation; I'm not sure ). Discontinued in 2005, this is an antique by digital standards. About 970 songs. Battery life is not what it should be.

Balcony Life

Balcony/patio condo life at its best. An urban landscape, along with chicken cooked in my cast iron grill pan, rice pilaf, and brussels sprouts. My favorite beverage accompanies. I need to spend more time out here, It's good for the soul ( not that I have one, ha ha ! ).

Memorial Day, Boston Common

We drove in today to see the flags. This was taken with my phone (sorry !). I think there are 22,000 of them, one for each person from Massachusetts who gave their life for our country. This picture was kind of lucky; there was a pretty decent crowd in front of the flags when we showed up.

Chinese Noodle Soup

My version of a Chinese noodle soup. Egg noodles, pork dumplings, peas, carrots. I went to the Chinese market on Sunday and here's the result. It needs more spice but that's easy to fix. I did NOT buy any chicken's feet, although they were very attractively packaged. And, yes, those are my brand-new chopsticks.

The Wrong Way To Use a Toaster Oven

One of our employees insists upon ignoring our notes in the lunchroom and heats his pizza without using either the tray ( on top of the toaster oven ! ) or tinfoil underneath. You can't see it in the picture but some of the cheese has already melted and dripped down on top of the element, making for some nice burnt-food smells. We'll get to enjoy that over and over for the next couple of days !

Arlington National Cemetery

I just got back from Washington DC. We went and saw as many sights as we could. Arlington is probably the most moving. The Army's 3rd Regiment provides the members of the honor guard, who patrol 24/7/365. They only stop if there is a real threat of lightning striking.

Navy Bean Soup

I thought about making soup today so I headed over to the store and started wandering up and down the aisles. I grabbed 2 pounds of Navy Beans (grown in the USA; who knew ?).

2 smoked pig's feet, pig tails, a shallot, garlic, a cubed ham steak, 2 pounds of Navy Beans, celery, carrot, simmering in chicken stock. So far I have been disappointed with my soups. They're okay, but they don't really knock your socks off. Let's hope for a winner.

Chicken Marengo

I am making Chicken Marengo, which my father used to make on my birthday. This is the meal Napoleon Bonaparte had after he won the battle of Marengo. We share the same birthday. These are sauteed pearl onions and mushrooms in butter and lemon juice.

This is a cut-up chicken, in a white wine and chicken broth. Afterward, the onions and mushrooms go in, along with black olives and brandy. The Joy of Cooking advises waiting a day (unlike Napoleon). I am heeding her advice.

ANOTHER roast chicken dinner

The good news . . . the chicken looks pretty good. The bad news . . . the potatoes have about 20 minutes to go ( Oops ! ). I will spend the time making pan gravy.