Author Archives: Tasha

A funny thing happened on the way to the turkey.

Funny how things change.

So, I just posted a big ol’ thing on this special turkey I was planning on serving for Thanksgiving. A turkey that’s currently in my freezer. A turkey I am suddenly thankful I haven’t started to thaw yet…

You see, right after posting that, my guest list doubled. Which isn’t hard to do. Originally my guest list was two people. Then one of them asked if she could bring two more who weren’t yet in a Thanksgiving celebration. I said yes, then contemplated how 8.43 lbs of turkey seems too little for 6 people.

I mean, it’s really not. It just means minimal leftovers, which is also okay, if not ideal.

Then, on Twitter, a Twitter-only (so far) friend who had agreed to be a delivery point for a local farm said someone backed out on three turkeys, and she needed someone to take them off her hands.… Continue reading →

Let’s discuss Thanksgiving, shall we?

It’s kind of astounding to me that I’m on my second Thanksgiving with this blog. While it’s been (I admit) pretty dead this year (our wedding and honeymoon month of October is completely dead), I’m still thinking about it & considering it. I figure that I enjoy Thanksgiving so much, and I’m thankful for the urge to play games (see the whole challenge aspect of this blog) that now’s probably the time to breathe some new life into this thing.

So, for today I thought I’d share a bit of my Thanksgiving menu with everyone[1], and ask what your Thanksgiving plans and/or menu are. Tomorrow, I’ll update with yet more menu.

Last year we bought a huge turkey from the folks at … Continue reading →

The fast history of the potato.

It’s another link today. I promise MetaCookbook won’t become just a link-sharing spot, but I probably am going to increase the number of links I put out here to share with you guys.

This one came to me, I think, from Mark Bittman’s twitter feed. I don’t actually recall, though, because it’s been sitting on my computer waiting for me to read it for about a week.

It’s a fascinating and relatively quick history of the potato’s impact on agriculture. Called “How the Potato Changed the World” by Charles C. Mann, it has a fascinating run-down of the potato’s history, and makes a case for the potato being the root[1] of current agricultural processes.

One thing I found truly fascinating? The claim the article makes that modern pesticides originated with a frustrated farmer throwing paint on his potato plants.… Continue reading →

WAFFLES!

You guys? I had no idea how many different kinds of waffles there are!

I love waffles, but almost never eat them. I don’t have a waffle iron, and when we go out for breakfast these days, Bill & I tend to find places that don’t sell waffles. Or we find places that DO sell waffles, but have something way more interesting and even harder to make at home than waffles.

And we don’t buy frozen waffles. Not for the reasons you’re thinking! Insert some thought about processed foods or not local foods or whatever you’re thinking here

No, we don’t buy frozen waffles because I will eat them. All. In less than two hours. Eight frozen waffles is no challenge for my voracious waffle hunger.… Continue reading →

Smitten Kitchen’s Naked Tomato Sauce

I have told you all in the past how much I didn’t like tomatoes. I liked ’em ok in sauce, ketchup and, you know, things like that. Cooked, let’s say. Then Corrine and an unknown farmer came into my live & bulldozed that into oblivion. You all know that.

Now I really like tomatoes, in season. I still kind of find winter tomatoes repulsive. So now, possibly more than any other food in the world, I’m vaguely obsessed with finding a way to preserve this for the future. Of course, I’m pretty new at this “preserving things”, so it’s going slowly.

The other day I managed to can a dozen pint jars of tomatoes. I don’t know if that’s a reasonable size or not, but I decided it seemed better than quarts for a family of two.… Continue reading →