Whatever happened to that playlist service where you could embed a sound file in a blog post like this? I feel like we need some 50 Cent all up in here, “In Da Club,” cuz shawty, it’s my birfday, we gonna party, cuz it’s my birfday.
Actually, probably the partying will be kept to a minimum, although the year 58 must be celebrated somehow, and it is the biggest bar night of the year. Some friends and I discovered one not too far from here that has the best jukebox I’ve seen in ages. (Detroiters: Better than Honest John’s, oh yes it is.) So that’ll be da club for tonight. But tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I’m cooking, so I have to get up ready to rumble in the kitchen.
That’s middle age for you.
I accept and thank you for all your tributes in advance. We’re all buddies in here.
A few links to get out of the way, some of which you folks have already posted in comments:
Gin & Tacos on security vs. freedom, bringing the Obviously sauce to the picnic:
By giving Americans the freedom to move about as they please and buy whatever they can afford (including some things that could be used to do harm) we are choosing (reasonably) to live with some risk. We’re never completely safe. As I tell the students, the only way to guarantee that you won’t be stabbed on the way to your next class is to create a society in which either cutlery or the right to walk around outside are forbidden. It’s certainly not likely to happen, and that’s why we choose to live with the minuscule risk that it will.
This is all incredibly simple, yet here I am explaining it because half of adult Americans do not appear to understand it. At one moment we appear to believe that we can protect ourselves from a nebulous and ephemeral threat and at the next moment we are willing to increase vastly the risks to ourselves and to society. The same people, for example, who oppose admitting Syrian refugees because doing so might pose the slightest increase in risk of danger from terrorism are most vocally in favor of letting everyone carry any kind of gun anywhere and at all times. We’re so concerned about our security that we are willing to let Syrian refugees die (literally) to protect ourselves, yet we don’t see a problem with handing out powerful, high-capacity firearms to any possibly unstable, possibly deranged white guy who can pass a laughable background check (or use one of the many loopholes in gun sales to circumvent even that) and hand over the purchase price. Our national principles can be jettisoned when we’re confronted with scary brown refugees but when we deal with the desire some of us have to avoid being murdered at work or school our freedoms are sacrosanct.
Neil Steinberg, touching on the same themes:
The right side of our political spectrum is devoted to marrying Islam to terror, Which makes them on the same team as ISIS, because that’s precisely why they commit these acts. Western culture is a big, warm, inclusive blob that absorbs and alters everything. Joan of Arc rides in, clad in armor, her eyes aglitter with passion for the Lord, and 500 years later, Miley Cyrus swings out, straddling a wrecking ball in her underwear. ISIS wants to separate Islam from the West, so men like them can be in charge forever and women never get to drive or sing. Thus they strike at the West in nihilistic acts of terror, counting on the Bruce Rauners of our nation to leap up and shout, “Golly, do we really want all these Syrians here?”
Yes, yes we do. Because the way to manufacture patriotic Americans is by letting their grandparents into the country after their homelands go to hell. My grandfather, Irwin Bramson, didn’t end up in a trench in Poland because a relative, Ira Saks, plucked him at age 15 out of the jaws of doom. So my mother, June, got to be born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1936, and not in Bialystok, Poland, where she’d end up another 5-year-old butchered by her neighbors.
I liked that image of Miley Cyrus swinging out of western civ. Made me chuckle. Of course, others see this as evidence of decadence; Rod Dreher — look up his stupid blog if you want to read it, I’m not linking here — has had his panties so bunchy lately, between terrorism and the hoo-ha on college campuses, that I’ve come up with a new rule: If it upsets Rod, I’m for it. Personally, I can’t wait until he makes good on this Benedict Option crap he’s always threatening and fucks off for good. Unfortunately, I’m sure he’ll be fucking off to someplace with wifi and a sinecure.
Which brings us to a final link, to Foreign Policy magazine, on terrorism in general, arranged in a helpful list:
Occasional terrorist attacks in the West are virtually inevitable, and odds are, we’ll see more attacks in the coming decades, not fewer. If we want to reduce the long-term risk of terrorism — and reduce its ability to twist Western societies into unrecognizable caricatures of themselves — we need to stop viewing terrorism as shocking and aberrational, and instead recognize it as an ongoing problem to be managed, rather than “defeated.”
The Israelis have been living with terrorism for generations. I don’t know that they’re the model we want to follow in our response, but they don’t hide under their beds, either.
So with that, I leave to go pick at a light breakfast before a 9:30 workout. The link between terrorism and birthdays isn’t an obvious one, but some years, maybe so. Not this one, not yet anyway.
Happy Thanksgiving, too. Look for photo posts through the weekend.
coozledad said on November 25, 2015 at 8:43 am
As TBogg says, terror doesn’t hurt the right. 300 dead marines didn’t hurt Reagan. 3000 plus American dead elevated Bush to the right hand of god. You’d almost think they’ve invested in it, and lookie! They did. Your tax dollars built ISIL. Paul Bremer, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld might as well have spun it off from KBR to keep the checks coming in.
About the time they were crushing the fragile bureaucratic structures that held everything together under their own handpicked dictator, they were ramping up the military capabilities of American police forces. Anyone who protested the Iraq war saw the police convert to an arm of the Republican party, at first tenuously, now completely co-opted by the wildest excesses of white authoritarianism:
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2015/11/24/the-public-execution-of-laquan-mcdonald/
That entire police department needs to be sequestered for individual interrogation, and where their stories don’t match up, they should be held and questioned until the DOJ knows how far the rot has made it to the head.
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basset said on November 25, 2015 at 8:45 am
The terrorism and related links are of course appropriate and informative, but I just don’t want to deal with that right now. Need a break from it. About to take my recently purchased firearm (“powerful,” it’s a .308, but not “high-capacity,” it only holds five rounds) to the woods and wait on Bambi’s relatives to come by. Organic and free-range meat, y’know.
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jcburns said on November 25, 2015 at 9:00 am
Happy Nanceday!
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Minnie said on November 25, 2015 at 9:36 am
Since I got my Islam-is-not-synonymous-with-terrorism argument over early this morning, I’m skipping lightly over the links until Friday. Happy birthday to the proprietress and a happy Thanksgiving to all.
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Julie Robinson said on November 25, 2015 at 9:38 am
Happy birthday Nancy, and happy Thanksgiving to all. Wear your stretchy pants!
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Deborah said on November 25, 2015 at 9:49 am
Happy Birthday Nancy! When my husband had that birthday we made him a cake that said, “fifty fucking eight”. It sounded right.
Lots to do today. If I don’t get back to nn.c before it’s over, everyone have a great Thanksgiving!
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Bitter Scribe said on November 25, 2015 at 10:13 am
Personally, I can’t wait until he makes good on this Benedict Option crap he’s always threatening and fucks off for good.
You’ll probably be waiting for the rest of your life. It’s my experience that the people who are always threatening to leave the country, go Galt, take the Benedict Option (whatever that is), or otherwise deprive us of their wisdom, never do.
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4dbirds said on November 25, 2015 at 10:14 am
Happy birthday Nancy!
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MichaelG said on November 25, 2015 at 10:34 am
Happy Birthday, Nance! And Happy Thanksgiving to all of us!
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Andrea said on November 25, 2015 at 10:35 am
Happy happy, to Nancy, and Happy to the rest of you.
Yes, Cooz, we are all reeling here in Chicago. I think resolving the original sin of America is our greatest challenge, with climate change and terrorism/fundamentalism (I include deranged white guys with guns in this group too) following closely behind.
Safe travels to all who are traveling.
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Judybusy said on November 25, 2015 at 10:48 am
Happiest of birthdays, Nancy! And I hope everyone has a delicious Thanksgiving and pleasant times with friends and family.
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adrianne said on November 25, 2015 at 10:54 am
As Fitty would say, a Happy Birfday to you! Don’t go too crazy on your Thanksgiving prep. Apply frequent doses of medicinal wine.
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Suzanne said on November 25, 2015 at 10:55 am
Happy birthday!
I’ll try to avoid all talk of terrorists, climate change, or politics during the family get togethers, but it won’t be easy. The moderate people on both sides of the family want to talk about sports, or good books they’ve read, or the challenges of raising children. The hyper conservatives want to talk about terrorists and how to get rid of them (usually involves carpet bombs) and how messed up the world is. The only way is lots of wine, but the problem is that this loosens one’s tongue and then all bets are off.
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beb said on November 25, 2015 at 11:00 am
Wait, wit,wait, Nancy, if today is your birthday and you turn 58, then you were born two years and two days after my own Crazycatlady. It is indeed a small world.
We already had Thanksgiving, down at my father’s last weekend. My father is 94, recovering from surgery for kidney stones so we had a lot to be thankful for. Mrs. beb cooked a fresh — not frozen — turkey unstuffed, and it was wonderfully moist and tasty. Afterwards she cooked down the carcase so when we return for Christmas we’ll have a heart batch of turkey noodle soup.
I can’t remember where I heard or read it but some conservative was arguing that we can’t add the terror list to other lists of people who can’t buy guns because people get arbitrarily placed on the list, have no way of knowing they are on the list, and have no way to get off the list. This is what liberals have been saying about the terror list since 9-11, only to have their concerns dismissed but the right. Also, liberals have been trying since 9-11 to get the terror list added to the lists of people who can’t buy guns.
Oddly, I’m over being concerned about Syrian refugees. I’m more concerned with the white supremacists who fired into an other peaceful march of #Blacklivesmatter in Minneapolis, and the Chicago who fired 16 rounds into the back of a black youth. Wonder of wonders the cop is going to face charges but he had spent the last year on paid administrative leave, which clearly means the Chicago PD thought he hadn’t done anything wrong.
Basset, good luck with the deer hunting, may you keep your powder dry and your feet warm. I seem to remember the time or two my dad went deer hunting (mostly he hunted rabbits) he had to insert a plug into his shotgun’s magazine because Indiana law limited hunters to three rounds. Maybe I’m misremembering the whole thing because I never wanted to hunt, but the thought sticks in my head because when it comes to animals no one questions limits on guns. It’s only when it comes to murdering people that limits on guns become unconstitutional.
Neil Steinberg was wrong about one thing, when Miley swung out on that wrecking ball she was totally commando. That had to have been one cold ass ride.
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beb said on November 25, 2015 at 11:20 am
If this works, a little holiday cheer…
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beb said on November 25, 2015 at 11:25 am
So either only the Mistress can post pictures here (which is probably a good thing, or Flickr has gotten so complicated that I no longer know how to use it. I wanted to link to a picture of some snow for people tired of the middle-east.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/14920538@N03/23195031802/in/dateposted-public/
Let’s try this link…
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susan said on November 25, 2015 at 11:35 am
For those who have to deal with Thanksgiving family frictions…
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brian stouder said on November 25, 2015 at 12:37 pm
Hey – here’s hoping all ya’ll have a pleasant holiday with your peeps –
and Happy Birthday to Nancy!
Last week I attended a public meeting at Weisser Park school, related to a school improvement/renovation bond.
‘Course, I already support that issue; the reason I really wanted to go was to see my old (now renovated!) schoolroom, from…. 42 years ago…!!! That number hadn’t occurred to me, ’til Pam pointed it out.
Anyway – here’s hoping all ya’ll have a great holiday.
Seriously, on any list (of 5 items or more) of things I am thankful for, Nancy Nall Derringer’s blog – a safe harbor on a hostile sea – would appear!
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Sherri said on November 25, 2015 at 12:40 pm
Happy Birthday!
The benefits of being 3000 miles away from family, no family Thanksgiving with right-wing Fox-watching relatives who simultaneously believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible and that we should ban Syrian refugees.
Most of the rest of the world has dealt with terrorism for generations; we’re the unusual case, mostly isolated by geography. Actually, that’s my white privilege showing; black people dealt with terrorism in the country for generations.
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Jolene said on November 25, 2015 at 12:55 pm
I am so fed up with the failure of rationality highlighted by G&T that I can barely speak. Am glad they and others are taking up the charge.
Meanwhile, I checked into the Facebook chat that Sam Sifton, editor of the NYT cooking newsletter that some us like, is conducting. Asked what sort of wine he would recommend for Thanksgiving dinner, he recommended Alotta wine, a recommendation I support. (He also endorsed Gamays.)
Happy Thanksgiving all, and Happy Birthdsy, Nance. As others have said, NN.com is high on the list of things I’m thankful for.
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MichaelG said on November 25, 2015 at 1:28 pm
Basset, I have no particular objection in principle to deer hunting for meat. I do have a major objection to freezing my ass off in a tree or somewhere. Fuck that shit.
When I see G & T all I can think of is gin and tonic.
My wife and daughter and her honey are coming over tomorrow. The grandkids are with their dad for the holiday. The wine is a Rioja and a nice Viognier. Since I’m old and infirm, I’m cooking one of those frozen turkey breasts along with the stuffing. My wife and daughter will bring the rest.
I’m afraid that the Dr. informed me that I will have to cancel my Havana trip in favor of Chemo. Great choice. Bummer. Oh well.
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Judybusy said on November 25, 2015 at 1:43 pm
Dammit, MichaelG, that is bad news. I hope this round of chemo knocks that cancer out for good.
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alex said on November 25, 2015 at 1:49 pm
Sorry to hear that Michael. Happy birfday Nancy!
I’m the designated cook this year because my mom fell down and sprained both a wrist and an ankle. And as luck would have it, my stove went kaput just in time for the festivities, so I’ll be doing my brined turkey on the outdoor grill and the rest of the cooking in my mom’s kitchen.
The upside is that I’m finally converting from an electric range to gas, which I’ve been wanting to do. I put it off because I wasn’t ready to part with the vintage 40-inch electric range that came with the house. The new one’s only going to be a standard 30-incher, alas, because anything 36 to 40 inches starts at around $5K these days. I picked the new one out last week but they told me to wait until tonight for Black Friday savings, so why not? That’ll help go toward a new matching exhaust hood to replace the old one that’s almond in color.
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Connie said on November 25, 2015 at 1:59 pm
No wine allowed at my Methodist in-law’s. Which they failed to tell my now sister-in-law on her first visit there a couple of years ago. So I have once had wine at my mother-in-law’s – in a paper cup.
My in-laws do holidays on Chinet. My family does fine china and crystal. Reasons for both. Which do you prefer?
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beb said on November 25, 2015 at 2:17 pm
Fine china is to impress strangers. Paper plates is for people who don’t care. If it’s just family and you have no one to impress — go paper. Let the environment take a hit for one day.
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Jolene said on November 25, 2015 at 2:22 pm
Definitely fine china. During the many years when I traveled to ND to visit my parents at Christmas, one of the highlights of the trip was the beautifully set table on Christmas Eve. The china, the crystal, and the silver all sparkled. Nice linens, candles, and a beautiful floral centerpiece reliably sent by my aunt and uncle. Wonderful food, too. It’s been years now since Christmas was like this, but, honestly, I still miss it.
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brian stouder said on November 25, 2015 at 2:25 pm
Connie, I knew a guy whose saying was “I prefer my beer to be free, and cold, and in that order”
– which is my attitude toward soda pop/juice/Kool Aid etc.
MichaelG – we’re rooting for you; and if not Havana now, then it’s one more thing to plan for, going forward, eh?
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MichaelG said on November 25, 2015 at 2:28 pm
C’mon, it’s a holiday. Jolene’s right. Treat everyone to a nice looking table. I don’t have “fine china”, my wife has all that stuff, but for sure there will be no paper plates, cups or paper napkins here tomorrow.
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Dian Kim said on November 25, 2015 at 2:32 pm
Connie @ 24:
As long as there is enough good turkey gravy to go over the mashed taters, dressing and turkey, and it doesn’t soak in, paper plates work fine. But bringing out the fine china once in a while is good, too.
Mmm, gravy.
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basset said on November 25, 2015 at 2:57 pm
One of the few Dave Barry comments I can get behind is his approach to wine – “drink it and look around for more.”
Beb and MichaelG, I’m neither freezing nor in a tree – temp here in the woods outside Lobelville, Tennessee is an unseasonably warm 64, and I’m sitting on the ground leaned up against an oak tree waiting for a deer to come by.
That three-shot plug business sounds more like duck hunting, never heard of it for deer but I dunno. Deer hunting has to be done with a shotgun in Indiana and southern Michigan, a missed shot with a rifle can carry fir several miles.
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A. Riley said on November 25, 2015 at 3:16 pm
Yep, we get out the wedding china, silver, & crystal for T-day. Always a treat to set a pretty table for guests, even if I do stay up for hours after everyone else has gone to bed, washing the dishes by hand.
When my mom was alive and all thirteen of us (kids, spouses, grandkids) would crowd into her tiny tiny “dinette,” we would sit on the surviving kitchen chairs, the sewing machine bench, folding lawn chairs, whatever we could squeeze around the table. There were a few china plates that had somehow survived the years, a bunch of melamine, and the array was filled out by paper and plastic. It was a struggle for all concerned, to be honest, and when my older sisters conspired to move the feast to a nearby hotel buffet (excuse: There’ll be enough turkey and stuffing for the teenage grandsons!) we all gladly agreed, no one more happily than mom.
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Dexter said on November 25, 2015 at 3:35 pm
Pondering another year gone by…and happy birfdey to nance .
And a remembrance that’s a downer, cuz this is the day my first wife left me for good about the time when Nixon was still fucking up the USA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMHdq4jm0oQ
And after that’s said
Forget it.
Don’t be inane
There’s no one to blame
No reason why
You should stay here
And lie to me.
Don’t say anymore
Just walk out the door
I’ll get along fine
You’ll see.
But thanks for your time
Then you can thank me for mine
And after that’s said
Forget it.
If there was a word
But magic’s absurd
I’d make one dream come true.
It didn’t work out
But don’t ever doubt
How I felt about you.
But thanks for your time
Then you can thank me for mine
And after that’s said
Forget it.
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Dexter said on November 25, 2015 at 3:37 pm
goddammitt! I copied the wrong song link. Here ya go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMv9kjFp1gk
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annie said on November 25, 2015 at 5:14 pm
Thanks for linking to Forget it, Dexter. I’ve just added it to my itunes collection.
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David C. said on November 25, 2015 at 5:31 pm
We decided not to go home to Michigan. We’re going to stay here and be thankful. I’m smoking turkey thighs, because white meat is for children, for dinner. It’s supposed to rain all day which should make things a little more interesting. Happy birthday, Nancy.
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brian stouder said on November 25, 2015 at 5:37 pm
We’ll be over the river and through the woods, to grandmother’s house (Pam’s marvelous mom).
Here’s the annual turkey-reprieve article, wherein the president pardons a turkey or two…and it made me laugh out loud! Check out the name of the National Turkey Federation guy, pictured standing next to the president.
The talk-radio/Fox News axis-of-idiocy will surely try and make something of this, yes?
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brian stouder said on November 25, 2015 at 5:37 pm
… and here’s that link!
http://wane.com/2015/11/25/obama-grants-reprieve-to-turkeys-honest-and-abe/
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Colleen said on November 25, 2015 at 7:32 pm
I’m in favor of the good china and flatware. We always “save it for special occasions”….what’s more special than getting family and friends together to share a meal?
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Jim Moehrke said on November 25, 2015 at 7:49 pm
No china here. We’re having 20 to 22 folks here, and even though we have antique china, from my wife’s grandmother, we set the table with more plebeian ware. Over the years we’ve managed to acquire 30 or so Corningware plates, so that’s what we use. The two turkeys are all spatchcocked and ready for tomorrow’s oven, the vegies for the dressing and the birds are chopped, and the potatoes set. And it’s my birthday, too, so we’re ready to celebrate.
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BethB from Indiana said on November 25, 2015 at 9:55 pm
It’s been so long since I’ve commented that I’ve forgotten whether I used my full name or what I’m using today! Oh, well, BethB it is.
We used to have the “good” dishes out when my parents were still alive and hosting Thanksgiving. Things have gotten more casual since then. My sisters and niece and spouses and grandnephew get together at my niece’s house; one daughter, son-in-law, and the grand kids go to his family’s near Gary; my husband and I take the other daughter and son-in-law out to dinner at where ever we can get a reservation that has a traditional Thanksgiving meal and not just a buffet. This year it’s Seasons 52 in Indianapolis. I’ve never been there so I hope it’s good.
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basset said on November 25, 2015 at 11:47 pm
Just me and Mrs. B. tomorrow, on our regular dishes. Didn’t shoot a deer today but I could have shot three, that’s enough.
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MichaelG said on November 26, 2015 at 12:20 am
I forgot the candles.
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Jerry said on November 26, 2015 at 3:10 am
First off, my best wishes for an enjoyable Thanksgiving to all of you celebrating it.
Then Happy Birthday to Nancy – I hadn’t realised that we were twins, although separated by 13 years! I had a great day starting with an hour on Skype with our son and grandson in Australia. Then Tai Chi and badminton. After lunch some cooking followed by the arrival of our sorta daughter with our two adoptive grandsons. Gabriel is exactly 60 years younger than me so another “twin”. After they left our youngest son arrived complete with a very nice bottle of Australian Shiraz which went well with the butterflied leg of lamb in balsamic vinegar, roasted red onions and orzo. And our middle son sent birthday wishes from Patagonia where he is on holiday.
A most enjoyable, pleasure-filled day. Hope yours was as good, Nancy.
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Sherri said on November 26, 2015 at 4:17 am
Happy Thanksgiving, dear friends. We’ll be gathering later than most of ya’ll, and there’ll be 16-ish of us, depending on whether various girlfriends or boyfriends join us so dinner will be on whatever plates we can find that will serve that many. Then, we’ll had back home, and switch out our regular plates for our winter plates, which we’ll enjoy well past Christmas until Ash Wednesday. Anything to cheer up the gloom of winter!
Sorry to hear about your trip to Havana, MichaelG. Hope it’s only postponed, not ended.
I’ve pass the first hurdle for the Planning Commission; I had my interview with the Mayor, a member of the City Planning Staff, and a member of the Planning Commission. That went well enough that I’m being put forth as a recommended candidate for approval by the City Council, where I’ll interview next Tuesday evening. If all goes well then, I’ll be sworn in on Jan 5.
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Connie said on November 26, 2015 at 7:31 am
I love to use my china, silver, etc., look over my drawer of tablecloths. Mine is ironstone rather than china, and they are the same dishes with which my grandmother set her Thanksgiving table. Though I often sat on the piano bench at the “kid’s table.”
It’s an odd pattern with flowers and a ?bug?. Look up mason’s Regency to see it. The company that bought Masons some years ago discontinued the pattern after almost 200 years. And it could be bought in this country only at Forslunds Furniture in Grand Rapids which renamed it plantation colonial and carried it as its private line.
The chinet china question kind of describes the difference between our two families.
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alex said on November 26, 2015 at 8:36 am
My partner’s Catholic family is so big that they rent a church reception hall and set up a buffet of crock pots and stacks of paper plates. We’re heading over there in a couple of hours with my famous orange-and-tarragon glazed pork tenderloin prepared on the grill. I made four of them last night.
On Friday we’re doing the fine china thing with my much smaller family. And I’m preparing the entire meal. This year I may try brining the turkey for the first time ever, then slathering it with rosemary and garlic scape compound butter. The packaging says it’s been injected “with up to 8 percent something-something solution” so not sure if brining is advisable with such a bird — gonna have to do some reading up on that.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on November 26, 2015 at 8:54 am
Got my mince pie in the oven, pumpkin goes in next. Grace and peace to y’all, and especially MichaelG. But my prayers for health and healing to everyone, especially after what we are about to eat . . . but there’s health food, and mental health food.
Moderation in all things, as Chang would say! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
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alex said on November 26, 2015 at 9:00 am
Moderation in all things. Including politics.
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Jolene said on November 26, 2015 at 9:34 am
On TV tonight. Not sure how good this will be, but I love that the White House puts together programs like this.
After your feast of turkey and stuffing this Thursday, TLC is offering a treat for Broadway lovers in the mood for some heartwarming holiday spirit. Airing at 8pm ET on Thanksgiving evening, the network will present a one-hour special titled Broadway at the White House. The program follows a group of high school students who were chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend an all-day symposium on careers in theater at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Hosted by Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth (On the Twentieth Century) and Tony nominee Matthew Morrison (Finding Neverland), the students learn alongside some of the biggest names on Broadway, with Whoopi Goldberg, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gloria Estefan, Christian Borle, Cicely Tyson, Stephen Schwartz, and other current Broadway stars participating and performing throughout. Take a look at a preview of the day’s events below.
“Below” is a clip from the show.
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David C. said on November 26, 2015 at 9:54 am
Try dry brining, Alex. I’ve done it when I’ve smoked pork butts for pulled pork. I understand it works well with turkey too and must be easier than dealing with all that water. There’s food science behind it too.
http://amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/dry_brining.html
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alex said on November 26, 2015 at 10:46 am
Thanks, David C. I just read a piece about wet brining that says it sucks more flavor out of the meat than it contributes and dry brining is recommended instead.
I dry brined successfully once, although I didn’t have the recommended 24 hours. And my bird was still far from fully thawed. I was in a panic, but found info on the internet that said I could still cook it from frozen. I rubbed it with salt, pepper, minced garlic and minced rosemary in a bit of olive oil, placed it in a roasting pan and put it on the grill. It took longer than usual but it was so good that my guests have been requesting a repeat performance.
This time I’ll have 24 hours on a thawed bird. Hope it’s even better.
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MichaelG said on November 26, 2015 at 11:24 am
Thanks for the best Havana wishes. This trip was specifically structured around the Havana Jazz Festival which, obviously, is not a moveable feast. I’ll see what I can arrange after the first of the year. There are all kinds of tours.
Not up on the fine points of china. Just that it’s not paper or plastic. What kind of stuffing are y’all doing? I’m making a bread stuffing with sausage.
Alex, that pork tenderloin sounds delish. Can you share the recipe?
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Deborah said on November 26, 2015 at 11:56 am
Sautéed scallops on risotto, roasted asparagus with garlic and shallots, beforehand we’re having bread or crackers with wine butter or pesto, Asiago cheese with rosemary, nuts, olives, etc. For dessert almond lemon tart with whipped cream. Burp. LB is making most of it. She made the wine butter a few days ago, we’ve never had it before and are anxious to try it. My only contribution will be whipping the heavy cream into whipped cream. My husband bought a good bottle of wine. We’re having our feast on the floor in front of the fireplace. We don’t have a table in Santa Fe just a breakfast bar, except outside. We pushed our two nelson benches together to form a low table and put the decorative pillows that usually are propped against the wall on those benches, now on the floor to sit on. Two of LB’s dear friends are joining us.
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Jolene said on November 26, 2015 at 3:50 pm
MichaelG, Ezra Klein believes we should ignore tradition (or, at least, the turkey part of Thanksgiving tradition) and eat Momofuku pork shoulder instead. His logic is compelling, and the recipe he provides sounds both good and easy. Not sure how it compares to Alex’s pork tenderloin, but sounds worth a try.
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alex said on November 26, 2015 at 10:54 pm
Michael G, I’ve been doing this for some time and have made modifications, but I have it bookmarked so you get the general idea:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/grilled_pork_tenderloin.aspx
Below is the accompanying “rosemary orange” glaze. I’ve been substituting tarragon and also adding garlic, which gives it a nice kick:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/rosemary_orange_glaze.aspx
And today I also substituted molasses for the brown sugar. It was superb.
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MichaelG said on November 27, 2015 at 12:07 am
Ezra’s sort of correct but turkey is a tradition and once a year is about right and I like it so . . .
That Chang recipe looks good and I’ve always really liked David Chang. I’ll have to try that.
Thanks, Alex. That looks really good. I think molasses is a way underutilized ingredient. I’ll have to try this as well.
When I was in St. Martinville, LA a month ago, the proprietress of the B&B served pancakes with cane syrup. I can’t recall having had cane syrup before and it was very, very good.
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David C. said on November 27, 2015 at 6:39 am
America is a wondrous place.
http://distractify.com/food/2015/11/23/beth-piecaken-is-here
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on November 27, 2015 at 11:20 am
O brave new world, that has such baking in it.
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FDChief said on November 27, 2015 at 11:44 am
The other problem with getting all panty-twisted about Sunni jihadi-ism is that, short of punitive occupation or genocide, there’s really no “solution”. When Dubya & Co. knocked the Saddam cork off the Iraqi bottle what emerged was the sectarianism that he – and the British before him and the Ottomans before them – had kept down. The Shia finally took over the joint. Throw in the rebellion against the Alawite rule in Syria and you have a “Sunnistan” that’s going to have some sort of theocratic government because the secular Arab governments have proven either incompetent or corrupt, or both. The West (and Israel) have done a terrific job convincing Abu and Maryam Lunchpail that only the jihadis will successfully resist (and harm) the West and Israel…
Hopefully at some point – and hopefully NOT after the Middle East undergoes its own Thirty Years’ War – the Muslim states of SW Asia and North Africa will have their own secular revolutions. Until then, yes; this sort of attack will occur from time to time, and we need to pull up our big girl and boy panties and get on with it…
http://www.firedirectioncenter.blogspot.com/2015/11/maxim-cv-and-impossible-problem-of.html
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