Take it away, TaMara:
Happy Thursday before Thanksgiving! A little housekeeping. First there will be no Thursday Night Menu next week. Hopefully most of you will be too full by that time to even think about food. For my Canadian, Australian and Thai friends (how cool is the internet) I sincerely apologize. Second, I usually spend the week before Thanksgiving posting all kinds of holiday recipes, but I’m travelling this year, and won’t be able to do that. If you click on Thanksgiving in the categories, it will bring up 6 or 7 holiday recipes, including a great Apple-Cranberry-Walnut Crisp.
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Tonight’s menu came to be as one of my kids’ night menus, but don’t let that fool you, it’s tasty. If you haven’t had buffalo before, this is your chance to try it. If you want to start out slowly, mix it half and half with a ground beef (I’d go with an 80/20 grind, because the buffalo is so lean), or mix in ¼ lb of spicy sausage. The stuffed acorn squash is a quick, easy recipe, but let it inspire you, because you can stuff acorn squash with any number of wonderful things, from rice to couscous to fruits and nuts. It can make for a fun, decorative holiday side. For the dessert, you can usually find frozen huckleberries, but if not, you can easily substitute with blueberries or even a selection of mixed berries like blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.
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On the board tonight:
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1. Buffalo Burgers
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2. Whole Grain Rolls
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3. Stuffed Acorn Squash
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4. Cherokee Huckleberry Bread
Recipes and shopping list, as always, at the link.
Just Some Fuckhead
Uh, can I substitute eagle if I can’t find buffalo?
John - A Motley Moose
This sounds great. I love buffalo burgers. Already have the acorn squash. I’ve never tried them with regular stuffing. Sounds pretty good.
debit
Oh, yum. I’m going to try that bread this weekend.
freelancer
I just made a stir-fry with this vegetable pack, a can of water chestnuts, 3 sliced jalapeno peppers, a diced green bell pepper, and a package of breakfast sausage that I first browned while seasoning with soy sauce and crushed red pepper.
I need a ton of Kleenex, cause this shit is delicious, but damn did I make it spicy.
debit
I just inhaled a steak. Nothing fancy, just a hunk of red meat pan seared. It was lovely while I ate it but now I feel slightly ill. Too late at night and too rich food. Bleh.
asiangrrlMN
Buffalo is a really delicious meat. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t tried it.
Oh, and I just learned that there is not much Snape in the new HP movie, so even though I am going to see it tomorrow, I am not excited. Harrumph.
Still, I post this in honor of Alan Rickman.
TaMara (BHF)
@Just Some Fuckhead: Pretty sure there is a hefty fine for that, but hey, live on the wild side.
I’m working late again – I’ll try and stop back again later. What’s everyone got planned for the holiday?
J. Michael Neal
I’ve come to the conclusion that Skippy Neuheisal is a loathesome human being. You screamed at your starting QB and pulled him to put in a kid who had never played a down of college football before, and when he throws a bad interception, you start yelling obscenities at him? (Sometimes lips are easy to read.)
Some people shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near young adults. Coaches always talk about how they wish they would be treated like tenured faculty. Well, tenure or not, any faculty member that treats his students like that would be out on his ass.
Edit: And apparently the first kid he screamed at has a head injury.
sfinny
Love stuffed acorn squash. I usually do a mixture of brown sugar, sausage, and whatever veggies are available.
And freelancer, that crushed red pepper can sneak up on you. I love spicy food but sometimes my shaking has added a little bit more than intended.
Mnemosyne
I asked this further down, but I’ll ask again since the foodies will congregate here: is there such a thing as a substitute for garlic? I want to make this sweet potato chili for a potluck at work, but one of my coworkers has freaky allergies and one of them is to garlic.
The suggestions I got were ginger or shallots. Any others?
J. Michael Neal
@J. Michael Neal: And the next guy throws an interception on his first pass. You know, Skippy, if none of your QBs can execute, maybe the problem is you.
debit
@TaMara (BHF): Dinner with my parents on Turkey Day. Mom is cooking, but I’m making onion bread per my Dad’s request.
@Mnemosyne: Man, that recipe looks good. Sadly, nothing is like garlic but garlic. Shallots are sweeter and milder, so I don’t know if they’d hold up well in the slow cooker.
MikeJ
@Mnemosyne: Elephant garlic isn’t a true garlic. It’s a leek. Much, much milder flavor profile than real garlic too.
Comrade Mary
@Mnemosyne: Only garlic tastes like garlic, but shallots are semi-garlicky, and ginger is a nice support.
sfinny
Since this is open thread, I think that the democrats are smart to confront Republicans on taking the federal heathcare. But I think it needs to go a step further. For those who back out, ask what is this wonderful plan that they have. Let’s offer it to everybody or have the opt-outs explain what the restrictions are. If it is good enough for them, then it is good enough for everbody at the same rates. Let’s see how the insurers react.
Violet
@Mnemosyne:
Ah yes, garlic allergy. I know it well. Pain in the rear allergy for anyone to have. Garlic is in everything.
You need to find out if your coworker has an allergy to allium or just to garlic. If allium, the all onions, shallots, leeks, etc. are out. If just garlic, then you can work around it with an onion or shallot or leek.
That recipe is probably okay without garlic. Give it a try and see. You can always make a batch without it, then take some out for your coworker and box it up, add garlic to the rest and cook slightly longer.
Nothing is garlic but garlic. But once you’ve cooked without it for awhile, you find you don’t need as much as you think you do. It seems that some cooks add garlic to everything because they think they need it. They don’t. Cook without it for a bit and try other flavors. It makes your cooking more interesting when you’ve got a challenge like that.
MattR
@asiangrrlMN: And do you know where the world’s largest buffalo is? It’s not too, too far from you.
Anyone who did not just catch it should make sure to watch tonight’s Daily Show at some point.
MikeJ
In a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, why do they make Franklin, the only black man at the dinner, sit by himself?
asiangrrlMN
@MattR: No. Where? I would like to
eatsee it. What’s on TDS tonight? I can watch it on the webs later.TaMara (BHF)
@MikeJ: Because it was the 70’s and the south was still segregated? Or it’s 2010 and he’s a Kenyan/Muslim? Man, I haven’t watched that since I was a kid, didn’t know they did poor Franklin so wrong.
MikeJ
@TaMara (BHF): Was just watching. Linus and Marcie sat at the heads of the table, Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, and Snoopy on the right, and Franklin by himself on the left.
MattR
@asiangrrlMN: I usually think that online headlines claiming something was an epic takedown, complete destruction, etc are completely overblown, however Jon spent the first 20 minutes parodying/debunking Glenn Beck’s recent two part expose on George Soros and it was a thing of beauty to behold.
BTW, the world’s largest Buffalo is in Jamestown, ND.
EDIT – And Maru and his boxes just got a shout out on Colbert (getting more hits on Youtube than the Pope’s Easter address)
asiangrrlMN
@MattR: OK, you did not specify FAKE buffalo! And, I am not going to the Dakotas any time soon.
And, I find that again in my absence, Cole posted a pic of Tunchie. Harrumph.
@MattR: Found it. Still grumpy that you meant fake buffalo. Oh, and I love it when Jon parodies Beck. I will make sure to watch it. Hm. I could actually watch it in real time now that I have access to cable, thanks to you….
Love Maru!
MattR
@asiangrrlMN:
This was my exact reaction when my Dad finally broke it to me as we got close.
Tunch pic? Where?!? (Or did you mean the one from earlier in the week?)
TDS repeats at 1:30 am on 828
MikeJ
@asiangrrlMN:
When I was 15 or so I was driving back home from Colorado (yes, that’s too young for a driver’s license[1], long story), I kept myself awake across several hours of Kansas because of the promise of the world’s largest prairie dog. Very disappointed when I got there.
[1] The cop in Cape Girardeau, MO decided that 30mph over the limit and too young for a license was way more trouble than it was worth, just told me slow down.
asiangrrlMN
@MikeJ: Yeah. I can see how that would be disappointing!
@MattR: Oh, man. Yeah, that would suck big time. And, 1:30 a.m. your time or mine?
Tunchie pic is from Tuesday. However, he’s done this to me at least three times, so I am getting suspicious.
MattR
@asiangrrlMN:
Mine.
In my dad’s defense, he didn’t drag me out to Jamestown just to see the buffalo. We were driving by as we were going to visit his aunt and uncle relatively nearby.
@asiangrrlMN: More disturbing would have been if I had forced him to take me.
asiangrrlMN
@MattR: Well, that’s good. Because if your dad had done that (solely for the Buffalo), I would have questioned the character of your dad–and that just wouldn’t be right.
ETA: True. Then I would have had to question YOUR character!
Mnemosyne
@Violet:
I’m pretty sure it’s just garlic because she still eats onions. I may just add in some extra onion and call it a day.
We have two vegetarians and allergy girl in the office, so I think this should cover them for a main dish at the potluck. Plus it sounds yummy.
Jay
Word is 4-5 Republican Senators are now on board with DADT repeal, with Voinovich, Ensign (!), at least one of the Maine-iacs, and Dick Lugar among them.
Interesting. What/who swayed Mr. Nevada Tan guy? I did not expect him to back repeal.
Either way, glad it’s happening.
MikeJ
@Jay: They don’t have to be in favor of it when it comes up for a vote, merely agree to vote for cloture. My guess is they will vote for cloture and tell the Log Cabin republicans they’re on their side, vote against the bill that will pass anyway and complain that the Dems are ramming things down their throats.
asiangrrlMN
@MattR: Thanks for leaving it on the right channel! Although, now I’m flipping to the FNC until Jon time.
asiangrrlMN
@MattR: I watched. It reminded me why I fell for Jon in the first place. Now I need a cigarette.
John - A Motley Moose
@MikeJ: There’s no down side for the GOP on this. Not enough people care if it doesn’t go through. People can be in favor of something without really caring if it happens or not. If, hopefully when, it passes, the only reason people will care for it 2 years from now is if it causes problems. In that case, the GOP could make political hay from it. If it doesn’t cause any problems then they’ll just treat it as ancient history.
Jay
@MikeJ-
“They don’t have to be in favor of it when it comes up for a vote, merely agree to vote for cloture. My guess is they will vote for cloture.”
Yeah. I think it was Maddow who had the slightly misleading headline tonight. I just glanced at it. I know negotiations are going on.