The NYT had an article on Wednesday about how to run your Thanksgiving Dinner like a CEO (“'It starts with asking yourself, as the Thanksgiving chief architect, what is your vision for this day and this meal,' said Amy Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. ") If I manage at work the way I did the dinner last night...well...that explains a lot.
So the menu and the reviews:
Turkey: I tried the LATimes dry-brining recipe and let me tell you, dry-brining is the way forward. Totally juicy, totally firm/not fuzzy texture, tasty and and easy.
Mashed potatoes: An oversight. Lumpy.
Chestnut, Prune & Pancetta stuffing: Very tasty. Very good. Not good for you. Expertly executed by Executive VP of Thanksgiving, Laura.
Sunchoke Gratin: Easy and always a crowd pleaser.
Laura's Famous Pan-Roasted Brussel Sprouts: Love the little cabbagey-nuggets.
3-Day Turkey Gravy: I made the mistake of making the NYT "Turkey Gravy from Scratch" recipe. It was very good, but those are 3 days of my life I will never get back.
Rustic Apple Tarts: I almost ruined Thanksgiving with these freaking things. They sound easy, esp if you've bought the puff pastry, but there's plenty of opportunities to screw them up. Still, people were very indulgent and pretended like they liked them (after they scraped off the burnt bottom layer).
Pumpkin Spice Cake w Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting: Another star turn by Laura. I had another piece for breakfast this morning.
Wine: Laura brought a schmancy Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay which was yummy and really complimented the meal. I provided a St Supery Virtu - a white Meritage blend. That was slightly less successful.
All in all, a very enjoyable culinary outing. Pictures to come.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The Silver Lining
I'm headed out on holiday to Hawaii today. There are a few silver linings to this giant hurricane cloud of economic doom hanging over us (aside from the sweet, sweet taste of schadenfreude) and one is that Hawaii is affordable. I'll try to post some pix of us at a volcano or making juvenile jokes about leis.
I watched our President-elect's press conference yday and noticed one of his advisors is the chairman of the board of my company. I have met him (the chairman) several times, including one memorable time in Davos when we were invited to dance with him, and he is quite possibly one of the coolest humans alive. He is a Republican, but apparently pulled a Joe Lieberman on McCain and supported O. Anyway, the 2 of them together in an administration might exceed nationally-recognized coolness limits - seriously I think if you took their body temperatures together they would not add up to 98.6.
The man has his own vineyard.
I rest my case.
I watched our President-elect's press conference yday and noticed one of his advisors is the chairman of the board of my company. I have met him (the chairman) several times, including one memorable time in Davos when we were invited to dance with him, and he is quite possibly one of the coolest humans alive. He is a Republican, but apparently pulled a Joe Lieberman on McCain and supported O. Anyway, the 2 of them together in an administration might exceed nationally-recognized coolness limits - seriously I think if you took their body temperatures together they would not add up to 98.6.
The man has his own vineyard.
I rest my case.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Guest blogger: Laura the Badmother
A new feature: my sister is guest-blogging today while I recover from the election. Ladies and Gents, put your hands together for Laura the Badmother.
Yes - I am recovering from the Disney orgy otherwise known as Disney on Ice. After watching an ice skating performance no better than when Rachel used to ice skate, and people literally throwing up money to purchase piece of crap plastic toys that light up, I wondered where did I go wrong as a parent that I am actually paying money for my daughter to be corrupted even further by Disney princesses. Although watching a five year old high as a kite on $10 cotton candy (yes, you get a crap crown with ears too)saying, "How do they balance like that?" is a plus. On the car ride home, I began to ponder where my downward spiral into horrible mother began. Driving in the rain I began to plan my redemption. I was going to take Soph out of public school, enroll her in Waldorf, sign her up to volunteer in a soup kitchen, and god forbid, join a church. My plans were interrupted by a voice from the 2nd row seat of the minivan. Sophia then said that if she were one of the Incredibles and she was able to have a super power she would pick the power "to make people's boo-boos go away."
Well - I must be doing something right. Good - I can't afford Waldorf anyway.
Yes - I am recovering from the Disney orgy otherwise known as Disney on Ice. After watching an ice skating performance no better than when Rachel used to ice skate, and people literally throwing up money to purchase piece of crap plastic toys that light up, I wondered where did I go wrong as a parent that I am actually paying money for my daughter to be corrupted even further by Disney princesses. Although watching a five year old high as a kite on $10 cotton candy (yes, you get a crap crown with ears too)saying, "How do they balance like that?" is a plus. On the car ride home, I began to ponder where my downward spiral into horrible mother began. Driving in the rain I began to plan my redemption. I was going to take Soph out of public school, enroll her in Waldorf, sign her up to volunteer in a soup kitchen, and god forbid, join a church. My plans were interrupted by a voice from the 2nd row seat of the minivan. Sophia then said that if she were one of the Incredibles and she was able to have a super power she would pick the power "to make people's boo-boos go away."
Well - I must be doing something right. Good - I can't afford Waldorf anyway.
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