h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Morning Pilgrims. The normal pre-Thanksgiving day from hell is already underway. The to-do list is as long as myself. Syn, in his infinite wisdom, took one look at it and went home. He'll be back this afternoon to help. As soon as he gets here, I'm going to put a turkey in the smoker and turn him into the king of wood chips. I have some wild cherry to use. Lovely stuff.

This year I have all of the regular side dishes and desserts to prepare as well as the gluten-free ones. I've been experimenting with flour mixtures and have high hopes for the oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies. I'm using a mixture of brown rice flour, potato starch and tapioca flour for the cookies and pie crust. And I'm attempting some focaccia with a mixture of millet flour, sorghum flour, cornstarch, potato starch and tapioca flour.

I want to get as much done today as possible so I can do the regular roast turkey and trimmings tomorrow morning. The biggest challenge is getting the porch cleared off, cleaned up and heated so we can eat out there tomorrow. There will only be 12 of us this year, but even so it's the only space I have large enough to hold everyone in the same room.

BC#1 finally got the door to my shed fixed so I can open and close it. This means that all that junk on the porch can go into the shed. And by doing the smoked turkey today, I'll be able to get the smoker out of the way.

The last of my apple trees and berry plants arrived yesterday, so I have those to unpack and get in the ground. Great timing. Just what I needed, another chore. Since I never go shopping on Black Friday, I may wait and plant them then. I seriously doubt if they'll die between now and then.

Right. I'm off to the local supermarket for last minute bits and bobs, then it will be time to start the baking. It's unlikely I'll be back online until Friday morning. I wish all my US American friends a wonderful holiday, filled with good food and interesting conversation.

And all your European friends will be drooling at what you're going to eat out on your porch!

It sounds like you have a lot of work on your hands, don't forget to enjoy yourself

Have a good time

Do you have a gluten-free cornbread recipe, please, ma'am?

We will be 'celebrating' for a few hours tomorrow - I have to write all weekend, and Elektra can't avoid Black Friday, as she is stuck in the retail biz - and I want to attempt some cornbread dressing like my mother used to make.

But I can't use wheat flour, and sugar in cornbread is an abomination before the Lord and ever'body else.

The food sounds yummy, Hyp. I hope all will go according to plan, so that you can enjoy the day tomorrow.

Have a great time, everybody on t'other side of the pond.

*wishes he could be there*

Hypatia, you're smoked your turkey? That's pretty Southern. Do you know anybody who is deep-frying theirs?

Our turkey breast is in a cooking bag, and is going in the oven. But the cornbread dressing will be made.

Hope you're having a good day.

Very dear Hypatia,

Well, my dear friend I shall think of you entertaining twelve friends. That is quite a lot. !! And you smoked your own turkey. My darling Dick used to that but that also cooks them does it not?

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I wish tiy and your guests well abd a vert happy and Peaceful Thanksgiving.

With affection

Christiane
Also Ran80

26.11.09 17.35 GNT

Very dear Hypatia,

Well, my dear friendm I shall think of you entertaining twelve friends. That is quite a lot. !! And you smoked your own turkey. My darling Dick used to that but that also cooks them does it not?

Have a wonderful thanksgiving, and I wish tiy and your guest well.

With affection

Christiane
Also Ran80

26.11.09 17.35 GNT

so I have been looking at baseball, and now i need to find a team to support, any thoughts on this quandery?


also i've choosed the Chigargo bears as my footie team


RJR the living proof

'Da Bears'. Much lore there.

Support the Pittsburgh Pirates. They need the help.

Have you considered European teams for Ameerican football? There's a team called the Cologne Crocodiles, I believe...

(We have alligators, not crocodiles, but I'm not sure they care in Cologne.)

nope the Bears it is................. now for a pick-up truck........... Ford I think..........

You also need a dog and a rifle to go with the pickup truck.

As you can see, I survived.

I do have a good cornbread/muffin recipe. I made them yesterday and everyone enjoyed them. I imagine they would make good cornbread dressing. Since | have a few left over, I may use them for that this weekend.

This comes from Annalise G Roberts "Gluten-Free Baking Classics".

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup Brown Rice Flour Mix*
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup granulated sugar -- just leave it out
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup minus 1 Tbls milk
1 large egg, well beaten
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease muffin pan or 8 inch round cake pan. (Southerners know you're supposed to use an 8-inch cast iron skillet)

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Combine wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients and stir to mix. Gently. Don't over mix. Pour batter into pans.

bake about 20 minutes for mufins and 25 minutes for bread. Serve immediately.

*Brown Rice Flour Mix

Brown rice flour (extra finely ground) -- 2 parts (2 cups; 6 cups)
Potato starch (not potato flour) -- 2/3 part (2/3 cup; 2 cups)
Tapioca flour -- 1/3 part ( 1/3 cup; 1 cup)

The brand of brown rice flour she suggests is "Authentic Foods". I used just regular organic brown rice flour from Arrowhead Mills, because that's what I can buy locally. It is not the extra fine. I suppose I could put it in the food processor and see if I can make it finer. But the corn muffins were good anyway.

ahh the gun rack in the back................



RJR the living proof

Thanks for the recipe. I grew up with coarser cornbread, much less 'flahr'. And we used buttermilk.

The stuff we made turned out pretty well. (I don't think Elektra is completely convinced that this dressing is real food, but she's a Yankee.)

RJR, you need to follow a college football team as well as a professional one. I naturally suggest the Texas Longhorns. That's my favorite college team. I also like Mizzou, naturally, but I still prefer Texas. And guess what? They win! Your choice of the Bears is unfortunate. Shows really bad taste. Try the Chargers.

For baseball, you absolutely need to become a St. Louis Cardinals fan. If you choose some other team, at least make it a National League team, not an American League one.

As for basketball -- I'm a Spurs fan. Have to be considering how many years I lived in San Antonio. College basketball is again Mizzou and Texas.

dmitri, I'm with you about not wanting my cornbread to have the texture of cake. And not wanting it sweet. Ewwwwww. I'm glad you wound up with a tasty dressing. You'll convert Elektra yet.

Hypatia my dear, I love you and I´m not ashamed to have everyone know it. But could you and the rest of the nice people here please stop giving recipes that make me awfully hungry at ~1am? Timezones, and knowing I wouldn´t find the ingredients even if the shops were open....