Finally have my feet up after two days of running around, grocery shopping and menu planning. It’s really not so much menu planning as it is food transport since we’ll be at three pitch-in Thanksgiving meals in as many days.
I pretty much have it all scheduled out, ingredients purchased and travel dishes at the ready. But I came to one startling realization in the process.
I don’t have a pie plate. Can you believe it? Not one freaking pie dish in this whole house. I’ve managed to break ALL of them over the years, often on the way home from a gathering.
I’m not going to be satisfied with a tin pan I saved for craft projects…so that means one more trip to the store before pie-making commences on Wednesday.
Today I did a test run of the cranberry sauce. It’s a port wine and cinnamon stick version. I wanted to try out the cranberries that a colleague at work gave me. She picked them up in Wisconsin while running a Rails to Trails Half Marathon near Tomah. Dozens of counties in the state grow cranberries, which is the state’s No. 1 fruit crop.
So do these Habelman Bros. berries go the distance? Absolutely. Indeed, they’re likely the same berries you see under the Ocean Spray label.
Yum. Good news too, because I just picked up two more bags at Ultra…which, BTW, is just loaded with locally-produced products: including candies from Albanese in St. John. I picked those up for travel treats. Double yum.
My earlier attempt at making Esther’s yeast rolls has failed miserably. Doesn’t help that there is no way the recipe proportions I have are correct. Oh well. I’ll have to compare recipe notes with cousins before I try that again.
The kids and the iFarmer had better kitchen success while I was shopping. They whipped up a delicious batch of peanut butter balls.
Amazingly, I can still see the countertops. Helps to clean as you go.
Virtual Farmgirl 