The Swamp

New Martinsville, so ~45miles south of wheeling. We went to the wheeling casino last night which wasn’t terrible. Dogs weren’t running though which I was looking forward to.

Two of my four grandparents grew up in Wheeling, a third grew up in Weirton.

That looks closer to me than Lewisburg. Lewisburg is an assumption shattering town.

Square Rob wrote: ↑Wed Nov 21, 2018 10:34 pm Rass, I flew into Pittsburgh yesterday, but we headed south to the wife’s hometown in WV. I’m in for several boring days, ending with a school reunion for the wife on Friday. Then we get up stupid early to fly home so we don’t miss the iron bowl.

Mulligan and I will be in Athens Friday for the OU-Akron game and sticking around for a day of drunkenness if you want to join us. You’re not *that* far away.

I would love to, but won’t be able to do so. The streets of Athens cannot handle any more of my puke.

Understood. Let me know if you ever want to return to make another deposit.

We were able to leave at 2:30 yesterday. I'd like to thank everyone in Cleveland for staying inside last night to make the drive easier.

Confidence goes a long way. I like it.

did the usual drive down the NJ turnpike to MD - parents and in-laws are 2 miles apart in the dc burbs.
wanted to leave at 2, was ready since noon so naturally we left at 3 and hit traffic. not too bad, only 3:30 down.
usually we get all the groceries on wed night. this time my mom and my sis were charged w that - wed night was mostly prep and a couple of bottles of wine.
thursday was a long day. started at 730, everything was ready by 2, ate at 4, unfortunately saw the deadskins get their ass kicked, did my to polish the ballantines bottle my dad bought (no my fave but he thinks it is.. so whatcha gonna do?)

did a mostly non trad menu (i do the cooking)
bacon turkey (pic on fb for those that have it)
mashed saffron yuca
plaintain casserole
green bean casserole (all from scratch, including the onions)
frijoles (no meat chili basically)
grandmas stuffing (traditional recipe wo chestnuts)
pumpkin rice puddin
apps were brie stuffed sourdough and pork belly tostones
oh and my dad made pate... the stock of which i used to make the gravy.. that was a nice eat as you go snack.

Johnnie wrote: ↑Tue Nov 20, 2018 8:44 pm Or you can deep fry it and win Thanksgiving every year.

We did one for the first time yesterday. It was DELICIOUS.

my esophageal thing happened at dinner last night in front of the GF's extended family. I was so terrified 1. that it was happening there and 2. that it was happening period.

allergies make my esophagus swell up and narrow which can make eating perilous at times in the fall and spring. I was an idiot and hadn't taken my allergy meds recently because I hadn't had a runny nose, so i finished the turkey on my plate and then realized that it was stuck in my chest and I couldn't swallow the water that I had swigged right after it.

I ran into the living room and tried to stretch my chest to no avail. after about 5-7 min of panic and a little puking in the bathroom I was able to eat/drink again, and returned embarrassed as hell to the table

Damn. That's scary, Bronto. If she doesn't break up after that, you are probably golden.

I'm dominating Friday-after-Thanksgiving with my traditional hot turkey sandwich for lunch, combining the holy trinity of my homemade bread, delicious leftover turkey, and my wife's outstanding homemade gravy.

That happened to me at a work dinner. But mine was mechanical not allergic. Had a hyatial hernia which has been repaired twice.

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Fri Nov 23, 2018 1:05 pm my esophageal thing happened at dinner last night in front of the GF's extended family. I was so terrified 1. that it was happening there and 2. that it was happening period.

allergies make my esophagus swell up and narrow which can make eating perilous at times in the fall and spring. I was an idiot and hadn't taken my allergy meds recently because I hadn't had a runny nose, so i finished the turkey on my plate and then realized that it was stuck in my chest and I couldn't swallow the water that I had swigged right after it.

I ran into the living room and tried to stretch my chest to no avail. after about 5-7 min of panic and a little puking in the bathroom I was able to eat/drink again, and returned embarrassed as hell to the table

I get that shit too, but it hasn’t happened in ages. So unpleasant.

Wait, I think that's what's been going on with me. I thought it was sinus related, so I'm abusing Afrin like a mug right now.

Might be opiate withdrawal. Stay vigilant.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Fri Nov 23, 2018 4:20 pm Wait, I think that's what's been going on with me. I thought it was sinus related, so I'm abusing Afrin like a mug right now.

I do OK with allegra or zyrtec and nasocort when needed. I also have to make sure I drink water before/during meals.

I had to have a procedure done a couple years ago and they said that it was allergy-related and that I'd probably have to have it done on a fairly regular basis. so now I'm going to monitor it closely and schedule an appointment if necessary. with employer-based health insurance this time around, cost is not an issue.

I need a couple more side dishes for my Thanksgiving meal. Current menu is roasted turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread sausage stuffing, dinner rolls and pumpkin pie. Any suggestions appreciated, with bonus points awarded for lower-carb dishes. I will have either six or 10 people over for dinner, so I'll need two or three recommendations.

If it were me, I'd say just keep it simple with some vegetable side dishes. Could go with some green beans.

Salad always helps curb that gluttonous feeling.

Sweet potatoes are different enough that it shouldn't really count as two potato dishes. And something(s) green.

Heading out to Pittsburgh *again* this Thanksgiving. Hopefully, the drive is as uneventful as it was last year.

And I agree with the veggie/green suggestions. It is usually green beans for us.

rass wrote: ↑Mon Nov 11, 2019 3:30 pm And I agree with the veggie/green suggestions. It is usually green beans for us.

French-style of course. We're not savages here.

I'm just glad no one has suggested green bean casserole yet.

Ha! I stopped to preview!

Green bean casserole got canceled at some point in the last couple of years, which I think is BS because I found a recipe (including from scratch cream of mushroom) that I really like, but I have no desire to argue over it.

I do now remember that either at Thanksgiving (meaning my mom and sister were cooking) or Christmas (I was cooking) we made roasted brussel sprouts. And a lot of bacon and garlic. Those were good!

I was also thinking brussel sprouts! Great minds. Been craving brussel sprouts recently as well but trying to remember which restaurants in Vegas have them. It's the kind of thing that you know you've had a dozen different places but would be hard-pressed to come up with one off the top of your head (for me anyway).

Whole roasted or shredded?

mister d wrote: ↑Mon Nov 11, 2019 3:57 pm Whole roasted or shredded?

I prefer whole-roasted and that's what I'm thinking of. I just remembered one place which has them, which is a pub near the house.

Bacon-wrapped green beans are always a hit.

I like to halve them before blanching. Easier to roast evenly and less of a mouthful.

Sabo wrote: ↑Mon Nov 11, 2019 3:41 pm I'm just glad no one has suggested green bean casserole yet.

I'm sure I've said this before, but until I joined the military I had no idea this dish existed.

But, for green been casserole, there is a cajun deep fried turkey. So, no biggie.

Same, except sub "reading Keith Law" for "joining the military".

Thanks, everyone.

Green beans are one of the few vegetables I don't like, so I'm going to omit them. I completely agree about fried brussels sprouts, but no one else at the table will like it. One idea I've had is grilled asparagus, but finding good asparagus is pretty hard now.

I probably will opt for a spinach salad and an other veggie side. Hopefully I'll get lucky and see some large stalk asparagus at the market.

Roasted Brussels. Bacon if you want it. Salt, pepper, red pepper flake, EVOO. Pro tip, do them in cast iron or preheat the sheet pan you're gonna do it on and thank me later.

It's not Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce.

I put 5-6 cups of chicken broth in bottom of the roaster to start and add baby carrots for the last 90 minutes of roasting. I make gravy with the broth so you get a side dish of flavorful carrots and the carrots add a nice subtle flavor to the gravy.

Green beans with chopped pecans and bleu cheese melted on top.

And, cranberries!