Saturday Post No. 10

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Home. There's no place like it. 

We are back in MKE after a wonderful few days in MN. As always, the days fly by and we never get to do all that we'd like to do or see all who we'd love to see. But there's so much to be thankful for this year, especially our newlywed life (as busy as it is) and our families. These are the two parts of my life that get me through every single day, and I'm thankful for them all the time, but especially at Thanksgiving. 

I hope everyone had the best time with their families and friends, ate and drank plenty, and just enjoyed some quiet time as November ends. I can't believe it's December tomorrow. Tonight, we unpacked, ate our leftovers, and are going to put up the Christmas tree. No better way to cheer up after the five-hour drive than to decorate our apartment and chat with our families. 

Much love to all, and Happy Thanksgiving. 

The Bear & The Hare.

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I'm one of those people that may just prefer Thanksgiving to Christmas. Maybe it's because Thanksgiving isn't as commercial as the other two holidays surrounding it - it's easier to decorate (and shop) for Halloween and Christmas. I still love celebrating and yes, decorating for Christmas, but I think taking a day to cook a wonderful meal for (and, best of all, with) family, all without shopping, presents, stuff...is better than most anything else.

All of that being said, there's something about this Christmas ad that just tugs at my heart. I know it's designed for an expensive department store chain, and of course, the ad-execs/Mad Men of the world know how to best play on our emotions to get us to buy...but still. I do not pretend to be immune to Christmas advertising.

Just watch the sweetness:

How can you not just melt? And maybe better yet is the work that went into making the ad...see here for all of the incredible details. 

So. With Thanksgiving only a week away, I can hardly wait to cuddle and snuggle and be cheesy with my favorite people (and dog), and, fine, maybe even drink coffee in Christmas mugs. But only after Thanksgiving dinner. 

Friday favorites.

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Happy Friday! Since I work both weekend days and have Fridays off, I've started to really savor this day. While my schedule doesn't allow for what most people consider a "weekend," I've worked weekends most of my life anyway. And this just makes days off like today that much better.

Tonight we're having Andrew's friends over for dinner, and I'm excited to get our apartment all prettied up for a little party. And make butterscotch pot du creme, for a taste of home and MPLS in MKE. And go running, because it's beautiful outside. And study. And that's how a day off fills up oh, so quickly.

In the meantime, here are some additional links for anyone else hosting parties, including "Friendsgiving," this weekend, or are getting down to planning for the big day on the 28th:

I'm obsessed with Williams-Sonoma for Thanksgiving. And with their pumpkin butter. Here's a recipe to make your own!

I like gin. I like PAMA. I want to drink this.

If you've never hosted Thanksgiving and want to go all out for your first shot, NYT has published an everything-you-need-to-know Thanksgiving essentials guide.

One of my favorite traditions from growing up was Thanksgiving Eve. My aunt would come over, we'd eat apples and brie, and start preparing for the next day. Here's a lovely take on what to make for dinner on Thanksgiving Eve.

I'm still searching for one more dessert to make for Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe this one? 

In two weeks...

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This is what I'm imagining our road home will look like, in just two weeks from now. There are parts of that drive that seem awful when we're in the car (I'm thinking specifically of the west-bound portion of 94 just before Tomah), but having made this trip many times this summer, I've learned to take it in sections. We're in Madison? Great, now let's make it to the Dells, Tomah, Eau Claire...and finally, the border. And then the drive is manageable, familiar...pretty, even.

It's been over a year and a half since we made that first drive from MN to MKE and back, in March of 2012. I can't believe it's been that long. So much has happened since, so many drives back and forth. We've learned how to make the most of the WI speed limit (and our WI plates); we've also become quite good at packing lunches or dinners for the road so we don't have to stop anywhere. I like our routine - I drive, Andrew plays both navigator and D.J. I feel close to him, and not just because we've usually packed our little Corolla up to the windows with laundry, coolers, and sometimes a sous-vide machine.

Needless to say, these two weeks better go by quickly...and then I'd like for the following few days to go as slowly, quietly, and happily as possible.

Happy Countdown to Thanksgiving! Can't wait for MN.

This Month.

November brings with it plenty of changes, but we're ready. A new schedule, a new job, even a new haircut! We're excited, ready to go, but still look forward to the end of the month when we get to celebrate one of our favorite holidays with our very favorite people. 

Life by numbers.

7: days since October began. OCTOBER, the tenth month of the year. While I'm not the biggest fan of how quickly this year is coming to an end, I do love the colors that are out this month. Anne, from Anne of Green Gables (my absolute favorite books when I was younger) says that she's "happy to live in a world where there are Octobers." I think she'd still feel the same way if she saw October in WI, or MN, for that matter, and not in PEI. 

2: the potential number of sibling visitors I'll get this weekend. I really do think I lucked out in this department - my brother and sister are pretty cool dudes, and I can't wait to see them! Oh, and they take good photos, too.

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5: pairs of glasses I'll be receiving from Warby Parker in just a few days. I can't wait to get new glasses. I've had my current pair since senior year of college...and I think maybe (just maybe) trends in eye wear have changed since then. Warby Parker lets you choose up to five pairs of frames from their website, then they send them to you for free to try on at home for five days! Once you've decided, you give them your prescription and place your order, all for a very reasonable price. And, for every pair that's purchased, the company gives a pair to someone in need. Win-win.

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46: days until Turkey Day 5k. I just registered for this - now it's really time to start running. My sister and I did the race last year and loved it, although I think I was more motivated last year to run than I am at this present moment...but I'll get there. Let's hope for good weather and no snow! 

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7: hours that my mom spent traveling to get to us in MKE last week, thanks to the silly train...but we loved having her here! We went to the museum, out for walks, to dinner, and just really enjoyed spending as much time as we could with her. And we're sorry that it took even longer to get back to MPLS (again, thanks, train).

383: miles between MKE and Des Moines, where we drove this weekend to celebrate John and Kellie get married! Andrew was an usher in their wedding, and we were so, so happy to be able to share in their day. We wish them nothing but the best - congrats, newlyweds!! 

Turkey dinner.

We loved planning the menu for Thanksgiving. I think preparing and cooking Thanksgiving dinner might be more fun and satisfying than eating it; of course, I'm perfectly happy to sit down to eat with our family after spending a full day in the kitchen! 

Our bird took a special bit of planning, and for the main course, we brought the sous vide machine along! Cooking en sous vide is cooking in a water bath at a very specific temperature that results in perfectly, evenly cooked food that's super juicy. It's actually really easy, but at first intimidated me. In the last year, it has become Andrew's specialty; he's made some incredible meals for us using sous vide recipes! 

After brining our turkey with apple cider, star anise, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves, we put all the pieces in bags with sage, thyme, and duck fat, and placed them into the sous vide machine. With the water at an exact 149 degrees, the turkey was done in about two hours. But the beauty of sous vide cooking allowed everything to stay in the water bath for another three hours without overcooking (and we had the oven free!) Ahh, science! We deep fried the breasts, pan seared the thighs, and grilled the drumsticks on the grill outside, just as it was starting to snow. 

Everything tasted so good, I'm getting hungry remembering it all. Of course, we had all the traditional Thanksgiving foods to accompany our "modern" turkey: mashed potatoes, cranberries, green bean casserole, brown-butter and sage Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole, creamed corn, baked sweet potatoes, sausage and wild rice stuffing...and this doesn't include the appetizers and desserts! I think it's a good thing we ran that morning!

Here are some more pictures from our two-day cooking and baking extravaganza:

Are you hungry now? I'm ready to eat Thanksgiving dinner all over again! 

P.S.: if you want to find out more about sous vide cooking and recipes, check here, here, and here. 

Run your giblets off.

As I mentioned yesterday, our week at home was too wonderful to fit into one post. In order to do justice to our time back in the Cities, I'll do a full week of recaps highlighting our favorite activities, from turkey to running to Christmas trees! First up: Turkey Day 5k!

After several weeks of preparing, Turkey Day 5k turned out to be so much fun. We couldn't have had better weather - it was almost 60 degrees on Thanksgiving morning. The day quickly turned, though, and by the time we were enjoying our turkey and stuffing, there was a lovely layer of snow on the ground. 

There were so many people participating - over 14,000 - that most of the run was actually spent jogging. Still, my sister and I had a great time, and even ended up running into friends of ours! 

Here are some pictures from our Thanksgiving morning, if you'd like to see...

I would definitely do another 5k run in again, especially any downtown! Definitely the Torchlight this summer, but I'd love to do another one before that, maybe here in Milwaukee.  

Tomorrow on our Thanksgiving Week Recap - turkey en sous vide! 

MN Mondays: Thankful.

There is no way to describe how wonderful our weekend at home was! Each time we're back in MN, we feel like our days fly by and our to-see-and-do list is never completely satisfied...but our last trip reminded us of how incredibly thankful we are to have just the best family and friends to come home to. 

This is a short post; I'll put up plenty of pictures and tell you more about our week later, but I did want to take a minute and note what we are so thankful for this Thanksgiving. I know that the "official" day of thanksgiving was Thursday (and how is it already Monday?), but especially this year, I'm trying to remind myself daily of all that we've been given and to be thankful for it all. Our families top that list. There is, without a doubt, no more supportive, loving, hilarious, reassuring, and comforting family than ours. It's not been the easiest to be away from them these last few months, but the visits, phone calls, text messages, emails, and FaceTime dates have certainly helped. We love you more than words can say. I'm also so grateful for our trusty and dependable car, our avtochko, that has safely transported us home several times now. I'm thankful for how hard Andrew is working here, and for the opportunity for us to have this adventure together in a new place. I'm thankful to have passed the bar, for our beautiful apartment, and for our delicious cooking adventures...and of course, for our friends who keep in touch with us, from near and far. There is so much more, but I did say this was going to be short. 

I hope all of our readers had the best Thanksgiving with their loved ones, ate plenty of amazing food, and had the opportunity to relax and spend time with those that mean the most to them. I know we certainly did. 

Tonight, I'm making this spicy curry (we're looking forward to something with a different flavor profile than turkey and potatoes), and we'll put up our Christmas tree! I love decorating for Christmas, and it'll be so fun to do in our new place...pictures to come! 

Hoping your Monday was tolerable and that this week goes by quickly...I'm already looking forward to the weekend! 

Road trip time.

Avtochko (car) is packed, sous-vide machine is securely in the back seat, our bags are ready to go. As soon as Andrew is done with class we'll be on our way to Minnesota! 

I'm caving and buying coffee. It is a night drive, after all! 

See you soon, MN! 

MN Mondays: Daria visits.

We've been blessed with just the best reminders of MN these last few weeks. And by reminders, I mean my wonderful siblings who've made the brave 5-hour trek to Milwaukee to visit us! Remember last Monday when my brother visited? Well, this last Friday, my beautiful, hilarious, and oh-so-lovely sister came to visit! 

We had a low-key weekend: we made a fiesta of food, bought cupcakes (fancy ones, too - champagne pear cupcakes?!? YUM!), went window shopping and added all of J. Crew's new arrivals to our wish list, watched The Room (yes...that movie), and went out to a few neighborhood bars. It was over before I knew it, but I can't wait to see Deshie again in a few days when we're home!

Speaking of which - we're leaving for Minnesota tomorrow night! I'll be sure to post some pictures and recipes from our Thanksgiving dinner preparations, as well as some highlights from the Turkey Day 5k! We're excited for cooking, cuddling with the dog, fantastic food, and spending lots of time with those we love.

Have a wonderful few days before the holiday, and don't stress too much over those green beans and turkey. Much love to all!

P.S.: Aren't these pie crusts from Style Me Pretty just so very...pretty?!? I would so make these on Thursday if I weren't already making this!!

Green Bean Casserole.

The other day my supervisor and I were talking about our plans for Thanksgiving dinner, and our conversation turned to the classic vegetables-in-disguise side dish, green bean casserole. Love it or hate it, the Campbell's soup masterpiece has been on Thanksgiving menus for years, so much so that the white, chunky, fake mushroom stuff has practically become an institution. Now, I'm not saying I didn't like the canned soup version, topped with onion strings and masquerading as the "healthy" part of Turkey Day...but last year, we came across a recipe that trumped every green bean casserole we've ever had, and the best part: there is nothing canned to be found. 

Chef Stephanie Izard (from Top Chef and Chicago's Girl and the Goat) included her homemade casserole in her cookbook last fall, even though she, like most of us, grew up with the canned version. I can honestly say that it tastes so close to the recipe we are all familiar with, but a MILLION times better. The little bit of spice from the sambal gives it this nice kick, and there's nothing better than lots of fresh mushrooms (we've substituted white button mushrooms for the maitake; they're easier to find). 

If your Thanksgiving table is incomplete without the Campbell's casserole of old, venture beyond the canned beans and soup this year, and make this instead with bright green beans and beautiful mushrooms. And an added benefit of all this fresh, non-canned goodness: you won't feel so bad going back for seconds (or thirds). 

PS: Have you donated today??? 

Green Bean Casserole (Stephanie Izard, adapted from Girl in the Kitchen). 

Yield: 6-8 (generous) portions

For the mushroom soup:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pint button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk, at room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons sambal paste 
Salt 
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and garlic and sweat by cooking until the shallots are translucent, for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sweat them for 5 more minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the mushrooms. Whisk in the milk and continue whisking for several minutes to avoid lumps. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking often. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the soup has the consistency of canned mushroom soup. Season with sambal, salt, and pepper. Thick soup is best for the casserole, but if it's too thick, thin with additional milk.

For the casserole:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound fresh maitake mushrooms, broken into small pieces
1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and halved
1 shallot, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over high heat. Add mushrooms, shallots, and garlic, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Add green beans and blanch by boiling them for about 2 minutes -- until they are bright green and barely tender. Put the beans in the ice bath and drain. Place them on a paper towel to dry. In a large bowl, combine the green beans, mushrooms, and soup base. Mix well and transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for about 35 minutes, until thoroughly heated.

For the crispy shallots:

Oil for frying
3/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 shallots, very thinly sliced into rounds
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a fryer or heavy-bottomed pan with high sides, heat the oil to 375°F. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and cornstarch while casserole is baking. Toss the shallots in the mixture, then shake well in a sieve to remove excess flour. Add half of the shallots to the fryer and move them around with tongs while frying, to avoid clumping. When lightly browned (this only takes a bit more than a minute), strain and drain on paper towels, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining shallots. Top the casserole with the crispy shallots and serve.

Photo: Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans (1962), via BBC. 

MN Mondays: Marko visits.

This was a particularly fun MN Monday, as we had a MN visitor! My brother drove down for a short trip yesterday afternoon, and we thoroughly enjoyed having him stay with us, even if it was just for the day. It was great being able to drive around and show him the city; we also went out to a new place for dinner, called Stack'd, where Marky had a burger with foie gras and truffle butter! Burgers + beers + brat (brother in Ukrainian!) = excellent weekend! 

We have simply the BEST two weeks in store for us, which kicked off with Marko's visit. We were so glad to have him here yesterday and today...then my sister is coming this Friday and staying all weekend...and then three days after she drives back, we'll be heading home for Thanksgiving!!! It's quite exciting to have this much Minnesota love around and waiting for us! We are very thankful to be on this adventure here in Milwaukee, but are always so glad to be surrounded by friends and family, whether that's here or in the Cities. 

With that, I'm off to go running. That Turkey Run is coming up quick! 

MN Mondays: A Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving.

Confession: nothing gets me more excited for Thanksgiving than walking into Williams-Sonoma. And with less than three weeks to go until Turkey Day, I'm just itching to make it out to W-S as many times as I can, but visiting the website is a good substitute (they have so many great recipes!). The store is filled with gorgeous cookbooks, knives, cast iron pans...it's definitely our happy place, and we get inspired to cook something new each time we're there. 

Whether it's July or the beginning of November, the mulled cider smells of that store always make me crave Thanksgiving dinner. When we were little and growing up, my mom always hosted Thanksgiving at our house. The preparation for this food-filled, family friendly holiday always included a trip (or several!) to Williams-Sonoma where we would pick up Thanksgiving essentials, including pumpkin butter, the annual Thanksgiving Guide, and a few new "kitchen toys" that we knew we just had to have to make the perfect meal. Every year she set a beautiful table and cooked her heart out, and it's no surprise that Thanksgiving dinner has become one of our favorite holidays. I'm also not surprised as to why I love hosting dinners and parties so much: I know I learned it all from her! 

Last year, Andrew and I hosted both our families at our apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. While it wasn't always the easiest to cook for nine people in our tiny kitchen, everything turned out wonderfully; we cooked all day and spent time with our favorite people, which to us, sums up a perfect day. This is a picture of our fridge last year, stuffed to the doors with everything we made from scratch, from turkey stock, to green bean casserole, to crème brûlée!

We absolutely can't wait to go home for Thanksgiving, and will be trying something spectacular for the turkey this year: SOUS VIDE! We first attempted this last year for our "Thanksgiving Round 2" that we made in March (yes, March), and Andrew, my sister, and I all agreed that this was the best turkey we've ever had. When we were home last weekend, we started discussing the details of Thanksgiving dinner, and after little to no argument, Andrew said he could be persuaded to bring along the sous vide machine so we could recreate that turkey. And of course, we'll have (THE BEST) stuffing, our homemade version of green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes: all the classics that make dinner so much fun. 

What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods - are you sticking with the tried-and-true recipes or will you be making something new, perhaps a classic with a twist? I'm getting hungry just thinking about all the possibilities! 

Happy Monday, friends! 

MN Mondays: Turkey Day 5k.

This is a bit of a different MN Monday post; the others have all been about places we love or favorite activities of ours back home. This one, though, is all about something new that I'm looking forward to...this year, on Thanksgiving morning, my sister and I will be running the Turkey Day 5k!

A quick confession: I don't run. At all. At least not until deciding to do this race. I felt like I needed some motivation to push myself at the gym, and my sister had mentioned doing this run. This brings us to today, exactly 38 days to Turkey Day. So far so good, I think; running gets easier each time I'm out.

The course looks like fun, especially as we get to run by the river, the Guthrie Theater, and through downtown. It'll be a fun way to see some of my favorite places when we're home for Thanksgiving. No word  yet on whether we'll be dressing up as turkeys or if we'll run while carrying one...yes, apparently people actually do this:

Any advice from Turkey Day veterans, or running advice in general? It'll be an early morning (and hopefully one without snow), but it should make for a good start to one of my favorite holidays of the year!

*Photos via Mill City Times 2011 Turkey Day 5K

Cranberry-pumpkin bread.

When my mom was in town a few weeks ago, we decided we were going to make our cranberry-pumpkin bread. To our dismay, we couldn't find fresh cranberries in any of the stores. How could this be, I wondered; we were in WISCONSIN, cranberry country, after all! Disappointed in WI's lack of fresh cranberries (especially because, as my mom reported, MN stores had already been carrying the bright red berries for a few weeks), we gave up our search. 

Earlier this week, as I was shopping for ingredients for our stew, I happily came across several bags of cranberries nestled in between stacks of carrots. I immediately texted my mom to let her know of my discovery, and added the bread to our "to-make" list for the following day. 

We found this bread recipe quite a few years ago, on Thanksgiving Eve, as we were getting ready to host our family for dinner. As was our tradition, every Wednesday before Thanksgiving my aunt would come over to our house, we'd eat shrimp, apples, and brie, and prepare for the next day's meal. This particular evening, we were pouring over cookbooks and magazines to find out if there were any new dishes worth trying; this bread was one of them. We decided to tweak the original recipe just slightly, and have been following our version (reprinted below) ever since. It's so easy, fast, and tastes just lovely, very Thanksgiving-y. I'm craving turkey and stuffing just thinking about it. 

Cranberry-pumpkin bread.

1 1/8 C sugar

1/2 C pumpkin

1/3 C oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 Tbsp vanilla

1 1/8 C flour

1/2 C chopped pecans

1/2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 Tsp baking soda

1/4 Tsp salt

1 C chopped fresh cranberries. 

Makes 1 loaf.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; spray loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, eggs, and vanilla, mixing well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine remaining bread ingredients except cranberries. Make a well, then pour the pumpkin mixture into the center. Using a wooden spoon, slowly blend, mixing until dry ingredients are well combined. Fold the cranberries into the batter.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan; bake, 55 minutes to one hour, or until tester comes out clean. Remove the loaf pan from the oven, and place on a wire rack to cool about 10 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan.

The recipe can easily be doubled to make two loaves, which we'll usually bake on Thanksgiving morning, saving one for dinner and snacking on the other throughout the day. If you make two loaves, the bread freezes well, so you can hide one away for later. Or, better yet, make both, keep one, and take the other over to a friend's house to share!

Happy weekend baking!