Monday, November 19, 2007

A Small World

I just had the pleasure of meeting one of the blog readers and contributer, Valvoline_6. He is practically a neighbor living just a few miles away. He also knows a couple of my long-time neighbors. He was the bearer of gifts: some beautiful deer tenderloin which will be dinner tomorrow night, and the most beautiful turnips I've ever seen. I've never been able to grow them so well as these.

I have this dish that I like to make a Thanksgiving. It's a turnip and potato gratin with a horseradish cream sauce. The turnips and potatoes are sliced very thinly. You place alternate layers of potatoes and turnips with salt/pepper/nutmeg. Then a sauce of chicken broth, cream and horseradish goes over. I think it is topped with Fontina cheese. I'm sure that some of you are turning up your nose. Trust me it is delicious. (But I don't trust people who tell me that "their" beets and "their" okra are delicious--so if you really hate turnips, you can throw trust out the window. I still cannot eat either beets or okra--my dad grew both and I have many unpleasant memories of being forced to eat them.)

Now, if you've never mashed turnips and potatoes together, I hope that you'll consider giving it a try. Turnips had a sweetness and cuts the starch a bit in the potatoes.

Such a small world that we live in. And what a treat to meet a reader in person. (I won't spoil it and talk about the market!)

I'm getting ready to go into T-G prep mode. I have to perform an EPA cleanup of my home and shop for and prepare a 'passle" of food. There will be eleven of us. Modest size compared to some gatherings people do!

Feel free to share your own T-G plans, memories foods. It's my favorite holiday. I have much to be thankful for.

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