Nurturing my inner... when the past meets the present, pt 5

Welcome to the fifth and final installment of my first Thanksgiving dinner.  My message since I started this blog in August has been simply this: I'm a moron in the kitchen, so if I can cook, anyone can cook.  I hope I've been the purveyor of hope and inspiration, if little else, as I've tackled a bunch of tasty adventures so far.  If I'm allowed in the kitchen and can actually crank out some incredibly yummy things, just think about what you can do!

Pt 5: Steamed Asparagus

1 bunch of fresh asparagus
Dash of salt
Lemon zest, if you want it

You can make this in your sleep.

I look for thinner stalks because they
are more tender.

I start by breaking off the bottom of the stalks, because they are hard.  Then I get out my trusty peeler.  Super sharp, small and easy to handle.

If your peeler is getting dull, I suggest buying
one of these. $3.50 and then with an extra
 discount at Williams & Sonoma outlet.

Peel the bottom of the stalks to make sure all the stringy stuff is gone.  Takes just a few extra minutes, but you'll be glad you did it.

What a little peeling won't do to help.

Asparagus seems like a fancy holiday vegetable, so we might as well present it in its best light.

Shiny, silky, smooth stalks.

I asked my mom to get me a counter top steamer like this and have really not gone back to making asparagus any other way.  It does the job right.

A worthwhile purchase.

Add water to the bottom of the steamer, put the compartment over that (which has a little mesh herb well you can put some fresh herbs in and when it steams it will flavor your veggies), secure the basket on top and add in your freshly prepared asparagus.

They are long, but they'll fit if you get
creative with your layering.

Plug in and set the timer to 10 - 15 minutes.  If you like them crunchy, use less time.  If you prefer them more tender, then a little longer will do.  You can test with a fork along the way.

So easy. Really. It's ridiculous.
I can't really call this cooking.

The heating element warms up the water quickly and steam will form.  (Blocking your view of what's inside, but you can always lift the lid to peek.)

I know you're in there!

What I like about this steamer, unlike boiling them in a pan, is that the vitamins and nutrients don't get drained away with the water.  They are locked in there for good.  You can top this simply with a dash of salt.  You can also add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a bit of zest to give your vegetable a fresh, bright bite.

Keep the vegetable simple when other dishes
you're making have more complicated flavors.

A total of six hours later, from raw ingredients to serving on a plate, let's see how all that hard work has paid off.

Potato/celery root mash and turkey.

And don't forget the other sides.

Dressing, asparagus and gravy.

Now to create the complete masterpiece.  Time to reward your patience.  The money shot.

It was out of this world!

You really gotta give me props here.  For this being my first attempt at what I think of as a truly substantial, multi-dish meal.  I covered all the traditional elements and then jazzed things up a little here and there.  I called my mom and she said, "What?  You did this all for yourself?"  Sure.  Why not!  It was high time for me to take on this long awaited challenge.  I'm not afraid of a little turkey dinner anymore.  I can do anything!  (Well, let's actually reserve that exclamation for the day I make a soufflé.)

I had lots of left overs, so I put some mashed potatoes, dressing, turkey and gravy into single serving boxes and put them in the freezer.  I ended up having dinner on Thanksgiving Day with a friend whose pilot husband was out of town, so I took two of these out of the freezer that morning and brought them to her house for an early afternoon meal.  It didn't even taste like it was leftovers!  And neither of us had to get up at 5:00 am to cook an entire turkey.  That sounds like the kind of holiday I prefer.

A little of each item perfectly packaged
for a later date.

With all that cooking, and time on my feet, I wasn't feeling ambitious enough to take on making a dessert.  (One large endeavor at a time!)  Thank goodness Wegmans has the most fantastic premade sweets to help me out.



Desserts with Mr. & Mrs. Turkey place mats.
She even has little eyelashes, how cute!


I got Wegmans pumpkin roll (this package was two slices, but you can get it in a half or whole logs as well and it is INCREDIBLE!!!!) and their pumpkin walnut bars (like dense pumpkin pie). Help me, these were so good it hurt.

I barely had room after my wonderful dinner,
but I managed.

Sadly, all great dinners must come to an end.  And what you have left are many wonderful memories... and a lot of dirty dishes.  Next time, remind me to strike a bargain with someone that if they come over, I'll cook and they can clean up!

Signs of a dinner that went over very well.

It's really too bad when people wait so long to get family recipes from their moms, aunts and grandmothers.  (Or dads, uncles and grandfathers.)  Often times, it ends up being too late.  And unfortunately, the person who made that "oh-so-amazing-no-one-else-has-ever-made-it-better-and-i'd-kill-to-have-it-right-now" whatever it was, isn't here anymore to demonstrate and hand out the secret ingredients and techniques.  If it was never written down, the recipe may have been lost with the loved one.  I hope you look to this as a chance to not let that happen and you reach out to someone in your family and get ALL the details recorded of some of your favorite dishes.  (Like my family did for my Nana & Papa's Spanish paella.)  I might also recommend you videotape them too, if they are comfortable and will allow it.  What they may not be saying to you while they cook, you may catch later when you rewatch the video.

Once you have mastered those time-tested family favorites, I also hope you take the opportunity to introduce your own spin on things.  Tweak the ingredients.  Create future traditional foods.  Do the younger folks a favor though: write it all down for them!