OMG!!!

I know it's been quite a while since I've posted on this blog and I KNOW this isn't about cooking or food but I HAD to share it here simply because of it's length.

Coming from New England, I haven't had much experience with forced hot air heat. In fact I've only had one other home with it..... and that one had an electric electrostatic air cleaner that removed dust etc very efficiently.

Now, considering that Kathy has asthma and her Aunt Diane (who's 97 and still going [fairly] strong) we thought it was time to hire someone to clean our air ducts.

I called our local Heating/Cooling company who had done work for us in the past and they recommended Stanley Steemer.

Today was the day.

First of all, I can't say enough GOOD things about them! What (to me at least) was fascinating was that they took a small camera and took pictures inside every duct that they cleaned - before AND after using those air-powered 'whips' that clean the ducts.

What I really wanted to share, though, was the vast assortment of stuff that was found (in the BEFORE pictures, naturally!). Balls of all sizes, a few playing cards, a plastic swizzle stick from Sardi's Restaurant in NYC, some small kids cars, a baby's pacifier and, largest of all, a sports drinking bottle (pictured)..... well, I guess there was some dust and dirt too but those items were the ones that just blew my mind! Most of the smaller stuff was sucked right up into the vacuum hose they used on the furnace but I saved a couple of things (pictured) that were deposited in the bottom of the furnace once the hose was disconnected.

Just wanted to share that all with ya!

Thursday Morn, Jan 20th

I finished the Lasagna yesterday with a bunch of Kathy's help. FOUR layers of thin, handmade noodles with the requisite homemade sauce, meat and cheeses...... it's gonna be AWESOME!!

Got the pork butt in the smoker this morning - Brined it overnight and rubbed it this morning. It's outside happily cooking at about 250 degrees - now to wait about 11 hours (but it's gonna be sooooooo worth it!!!!).

Big Gang on Sunday!

I've got a big gang of Barbershop friends coming over on Sunday..... am making a BIG lasagna (hotel pan) and smoking a pork butt for pulled pork. Everyone else is bring appetizers, salads, desserts etc.

So I've already browned the ground beef and Italian sausage (1 pound of each), made the sauce and bought all the cheeses. Perhaps tomorrow I'll start making the dough for the lasagna noodles (it's supposed to be a crummy day anyway - snow tonight followed by rain/freezing rain then turning colder again and back to snow - YUCK!

I'll wait a day or so before smoking the pork butt.

Stay tuned!

After Christmas Post

Well the Christmas 'rush' is over and all the holiday guests have departed. We had as many as 7 additional people sleeping over at one point and it lasted from the 23rd until the 28th. Below is a brief rundown of what I cooked:

Christmas Eve Dinner - what we call a 'turkey pie' - made from leftover turkey, mashed potatoes and veggies (usually peas) all put together in a 9 X 13 casserole dish and frozen along with turkey gravy (frozen separately). Top the pie with pie crust and bake.

Christmas Dinner - about 19 lbs of Standing Rib Roast (2 roasts, one done on my Big Green Egg), mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, steamed carrots (steamed with chicken stock - the BEST!!), green bean casserole, lima beans in cream sauce and beef gravy (made and saved from leftovers of countless pot roasts and frozen in little pouches then combined), a pumpkin pie, a lemon meringue pie and a chocolate 'log' made with those thin chocolate cookies and whipped cream.

Day After Christmas - I had made about two gallons of spaghetti sauce with pork ribs, meatballs and sausages - simmered for hours. Served with rosemary garlic toast.

Two days after Christmas - choice of some leftover pulled pork that I had frozen along with the remaining meatballs & sausage from the previous night in small rolls along with french fries.

Breakfasts - one morning was a big batch of soft-scrambled eggs with smoked gouda cheese (YOU GOTTA TRY THIS), another day was a big batch of French Toast with bacon and ham steaks on the side........ others I can't remember

Right now I'm making a beef stew from the left-over roast beef (gonna be AWESOME!!) but I'm ready for a REST!

I hope everyone had a great holiday and I wish you a Happy New Year!!

Same day, follow-up

Another batch of Christmas Cookies (wreaths with red cinnamon balls) finished........ pork butt is brining.......... mop sauce is on the way!

Cooking for the weekend

Am hosting an Open House this Sunday (the 12th) and I've been cookin' up a storm. Chicken Purses - check..... homemade fried ravioli - check...... Christmas cookies - check........ chocolate/orange balls - check...... spritz cookies today....... and tomorrow........TOMORROW....... I've got to smoke the pork butt (about 12 hours, I figure) for the mini pulled-pork sammies.

Still to go, the hot spinach/artichoke dip, the crackers w/homemade pimento cheese spread/a slice of smoked sausage and a half olive, the 7-layer Mex dip and the veggie plate...... WHEW!!!!!

So far snow is predicted for Sat night and Sunday..... we may end up with a LOT of left-overs!

Thanksgiving

Some of you know that I cooked TWO turkeys yesterday. One inside the oven (stuffed) and the other roasted on my Big Green Egg. My friend Jeff, also a BGE enthusiast) gave me the recipe for the BGE bird. So many people have asked about that recipe I thought I should post it.

This is so insanely simply but absolutely delicious! Just as with my chickens, I usually only stuff the bid with celery, onions and occasionally carrots. Then just rub the bid with MAYO! I didn't even salt & pepper it! I roasted it in the Big Green Egg which gave it a bit of smoky flavor (though I didn't use hickory or any other fragrant wood for smoke. I just roasted @ 350 till the thigh temp was about 175 degrees (3 hrs for mine). This should work equally well in an oven, though. The skin was wonderful! The bird was moist and delicious!! and the gravy was outstanding!!!

WARNING: After I cook a chicken or turkey, I almost always boil the leftover bones, carcass, skin etc for a few hours, strain and reduce it for stock (that I then freeze). This year I obviously had TWO carcasses and dumped everything in a huge pot and started as usual. For some reason (keep reading) I didn't like the smell from (what should have been) a huge, wonderful stock. I think it was a combination of the smokiness of the second bird perhaps combined with the vinegar from the MAYO. I dumped the whole thing. Next time I make one of these, I'm gonna strip all the skin off the bird BEFORE making the stock.

Other than that, though, it was a HUGE success!