We had a busy day today. We visited the recycle center, did our weekly shopping, maintained the lawn and garden and, finally, grilled some chicken breasts up on the barbecue to go with steamed broccoli and orzo/veggie salad. Served in reasonable portions, it was a waistline-friendly meal – and delicious too!
We never buy commercially-grown rosemary these days, since this beautiful Blue Tuscan Rosemary grows in abundance in the garden here. We have so much of this vigorous herb, that we can use its smoke in the barbecue to add a unique flavor to some of our favorite meats. And who can deny the beauty of the delicate little flowers?
How’s this for something different on the BBQ? We cut up some pork loin and marinated the chunks in a citrus-honey and hickory BBQ concoction. We then chopped up some fresh pineapple to go on the skewers along with the pork. The skewers were branches from one of our rosemary bushes, washed and sharpened to a point on the bottom so when you push the meat and fruit on the skewers, the leaves on the branch will fold toward the center.
After cooking the pork thoroughly and browning the pineapple, we discarded the skewers and served this sumptuous entree with roasted corn cobbettes and a sauteed vegetable medley. This made for a very good meal, low in fat and high in fiber.
We had a busy weekend; yesterday was the gun show and today we went to the firing range. After shooting and before cleaning the guns, we went to the garden shop for some spring flowers for the garden. I took this closeup of a nice pink hydrangea in the store.
After cleaning the guns, we enjoyed a nice baked chicken dinner with all the trimmins’. The nice thing about a meal like that is you can prepare everything early in the day and let it cook in a medium-low oven.
After going to the firing range earlier, we came home and barbecued up this sumptuous meal consisting of top sirloin steak, Damsel’s stuffed potatoes, BBQ corn cobettes and a tasty cucumber-avocado-tomato salad. With the weekly trip to shoot, a meal like this and football on the tube, life is good.
Damsel and I are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving at home again today. According to the American Automobile Association, 40 million people will be travelling somewhere or another, so we figure that home is haven from the madness.
While we will be preparing the feast for later, we plan on watching the NFL Thanksgiving Games:Dallas vs. Tampa Bay and Detroit vs. Miami. I think the home teams will win, but Damsel wants the Florida teams to win. We’ll see . . .
In a break from tradition, the NFL has decided to air a third game in Kansas City where they will be hosting Denver. Damsel and I are again split where I think the home team will win and she likes the visitors (well not really, we like San Diego and Oakland over both of these teams). Luckily, we have the satellite and will be able to see this game on the NFL channel; the game is not going to be shown on local TV.
Finally, we’re having the traditional American Thanksgiving feast this afternoon, with turkey, mashed taters, green beans with onions and fennel, Brussels sprouts with pancetta, cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy and pumpkin pie. I have a couple of Sam Adams Winter Lagers on ice and Damsel has a bottle of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay (a great California Wine).
OK — enough about that — let’s start the preparations!
Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
We often think about and pray for our troops across the globe. And our efforts go beyond just thoughts and prayers since we routinely support charities such as Wounded Warriors, Soldiers Angels and the USO. Please, if you are able, send our troops a little support as a way of saying thanks for what they do. Keep it going all of this holiday season if you are able.
You should also keep the families of these wonderful men and women in your thoughts and prayers, since they will be celebrating without their loved ones.
Neil Cavuto of the Fox News Channel offered this poignant and insightful thought about those serving in our defense:
Giving Thanks to Our Troops
By Neil Cavuto
I cannot imagine eating Thanksgiving dinner in a mess hall. In a foreign country. In a hostile foreign country. Away from family. Away from friends. Away from all I hold dear.
I cannot imagine wondering whether this meal might be my last. Or the buddy sitting next to me won’t always be with me.
I cannot imagine going through what our soldiers go through every day. But especially “this” day. When we should all give thanks. But they barely have the time to eat. Before they’re back on the line. Back protecting us.
We who debate their role. Some of us who even mock their cause. This isn’t about a war. This is about those who fight it. And endure it. And live through it. In a place we forget. On a day we should not.
I am very lucky to have this day with my family. My creature comforts are secure precisely because theirs are not. It’s not fair. It’s not right. It just is.
They are due our thanks every day. Our prayers all days. But they are due both, especially this day. It’s amazing to me that those paid so little, give so much. Never complaining. Always giving. So that we can sit down in peace. While they stand guard, in war.
May God bless and protect all of our men and women in the armed forces.