the leftover sandwich

curried turkey salad with craisins, scallions, and mango chutney

Bloody Mary Shrimp, you say?

In Boston this weekend, after a night out with my Norwell gals, my mom and I made this bloody mary-inspired shrimp cocktail.

For the shrimp: Immerse completely in vodka and lemon vodka, plus salt. Let marinate overnight, or for a few hours in the fridge. Prepare cooking liquid consisting of vodka, 2 lemons (juiced first), 4 bay leaves, chili flakes, and water. After the liquid boils, add shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes.

For bloody mary dipping sauce: Ketchup, horseradish, lemon, salt, pepper, tabasco sauce, MORE VODKA. Serve both sauce and shrimp chilled, and experience the NEW cure for a hangover.

for anyone with an iphone

or for anyone who corresponds with iphone users, this is hilarious.

butternut soupy

homemade butternut squash soup with apple and nutmeg. sharp cheddar accompaniment.

Puttanesca

Made some fresh tomato sauce last week. Tonight I spiced it up with chopped olives, capers, and anchovies for a quick puttanesca sauce (not pictured).

Thanksgiving Planning

I have begun my preparation for this years Thanksgiving already, and how lucky I am to have Thanksgiving potluck this Friday to try out one of the recipes I am thinking about. I have a general sense of the flavor combinations for the turkey, stuffing, and vegetable dish, now it's a matter of combining different recipes into the perfect menu. Here are some thoughts on the turkey, for starters:

Make a Wednesday-night rub for the bird: kosher salt, clementine zest, lemon zest, sage, thyme, tarragon, and any other fresh herbs. Let sit overnight to brine (sort of). Roast the next day with lots of butter on top, halved clementines and onions in the pan, and more herbs. Stuffed of course with my sourdough, artichoke, sausage and parmesan stuffing. Sound good?

Getaway at the seashore

Natalie generously hosted a slew of people at her house this weekend for an autumn beach party. We made lots of good food including BBQ sausages, fresh spinach salad, pesto pasta with roasted vegetables, and lots and lots of tea.

Grown-ups

New take on Jersey Shore

Natalie's personality captured

Luna modeling the latest fall trends, note the guitar-playing on the balcony

Littlest Birds

View from the top floor