Hedonia

Leftovers

I've had leftovers on the brain lately. I think today everyone has leftovers on the brain, and on the stomach, but I've been cogitating on them for a couple of weeks. You see, I got tapped by my friend Suzie at KQED's The California Report to do a commentary, a foodie's perspective on the day after Thanksgiving. I knew I was going to talk about leftovers, and I knew where I was going with it, but I was also curious. I asked the Twittersphere: What do you crave on the day after turkey day? The responses were numerous and swift:

JoAmuse turkey sandwich, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy AND miracle whip. Such a child of the 70's.

outlawdiva Turkey breast sandwich with Best Foods mayo on firm-textured white bread and a slice of pie.

dietsch A day away from the kitchen, frankly. On Saturday, Jen often makes turkey gumbo, and usually for a crowd.

Scott_D A colonic.

jeannebee Rolaids and then later turkey pot pie...

dottiebobottie turkey and stuffing sandwich with gravy. This is why I'm fat.

threedogkitchen I crave beef. I need at least a day off before craving turkey/cranberry sandwiches.

jessicafm The whole meal between two slices of whole wheat bread!

Stefaniya Sandwiches made with leftover turkey, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce.

MarriedWDinner turkey enchiladas, preferably in mole sauce. oh, and a turkey sandwich with avocado on sourdough :)

msjeanneb Sweet potatoes, marshmallows and pineapple and all.

fkhatibloo Turkey sammich on rolls w/stuffing and cranberry sauce, plus a beer. Necessity being the mother of invention and all that...

katherineabell Mexican food

kalynskitchen Turkey sandwiches with lots of mayo on my mom's homemade rolls. (And my mom to make the rolls, sigh.)

cbsop Turkey and stuffing sammiches!

fourchickens Chocolate!

PaulaMaack Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and lots of fresh cranberry sauce. For breakfast.

While I can totally get down with the idea of Mexican food on the tail of this über-American feast, I was not surprised to see such a vote of confidence for the classic post-Thanksgiving sandwich ... or sammich. And that is one of the things I am talking about on the show.

If you're in the Bay Area, tune in to KQED 88.5 at 4:30, 6:30 or 11 pm to hear my segment; if you are elsewhere in California, you can find airtimes and stations on their site. The show will be podcasted after the fact, and I'll post it then.

I have to admit I was a little nervous about going on air. You hear about people having "a face for radio," and I was afraid that instead I had a voice for silent films. However, hearing my own voice resounding in the headphones as I read was less horrible than I anticipated. Is the world ready for Hedonia radio? Only time will tell.

Update: The podcast is live! Listen at The California Report site.

Thankful

Perhaps it's obvious, but this is the appropriate time to say so: I am thankful.

I've been looking back, reflecting on all that I've ever wanted and dreamed of in life.

I wanted to live in a city, one that was bustling and diverse and beautiful. I wanted a home that I was proud of, yet still modest. I wanted to be in a strong relationship with a loving partner. I wanted to have good friends, interesting people who could hold down a serious conversation and yet still enjoy a good belly laugh.

I wanted to enjoy fine things and good experiences, to appreciate all that the sensory world had to offer, from the simple to the extravagant. I wanted to travel, to know the sights and smells and flavors of the world, and to truly know points of view other than my own.

I wanted work that was challenging and rewarding, that utilized my skills and forced me to explore new ones, and that was lucrative enough to sustain the lifestyle I desired. I wanted to be creative, if not fully realized in my work than elsewhere in my life.

I wanted to be happy.

I got it all, and so much more. 

DPaul and I have lived by one mantra: You make your own luck. If you know what you want in life, maintain a positive attitude and work toward it, the luck will come to you. It's not that luck doesn't happen; chaos is a fact of life, and things good and bad will crop up unexpectedly. But by and large, each of us is at the helm of our own ship.

But still, I am thankful.

How we roll

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Being fixated on food, that should come as little surprise. But it's more than that. Perhaps more than any other holiday, even the pseudoreligious ones, Thanksgiving is about tradition.

But our traditions are somewhat new. Like most San Francisco transplants, we are hundreds or thousands of miles from immediate family, so we've become part of other transplants' ad hoc traditions that have taken root.

So many of these new traditions stand that we are spoiled for choices. Frequently, we go to our friends Matthew and Jim's place, but lately our other dear friends Nick and Russ have been doing a biennial gathering with their families, their friends and their friends' families. That's where we'll be tomorrow, in the company of our newly defined family.

On the Friday after, our friend Hugh has long held an orphans' Thanksgiving among friends because, you know, we haven't eaten enough yet. But it's always great fun, and for some of us one of the few times in the year we get to see each other.

And so it is again this year. Two days of feasting and fun followed by a mild coma for the following weekend. 

I am not cooking at all this year; my husband has assumed the duty of breadmaker for both events -- dinner rolls, in fact. All I had to do was select wine to bring. This, I can do.

Clambake!

Ah, the Fourth of July, the quintessential summer holiday. For most, this day means sweltering midday sun followed by a balmy night with a spectacular fireworks display; the smell of burgers sizzling on over the coals commingled with the acrid smoke from sparklers.

But here in San Francisco, as with most things, it's different. In nearly 20 years living here, I could count the number of fog-free Fourths on one hand that has lost digits from a temperamental firecracker. I can scarcely remember the last time I actually saw fireworks on the Fourth, as opposed to eerie colorful glowing fog.

But that's okay; I like our quirky, often blustry weather, and wouldn't trade it for the oppressive heat and humidity of the other coast for all the Roman candles made in China. Still, I do find myself occasionally pining for nostalgic tastes of the Northeast. Last year, I finally sated my craving for lobster rolls. This year, on a recent visit to my mother's place in San Diego, we undertook another New England classic, the clambake. 

A holiday dinner fête

Gluttons for punishment that we are, DPaul and I embarked upon another of our madcap dinner party concepts. We entertain relatively frequently, but maybe once a year we go balls-out and conspire to make something a little extra over-the-top. Last year, we did a big Iberian-themed fiesta; the year before, we celebrated the holidays with a carnilicious crown roast of pork. This year, we took the inadvertent pork theme to a whole new level.

The two of us are (luckily!) similarly wired. We have aligned sensibilities around the arc of a meal, and enjoy throwing ourselves into the creative process of planning events. We love devising menus, dreaming up table decorations, and taking a project manager's mind to the tasks that must be achieved leading up to the party. In this post, I'll give you a little visibility into the special madness that is our method to entertaining.

I present to you the menu: 

Appetizers
"Snowballs"
House-cured olives
Coppa-wrapped persimmons

Amuse-bouche
Porcini gelée, brussels sprout, chestnut purée

Soup
Pomegranate borscht

Entrée
Roast leg of boar (feral swine)
Butternut squash risotto

Salad
Dandelion greens, persimmon, hoshigaki, pomegranate, pecan

Dessert
Mission Pie apple-cranberry
Mitchell's egg nog ice cream

Lobster rolls

Happy Labor Day!

I often tell people that my hometown in Upstate New York is a lovely place to be from. I love living in San Francisco, and in California in general, and I have little desire to return back to the Northeast. However, there are a handful of things I do miss.

When I was young, I spent a fair amount of time on and around the New England shores. My father lived in Massachusetts and New Hampshire for most of my life, and my mother and I would often take summer trips to Cape Cod or Rhode Island. I loved those pebbly beaches, the balmy days and, above all else, lobster rolls.

I have been pining for years -- years -- for lobster rolls. There's really nothing all that remarkable about them: Just lobster meat barely dressed, served in a bun with a side of potato chips and a pickle spear. But two things have thwarted me in fulfilling my craving. First, lobster is not particularly common out here, and when it's available it's insanely expensive. But second and more importantly, I could never find the right kind of bun.

You see, lobster rolls are served in hot dog buns, but they must be top-cut buns. That way, you have the most important feature: Sides that have exposed crumb, which you then brush with butter and broil or griddle. Cuz, you know, the lobster and mayonnaise just aren't rich enough. Lo and behold, Whole Foods stocks hot dog buns that have not been sliced in either direction, so at long last I was able to achieve lobster roll nirvana.

The contrast of the warm, toasted sides of the bun and the cool, creamy lobster salad are the perfect taste of summer, and a flash of nostalgia from my childhood. My craving has been sated for at least another year.