Did the Pilgrims bring the avocado toast? Seems unlikely.
Hipsters those dudes were not.
And so it begins, with a simple dish so dear to the hipster heart — the avocado toast.
Things will grow progressively more complex as Thanksgiving plods along. I got behind in my pre-holiday cookery thanks to an overlong bike ride and a phone chat with my sister and brother-in-law, and today, as usual, I will be trying to chase back on.
I did manage to make a pot of green chile stew and the red chile sauce for my turkey enchiladas. But I never got around to preparing the filling for the latter, and so last night’s dinner was leftover pizza instead of tacos because the pico de gallo and arroz verde never made it off the bench and onto the field.
This morning I’m thinking about calling an audible on that play and going with turkey enchiladas smothered in red chile, with sides of green chile stew, stir-fried succotash, and a green salad prepared by Herself.
But it’s not even 8 a.m. yet. I might yet do the salsa and rice and get those tacos into the game.
In the meantime, a happy, healthy holiday feast to thee and thine. And while we wait to begin the graceful dance of fork and knife across the plate, let’s look in on Alice and Arlo at the restaurant.
At long last, dinner: turkey enchiladas smothered in red chile with sides of arroz verde, pintos in chipotle, and a little arugula and tomato for roughage. The green chile stew (not pictured) turned into lunch because cooking is hungry work. The pico de gallo, with blue corn chips, turned into am afternoon snack during the final stretch of cookery.
Mad Blog Media 
November 26, 2020 at 8:10 am |
Yep. Speaking of Maddogmedia traditions, we wotta have Alice’s Restaurant today!
November 26, 2020 at 9:52 am |
A Thanksgiving without Arlo is like a stint on the Group W bench, kid.
November 26, 2020 at 10:02 am |
At least I can always count on running into an old friend every time I’m in Room 604 or the Group W bench.
November 26, 2020 at 8:39 am |
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Stay safe, healthy, and sane!
Rubber side down … tailwinds forever … outside safely doing whatever makes you smile … family, friends, and colleagues even at a distance … ENJOY! 🙂
November 26, 2020 at 9:37 am |
Back atcha, JD. Keep that next generation shreddin’ the gnar-gnar.
November 26, 2020 at 8:46 am |
I’m in the eye of the hurricane. I think everything that can be done in advance has been, so now all that’s left is the final cooking. The problem will be to work out the timing and use of the oven, burners, and limited labor (me) so everything gets cooked for the right time at the right temp and ends up being done at the same time (more or less).
November 26, 2020 at 9:43 am |
I’m doing it in shifts. An impulse led me to a forgotten sack of pintos in the pantry and thus a pot of whistleberries is gently simmering on a back burner. The pico de gallo is done (including fresh chile from the neighbors’ garden and a quarter cup of Santa Fe beer), and that’s tucked away in the fridge with the green chile stew and red chile sauce.
With the enchiladas yet to assemble and beans in the game I’m leaning toward arroz verde and saving the succotash for tomorrow. We still have to visit Herself the Elder at assisted living and there are only so many hours in the day, even if it is a holiday.
November 26, 2020 at 11:03 am |
Whistleberries!
November 26, 2020 at 10:00 am |
Quiet one here today. Lots to be thankful for, going to concentrate on that today. Plenty of time tomorrow for my usual griping.
Peace and good cheer to one and all, host and guests alike. May Officer Obie never cross your path, your implements of destruction remain clean and sharp, and the file in DC (with your fingerprints and the twenty-seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and the paragraph on the back of each one) remain sealed for the indefinite future.
November 26, 2020 at 10:30 am |
Same to you and yours, m’man. And may we all have a little help picking up the garbage.
November 26, 2020 at 10:00 am |
“Better a zoom Thanksgiving than an ICU Christmas.”
CDC
That reminds me of another quote. “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” George Carlin
I will raise a glass of Barrio Blonde this afternoon in a toast to all who gather ’round the Mad Dog’s cracker barrel.
November 26, 2020 at 10:31 am |
Salud, señor. Is there perhaps a little guitar-playing on the menu?
November 26, 2020 at 11:13 am |
Perhaps. We will see what my maestro Alan wants. If he feels like playing, we play. Maybe some John Prine and Tom Paxton. “Bottle of Wine” might be appropriate.
November 26, 2020 at 11:40 am |
While we’re on the subject of music, “Native America Calling” replayed a chat with Keith Secola this morning. So how about a little “NDN Kars?”
November 26, 2020 at 10:42 am |
Salud, sir! Better the cracker barrel than the cold slab.
November 26, 2020 at 12:40 pm |
This just in: The green chile stew fell victim to a bout of hunger brought on by cooking without consumption. That is all. More (urp) as we hear it.
November 26, 2020 at 9:02 pm |
That recipe is a thing of perfection. Wowed the kids by making a batch, then putting half in another sauce pan with one can of fire roasted tomatoes. Then made a mess of breakfast burritoes, and put green on one side, red on the other. Kiddos thought it was somebody’s birthday or something.
November 27, 2020 at 7:16 am |
I like that one a lot. Must be the Mick in me. “We’ve only the one pot so. Throw whatever ye have in there.”
I use a lazy man’s posole recipe that’s even easier. Couple-three-four dried red chile pods, a few cloves of garlic, and a big onion chopped in a food processor; a diced pound or so of whatever protein blows your kilt up (chicken thighs are good); a 25-ounce can of Juanita’s Mexican Style Hominy; 2 teaspoons of Mexican oregano and one of cumin; salt to taste; and six cups of water, chicken broth, or a combination of the two. Th’ow it all in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and then piss off for two or three hours.
You can get more elaborate, searing the protein beforehand, soaking, blending and straining the chiles to make a paste, and whatnot. And I have. But nine times out of 10 I go back to the Irish posole.
November 27, 2020 at 3:03 pm |
Irish Posole sounds like a good band name.