Cooking and Dining

[mac5155]

How do you peel potatoes beforehand? Those things oxidize so quickly.

Peel em and soak in cold water

[tifosi77]

Just Mrs Tif and I again this year, so not much fanfare. Got a crown roast and a couple wing flats, with pommes purée and Brussels sprouts. On everything but the spuds I get to freelance a little on flavor profiles; the wings are getting a north African treatment with a ras el hanout+harissa rub, the crown is fennel and ginger, and the sprouts will have a fish sauce vinaigrette.

Mrs Tif made a burnt Basque cheesecake, pumpkin flavor tonight. Sadly it did not emerge as expected. But I will still smash the s**t out of it tomorrow afternoon.

[NTP66]

How do you peel potatoes beforehand? Those things oxidize so quickly.

Peel em and soak in cold water

Exactly this.

I was peeling sweet potatoes at 6am, so the sweet potato casserole is now done. Gonna eat breakfast soon and then work on cleaning the house. Only (lol) have the turkey and mashed potatoes to cook today.

[count2infinity]

We prepped the bread dough, the cheese sauce (mac and cheese and a cheesy cauliflower/spinach dish), the cranberry sauce, and the veg prep. Everything else we’ll just do today. No turkey. It’s just the three of us, so why bother? We’re going chicken tenders instead.

Also, I stopped at the store last night to get some day time snacking stuff (cheese, cured meats, crackers, etc) and the number of people purchasing frozen turkeys was alarming. They aren’t going to be thawed in time, folks. What are you doing???? Unless they’re for the weekend or something, then I guess that’s fine.

[robbiestoupe]

One turkey is in the smoker, one in the oven, and one grumpy toupé

[robbiestoupe]

And the smoker turkey is done. A little under 2 hours. Didn’t time that right. Lesson learned

[NTP66]

Just in time for pre-Thanksgiving, Robbie.

[tifosi77]

Also, I stopped at the store last night to get some day time snacking stuff (cheese, cured meats, crackers, etc) and the number of people purchasing frozen turkeys was alarming. They aren’t going to be thawed in time, folks. What are you doing???? Unless they’re for the weekend or something, then I guess that’s fine.

I'm willing to bet nearly all of the folks you're talking about aren't hip to this and are just miscalculating thaw time, but.....

[NTP66]

My TempSpike probe is estimating that the turkey will be done in 3.25 hours… it should be done in 2. I really hope the estimate is wrong because I’ll have a mutiny on my hands.

[mac5155]

How do you peel potatoes beforehand? Those things oxidize so quickly.

Peel em and soak in cold water

Exactly this.

I was peeling sweet potatoes at 6am, so the sweet potato casserole is now done. Gonna eat breakfast soon and then work on cleaning the house. Only (lol) have the turkey and mashed potatoes to cook today.

I baked my sweet potatoes and then cut them in half and squeezed out the innards. What a game changer.

[mac5155]

And the smoker turkey is done. A little under 2 hours. Didn’t time that right. Lesson learned

Yeah mine didn't take as long as expected either.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

And the smoker turkey is done. A little under 2 hours. Didn’t time that right. Lesson learned

But are you grumpy

[mac5155]

Also spatchcock is the best way to turkey. It makes it soooo much easier to carve, also

[NTP66]

Crispier skin, too.

[robbiestoupe]

And the smoker turkey is done. A little under 2 hours. Didn’t time that right. Lesson learned

But are you grumpy

See about 7 posts up

[NTP66]

Nothing makes you appreciate your mom to the fullest like hosting Thanksgiving dinner and genuinely not comprehending how she does it year in, year out, putting out amazing meals along the way. I am absolutely exhausted.

[NTP66]

How do you peel potatoes beforehand? Those things oxidize so quickly.

Peel em and soak in cold water

Exactly this.

I was peeling sweet potatoes at 6am, so the sweet potato casserole is now done. Gonna eat breakfast soon and then work on cleaning the house. Only (lol) have the turkey and mashed potatoes to cook today.

I baked my sweet potatoes and then cut them in half and squeezed out the innards. What a game changer.

Never tried that. I always cube my potatoes before soaking them. Always served me well.

[NTP66]

Chi-Chi's announces comeback decades after hepatitis outbreak

Chi-Chi’s, the once popular Mexican restaurant chain shuttered after a fatal hepatitis outbreak in Western Pennsylvania, is preparing for a comeback.

According to CNN, Hormel Foods, the owner of Chi-Chi’s trademarks, said it has a deal with Michael McDermott, the son of the brand’s founder, that will allow McDermott to open restaurants under the Chi-Chi’s name starting next year.

“I still have fond memories of growing up in the Chi-Chi’s restaurants that my father built throughout their time, instilling in me the passion and determination to pursue my own career in the restaurant industry,” McDermott said in a press release. “We have seen the impact our restaurant has had on individuals and families across the country and believe there is a strong opportunity to bring the brand back in a way that resonates with today’s consumer – an updated dining experience with the same great taste and Mexican flavor.”

If they don't have the original recipe fried ice cream on the menu, then they will have failed us all.

[tifosi77]

My first roommate was a hostess at Chi-Chi's. Our apartment door froze shut one night and I have a very vivid memory of her in her poofy skirt with her foot up on the jamb trying to pry it open.

Chi-Chi's was my first exposure to 'fajitas' and the magic of the sizzling hot plate in the dining room.

[DigitalGypsy66]

I'm pretty sure Chi-Chis was the first Mexican food I'd ever had. Good times.

[scb147]

My memory of Chi-Chi's was their sweet corn cake

[Shyster]

There was a Chi-Chi's that I ate at regularly as a kid when I was visiting my father. I remember when the fajitas were a new menu item. I also remember the food going very slowly downhill over the years as things got more expensive. For example, when I first started eating there, the beef tacos, burritos, etc. used shredded beef that clearly came from a slow-cooked roast. That eventually switched over to ground beef.

[Dickie Dunn]

My high school classmate got hepatitis during that outbreak. Also, "chichi's" is Spanish slang for boobs. They should embrace the name and be a Mexican food Twin Peaks.

[the wicked child]

Always loved Chi-Chi's. Especially the Steak and Mushroom quesadilla. Definitely my first memory of a "Mexican" restaurant... Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be one of those memories better left in the past.

[tifosi77]

My memory of Chi-Chi's was their sweet corn cake

We have a chain out here called El Torito that does the corn cake thing, too. Magical