DAAAD, I’m Hungover, Get the Squash Out of My Face
Last year was only the 2nd Thanksgiving where I was really into cooking and wanted to offer a couple dishes to my host (family friends.) I promised stuffed mushrooms for an app, roasted butternut squash as a side dish, and if I had time, either broccoli or asparagus.
Luckily, on Wednesday night, I cleaned out all the mushrooms and got them ready for stuffing. But that was the only prep I had done. Dad gansie and I still had to shop on Thursday morning and cook everything else.
So here’s the rub: How is it fair that the biggest cooking day of the year — Thanksgiving — is proceeded by the biggest party night of the year?!?! Does that make any fucking sense?!?! I guess it usually ends up by the time people are responsible enough to take on cooking the meal, they’re out of the “let’s go to our high school hang out bar, see people from our past we would never want to see normally, and take shots until 3 in the morning.”
I’m sure you can guess, I fell into that lovely middle category. Pumped to contribute to Tgiving, but also pumped to party with my hometown buds. I blame a few choice people for my indescribably miserable hangover, but I won’t name names. Although, it probably didn’t help that I never ate dinner through my 5 hour ride from DC to Jersey.
At about 10 on Tgiving morning, dad gansie yanked me out of bed and forced me into the grocery store. I had promised to cook. FUCK. So, there I am, basically laying my entire body on the shopping cart, moaning about how I’m going to puke, and dad gansie is asking me what kind of herbs I want for the sour cream mixture that will fill the stuffed mushrooms. Kill me.
When we got home, I persuaded my dad to let me “lay down” for a bit and to start cooking at about noon. That worked for a bit, but then we had to get going.
My head just wouldn’t allow me to take it off the couch.
Not wanting to hear me moan, or see my puke – again – my dad took over the helm and cooked everything for me. Thanks, dad gansie! But, he didn’t just let me sleep. Noooo. Every 5 minutes he would come over to the couch, shove some sort of food in my face, try to make me smell it or taste it, to see if it was good. This led me to yell and moan that I did not give a shit about food and especially did not give a shit how much rosemary should be on the butternut squash.
Well, I said all that to say – Dad, I will do everything in my limited ability not to be hung over on Thanksgiving 2007.
We’re hosting this year. Please send suggestions on things I can make if I just so happen to need to rest my head on the counter.
I just want everyone to know that photo was taken at a place of a business
Roasted Squash- peel, dice, dump in pan with olive oil and herbs de provence and toss in the oven. I made it for a party this weekend and it was a hit.
If you didn’t see either of them, the November issues of Bon Appetit and Gourmet have some predictably upscale versions of Thanksgiving classics. My wife and I will be making a bourbon-walnut sweet potato recipe that we found in Bon Appetit to take to my family’s Thanksgiving (down the Jersey Shore).
omg, joehoya – you’re going down the shore for Tgiving! so exciting.
i think i’m going to do this for sweet potatoes.
thanks liza!
Obviously not having a family Turkeyday tradition, being from the Mother Country and all, I will share a typical Christmas dish, I’ll be making Swede and Carrots, something similar to this. I’ll also do a nice oven roasted potatoes dish, peel then boil potatoes for 20 minutes or so, then sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic cloves and chives, throw in the oven until crispy brown, they are great and a nice alternative to mash and sweet potatoes, plus it’s super easy.
(Can I post this again at Christmas!!)
actually, britannia, my Oma (grandmother) who spent some time in England, actually made roasted potatoes that sound very similar to that, except I think she just used salt and pepper. maybe i’ll have to try that this year (for chanukah.)
I come home for Thanksgiving every other year now that I’m married – alternating with my wife’s hometown of Kansas City. And on the years when we’re not in Jersey for turkey day, we’re there for Christmas.
any helpful suggestion would be nice, i’m sure gansie will come thru in rachel/giada style.
hope everyone has a safe and fun cooking with plenty of eating T-D holiday.
dg
I love that NJ people get all hammered that Wednesday. That’s half the reason I think I love thanksgiving.
I’m telling you– the two tablespoons of honey and two advil before bed is a lifesaver.
You can make squash soup the wednesday before you go out. Or the Lee Brothers winter squash casserole is ridiculous. And better the second day.
Have fun!
honey?!?! please explain!
can i find the Lee Bros. recipe on the web?
Don’t think you can find the lee bros online. . . It’s in their cookbook. It’s ridiculous, particularly when you add sausage to it. What more could you want– butter, sausage, squash, and cheese?
Don’t know what the deal is with a little preventitive honey, but it prevents that brain touching your skull feeling when you’re hungover the next day.
Here’s a lee bros. squash recipe although I don’t think it’s the one you’re talking about…I’m thinking about doing some kinda take on belmont’s roasted squash above – maybe adding toasted walnuts and feta? maybe some kinda fresh spice? ideas?
that’s it. in the book they suggest adding sausage: with the meat, it’s a meal unto itself. it’s ridiculous.
I guess people go out Wednesday night? I haven’t been home for Thanksgiving the past two years…but it seems there are always people who get in too late that night to go out. In Burlington (where I’m from) Friday seems to be the night a swarm of people from my high school descend on the bars.
wait…so is it only a jersey thing to go out BIG TIME on wed night?
Nah. I am 90% sure that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the biggest bar night of the year. Of course its only a Jerz thing to tease the hair up and dust off the Iroc before heading out, but I digress
fuck the Pats