The American Thanksgiving, a fantastic article in the New York Times. I watched every single video (each around 1 minute) and saved every single recipe, and I'm going to make room for at least one if not two on our Thanksgiving menu. Christmas? May be pretty flavorful around here!!
_ _ _ _ _
Today:
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
…it's WINTER.
We had our first snowfall (not amounting to much) of the season in the wee hours of the morning. More significant is the 30-degree difference between yesterday's high temp (mid-60F) and today's. And wind… oh, brrrrr, that wind!
Very late last winter, there was a small rip in one of the seams on the back of my jacket that I hadn't got around to fixing. One morning, on my way out of the coffee shop, the door handle got caught in that small rip and suddenly it was A HUGE GAPING HOLE! I finally got around to fixing it last weekend — you know, before I actually needed to wear my winter jacket — and I am very glad I did. Mending is not my favorite thing, but I've a new appreciation since I began hand-sewing some of my own clothing — and some things are really worth fixing!
Jacket, earmuffs, and Squad Mitts are called for today!
I've really been feeling the need to create — to make a little mess and, hopefully, to create something beautiful.
On Wednesday, I found a little time to dye a couple of skeins of yarn.
I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. "Aegean" seems a pretty good color name.
I'm even happier that a new box of yarn was just delivered and I'll be taking more time — this weekend, even — to get messy and creative.
The Think-Write-Thursday topic for today is "a favorite recipe."
I've made Melissa Joulwan's Fried Chicken Meatballs from her new book Well Fed Weeknights (we love her cookbooks) a couple of times recently! Oh, my, are they ever good — you could say that they're a new favorite! They taste like chicken nuggets — but are so much better!! We've enjoyed them in or alongside minestrone soup and spaghetti.
I made them most recently for my birthday dinner. (I snapped a photo of my cart that day — the checkout line was a little longer than usual, so I had time to fool around). Along with the meatballs, I also cooked up pasta and topped it with fresh tomato sauce & burrata cheese, and made my favorite chocolate cake, La Bete Noire.
So good.
I walked in the kitchen door the other night and saw every spice container we own lined up on the kitchen counter. I wish I'd taken a photo of that — I really meant to! I'd had some difficulty finding chili powder the other day and I guess it was time to do something. Rusty took them all out of the cupboard, I consolidated or tossed and put it all back! Obviously, I'd never really KonMari'd the spice cupboard before! That wasn't really on my list, but I must admit that it's much easier now to find what we're looking for.
Here's the stripped down recipe for the meatballs. Mel's full recipe includes a side of greens, along with some cooking options and tips.
Fried Chicken Meatballs
1-1/2 lbs. ground chicken
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. tapioca starch/flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
pinch dried marjoram
pinch ground cayenne pepper
pinch ground cloves
Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the ground chicken, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl; mix well.
Combine the tapioca starch/flour, salt, paprika, pepper, sage, garlic & onion powders, marjoram, cayenne pepper, and cloves in a small bowl.
Moisten your hands, then measure and roll rounded tablespoons of ground chicken into balls. Roll each ball in the seasoned tapioca starch/flour, then set aside on the baking sheet.
Melt 1 tablespoon oil in a large, nonstick skillet over high heat, 2–3 minutes. Place half of the meatballs in a single layer in the pan; do not crowd. Cook, occasionally turning, until browned on all sides, 4–5 minutes; transfer to the baking sheet. Add more oil (1–2 teaspoons) to the pan and brown the remaining meatballs; transfer to the baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Bon appetit!
This might help. I bought it at Jill Draper's Open Studio Show last month. It's under consideration for the Project Peace Cowl. I should look around some more, but I sure do love this color!
This sort of thing always helps… while Mum & Dad cleaned out the garage, Jun was "helping." 
