The German food experiments continued in the wet, hot month of August and into a much cooler September. I had an extra busy August with work and household issues, so I was only able to try one new recipe. It was a few days ago at the butt end of September that I managed to get another new recipe in. I am very happy to say that all 3 will be on the Thanksgiving 2 serving tables.
August's lone recipe was a Christmas stollen. It is a very traditional yeast raised cake that has fruit in it. Unlike the more English style fruit cake, the German style is very fluffy inside and has much less fruit. It was very fluffy, almost like bread as opposed to the very dense fruit cake that I will be making. Also, no alcohol is used to preserve it. There are some versions that include a marzipan roll that runs the length of the cake, but I decided to forgo this. I am not a huge fan of marzipan, and the recipe is time consuming as it is. It took a long time because it called for 4 rises. Waiting for 3 hours total is a bit rough when making these after work. I know that stollen are traditionally a dessert, but every single person I talked to said it reminded them of something they would have for breakfast. It is only lightly sweet, and with butter it did remind me of a piece of bread with jam or jelly. I will be adding this to the menu, but it will not be found on the dessert table. I have decided to place this on the appetizer table with some of the rolls and hors d'oeuvres. If anyone comes over early it will be something a bit different.
In the beginning of September I decided to try out a non-dessert recipe for TH2. I know I have tried to make very few side dishes, so I found a very traditional German side dish/accompaniment, spätzle dumplings. It is a flour and egg dumpling, but with an interesting twist. They are made in a similar way to an American Southern dumpling that I would make with chicken, but instead of just letting them cook in water and then adding them to a broth or thick base you saute them in butter. This sauteing immediately made me think of Polish pierogi. After they started to brown the correlation became even stronger. They were very good, and the subtle hint of nutmeg was a nice change from a pierogi. I think these will be a nice addition, perhaps with some of the ox stew gravy or sauerbraten gravy poured over them. I figure they can be an adventurous alternative mashed potatoes. I will be adding some of these to the main table. I think I will make a triple batch (which isn't as much as it sounds like) to give a little more German authenticity to the table.
For the September birthday day at work I made an apple strudel. The
recipe I used was supposedly passed down through a couple of
grandmothers. It was a fairly simple recipe, if time consuming. It was 3
pounds of granny smith apples, peeled and cored. The dough for these
strudels was the odd part. It was very, very stretchy and thin. It
reminded me of a pizza dough. I liked that I finally got to use the
dough hook attachment on my mixer. By the third strudel I felt like I
had the process down, (The recipe makes 3, I'm not a strudel nut.) I
took one to work, and even though not one person stopped by (the nerve, I
know) to let me know that they liked it, it was all gone by 1pm. This
ties the quickest time of a fully eaten item I've brought to work. My
wife liked it, and a few of our friends did also. I will definitely
adding this to the menu. This makes the second apple item. This uses
sliced apples and the apfelkuchen uses diced apples, I am hoping they
will seem different enough from each other.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Thanksgiving 2.3: The First Modern Sequel
I thought for this week to go back in time a few years. We had several first timers at TH2.5 and I'm hoping to see a few new faces this coming year. I know they will not know the short, but illustrious history of the sequel to "American Holiday of Gratitude".
The months rolled by and I brought up the idea for another fried foods get-together. The cold winter months seemed like the best time to dig the fryer out again. So it might not have been by design, but the second winter holiday was on the schedule.
Thanksgiving 2.1
The holiday had very humble
beginnings. Way back in 2008 the day had no name, no overarching theme, no holiday decorations, just a gathering with several friends and a hankering for fried foods. It is interesting to note
that the original TH2 was a fried foods gathering, and one of the
highlights of every TH2 are the fried turkeys. It was a modest gathering with just around 25
people. It sprang from an idea to get out the deep fryer. The fryer is best when used with a crowd. We decided to make buffalo wings, traditional french
fries and sweet potato fries for the “main meal”. I think I made a few country fried steaks that night too. The dessert portion
was the real highlight of the night. That was the first time I had ever fried
Oreos and Twinkies. I also made funnel cake and fried dough, both are simpler accompaniments to the fancier desserts. It was like a mini fair right there in the kitchen.
On another note, this is a time well before I knew what good beer is. I believe someone brought a case of Yuengling or Sam Adams. At least I can say we had decent taste then. The fun continued on into the night and I considered it a successful gathering. I won't tell you how many Oreos were eaten that night, but I do know that everyone left full and happy.
On another note, this is a time well before I knew what good beer is. I believe someone brought a case of Yuengling or Sam Adams. At least I can say we had decent taste then. The fun continued on into the night and I considered it a successful gathering. I won't tell you how many Oreos were eaten that night, but I do know that everyone left full and happy.
The months rolled by and I brought up the idea for another fried foods get-together. The cold winter months seemed like the best time to dig the fryer out again. So it might not have been by design, but the second winter holiday was on the schedule.
Thanksgiving 2.2
Here we were trying to repeat the successful gathering of 2008. Since the fryer is a piece of
equipment I save for special occasions, so I liked to gather as many people over to the house as possible. Again, we did the standard fried fare, but I
added fried candy bars. I had seen on the History Channel that some
vendors at various state fairs had been frying Snickers, Milky Ways,
and Three Musketeer bars. We found some fun size bars and snack size
and gave it a try. The fun size worked perfectly, the snack size were
simply too small. You taste the chocolate, but not the filling.
Even with the problems of snack size
bars they event went over very well. We had everyone return, and
even added a handful of people, maybe 35 at the max. Again another successful event. Full bellies and happy times were had.
Since I had a such good time in 2009 during
our winter gathering, I started thinking bigger. I had a few discussions
with one of my friends and I heard some awful stories of his past
Christmases and Thanksgivings. It was after that conversation in late 2010 that the idea to have a
2nd Thanksgiving came to mind. I wanted to try and show him what a
good one could look like.
Thanksgiving 2.3
And so was born . . . THANKSGIVING 2!
The very first official occurrence anywhere in the world. We put up the Christmas tree and I had the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on the DVR. The house was all set. I had created this event to be a potluck lunch/dinner event to keep it relatively simple for everyone. I roasted an 18lb turkey, Sean fried a 14lb turkey, my wife made a few pies and everyone else would
bring a side dish or dessert. We had about 35 people come that year and everyone participated in the potluck. We had many side dishes and a ton of desserts. Both turkeys were devoured within minutes of them cooling off. The side dishes were all a hit, and the beer and wine disappeared. It was a hit on almost every level.
::cranky interlude::
High hopes and good intentions sometimes aren't enough. Thank god, this is the only TH2 event that didn't go quite how I wanted it to.Since this was my first foray into organizing a party with this many people, the types of issues that can come up had never occurred to me. Thankfully, we have a forgiving group of friends when one issue arose.
::end crankiness::
The sole problem reared its head at 6:30pm when the final 2 people arrived. They sat their pie down and then asked where the rest of the food was located. I had to sadly tell them that all we had left were 7 different desserts and collard greens. When I heard those words leave my mouth I knew right then that if there was to be a Thanksgiving 2 again I would have to totally change the set-up. We managed to work thru their dinner of sweets and greens with a smile and everyone had a good time in the end. I asked if everyone would be up for a repeat next year, they said yes.
It took 3 years to get to what we have now: themed foods,Christmas trees galore, the entry fee, a drink buffet. and a tented backyard. All these things and more make up the modern day Thanksgiving 2. Hopefully, I can continue to make it better as the years roll along.
::cranky interlude::
High hopes and good intentions sometimes aren't enough. Thank god, this is the only TH2 event that didn't go quite how I wanted it to.Since this was my first foray into organizing a party with this many people, the types of issues that can come up had never occurred to me. Thankfully, we have a forgiving group of friends when one issue arose.
::end crankiness::
The sole problem reared its head at 6:30pm when the final 2 people arrived. They sat their pie down and then asked where the rest of the food was located. I had to sadly tell them that all we had left were 7 different desserts and collard greens. When I heard those words leave my mouth I knew right then that if there was to be a Thanksgiving 2 again I would have to totally change the set-up. We managed to work thru their dinner of sweets and greens with a smile and everyone had a good time in the end. I asked if everyone would be up for a repeat next year, they said yes.
It took 3 years to get to what we have now: themed foods,Christmas trees galore, the entry fee, a drink buffet. and a tented backyard. All these things and more make up the modern day Thanksgiving 2. Hopefully, I can continue to make it better as the years roll along.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
A Walk Down Beer Memory Lane
Beer, the sometimes golden, sometimes bitter but always incredible beverage.
A few years ago when I discovered that I really enjoyed the diverse world of craft beer I had an epiphany. I can provide an additional reason for people to come out to TH2. So, I have taken it upon myself to have a large selection of the wonderful stuff at Thanksgiving 2 to offer to my guests (by stuff I mean beer, and not the mind controlling yogurt-like substance from the movie "The Stuff") You would think that with an incredible plethora of food, a ridiculous amount of socializing, games galore and The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade I would be turning people away from the door, but that hasn't been the case yet. I am hoping that the beer, wine, and cocktail selection (wine and cocktails in another entry) will bring in a few people or give someone a reason to come back. I am going to go over the highlights of the beer menu I have put together. Hopefully, in sharing some of my experiences I can inspire a few guests to try some of my favorites. However, if you'd simply like a sneak peak at some of the beers that will be offered, just shoot over to the "Preliminary Beer Menu".
The first two are the 2 that really opened my eyes to this wide new world.
Malheur 12 is a Belgian Quadruple style beer. This may have been the first beer that I liked enough to actively search for after tasting it. We found this when my wife and our friend Sean (of fried turkey fame) visited our first Mount Hope BrewFest.We found a tent that did not have kegs, but many bottles. It was a distributor's tent and not a brewery. They distribute smaller European beers into the states and they had a couple 750mL bottles of Malheur 12 left. When I smelled it in the glass I knew it was something special. It was a whole new world of smells. I had never had a Belgian quad before and I was stunned by the complexity of flavors. You can taste raisins, dates, caramel, plum, and especially to me toffee. I knew that day if there were beers that could taste this good, then this was going to be a worthwhile pursuit. It is also one of the few 12% ABV beers I have ever had where the alcohol can barely be tasted. When I found that the Total Wine nearest us carries it, I was ecstatic. Join me in a sample tasting and see if you like Belgian quads too.
Founders Backwoods Bastard is a bourbon barrel aged Scotch Ale. I found BB while having dinner at a pub that specializes in having a great craft beer selection. I thought the idea of a beer and bourbon sounded interesting and got a glass of it. This started my love for bourbon barrel aged beer. First of all the smell of this beer is equal to the smell of bacon frying in the morning, or the smell of a steak cooking over a campfire. It is incredible. I could sit and just enjoy the scent in the glass. The alcohol content is high, but barely noticeable. The first flavors you notice are the sweet malty flavors, but then the bourbon creeps up on you. It's smooth and the roundness of the bourbon lingers around with the aftertaste. I do not remember what else I had that day, but it didn't matter. I had found a winner.
I can't decide which of those experiences I like more.
After the my two favorites there are many beers that I really enjoy, but I do have to pick and choose what I think will work best for this audience. There are some that I want to be on theme this year, and some that I feel will work with the food selections.
Allagash White is a Belgian style wheat/wit/white beer. I found this around a 2 or 3 years ago when I started my beer re-education. When I found out that Blue Moon is made by Miller/Coors I started looking for a craft/local replacement. My wife and I stumbled upon White at the local Wegmans. Everything that should be in a wheat beer Allagash White has in abundance. You can taste the coriander, orange and bitter orange flavors. It is not as light in flavor as the macro wheat beers, which I know some people don't expect, but if you are a wheat fan please try it at TH2 this year.
Southern Tier Choklat is a Chocolate infused imperial stout. The first time I had this was on St. Patrick’s Day 2 years ago. We were at Fenix in my hometown. I had had a few dessert beers before, but nothing like this. It is like bittersweet chocolate in liquid form. It was incredible. It’s like walking into the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory hand-in-hand with your buddy Guinness. I have had this with ice cream in the form of a float. I will be offering this option because I’ll have ice cream for the pies.
Dogfish Head Pun'kin is a brown ale with pumpkin, brown sugar and pie spices. The first time I tried this was at last years TH2. I had read numerous good reviews of Pun'kin and I appreciate that Dogfish Head is somewhat local (in Delaware). It has the lightest pumpkin flavor of the pumpkin drinks I will be offering. It is slightly sweet, but in a brown ale way, not in a pie way. I think I will start my day with this choice on that fast approaching Saturday.
Hacker-Pschorr's Oktoberfest marzen is one of the many beers that I taste tested over the past year. Out of all of the Marzen style beers I felt that this one could hold its own against the much stronger flavored American beers, and especially the American Oktoberfest I will have. It's balanced, mildly malty sweet and has that great reddish brown color. I want people to try these German beers before their palates get wrecked from the American choices. I don't mean wrecked by hops, just by the other strong flavors. This will go great with any of meat dishes.
Southern Tier Creme Brulee is an imperial milk stout that tastes like you are drinking a dessert. I had this for the first time at a restaurant in Gettysburg. I knew I liked the Chokolat by Southern Tier, but I wasn't prepared for how good this was going to be. It is caramely, malty sweet and creamy. It is one of the few beers that gets 5 out of 5 for me. I wish it wasn't a seasonal offering. Try this with any of the sweet offerings.
There you have the highlights of the menu. It looks like we will have around 18 different types this year. There will be a varied amount of each option. Be watchful of the quantities, especially if you really want to try a particular one. I hope everyone who is curious about beer or who already knows they like it will be satisfied.
A few years ago when I discovered that I really enjoyed the diverse world of craft beer I had an epiphany. I can provide an additional reason for people to come out to TH2. So, I have taken it upon myself to have a large selection of the wonderful stuff at Thanksgiving 2 to offer to my guests (by stuff I mean beer, and not the mind controlling yogurt-like substance from the movie "The Stuff") You would think that with an incredible plethora of food, a ridiculous amount of socializing, games galore and The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade I would be turning people away from the door, but that hasn't been the case yet. I am hoping that the beer, wine, and cocktail selection (wine and cocktails in another entry) will bring in a few people or give someone a reason to come back. I am going to go over the highlights of the beer menu I have put together. Hopefully, in sharing some of my experiences I can inspire a few guests to try some of my favorites. However, if you'd simply like a sneak peak at some of the beers that will be offered, just shoot over to the "Preliminary Beer Menu".
The first two are the 2 that really opened my eyes to this wide new world.
Malheur 12 is a Belgian Quadruple style beer. This may have been the first beer that I liked enough to actively search for after tasting it. We found this when my wife and our friend Sean (of fried turkey fame) visited our first Mount Hope BrewFest.We found a tent that did not have kegs, but many bottles. It was a distributor's tent and not a brewery. They distribute smaller European beers into the states and they had a couple 750mL bottles of Malheur 12 left. When I smelled it in the glass I knew it was something special. It was a whole new world of smells. I had never had a Belgian quad before and I was stunned by the complexity of flavors. You can taste raisins, dates, caramel, plum, and especially to me toffee. I knew that day if there were beers that could taste this good, then this was going to be a worthwhile pursuit. It is also one of the few 12% ABV beers I have ever had where the alcohol can barely be tasted. When I found that the Total Wine nearest us carries it, I was ecstatic. Join me in a sample tasting and see if you like Belgian quads too.
Founders Backwoods Bastard is a bourbon barrel aged Scotch Ale. I found BB while having dinner at a pub that specializes in having a great craft beer selection. I thought the idea of a beer and bourbon sounded interesting and got a glass of it. This started my love for bourbon barrel aged beer. First of all the smell of this beer is equal to the smell of bacon frying in the morning, or the smell of a steak cooking over a campfire. It is incredible. I could sit and just enjoy the scent in the glass. The alcohol content is high, but barely noticeable. The first flavors you notice are the sweet malty flavors, but then the bourbon creeps up on you. It's smooth and the roundness of the bourbon lingers around with the aftertaste. I do not remember what else I had that day, but it didn't matter. I had found a winner.
I can't decide which of those experiences I like more.
After the my two favorites there are many beers that I really enjoy, but I do have to pick and choose what I think will work best for this audience. There are some that I want to be on theme this year, and some that I feel will work with the food selections.
Allagash White is a Belgian style wheat/wit/white beer. I found this around a 2 or 3 years ago when I started my beer re-education. When I found out that Blue Moon is made by Miller/Coors I started looking for a craft/local replacement. My wife and I stumbled upon White at the local Wegmans. Everything that should be in a wheat beer Allagash White has in abundance. You can taste the coriander, orange and bitter orange flavors. It is not as light in flavor as the macro wheat beers, which I know some people don't expect, but if you are a wheat fan please try it at TH2 this year.
Southern Tier Choklat is a Chocolate infused imperial stout. The first time I had this was on St. Patrick’s Day 2 years ago. We were at Fenix in my hometown. I had had a few dessert beers before, but nothing like this. It is like bittersweet chocolate in liquid form. It was incredible. It’s like walking into the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory hand-in-hand with your buddy Guinness. I have had this with ice cream in the form of a float. I will be offering this option because I’ll have ice cream for the pies.
Dogfish Head Pun'kin is a brown ale with pumpkin, brown sugar and pie spices. The first time I tried this was at last years TH2. I had read numerous good reviews of Pun'kin and I appreciate that Dogfish Head is somewhat local (in Delaware). It has the lightest pumpkin flavor of the pumpkin drinks I will be offering. It is slightly sweet, but in a brown ale way, not in a pie way. I think I will start my day with this choice on that fast approaching Saturday.
Hacker-Pschorr's Oktoberfest marzen is one of the many beers that I taste tested over the past year. Out of all of the Marzen style beers I felt that this one could hold its own against the much stronger flavored American beers, and especially the American Oktoberfest I will have. It's balanced, mildly malty sweet and has that great reddish brown color. I want people to try these German beers before their palates get wrecked from the American choices. I don't mean wrecked by hops, just by the other strong flavors. This will go great with any of meat dishes.
Southern Tier Creme Brulee is an imperial milk stout that tastes like you are drinking a dessert. I had this for the first time at a restaurant in Gettysburg. I knew I liked the Chokolat by Southern Tier, but I wasn't prepared for how good this was going to be. It is caramely, malty sweet and creamy. It is one of the few beers that gets 5 out of 5 for me. I wish it wasn't a seasonal offering. Try this with any of the sweet offerings.
There you have the highlights of the menu. It looks like we will have around 18 different types this year. There will be a varied amount of each option. Be watchful of the quantities, especially if you really want to try a particular one. I hope everyone who is curious about beer or who already knows they like it will be satisfied.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
The Window into your Soul. . . . the Nametag?
The use of name tags goes back around thousand years. When the Normans invaded England, the name tag made the post conquering period significantly smoother on everyone. Then when C-Line invented the innovative "Hello, my name is ___" tag in 1959 the world was changed from then onward. Whenever you go to party, work function or some other awkward gathering where you do not know anyone, the name tag comes to your rescue. However, I do not think the "Hello" tag goes far enough. Why relay only a single piece of information? I have come up with a way to turn it into a virtual Facebook homepage! Never again will there be needless staring or dilemmas when trying to remember that special person's name, that you have been talking to for an hour. Welcome to the next generation, . . . the People Tags!
(maybe "The Homepage Tag", not sure yet)
Whenever I had one of my larger events I used to try and introduce everyone to everyone else to promote camaraderie and conversation, but over the last couple of years I made a conscious choice to stop this. It was keeping me from having maximum fun by giving me another job, and a few years ago I had a revelation. I realized that everyone I invite is an adult, and if they want to ask the name of the person they are having a conversation with, then they should ask themselves. The idea to have name tags available comes from 2 places. The first name tag incident happened at Thanksgiving 2.5 last year. I had almost 10 people specifically ask me if I had them available. They were first time attendees and knew only a few people. That put the initial idea in my head. Then at the New Years Eve event I bar-tended I noticed that the host Quinton had put out self serve name tags. I was surprised at how many people utilized them. With the knowledge that people actively wanted them, and that some people will use them on their own, my decision was made. A plain name tags just isn't fanciful enough though. I wanted something a little different.
"Hello, my name is" is a good idea, but what if there was a way to improve upon them. I wanted these name tags to convey a bit more information than just my guest's names. So I came up with the idea for the "Homepage Tag". They will of course carry your name, but they will also have information in each corner. The lower left corner will be the status corner. I will have 3 different colors of stars available. Red for "I'm in a relationship", green for "I'm single" and yellow stars to convey "It's complicated" or something ambiguous. This corner alone will answer some of the questions from guests I have had over the last couple of years. The upper right corner I want to use to show how many Thanksgiving 2's the guests have been to. For example this will be shown with a number, a 1 representing a first time guest. The left side of the tag will be used to show off some things about the guests. The upper left will have stickers representing things they like to do or participate in. It can also show if they have a dog, cat or some other pet. While the lower left will show things they like to eat or drink (this is an eating event after all). Over the next few months I will be amassing a small collection of stickers in a wide array of activities, food, and animals. The tagging will be voluntary. I will have a couple tag stations set up near the front and rear entrances. There will be a visual reference to help explain how to set up your tag.
The "HT" is a tiny Facebook page that will hopefully help break the ice and possibly start a few conversations. The more I can facilitate a family-like atmosphere the more fun everyone will have. This new take on name tags is not the lynch pin for the whole event. I am not expecting everyone to be thrilled with this idea. Only 10 people out of the 56 guests at TH2.5 asked about a tag, but I feel that that was enough people to try them out for at least one year. For a minor investment in time and money we will get to try a possibly good idea. I think the attempt will be worthwhile. Also, for those who were worried, they will not be mandatory. I know that not everyone will be comfortable wearing one, but for those that want to be extra sociable or perhaps want to meet someone new they will be there to help.
(maybe "The Homepage Tag", not sure yet)
Whenever I had one of my larger events I used to try and introduce everyone to everyone else to promote camaraderie and conversation, but over the last couple of years I made a conscious choice to stop this. It was keeping me from having maximum fun by giving me another job, and a few years ago I had a revelation. I realized that everyone I invite is an adult, and if they want to ask the name of the person they are having a conversation with, then they should ask themselves. The idea to have name tags available comes from 2 places. The first name tag incident happened at Thanksgiving 2.5 last year. I had almost 10 people specifically ask me if I had them available. They were first time attendees and knew only a few people. That put the initial idea in my head. Then at the New Years Eve event I bar-tended I noticed that the host Quinton had put out self serve name tags. I was surprised at how many people utilized them. With the knowledge that people actively wanted them, and that some people will use them on their own, my decision was made. A plain name tags just isn't fanciful enough though. I wanted something a little different.
"Hello, my name is" is a good idea, but what if there was a way to improve upon them. I wanted these name tags to convey a bit more information than just my guest's names. So I came up with the idea for the "Homepage Tag". They will of course carry your name, but they will also have information in each corner. The lower left corner will be the status corner. I will have 3 different colors of stars available. Red for "I'm in a relationship", green for "I'm single" and yellow stars to convey "It's complicated" or something ambiguous. This corner alone will answer some of the questions from guests I have had over the last couple of years. The upper right corner I want to use to show how many Thanksgiving 2's the guests have been to. For example this will be shown with a number, a 1 representing a first time guest. The left side of the tag will be used to show off some things about the guests. The upper left will have stickers representing things they like to do or participate in. It can also show if they have a dog, cat or some other pet. While the lower left will show things they like to eat or drink (this is an eating event after all). Over the next few months I will be amassing a small collection of stickers in a wide array of activities, food, and animals. The tagging will be voluntary. I will have a couple tag stations set up near the front and rear entrances. There will be a visual reference to help explain how to set up your tag.
The "HT" is a tiny Facebook page that will hopefully help break the ice and possibly start a few conversations. The more I can facilitate a family-like atmosphere the more fun everyone will have. This new take on name tags is not the lynch pin for the whole event. I am not expecting everyone to be thrilled with this idea. Only 10 people out of the 56 guests at TH2.5 asked about a tag, but I feel that that was enough people to try them out for at least one year. For a minor investment in time and money we will get to try a possibly good idea. I think the attempt will be worthwhile. Also, for those who were worried, they will not be mandatory. I know that not everyone will be comfortable wearing one, but for those that want to be extra sociable or perhaps want to meet someone new they will be there to help.
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