![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serai.
Would you believe AO3 has no Fandom tag for Josh? Apparently I'm the first one to write a fic using his name as a fandom tag. (I posted my two photofics, Dump and Bright.) That really surprises me.
96 works I've got up and counting. Still really shocked by that number, by the way.
In other news, Thanksgiving was nice. Except for my dad going off on his usual screaming tantrum, of course. He's never happy unless he's at the center of attention, so when he isn't, he finds something to get extremely angry about, just to make sure everyone's looking at him. This year it was the fact that Mr. Hobbit (my BiL) got roped into carving the turkey in the kitchen, so we could just serve it already cut, instead of my dad doing it at the table. Didn't get to be King of the Meal, I guess. *eyeroll*
But other than that, it was really nice. The whole family was together, all the kids. Pumpkin was wearing a really lovely little olive fancy dress, with a broomstick skirt, that she was very proud of. Princess is getting taller, though she's not likely to match her brothers' eventual height, as she doesn't have my family's genes. (Specifically my brother's genes, who's a beanpole. He and his wife adopted her from South Korea.) She's still very thin, though. Such a sweet kid. They all are, really. My sibs are really good at raising kidlets.
The meal was delicious. My SiL brought the turkey, gravy and 'taters. My mom and sister made various sides. I made my traditional super decadent Artichoke, Spinach and Mushroom Casserole (recipe follows), and an apple cranberry pie that turned out not so great. WAY too much butter in the filling and it used flour instead of cornstarch, so it was also way too liquid. Also, who started this trend of putting cranberries naked into recipes? It's awful. They're much too tart; all the sweet in the pie was overwhelmed by them. Next time I'll switch out the flour for cornstarch, and cook the cranberries down with some sugar and orange juice before tossing them with the apples. I can proudly say that I seem to have gotten pie crust down pretty well, though - the last couple of pies I've made have garnered compliments for their crusts. *buffs lapel*
I also brought some peanut butter cookies that Pumpkin and her brother helped me make. She was so proud of them! (My mother has never liked to bake, so I have no memories of making cookies or cakes or anything like that. Thus, I am determined to create those memories for my nieces and nephews. They like to come over and help me make treats.)
All in all, a nice day. I'm looking forward to Christmas, as I think I convinced my SiL to make another goose this year. She made one for Christmas about five years ago that I can still taste, it was that good. If you're looking to improve your holiday table, dump the dry turkey and cook a goose. SO lovely, rich, and flavorful, and not a dry piece on that whole damn bird. YUM.
Artichoke, Spinach and Mushroom Casserole
Note: the following amounts are enough for a square casserole about 8" or 9" across. To make a 9"x13" dish suitable for a big meal, double the amounts. Or just wing it depending on the size of the pan you'll be baking in. Once you prepare it the first time, you'll get an idea of how much it makes. :)
Olive Oil, for greasing the casserole dish
3 (10 oz) packages Spinach (thawed and drained)
1 lb Mushrooms, sliced
9 oz Cream Cheese
4 tablespoons Butter
6 tablespoons Milk
12 oz Artichoke Hearts (packed in water, not oil)
Pepper, Paprika, and Cayenne, to taste
Monterey Jack Cheese (or any other good melty cheese), grated
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Parsley, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease your casserole dish with Olive Oil.
Once the Spinach has drained, squeeze all the liquid you can out of it with your hands. After squeezing each handful, break it up well so there are no clumps, and place in a large bowl. (You don't want any big wads in this casserole, or else the sauce will not penetrate.) Set aside.
In another large bowl, beat the Cream Cheese and Butter together with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add the Milk and mix until you have a very smooth, not quite pourable consistency. It should be light enough to spread easily with a spatula, but not runny at all. Set aside.
Squeeze the Artichoke Hearts like you did the Spinach, getting as much liquid out as possible. (Soggy casseroles make Baby Jesus sad, you know.) Split each heart apart with your fingers and spread it out before laying it in the dish; continue until the bottom and sides are lined with the flattened-out hearts. (You are permitted to indulge your fantasies of being a Wicked Fairy Tale Villainess at this point.) Then top them with a layer of the Spinach over the bottom. Layer the sides with Spinach, as well. Fill the resulting space with a layer of the sliced Mushrooms.
Pour half of the Cream Cheese Sauce over the Mushrooms. (Here is where the consistency of the Sauce is important - if it's too thick, it'll be a fight to get it to spread over the sliced mushrooms. Dilute with more milk by tablespoonsful if needed.) Sprinkle with Pepper, Paprika and Cayenne to your taste. Top with the remaining Spinach, then the remaining Mushrooms. Pour the rest of the Sauce over to cover, then season again. Top the casserole with the grated Jack Cheese, sprinkle well with Parmesan, and finish with a pretty sprinkling of Paprika for color.
(At this point, you can cover the casserole with foil and refrigerate it for later or the next day.)
Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes. When the top is bubbly and crusty and a nice golden brown, it's ready. Garnish with Parsley for a nice presentation.
Like the robot said, Share and Enjoy!
Note, Jr.: Yes, this is a very decadent casserole. Don't be fooled by the vegetables! I've yet to serve it to anyone who didn't absolutely love it. *eg* It's endlessly tinkerable, of course, but I've found this balance to really work well - the Spinach and Mushrooms are mellow enough in flavor that they don't fight the lovely little sharpness of the Artichoke Hearts. (Do NOT use oil-packed hearts, by the way. They make the whole thing WAY too greasy, and their flavor is too intense, at least to my palate.) You can play with the layers, adding more or less depending on how much of the ingredients you have, the size of your dish, and what you feel like doing. Just make sure you have enough Sauce! (If you end up with extra, it solidifies nicely in the fridge, so you can easily spread it on toast or bagels!)
As to being thankful? This year, I'm thankful to have sidled into a (somewhat) new fandom, with wonderful people who get it. You all are lovely, it's been so unexpected, and now I have to stop saying anything because I'm tearing up.
.
Would you believe AO3 has no Fandom tag for Josh? Apparently I'm the first one to write a fic using his name as a fandom tag. (I posted my two photofics, Dump and Bright.) That really surprises me.
96 works I've got up and counting. Still really shocked by that number, by the way.
In other news, Thanksgiving was nice. Except for my dad going off on his usual screaming tantrum, of course. He's never happy unless he's at the center of attention, so when he isn't, he finds something to get extremely angry about, just to make sure everyone's looking at him. This year it was the fact that Mr. Hobbit (my BiL) got roped into carving the turkey in the kitchen, so we could just serve it already cut, instead of my dad doing it at the table. Didn't get to be King of the Meal, I guess. *eyeroll*
But other than that, it was really nice. The whole family was together, all the kids. Pumpkin was wearing a really lovely little olive fancy dress, with a broomstick skirt, that she was very proud of. Princess is getting taller, though she's not likely to match her brothers' eventual height, as she doesn't have my family's genes. (Specifically my brother's genes, who's a beanpole. He and his wife adopted her from South Korea.) She's still very thin, though. Such a sweet kid. They all are, really. My sibs are really good at raising kidlets.
The meal was delicious. My SiL brought the turkey, gravy and 'taters. My mom and sister made various sides. I made my traditional super decadent Artichoke, Spinach and Mushroom Casserole (recipe follows), and an apple cranberry pie that turned out not so great. WAY too much butter in the filling and it used flour instead of cornstarch, so it was also way too liquid. Also, who started this trend of putting cranberries naked into recipes? It's awful. They're much too tart; all the sweet in the pie was overwhelmed by them. Next time I'll switch out the flour for cornstarch, and cook the cranberries down with some sugar and orange juice before tossing them with the apples. I can proudly say that I seem to have gotten pie crust down pretty well, though - the last couple of pies I've made have garnered compliments for their crusts. *buffs lapel*
I also brought some peanut butter cookies that Pumpkin and her brother helped me make. She was so proud of them! (My mother has never liked to bake, so I have no memories of making cookies or cakes or anything like that. Thus, I am determined to create those memories for my nieces and nephews. They like to come over and help me make treats.)
All in all, a nice day. I'm looking forward to Christmas, as I think I convinced my SiL to make another goose this year. She made one for Christmas about five years ago that I can still taste, it was that good. If you're looking to improve your holiday table, dump the dry turkey and cook a goose. SO lovely, rich, and flavorful, and not a dry piece on that whole damn bird. YUM.
Artichoke, Spinach and Mushroom Casserole
Note: the following amounts are enough for a square casserole about 8" or 9" across. To make a 9"x13" dish suitable for a big meal, double the amounts. Or just wing it depending on the size of the pan you'll be baking in. Once you prepare it the first time, you'll get an idea of how much it makes. :)
Olive Oil, for greasing the casserole dish
3 (10 oz) packages Spinach (thawed and drained)
1 lb Mushrooms, sliced
9 oz Cream Cheese
4 tablespoons Butter
6 tablespoons Milk
12 oz Artichoke Hearts (packed in water, not oil)
Pepper, Paprika, and Cayenne, to taste
Monterey Jack Cheese (or any other good melty cheese), grated
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Parsley, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease your casserole dish with Olive Oil.
Once the Spinach has drained, squeeze all the liquid you can out of it with your hands. After squeezing each handful, break it up well so there are no clumps, and place in a large bowl. (You don't want any big wads in this casserole, or else the sauce will not penetrate.) Set aside.
In another large bowl, beat the Cream Cheese and Butter together with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add the Milk and mix until you have a very smooth, not quite pourable consistency. It should be light enough to spread easily with a spatula, but not runny at all. Set aside.
Squeeze the Artichoke Hearts like you did the Spinach, getting as much liquid out as possible. (Soggy casseroles make Baby Jesus sad, you know.) Split each heart apart with your fingers and spread it out before laying it in the dish; continue until the bottom and sides are lined with the flattened-out hearts. (You are permitted to indulge your fantasies of being a Wicked Fairy Tale Villainess at this point.) Then top them with a layer of the Spinach over the bottom. Layer the sides with Spinach, as well. Fill the resulting space with a layer of the sliced Mushrooms.
Pour half of the Cream Cheese Sauce over the Mushrooms. (Here is where the consistency of the Sauce is important - if it's too thick, it'll be a fight to get it to spread over the sliced mushrooms. Dilute with more milk by tablespoonsful if needed.) Sprinkle with Pepper, Paprika and Cayenne to your taste. Top with the remaining Spinach, then the remaining Mushrooms. Pour the rest of the Sauce over to cover, then season again. Top the casserole with the grated Jack Cheese, sprinkle well with Parmesan, and finish with a pretty sprinkling of Paprika for color.
(At this point, you can cover the casserole with foil and refrigerate it for later or the next day.)
Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes. When the top is bubbly and crusty and a nice golden brown, it's ready. Garnish with Parsley for a nice presentation.
Like the robot said, Share and Enjoy!
Note, Jr.: Yes, this is a very decadent casserole. Don't be fooled by the vegetables! I've yet to serve it to anyone who didn't absolutely love it. *eg* It's endlessly tinkerable, of course, but I've found this balance to really work well - the Spinach and Mushrooms are mellow enough in flavor that they don't fight the lovely little sharpness of the Artichoke Hearts. (Do NOT use oil-packed hearts, by the way. They make the whole thing WAY too greasy, and their flavor is too intense, at least to my palate.) You can play with the layers, adding more or less depending on how much of the ingredients you have, the size of your dish, and what you feel like doing. Just make sure you have enough Sauce! (If you end up with extra, it solidifies nicely in the fridge, so you can easily spread it on toast or bagels!)
As to being thankful? This year, I'm thankful to have sidled into a (somewhat) new fandom, with wonderful people who get it. You all are lovely, it's been so unexpected, and now I have to stop saying anything because I'm tearing up.
| Love and hugs to all! |
.
Tags:
