Our internet provider has been down since the day before Thanksgiving, so I am writing this in a word processing document like a SAVAGE. I can just picture all the ministers and bloggers across the region churning this experience into sermons/posts about how this outage was A Reminder to really BE THERE for Thanksgiving and to Reflect on what was Really Important, to “turn off,” as it were, and to “tune in” to our families and to gratitude. But to me (and to all the rest of us writing about what a blessing it was, I suspect), it was a giant pain. I hadn’t yet chosen a Brussels sprouts recipe from the Thanksgiving Vegetable Side Dishes comments section, so I had to go through deleted emails looking for them (LIKE A SAVAGE). Also, I like seeing people’s Thanksgiving pictures on Facebook. Also, I wanted to come to my computer during cooking breaks to write on Twitter things like how much I love thinking of so many of us cooking all at the same time, or about how Thanksgiving was the first official day for putting whipped cream on coffee (not that every day can’t be Thanksgiving in our hearts and coffee cups). Also, there are online deals and I am missing them LEFT AND RIGHT. And perhaps most importantly of all, I couldn’t log in to Webkinz World and get my special Thanksgiving Box.
Several people recommended Ina Garten’s recipe for Brussels sprouts, so I tried that. And it was pretty good! Paul, with the wonder of Thanksgiving in his eyes: “I ate one and I didn’t die!” But I will likely never make them again because of the SMELL, which I would in fact call a STENCH or REEK. There were half a dozen foods cooking, and Brussels sprouts was the only smell we could smell. It DOMINATED the smell of Thanksgiving. Thursday night as we were going to bed, I complained to Paul that I reeked of Brussels sprouts, and he said gallantly that he could only smell the flowery smell of my hair. “But for real, you can…I mean, thank you, Paul….but for real, you CAN smell it, right? It isn’t just on the inside of my nostrils?” The morning after Thanksgiving, I could still smell it. Friday afternoon, coming in from a trip to the mailbox, I could still smell it. I am reminded of broccoli, one of the few vegetables I genuinely like, and the way it makes me hate the smell of my house and skin for the whole day after I cook it.
[THE INTERNET IS BACK AT LAST]
I always word process my blog post drafts. And when we travel (like now) and access to the laptop is shared among four people– I hand write them! I have one going on paper now. I am beyond savage. I must be prehistoric. Don’t worry– I am not offended. I am at peace with being a late adopter of just about everything.
I roast brussels sprouts regularly, and yes, reek. That’s correct. I always worry someone will stop by afterwards.
Hahaha. People stop by NEVER. But wouldn’t that be the way?
This reminds me of your “manual tweets”! http://swistle.blogspot.com/2010/12/steam-powered-twitter.html
Anyway, de-lurking to say I appreciate your writing and happy Thanksgiving!
Ha ha! I’d forgotten all about that! That was fun to re-visit!
Our internet died on Thanksgiving! Our modem finally gasped it’s last breath-and that was it. I told my husband that I was glad I didn’t bookmark a bunch of recipes for dinner-or I would have been out of luck! We were able to get a replacement the next day-so it wasn’t too bad.
Oh, and I tried the corn casserole from your comment section, and we loved it! Luckily I had printed out the recipe ;)
I was shocked at the number of people talking up brussels sprouts. I won’t eat them or even have them on my plate. Now – thanks to your smell rating – I can ban them from the house.
I did make the confetti corn that someone posted in your side dish entry comments. It was a big hit. Not with me, but lots of people liked it. I guess I am more of a roasted corn kind of girl.
Did anyone else try anything? And how did it go over?
I tried the brussels sprouts with bacon and shallots. Loved them. And the green beans/butter/lemon juice not-a-recipe. I really liked them both!
I LOVE roasted brussels sprouts but I agree that it stinks up the house. I usually simmer a pot of cloves, cinnamon sticks, apple chunks and orange slices. (Or some variation of that – you can add fresh cranberries, a bit of pine sprig, or whatever you may have) Within a few hours the house is smelling more like Yummy! and less like Sewage!
Our Thanksgiving guests arrived and announced “Your house smells so good.”
I did not serve brussels sprouts, which helped.
On the other hand, an apple pie dribbled onto the floor of the oven, so our house varied throughout the day — cinnamon rolls! chocolate pie! pumpkin pie! burned apple drippings! turkey! dinner rolls!
My mother wouldn’t allow anything cabbage-y or green-y to be cooked in our house, so my poor father would cook them on the grill. Not trendy in the 1980s, but would probably be considered hipster cooking in 2014! I do agree that brussels sprouts leave a less-than-desirable smell in the house. Best to cook them when the windows can be open.
Speaking of the Internet, heh, heh, *badsegue*, I’ve lost track of a blog I enjoyed that I think I found via you. It wad a daily bargain blog from a woman in Georgia. Either she or her husband was a photographer; she is Jewish, funny, and talks about how pretty her readers are. Is your memory better than mine?
Is it Want Not?
YES!! I’m off to bookmark it in the new CPU right now. Thanks.