A Thanksgiving Movement
Happy Thanksgiving. This is up a little later than usual. But it’s part of my Thanksgiving tradition, and I hope it will be a part of yours. This is my first attempt at “Reblogging” something, so we’ll see how this works. But for those of us who are safe and well fed, enjoying the comforts of home and family, this is an especially important reminder that the world still needs healing. More fresh content will be coming soon. But for today, I hope you can take a little time and watch the music video below… again.
If you are reading this I can only assume you are trying to escape your family. And if that’s the case, I’ve got just the thing for you. Clear the next twenty minutes, turn up the volume on your computer, and make yourself comfortable for this annual FLB Thanksgiving tradition.
It’s a music video of sorts, and it all starts on one Thanksgiving many, many years ago. If you are wondering what this has to do with food, well a restaurant plays prominently into the story. Because it is more of a story than a song. And perhaps it’s even more of a movement than a story.
So if you think the story starts to drag around the four minute mark, stick it out. It’ll be worth it in the end. And if it’s not, feel free to tell me. Just know I may tell you it requires multiple viewings…
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AskTP – Call Me Tubbs
January is when people are committed to taking off their winter weight. Right? It’s why all the good Jazzercize classes are filled to capacity and sales of “6-Minute Abs” go through the roof.
Logically that means now is the time to pack on the winter weight. Oh boy. And life just got a little bit more dangerous with the grand opening of The Cheese Traveler. In the past, it’s been easy to be good because there was less tempting food around to eat. Now, it’s a whole different ballgame.
But that’s a worry for January.
Today we feast. And by today, I mean tomorrow. And for me, really it’s Saturday. But you get the idea. Today we are actually answering reader questions that accumulated over the past two weeks. Sometimes I’m good, and answer them right away. But most of the time I’m bad and put off for tomorrow what I could do today.
However, I’m committed to answering every question asked in the comments just so long as it includes proper punctuation. So here is a roundup of those that slipped through the cracks. Now, without any further ado, onto the questions.
Saving Room for Dessert
How the hell am I so trim? I’ve just been looking back over the foods I’ve eaten over the past couple of months, and I’m feeling very thankful for having such delicious things in my life. One thing’s for certain, I eat well.
The fact that I can do so and still maintain my high school weight without any meaningful exercise is truly unfair to those who struggle with their diet. Although the truth is that I do have some tricks for eating decadently but still responsibly.
As we approach the season of the gorgefest, I thought it might be useful to share some of these pro tips with you. The goal here isn’t to lose weight. Rather it’s to get through the mountain of delicious foods without feeling ill, and to make sure that when dessert rolls around, the slices of pie are met with joy and not trepidation.
Delicious Things for Thanksgiving
This year Thanksgiving is different all around. Black Friday has moved to Black Thursday. And my family isn’t even going to have Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving, but rather a couple days later on Saturday.
I’m not complaining one little bit about my delayed dinner. Especially because that means I’ll get to have Pepe’s in New Haven on Friday night with the family. I was just saying last night that there is only one clam pizza. And it just so happens to come from that storied coal fired oven.
The only dangerous thing is that the holiday meal may have a hard time living up to such a strong opening act.
But your family’s traditional feast may not be overshadowed by some of the best pizza in America. And for you, I’ve got a few things to consider. I’m not going to tell you how to cook the perfect turkey. I’m hoping that by now if you are responsible for making a big bird, you’ve figured out what you are doing. However I do have some add-ons, and maybe just one precaution.
Working Weekend
I’m told that Thursdays are when most normal people make their weekend plans. Most of the time, I don’t weigh in on what you should do with your precious free time on Saturday or Sunday.
But this week is different.
I’m sure there are many worthy events happening over the next few days that deserve your time and attention. However, on Saturday I’m hoping to get a few of you out to support something I’m doing. And on Sunday, I hope to see others support the official grand opening of a remarkable new business in Albany.
Midnight Madness
Midnight tonight will be the third Thursday of November. If you are anything like me, you just thought, “Really?” I know, where does the time go. Thanksgiving will be here next week, and I haven’t even picked up my free Price Chopper turkey (with coupon and $75 purchase). I’m not even sure what I’m going to bring down to Connecticut to surprise and delight my cousin. Last year it was a selection of things from Adventure in Food Trading. This year I suspect I’ll be carting down some treats from The Cheese Traveler.
But back to this third Thursday business. Besides the alliteration, the date is significant because it’s the first day that the French government allows the current vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau to be sold. So officially the party begins tonight. Unofficially, the party is tomorrow at the Hilton Garden Inn. You can buy tickets here, and chef Ric Orlando says it’s going to be a swinging good time. Apparently Metroland agrees. Or at least it has in the past.
And as luck would have it, I’ll be there wearing closed toed shoes and doing my best to look respectable. If you are there too and recognize me in my “cocktail attire,” please come up and say hi. Events like this always make me wish I had a pair of cocktail pants.
Now, this is a lot of marketing hoopla for a not terribly significant wine event. You may be wondering, why do some people go gaga for this Gamay while others are openly scornful of Beaujolais Nouveau? Well, I’m glad you asked. I knew people would want to know this year after year, so I wrote down the answer.
SOS: Tickets to See the Boss
Yesterday I mentioned that I would be promoting yet something else today on the FLB. But like I said, this time I would be giving away something of value. Not that information about food events to help those in need isn’t valuable.
It’s just that a list of activities isn’t quite as valuable as tickets to a show at Proctor’s.
The good news is that even if you don’t win the free pair of tickets, the organizers of the event are offering a discount for FLB readers. And you don’t even have to do anything onerous to enter. Here’s what you need to know.
SOS: So Much Selling Out
I had hoped to get two SOS posts done this weekend. One on Saturday and one on Sunday. But because I don’t post on Shabbos, to put up a post on Saturday, it needs to be written on Friday. Still with me?
This past Friday was a mess.
Mostly because the voting period for the semi-final round of the Bellini recipe contest came to a close at 1pm. My version of Tonno del Chianti started off outside the top ten and with many of you helping to promote and vote for the dish, it rose up the ranks into the top five. However, in the final hour there was a last minute competitive push. Luckily, I was able to fend it off, but it was exhausting.
So thank you all for your help. I’m really quite excited to cook this dish for the judges next Saturday. It’s also going to be a great experience to meet the other home cooks. Because the truth of the matter is that Albany’s a small town, and we food lovers really should stick together. It’s one of the reasons I love the From Scratch Club.
But now we’ve got some business to take care of, because those with PR departments out in our community and beyond have a lot of interesting things to share. I will be saving one special announcement for tomorrow, as that one comes with a pretty great giveaway. What follows simply gives away some useful information.
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