Archives for November 2012

Traditional Pumpkin Pie

November 28, 2012 by mollygilbert520 9 Comments

Thanksgiving 2012 was… eventful. At my house, anyway.

The events that went down are twofold: first, my sister got engaged. ENGAGED! To John! There was a proposal on a bench and a diamond and everything. There were hugs and elation and glasses of champagne! Everything was happy and goodness.

And then everybody threw up.

I’m not even kidding a little bit. The joyful holiday weekend quickly turned into Stomach-Bugsgiving, 2012. It started with one person (I don’t want to blame Ben, but it was probably his fault), and quickly moved to two, then three and four and five and on to ten. Ten people! Downed by horrible, feverish plague (or, more likely, Norovirus). It even got Grandma. We all tried to fight it, but before we knew it we were dropping like flies, and instead of feasting on stuffing and pie and potatoes we were cautiously nibbling saltines and sipping Gatorade with Tylenol. It was the only Thanksgiving in the history of Thanksgivings where everyone actually lost weight.

Can you all just join me in one large and appropriate “OY?”

…Oy.

Still, we’re a tough crowd. We soldiered on, we set the table, we had some seltzer water and some laughs and even a little pie.

Come on, Norovirus. We are Gilberts. You can’t keep us from the pie.

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Kale, Coconut & Persimmon Salad

November 20, 2012 by mollygilbert520 1 Comment

Well. Are we ready? Are our pie doughs made and our turkeys brined and our cranberries good and sauced? Are our potatoes peeled? Are our pant-waists elasticized?

It’s time.

It’s time for too much pie and wine and family. Time to play some chilly football, wholly half-heartedly, and then self-stuff with stuffing. And roasted birds and Brussels with bacon and squash in all forms and biscuits. And more biscuits.

It’s time! It’s time and I am ready.

Are you ready? Not entirely? Doing some last minute oops-it’s-Thanksgiving-already-and-what-should-I-even-make-anyway dances? Don’t stress. Make this salad. It’s tasty and seasonal and, most importantly, supremely easy to throw together, willy-nilly and easy-peasy. Can’t find persimmons? Try substituting chunks of fresh mango or even sliced pears.

And here are a few more ideas for you, if you’re looking for that last dish to round out your Thanksgiving table….

Cheesy Leek & Delicata Squash Tart

November 14, 2012 by mollygilbert520 3 Comments

There’s an old man who sits in my local coffee shop all day. I probably didn’t notice him the first few times I ran in for a latte, but I bet he was there. He’s always there. Reading a newspaper and holding a pen, sometimes making notes in the margins. He wears thin silver glasses, wispy white hairs, a navy blue sport coat over a blue striped shirt and a navy blue ascot around his neck. I think that’s what made me notice him, at first – the ascot. I didn’t think much about him, initially. Just, you know, cool ascot. But the coffee shop days wore on, and I started noticing.

I noticed that he likes ginger cookies. His thin lips rarely smile, and his Roman nose is always gloriously beet red. His thin pocket square slumps down in his breast pocket like a deflated dream, barely visible except when he leans over his paper to catch the small print. He’s always getting up and sitting back down, teetering around the coffee shop with a slow purpose, it seems. He chews with his mouth wide open and throws stray pastry crumbs on the ground. He’s got lots of stray crumbs.

This man often makes me smile, as I sit and work and sip. He also makes me sad. Who is this man? What are his stories? Why does he sit in this coffee shop, day after day, wearing his sport coat and ascot? What is he writing in those margins? Letters? Short stories? Nothing at all?

I don’t know. He interests me. I hope his life is happy. I hope he’s got a nice family. Somehow, I’m not sure that’s true. Watching him makes me thankful for my own life, loves, family. I guess that’s all I really mean to say.

All of which has nothing to do with this cheesy leek and Delicata squash tart, except that I made it for my love of a sister, who was here visiting over the weekend. We ate it warm for dinner alongside bowls of creamy carrot potato soup, then snacked on it cold the next day, like leftover pizza. It’s definitely better warm, but when you’re snacking and gossiping with your visiting little sister, it turns out it doesn’t much matter.

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Chocolate Frosted Bundt Cake

November 6, 2012 by mollygilbert520 7 Comments

This is not a celebration cake, strictly speaking. I didn’t make it for anyone’s birthday, didn’t stick it through with candles or banners or sparkly sparklers (though it would look sort of adorable with the formers and latters, let’s be clear).

This is a straight up “I need chocolate cake” situation. The sprinkles are a ruse.

Do you get this situation? The “I need chocolate cake, preferably now and not later and also definitely with frosting” one? I bet you do. I mean, you’re human (you are, aren’t you?). And let’s look at the facts: the east coast has had a rough Sandy week. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. The election is tomorrow. It is tense around here, people (by “here” I mean “America” and “in my head”).

Let’s cut that tension with a cake knife. We’ll eat a slice, and then another, and we’ll be thankful – for warm blankets, batteries, democracy, and chocolate. With sprinkles on top.

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