Life in the Cheese Drawer

i am failing on the blogging this year, but i am winning at backdating.

i also failed to take many pics this year of thanksgiving food, but so it goes when the only real things we made were pies and stuffing.

thanksgiving was pretty laid back! jane and i walked a 5k in the morning, saw a movie, then came home and made the squash galette, which turned out better than last year!

this year, i used the paul hollywood rough puff folding technique when i folded the butter into the dough, and goodness gracious if that didn’t make a difference. the dough was super flaky and crisp, and it definitely didn’t have a soggy bottom. it also got done a lot quicker. (i’m not sure if this makes a difference at all, but i did let it sit in the fridge for three days before rolling it out.) so, hollywood handshake on that galette for sure. it also had some bacon in it, which of course makes a delightful taste addition to an advertised vegetarian option.

the actual dinner was pretty simple. we reheated five things and called it a day. the galette was the most labor intensive thing of the day, and after that it was rolling out bread dough for rolls (i didn’t even make the dough. just thawed it out in the freezer). turkey was purchased premade, potatoes premade, gravy premade. perfect. the dishes sat overnight and we did them 24 hours later.

well, the one fail this year was my first pumpkin pie. i had no white sugar, so i decided to use coconut sugar which said could be used 1:1 for replacement. MISTAKE. that pie tasted awful. so i made another pumpkin pie last night because i wasn’t going to go through thanksgiving with no pumpkin pie (even though we have a maple and sweet potatoes pies).

this one is much better. already had a giant piece for breakfast!

in other news, i’ve got to run like 6 miles tonight. blarf. 

oh yes, the time has come to review what i’ve made after drooling over the great british bake off.

ok, well, after doing a bit of research, it turns out i’ve only made ONE recipe so far, but in my head i’d counted an additional one because i got a paul hollywood handshake from jane.

SO. first, i made the apricot couronne, which is really tasty.

(photo not mine)

i made this over easter or something a year or so ago, and it was actually pretty easy to make (when you know what you’re doing). while i’m not a huge fan of working with yeast (it never seems to cooperate), the apricot filling in this along with the almonds and icing on top really made it worth worrying about yeast.

the second recipe i was thinking of was actually recommended by lynn from the splendid table: the squash galette. man, it’s delicious!

the crust is flaky and made with whole wheat flour. the filling has squash, sour cream, cheese, spinach, and while the recipe is for vegetarians, i like to add bacon for a little bit of bacon-y goodness. i’ve already made one this fall and i definitely plan to make at least one more. hmmm… maybe i’ll make another tomorrow!

all this to say, sunday i will be making the MILLIONAIRE SHORTBREAD. this was made during caramel week on  GBBO, and i could NOT believe that i had never had it or made it. it looks absolutely delicious: shortbread crust, caramel, and then a layer of chocolate. of course they have to be perfect on GBBO, but i don’t even care if they’re a mess because i will EAT THEM WITH A SPOON. i am so excited to make these and even more excited to eat them on monday after my stupid dietbet is over!

(this pic not mine either)

i’m going to use some almond flour in the crust, and i’m trying to figure out a good way to add some peanut butter. we’ll see what happens.

as an aside, i’m also making chicken wild rice hotdish this weekend, so if anyone wants to visit me, i am open to that 🙂

although fridays are dedicated to foodies ideals, this friday i am talking to you about my dietbet. yes, during foodie fridays, i’m not eating much food.

dietbet is an app and there are a ton of games to choose from, either a kickstarter where you lose 2% over a month or a transformer, 10% over 6 months. you bet money against yourself to lose the weight along with a lot of other people, and after final weighin, the pot is split among the winners. this month’s game is the second kickstarter i’ve done. i gave myself a month between them so i can eat like i want to for a little bit. also, ragnar was in there. i wasn’t dieting during that!

anyway, losing 2% of your weight in a month is a really aggressive weight loss regimen. myfitnesspal wants me to eat 1200 calories a day with a sedentary lifestyle (during the winter i’m sedentary. summertime i’m lightly active). then i log my running. yoga is a freebie unless it’s an hour of HIIT yoga, then i log that.

but keeping myself to 1200 calories is difficult! i try to eat oatmeal for breakfast because that is filling. then i have a protein bar for lunch (ok, a couple days i’ve had curly fries from the cafeteria, not gonna lie). by the time i come home, i’m pretty hangry and eat usually chicken and a crap ton of vegetables, sometimes rice. my kitchen scale is the most valuable thing i have in my kitchen right now. if i run, i will eat some sort of carbalicious thing, like yogurt or a cookie or a bagel with cream cheese or a piece of toast slathered in raspberry jam. but then i’m done eating for the night. if i get hungry, i’ll drink water. if it doesn’t go away, i’ll have either some popcorn or flavored rice cakes (which are actually not too horrible). i log everything in myfitness pal and hope i get enough protein and iron during the day.

so far, the limitations in eating haven’t really affected my running, especially since i’m not running hugely long distances due to ragnar being over. but i’ve also started treadmill running, which is really depressing and i’m not looking forward to at least 4 more months of it. i think the biggest accomplishment with this dietbet so far is that i’ve dipped into onederland and maintained it for more than a week now, so that’s something i haven’t seen since probably 1999. i’m also officially in the “overweight” bmi range. high five to self on no longer being obese! it’s also time to do another progress pic. i’ve lost 70 lbs since my highest weight!

i haven’t decided if i’ll do another dietbet. if i do, i’ll wait until january so i can get the holidays in without feeling guilty (and losing). i also have a feeling that the dietbets will be flooded with new years resolutioners, so maybe i’ll make some cash.

the first dietbet i made $12, so i have high hopes for this one, which ends on nov. 12. the day after i do my final weigh in will be a happy day with many tacos.

ugh, that looks so good

that’s a lot of food to cook. maybe next year we’ll do tacos.

so jane had an enjoyable time hacking out the spine of the turkey so we could spatchcock it. it makes for a quick roasting time and a more even cook. this year i bought a smaller whole turkey and then bought a turkey breast so there were leftovers for everyone to take home.

liz did good getting the table figured out! those are some of my birch logs that i cut up and made into tealight holders. happy with how they turned out!

the bird turned out really well! and there’s that great gravy that jane spent three hours stirring. 
we tried a weird corn dish this year that i think everyone’s ok with not making again. i think we might pass on brussels sprouts next year, also. that’s a lot of food. 
i have a ton of leftovers! which is ok. and pie galore!

i’ve written about my nose issues. they haven’t really resolved themselves. i’ve taken a round of antibiotics for sinus problems that i got from my dentist, and since then, i feel like my sniffer comes back for a nanosecond, then it’s gone. perhaps the future bodes well in the olfactory department. 
until then, there are a lot food-centric holidays approaching, and my taste buds are crying. i should be relatively ok through thanksgiving, as savory foods seem to be ok for the most part. i’m not worried about the turkey, slightly worried about the dressing, but mashed potatoes and squash should be ok. pumpkin pie will be…ok…sort of. at least it’s not chocolate, which seems to be the worst of the worst, along with vanilla cake. 
but christmas? that has me worried.

i looove making christmas cookies. and EATING them. they are delicious! 

and why would i go through all the work of making cookies if they taste like a compost heap? disgusting. and i’m not making loads of cookies just to give them all away and not be able to eat any. what’s the point?

i’m especially worried about crack balls (photo above). these little guys are delicious. i might give them a try and coat them in something other than chocolate – i don’t know if almond bark would work; i’d have to give it a good ol’ sniff to see how it makes me feel.
so, i think i’m going to try some of my faves that i think might be ok: eggnog snickerdoodles and ginger molasses cookies. i know i can’t make the peanut butter blossom cookies. they’ll be gross. perhaps some spritzes might be ok. i’ll just have to make a half batch at a time and see how it goes. 
this nose blows.
ps: i deliberately did not post yesterday’s post to twitter. if you want to read it, feel free to click through to the homepage and check it out. i didn’t need it to be “discovered.”