I rarely eat until I'm full. I usually save something for later or eat multiple little meals throughout the day. Today, I am crammed. This morning I just nibbled on little bits of this or that while I was cooking. From the moment I reached my brother's place at 2:30 PM until 12:30 AM it was non-stop eating. I'm so uncomfortable right now and all of the wine didn't help either. I don't think I drank any water today. Just wine, coffee, and Bailey's.
I have to say that I am fairly embarrassed because I FORGOT TO TAKE PICTURES! All of that work... undocumented. *sigh* When I got to my brother's, I immediately started setting up the food I brought, then kept my niece entertained, and then started to help serve food. It would have been pretty rude to stop and take photos. So... :-( Lots of other people took pictures though, so maybe my food is hiding in some of them. I hope.
The soup was a major hit. I roasted the squash for 35 minutes along with two peeled and sliced Granny Smiths. Then I caramelized two sliced leeks (white parts only) in olive oil in a big Dutch Oven, then added two cloves of garlic and a 1/2 cup of white wine. After I cooked that down, I added the squash flesh and cooked apples, 6 cups veggie broth, and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Then I let the soup cool overnight and blended it in the morning, then cooked it for 15 more minutes in the slow cooker on low. We served the soup with Creme Fraiche (whipped with apple cider) and sliced leeks. EVERYONE loved it. Well, except for one lonely squash hater in the group, but there's no pleasing everyone. This was waaaaaaaaay better than when I made it the last time with butternut squash. Too sweet.
I also made a Wilted Spinach Salad tossed with frisée, radicchio, toasted pecans, thinly sliced Asian pear, cranberries, and bleu cheese. I also finely chopped one shallot, blanched it for 20 seconds, then mixed it with 2 Tbs of apple cider vinegar for a dressing. Then, right before serving, I heated up some olive oil and poured it over the salad. That went over really well, too, but since it was just salad, no one seemed to go crazy over it.
The Autumn Rice Rissoles were just OK. I felt like they were a little dry and a bit too herb-y for my liking. I felt like all I could taste was the sage. Next time I would probably cut that down a tad and maybe use hot cooked rice instead of room temperature. Maybe that would add a bit more moisture. I also felt like the recipe's suggestion of serving it with cranberry sauce was just too sweet. I would make a vegetarian gravy instead. I'm a bit bummed that I forgot to grab those leftovers to take home because I know the bro and SIL won't eat them.
I have to be at work early tomorrow. Is it wrong that I'm kind of frightened of that Black Friday shopping crowd? I'm going to be sluggish. Wish me luck!
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