I often wonder why I feel more inspired to write when I'm traveling, on vacation, trying something new. The answer always seems obvious: because I'm out of my element. Who wants to dwell on, let alone subject others to, the mundane details of their daily working life?
But today I stand up to my inner voice and ask - why are travel, vacation and newness antonymous to "my element"? If that's where I'm inspired, isn't that exactly the element I'm made of?
Of course I'm oversimplifying - I don't have the pocketbook to constantly inspire myself with new far off destinations and distant cultures. But I do have the mundane yet magical ability to open my eyes just a bit wider, encourage my taste buds just a bit more, and go back to the Chartreuse Umbrella roots of tasting life in the every day.
~
It's a perfect time to talk food - autumn has fallen and I'm in the midst of prepping a Thanksgiving feast for the masses. Thinking we'd win the pity and company of one or two other family-less friends this Tofurkey day, we put the invite out and wound up with over 20 mouths to feed (and seat!) in our 1,200 square foot, single bathroom house. Thanksgiving Dinner Host Challenge, here we come.
Pot-luck style was the obvious answer, and as the number of attendees has crept up, I can only hope the dish size has too. In homage to the Mennillo family, this year we will celebrate Italian Thanksgiving, with all the good old-fashioned American fixins, plus pasta, pasta and more pasta. As if Thanksgiving was't the most gluttonous, overindulgent, stuffed to the gills holiday in the first place - we add pasta to the mix.
Luckily for us, our friends are gems and threw their hands high in the air volunteering for the traditional dishes: pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole - we even pulled the vegetarian card and convinced a friend, who's a stellar chef, to take charge of bird duty.
We quickly agreed on three Italian dishes, some old school and authentic, and others not so much. Our Manicotti will be straight from the Mennillo recipe book, which is to say simple and delicious, with no fuss. The Butternut Squash Ravioli will be 100% made from scratch, which would be no small task if it weren't for Pistache, my beloved KitchenAid stand mixer. Individual lasagnes are simple with the exception of the elusive Amore Herb Paste - come on, who sells that? I could write a whole blog post about the practice of including esoteric ingredients in recipes as a means of lifestyle-ism. Maybe I will...
On Monday night, a last minute Google search on "how much turkey for 20 people" raised our blood pressure at the thought of not enough food, so we added Butternut Squash Soup and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies to the menu at the 11th hour.
As stressed out as my other half is, I have to say I'm calm as a tryptophan addict having planned and scheduled each prep step. Call me crazy, but as in life, knowing what you're in for and then choosing to run at it full force is the best practice. Outcome, still to be determined but outlook is good.
But today I stand up to my inner voice and ask - why are travel, vacation and newness antonymous to "my element"? If that's where I'm inspired, isn't that exactly the element I'm made of?
Of course I'm oversimplifying - I don't have the pocketbook to constantly inspire myself with new far off destinations and distant cultures. But I do have the mundane yet magical ability to open my eyes just a bit wider, encourage my taste buds just a bit more, and go back to the Chartreuse Umbrella roots of tasting life in the every day.
~
It's a perfect time to talk food - autumn has fallen and I'm in the midst of prepping a Thanksgiving feast for the masses. Thinking we'd win the pity and company of one or two other family-less friends this Tofurkey day, we put the invite out and wound up with over 20 mouths to feed (and seat!) in our 1,200 square foot, single bathroom house. Thanksgiving Dinner Host Challenge, here we come.
Pot-luck style was the obvious answer, and as the number of attendees has crept up, I can only hope the dish size has too. In homage to the Mennillo family, this year we will celebrate Italian Thanksgiving, with all the good old-fashioned American fixins, plus pasta, pasta and more pasta. As if Thanksgiving was't the most gluttonous, overindulgent, stuffed to the gills holiday in the first place - we add pasta to the mix.
Luckily for us, our friends are gems and threw their hands high in the air volunteering for the traditional dishes: pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole - we even pulled the vegetarian card and convinced a friend, who's a stellar chef, to take charge of bird duty.
We quickly agreed on three Italian dishes, some old school and authentic, and others not so much. Our Manicotti will be straight from the Mennillo recipe book, which is to say simple and delicious, with no fuss. The Butternut Squash Ravioli will be 100% made from scratch, which would be no small task if it weren't for Pistache, my beloved KitchenAid stand mixer. Individual lasagnes are simple with the exception of the elusive Amore Herb Paste - come on, who sells that? I could write a whole blog post about the practice of including esoteric ingredients in recipes as a means of lifestyle-ism. Maybe I will...
On Monday night, a last minute Google search on "how much turkey for 20 people" raised our blood pressure at the thought of not enough food, so we added Butternut Squash Soup and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies to the menu at the 11th hour.
 |
| Monday prep, from squash soup to peach pie |
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| Tuesday prep, pie filling and cookies ready to bake |
As stressed out as my other half is, I have to say I'm calm as a tryptophan addict having planned and scheduled each prep step. Call me crazy, but as in life, knowing what you're in for and then choosing to run at it full force is the best practice. Outcome, still to be determined but outlook is good.
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