Thanksgiving Memories

What do you see when you look at the picture above? A very simple platter, right? A platter you could have purchased at a neighborhood store or received as a gift.

You may have walked right past it in a thrift store, a yard sale or a flea market. It's nothing special, just a simple Thanksgiving tray.

But for me, this platter is priceless.  It was my paternal grandmother's.  I have no idea where she purchased it, or if it was a gift, or how it came into her possession. After she passed, this was one of the things that belonged to her that I was fortunate enough to receive.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. A time to reflect on all that I have been given in this life, the family I've been blessed with, the talents I've been given.

Every year, I unwrap this simple platter with its "Made in Japan" stamp on the back and carefully wash and dry and place it on my table. It waits until I have the turkey roasted and sliced and I always think of the many times my grandmother surely did the exact same thing. 

Don't take any of your serving pieces for granted. Who knows? Someday one of your family members may cherish a platter or bowl that will be used on your Thanksgiving table tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Kids' Thanksgiving 2018 Table

The little ones are not so little ones now. No sippy cups on the table this year. I still want the whimsy so they'll be dining on turkey plates!

A few little squirrels with their acorns.

I love these little people!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2018

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you'll definitely recognize the Thanksgiving tablecloth and napkins. They're a tradition for my table. Maybe one day I'll select another for my favorite holiday table, but I have my doubts.

Last year, I was sidelined with a broken foot and was unable to decorate a table for Thanksgiving. I had purchased these gorgeous plates a few weeks before my accident and they had to sit on the shelf and miss the fun.  I'm making up for that this year.

The plates (and bowls and salad plates and serving bowls!) were purchased from Tuesday Morning. Pheasants and ducks were also available!

These little turkey napkin rings have been on my table for decades. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Dining Out: Galveston Island, Texas - Benno's Cajun Seafood

When you're on vacation to a location you've never visited before and you eat lunch at a restaurant and enjoy it so much you go back for dinner a few nights later, you know you're on to something special.  Where is this magical place?  Benno's Cajun Seafood.

Benno's is located right on Seawall Boulevard on Galveston Island.  You can choose to dine either indoors or on their patio with an unobstructed view of the Gulf of Mexico.

Walk up to the counter, place your order, and take a seat. Every order is prepared fresh as you wait. No heat lamps here with sad fries waiting on you to order them.  

Sweet Harold ordered a Fried Oyster Po'Boy for his lunch selection. The bread was toasted, the po'boy piled high with delicious, well-seasoned oysters, and as he requested, was served dressed (with lettuce and tomatoes). Those fries were HOT, and the coleslaw was cold and crunchy.

The lady behind the counter suggested the Cajun Oyster lunch special. I was intrigued and expected fried oysters with Cajun seasoning on them.  But more on the oysters in a moment.  Boiled new potatoes on the menu???  My favorite way to eat potatoes.  Yes, please. 

Now more on those oysters.  Compare these oysters to the ones on the po'boy in the picture above. See how they appear to be flattened and have an excellent crust to them?  This is because they are cooked on the flattop. I had never had oysters prepared this way, but I do know these were the best-fried oysters I've ever had! The seasoning had just the right amount of heat and wasn't overly salty as some Cajun seasoned food tends to be.

As we left, our server mentioned we might want to come back for dinner and try the Cajun Seafood Platter and the bread pudding.  We followed her recommendation and were indeed glad we did!

The "platter" description is very accurate. The oysters prepared as they were for the lunch special (yay!!), large Gulf shrimp, and tilapia.  Coleslaw and roasted quartered potatoes completed the platter along with a toasted piece of French bread. All menu items were well seasoned. I was very impressed with the size of the fish, as well as the shrimp and oysters. $17.95

Isn't that a beautiful plate?

And then along comes the dessert:  Bread pudding with Bourbon sauce $3.95. This was a very large serving with a more than adequate amount of luxurious sauce. We shared and still couldn't finish the entire serving.

These lovely people were great!  Thanks for two great meals while we were visiting Galveston!

Chili Mac

Saturday we attended a great Fall cookout. I carried a crockpot full of chili sauce for the hot dogs.  The recipe is here.

With the leftovers tonight, I boiled an 8 oz. package of macaroni noodles, drained them, and put the noodles back into the hot pot. I then added the chili sauce and stirred over low heat until everything was hot and thoroughly combined.

Then we spooned this goodness up into big bowls, topped with finely shredded cheese, and minced cilantro.  What a great way to completely change the original dish into a wonderful comfort food meal.

Hot Dog Sauce for Chili

I made the "mistake" of calling this hot dog chili when I brought it to a friend's cookout this afternoon.  Some of the attendees thought that the chili was made FROM hot dogs.  Hmmm.  I thought this sauce for topping grilled hot dogs was referred to as hot dog chili. Others told me that it should be more appropriately identified as Chili Sauce for Hotdogs.

Whatever you call it, it was delicious!

This amount makes a large amount for topping hot dogs, burgers, baked potatoes, or macaroni and cheese.  It freezes well, so it's good to make up a large batch and freeze in portion sizes for your family to have on hand for those very things.

2T. butter

1 large white onion, diced

1 heaping T. minced garlic

3 lb. ground chuck

7 T. chili powder

1 T. ground cumin

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 - 12 oz. can tomato paste

3 cups beef broth

1 T. yellow mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 3 - 4 minutes until translucent, not browned. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

Add ground chuck and mash with a potato masher to break up the meat into tiny pieces.  You want a very fine consistency.  Continue cooking until beef is no longer pink. Drain fat.

Add next six ingredients and lower heat. Cover and simmer 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

You're ready to serve now, or swap over to a slow cooker and set to low.

Dining Out: Galveston Island, Texas - Gaido's

We dined at Gaido's on October 12, 2018, which was our 22nd wedding anniversary. Gaido's first opened in 1911, and their claim to having the freshest seafood in the area is legendary. The restaurant is located in a large, sprawling building filled with family mementos and display cases holding gorgeous pieces of cut glassware collected through the years.

We were warmly greeted, our reservation was confirmed, and we were immediately seated.  The staff knew it was our anniversary and assured us there would be no rush and urged us to take our time and enjoy our meal. We were checked on by no less than three people during our meal. But it wasn't intrusive, just enough to let us know if there were ANY problems, they would be taken care of immediately.

White cloth tablecloths with cloth napkins, candlelight, NO TELEVISIONS, and low music so you could actually have a conversation without having to speak loudly to be heard, set the tone for a lovely evening.  Did I mention that you also have a gorgeous view of the Gulf of Mexico to enjoy while you dine?

Our server was Vadim who was attentive, wished us a Happy Anniversary and gave us a brief history of the restaurant and told us of their dedication to high quality. Kudos to Gaido's for thoroughly training their staff.

We placed our drink orders which arrived promptly.  I chose a Stoli cucumber martini and Harold had their top shelf Long Island Iced Tea. These were the best cocktails of the trip.  

We sipped while we considered the extensive menu and discussed the night's specials all the while enjoying the warm bread and rich herbed olive oil.

I never turn down an opportunity to enjoy fried crab claws. I was excited to see them on the menu! These were lightly battered, just enough so that the fresh taste of the crab wasn't overwhelmed. 

To continue with our love for crab, Sweet Harold chose the crab cake appetizer with beurre blanc sauce. The crab cake was much crab than filler which is always a sign of a restaurant that doesn't skimp or cut corners. The beurre blanc sauce was expertly made as were all the sauces which accompanied our dishes.

I couldn't pass on the shrimp bisque.  I have distinct memories of excellent soups/bisques I've enjoyed through the years:  The She Crab Soup at Firefly in Panama City Beach, Florida and the Lobster Bisque served at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.  I can now happily add the Shrimp Bisque from Gaido's in Galveston. Rich, flavorful with a significant proportion of shrimp to bisque with that distinctive sherry flavor.

Sweet Harold selected the Red Snapper Michael for his entree'.  The dish is named for a server named Michael who actually designed the restaurant building. The snapper is coated in a light parmesan flour and sauteed. He elected to add lump crab meat and beurre blanc sauce.  The side dish was roasted potato wedges. He was well pleased with his selection.

If you scroll up to the very first picture, you'll notice that night's special grilled swordfish with buttered crab. I had never tried swordfish, but after Vadim's detailed description, I couldn't resist. The texture of the grilled swordfish was indeed different than your typically pan sauteed or grilled fish. Different, but delicious. See that lump crabmeat Castilla topping? If you are ever offered that as an option, please accept!  I had the asparagus as my side dish, and it was perfectly cooked.

As I mentioned, we were celebrating our anniversary. We were treated to a Key Lime Cheesecake for dessert. Oh my. The crust was lightly browned, the filling was tart, and the glaze wasn't overly sweet. A perfect ending to our wonderful meal.

Thank you Gaido's for a memorable and delicious Anniversary Celebration!