A Novel Experience

Well, I finally did it. On Saturday at around 6:30pm, I finished my novel. I have to say that the experience, although very intense, was also very fulfilling. For me, it was 27 days of total immersion in my book. When I wasn't spending hours writing, I was thinking about how to move the plot along and believe it or not, actually dreaming about it.

There were times, too many to count, where I would literally spend hours in front of the computer, trying to think of what to write. I would know where the story needed to go, I just didn't know how to get it there. Then, there were those magical times when the story would actually write itself. Wonderfully, this happened on Friday and Saturday, because on each of those days, I was able to write over 4,000 words.

When it was finally over and the last word written, I have to admit that I was a little sad. I had lived with these characters for the past 27 days and all at once, it's over. There were times when it was frustrating and other times when it was fun. But overall, it was a very rewarding experience and one I would gladly do again.

Now, since my brain is currently running on empty, I plan to do something a little different this week: I'm going to be sharing some of my favorite holiday movies. I know, you can actually see the affiliate monster rearing its head, and you would be correct. These posts will be mainly for search engine use, but I'm hoping you might get a kick out of looking at my choices. Also, this will allow me a chance to recover from my writing marathon.

I hope you all have a great week and if you have any holiday favorites, please feel free to let me know; I'm always on the lookout for a good movie.

Friday Fotos: 11/27

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I don't know if any of you are going to brave the crowds and actually be at the stores at 4:00AM, but I can tell you that I will not be one of them. I got roped into that several years ago and I vowed never to do it again. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures and have a terrific weekend...





courtesy of... pyzam.com



I hear there was a movie with a similar title...

courtesy of... icanhascheezburger.com




Yes! I love this...

courtesy of... failblog.org

Your Guide to Lump-Free Gravy

This is the last in my series of Thanksgiving Day posts, so I hope the previous articles have given you some new ideas to try. The following gravy is flavored with the dripping from your turkey and is not made from the giblets. I hope you all have a terrific Thanksgiving.


What you will need...

Turkey drippings
Flour
Butter...unsalted, please
Cardamom...To taste
Salt or 1-Chicken Bouillon Cube (crushed)...To taste
Pepper...To taste
For adding the flour and the butter (making the roux), I use a 1:1:1 ratio...1 Tbsp of butter to 1 Tbsp of flour to 1 Cup of liquid. I will be writing this recipe to accommodate 3 Cups of turkey drippings...


Putting it together...

• Try and separate the fat from the turkey drippings
• In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt 3 Tbsp butter
• Once melted, add 3 Tbsp of flour and whisk to combine
• Now is decision time. How dark do you want your gravy, because the longer you stay at this step, the darker your gravy will be. I like my gravy to be somewhat lighter, so I will whisk over medium heat for about 5 minutes. If you want your gravy darker, keep whisking. For a very dark gravy, as in a gumbo, you will be at this step for about twenty minutes
• Once you reach your desired color, slowly add the 3 cups of turkey drippings; whisking constantly
• add salt or crushed bouillon, pepper, and cardamom (cardamom has a rather strong flavor, so I like to start with this small amount and continue adding until I reach the desired flavor...start with a ½ tsp
• Continue adding the pepper and cardamom, until you are happy with the flavor.
• Continue whisking until the gravy boils (This is when it will reach its full thickening potential)
• You should end up with a very tasty, lump-free gravy
• If you need to delay service, take some plastic wrap and set it directly on top of the gravy. This will help prevent that wonderful "skin" from forming

Troubleshooting...

Gravy seems to be "missing something"...I usually crush a chicken bouillon cube and add it to the gravy. This seems to correct the problem. If not, try adding some chicken stock or experiment with a little crushed sage or a very tiny amount of mace. If the gravy has too strong of a turkey flavor, you might want to dilute it with water or, if you don't mind a white gravy, add milk or cream.

Gravy is not thick enough...In a separate bowl, spoon-in about a half cup of your gravy and whisk an additional Tbsp of flour. Once well incorporated and no lumps visible, add it back into the main gravy and whisk well. Bring to a boil. If this does not thicken it to your liking, grab a bowl and place a tablespoon of flour in it. Then, take some of your hot gravy and mix it with the flour (if you add the flour directly into your gravy, you will get lumps, so we take this extra step). Once the flour is fully incorporated, mix it in with your gravy. Repeat until you get the your desired consistency.



Something else you might want to try...

• Replace the cardamom with a spice called Grains of Paradise

Originally published as...My Thanksgiving Gravy