#12 Host Thanksgiving Dinner

Talk about biting off more than I can chew....

Thanksgiving has always been a family event in the Miller (actually Bass) household. Every year since I was born, and even before that, we would all come together to enjoy a enormous meal at my grandmother's house. For many years, that meal took place just in time for everyone to watch the Egg Bowl (Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State). Things have slowly changed over the years so I thought it may be a great time to push completely out of tradition for once and invite my immediate family to Greenville for Thanksgiving. (Note to rest of family: you are more than welcome to come. If you leave now you can probably still make it).

As much as mother would love it, I am not completely bucking tradition to serve her favorite Fried Chicken with Rice and Gravy. Luckily her sweet brother Steve and his wife Zina made it for her last weekend.  I am changing things up a bit mixing some traditional elements in new weird (more tasty) ways. 

On the menu:

• Maple Roasted Turkey Breast (bc Maddox doesn't need to eat the pounds of dark meat that we discard)
• Mixed greens with walnuts, cranberries and gorgonzola (in place of cranberry sauce in a can)
• Cheese Souffle (sorry, no dressing this year)
• Green beans wrapped in bacon (bacon = good)
• Mashed sweet potatoes (funny story - see below)
• Freshly-baked french bread (we'll see if this really happens)
• Chocolate Tart sprinkled with Maldon (fancy salt, don't hate)

So I'd be remiss if I didn't tell the sweet potato story...

About 6 years ago, Mom, Josh and I were in the kitchen preparing our portion of the Thanksgiving meal. Mom and Josh in the kitchen together sometimes reminds me of two squirrels chasing each other around a tree. (love you guys, but its true!) So in an effort to soothe my nerves, I pour myself a nice glass of Makers Mark. (mmmm!) Some time later I'm mixing up the sweet potato casserole and decide that it would be a great idea to add a little bourbon to the praline topping (then a little more, and then a little more). So I got a little overzealous with the bourbon, whatever! You're supposed to cook it long enough to cook out the alcohol anyways. So I figure no harm, now foul.....

Well...It's safe to say that it didn't cook long enough, which may not be a big deal for most families. The Bass family, especially at this point, were non-drinkers (or at least closet drinkers). In respect for our matriarch, May, the only beverage we ever had was sweet tea. Add to that, two of my mom's uncles were at Thanksgiving that year, one of which was a recovering alcoholic. (In my defense, he was dying of lung cancer and this was my little treat to him for bringing all those Honey Baked Hams to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners over the years).

Halfway through the meal, one of the uncles commented, "Jennifer, is there bourbon in these sweet potatoes? Because these are the best ones I've ever tasted." My face went red, my grandmother shot daggers at me, and the whole table erupted with laughter. Needless to say, I've been making them ever since.

So Mom and Dad are set to arrive this afternoon. I'm going to squeeze in a quick Power Hour of hot yoga before taking a few days off from the exercise routine and protein shakes. In order to not completely sabotage my healthy streak,  I will be taking the family on a nice hike to Raven Cliffs Falls either Friday or Saturday so check back for photos.

And be sure to check out my brother (and Matthew's) blog, Kitchen Mischief for a multitude of mischievous cooking stories.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Post Thanksgiving Post:

I survived but have emerged with a profound respect for those out there that attempt, year after year, to provide a Thanksgiving meal to his or her family. With the help of Mother, I managed to prepare all 7 dishes without any scorching or burning or any other food-related disasters (minus a burned thumb, of course). I did, however, eat my Thanksgiving dinner with my apron still on and not having showered. As for next year's Thanksgiving Dinner....Well, we'll just have to see.

#11 Try Hang Gliding

I remember the call.

Me: Hey Dad, I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay.
Dad: Why wouldn't you be okay?
Me: Oh well, I just got back from skydiving.......

This took place back in 2001 when I was living in British Columbia, Canada. I was only a few weeks away from being accepted into their socialized medicine system. Not that it would have mattered anyways.

Skydiving in BC was a little different that it is in the US, at least from my experience. I did what they call the First Jump Course instead of Tandem.

Basically, you crawl out onto the strut of the plane and hang like Superman until they tell you to let go. At this point, they release a mini-chute which then activates your full parachute within 10 seconds or so. But from the second you crawl out of the plane you are all alone and hoping like hell those "in case of..." instructions do not have to be put to use.

I tell you all of this because there have been numerous suggestions to add skydiving to the list. So instead of having a skydiving part 2 adventure, I opted for something entirely new, hang gliding.

I was a tiny bit nervous at this point

Hang gliding is awesome and could possibly become my new hobby. There's something peaceful about soaring through the sky like a bird.  Even better, I was able to convince my brother to come along. (David was along for the journey, not the adventure but we still appreciate his camera skills).

The rest of the weekend in Chattanooga was a lot of fun. We had an delicious but interesting dinner at Easy Bistro (interesting because a couple was breaking every PDA rule and perhaps several state laws as well). If you go there, have the Cinderella Pumpkin Ravioli. And just because, you have to See Rock City.

It's a bird, it's a plane...

Resources:

• Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding
• Easy Bistro
• See Rock City

And one final note.....

No trip is ever complete without a sock monkey appearance. I really wanted to wear the sock monkey costume in Rock City but that would have been a bad idea on many levels - not fitting through Fat Man's Squeeze, falling off Lookout Mountain, getting attacked by moonshine drinking gnomes......You get the point.

Now on to the next adventure.....

#10 Try Yoga

I am a huge fan of urban dictionary. Whereas some people receive a word of the day from dictionary.com, I receive my Urban Word of the Day. So I found it ironic that the same day I decided to try a new hour and a half hot yoga class, the Urban Word of the Day happened to be hot mess.

Hot mess: when ones thoughts or appearance are in a state of disarray but they maintain an undeniable attractiveness or beauty.

see: hot mess

I am in no way calling my post yoga self portrait an example of undeniable attractiveness or beauty but I was a mess (given I’d been in yoga positions I hadn’t done in 5 years) and most certainly hot (given the room was probably 100+ degrees and I was sweating out toxins I ingested in college).

I don’t plan to stop at just one class. In fact, I got a deal through Living Social for 20 classes for $20 at Southern Om. The catch is I have to complete these 20 classes by the first of the year. Have you checked for Living Social deals in your city? They’re pretty cool daily deals that only last 24 hours or until they sell out.  But be warned, I could easily see how a person could get obsessed and end up spending their Saturdays doing a 2 for 1 photography session after their discounted facial while eating half-off Mediterranean food. 

So with the yoga class, I have made it to the one-third mark, ten down and twenty to go. I’m going to attempt to complete 5 more before the end of the year, most excitingly, I’m going on a hang gliding adventure with my brother this weekend.

One more thing. A person behind me totally farted during the middle of class and it was the first time I’ve actually heard an instructor laugh out loud. (yeah, I couldn’t leave that one out and I’m giggling now just thinking about it).

Check it out:

• Southern Om
• Living Social: Daily Deals
• Groupon
• Urban Dictionary

#9 The Sock Monkey

 I think this speaks for itself......

 

Thanks to the best mom in the world for making this a reality!

Keep checking the blog for pics of the sock monkey around the Upstate.

Update on the Sock Monkey:  For those of you that don't know, I went along for the Metromix/Link 2010 Halloween Pub Crawl and won Overall Best Costume. The experience was as close to celeb status as I hope to ever get. Click here for the link to the pub crawl photo gallery.

My monkey days are far from over so be on the lookout!

#8 Join a Young Professionals Group

While I still can....(just kidding)

It has been a long week so I can't muster up enough strength to be my normal charming and funny self. My apologies.

Now on to the topic at hand.

I held out for as long as I could and now I have finally joined PULSE, Greenville's young professional's group. My reasons for never doing so are part stupid and part lazy but with my new found love of being involved in the community, I thought I was a great idea. Two events down and I'm already on a committee. But I didn't stop there and why would I? I am now also officially involved with the Southern Economic Development Council's (SEDC) young professionals group as well. And you guessed it, on a committee and chairing an event.

The old (actually younger) me got a lot more sleep and had a lot more free time. Do I miss her?

# 7 Grow Something

My Little Bed & Breakfast

Baby Pumpkin

A few months ago a little vine sprouted from underneath a tree in my backyard. For the longest time, it was a mystery vine. It looked like a squash/zucchini plant, a very large non-producing squash/zucchini plant. To my surprise and 15 feet of vines later, a little round yellowish-green object appeared. Now this vine has taken over my backyard and my heart. Totally kidding on that last part.

This being the end of my first year in this house, I don’t know if this is a recurring vine or if I simply let one of last year’s pumpkin rot in that particular place. I’m kinda guessing it’s the latter and therefore slightly more magical. Why do I feel like Cinderella?

Well I’ve been very hands-off up until this weekend. All I’ve done is simply ogle over my round little friends and take their pictures. But as my inner-nurturer began to take over, I took to the internet and my local Home Depot to figure out what I could do.

So today I created a little pumpkin bed & breakfast.

The twins

For the breakfast part I applied some Osmocote around the base of the vine. It’s very surprising to me that from this one root grows twenty something feet of pumpkin vines. I’m hoping this fertilizer cocktail will create some large healthy pumpkins.

During my internet research I found that creating a bed of sand beneath the pumpkin will protect it from both snails and slugs. These pesky boogers are known for burrowing down in to the pumpkin which at this point would be devastating to me, especially if it were to happen to my big pumpkin.

Survival of the fittest

Finally, I learned that sometimes you have to eliminate some bad seeds to increase the survival rate of the others. I guess it’s kind of like survival of the fittest. So I snip the little guys off and toss them into the yard. Who knows? Maybe they’ll turn into a vine next year.

So here I stand in the middle of September with a number of beautiful young pumpkins. (one of which is promised to my new friend Randy at Home Depot). I hope by Halloween that I’ve been able to produce a lively crop. Perhaps one of them will turn into a magical carriage and carry me away to Prince Charming. (What a load of crap!)

Update:

Maddox & his pumpkin

Turns out that a pumpkin vine can only support one pumpkin at a time…In a few weeks I went from 30 pumpkins to four. Then a pesky little squirrel took a bite of one so I’m down to 3. I am not one to be ungrateful though. These 3 pumpkins are absolutely majestic and after a conversation with my neighbor it turns out that these beauties are a result of last year’s rotting pumpkin.

To answer anyone that might be pondering this question: no, I will not be carving these pumpkins. I will be purchasing a normal (non-heirloom) pumpkin to butcher. Maybe I’ll even throw a carving party.  Does anyone out there have a fond memory of carving pumpkins from their childhood?

Getting messy. My fav past time

#6 Make Something

First off...This post is in honor of the Indie Craft Parade taking place this weekend in downtown Greenville at the Huguenot Mill. Please go out and support it!

Truth be told, the only thing I made this Labor Day was a mess.I started out with a plan to repaint the old windows hanging in my living room and the side tables next to my sofa. I ended the day with myself, patio table and deck covered in high gloss Araucana Teal and a minor flesh wound.

I had been wooed by the ads for Martha Stewart’s new paint collection at Home Depot so $50 later I returned home with 3 different colors, brushes, paint scrapers, etc etc etc…Then came the trip to Michael’s where I purchased 5 mini birdcages, art paper, ribbon, more brushes and a 3-D wooden monkey puzzle (random, I know).

Most of these projects will have to wait but I did manage to paint (2) side tables, (2) medium-sized windows, a small bookshelf and a larger window (whose one pane is now broken as a result of direct impact with my knee). Most of this I was able to accomplish with only minor mess. I was even able to keep the paint on the bottom third of the paint brush (trust me, this is an accomplishment).

clean up on aisle 7!

But here comes the mischief. I put the top on the quart of paint to give it a good shake before I started the final paint job and my thumb slipped. Next thing I know myself, the table, the deck and various other items are covered in paint. In order to document this ridiculousness, I grab my phone to snap a picture and then it was also covered in paint. The paint brush (every third of it) is now covered top to bottom covered in paint. I actually used it and some of the paint from my hands to finish my final project. (I’m a real hands-on kinda girl)

Given the day I’d had (which I will spare you all those details), I propped my paint colored feet up and indulged in a glass of wine while I watched the paint dry.

hard work / mischief = reward

 Resources:

• Indie Craft Parade
• Martha Stewart Paint 

As for the mini bird cages, I’m thinking either Christmas tree ornaments, a mobile, garland. Any thoughts here? I guess we’ll just see what develops.



Update:

Whenever I start feeling a bit down I can always count on my right brain to bring turn things around. Inspired by some of the things I saw at the Indie Craft Parade, I set out to create a little fall mischief. My two major creations from this weekend were the sweater wreaths and some leaf garland. And after all my crafting I’ve realized how desperately I need a craft station. As you can see from one of the pics below, my dining room table is now serving as my dumping ground. (Hey dad, get to thinking on this one!)

Some call it a mess, I call it creativity.

#5 Go Hiking

Take a hike!

As I child I fondly remember our many family trips to the mountains, Josh and I would spend hours playing among the streams near our campgrounds and hiking through the forest to explore creeks and waterfalls. I especially remember a trip with dad to Yellowstone.


In 2001, Dad and I set out on a 3,000 mile journey to Victoria, British Columbia. I was to spend a semester at the University of Victoria as an exchange student and being the American that I am, I had to have my car. The highlight of our long journey was a quick break in Yellowstone. Other than some adventures with buffalo and the geothermal wonders of the park, one of the most memorable parts of the trip was our adventure down to a waterfall.


So as I was scrolling through my GSA Weekend email, I stumbled upon the words Waterfall Extravaganza. Given that it was approximately 102 degrees on this particular Thursday nothing  sounded more appealing to me. The trip was a four mile hike to 3 of the most spectacular waterfalls in the southeast; Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls.

With an overly packed backpack (seriously, I could have survived in the woods for days), I headed to Dupont State Forest, slightly over the North Carolina state line. What a beautiful day to drive up to mountains! It was 70 degrees, slightly foggy and with the windows and sunroof open, music blaring and heater running, I zoomed my way through the mountains excited to take on another adventure.

After several hours of hiking, we arrived at our final destination of Hooker Falls, which when it comes to people watching is pretty much the North Carolina equivalent of Lake Hartwell. After a little encouragement from our leader Jenna, I climbed over to the waterfall and crawled underneath. (I highly recommend doing this if you ever get the opportunity) After enjoying a few moments underneath the waterfall staring into the massive wall of water pouring over my head, we slid down the rock into the pool below.

I headed back down the mountain with two things on my mind 1) nourishment 2) nap. I stopped by the Bohemian for a to-go burger and after inhaling the thing, it was time for a long afternoon nap. (I think I may have bathed at some point, but there's really no guarantee). I'm really looking forward to recruiting some folks for another mountain trip really soon.

Special thanks to Jenna, Spartanburg Parks Commission's L.E.A.F. program, and the fun people I met along the way. And to HS, I promise to be a bit bolder with my future adventures.

Check it out!

• Dupont State Forest
• L.E.A.F.
• The Bohemian Cafe

#4 Take Exotic Dancing Classes

Talk about being a tease…

So I left work yesterday on a mission to purchase some sexy stripper-like shoes and some new “gym” clothes. The shoes, while not completely strip-tastic, are still pretty awesome. I mean, who could possibly hate on some 4-5 inch stilettos that are a mixture of both bondage and safari? (probably my poor feet for one, but who cares) Anyways…After some successful purchases I headed home where I proceeded to get mentally (and somewhat physically) prepared.

But crap! Little did I know that the first session is really only a meet and greet.

So for those of you that don’t know me that well, let me backfill for a second or two….You see, I am one of the only girls I know that didn’t make the dance team in junior high. The problem lies in the fact that 1) I have strange rhythm or perhaps no rhythm at all 2) I have very long arms and can sometimes appear awkward and 3) I’m just way too silly.

So here I am. For the next 8 weeks I will be embarking on a journey to explore my inner exotic dancer.

But herein lies the real problem. I have yet to come up with my “dancer” name. If you have any suggestions, please let me know and bonus to those names that can relate back to an actual song. Because get this! The last class is actually a recital where we dress up and can dance to our own song. I’m all about themes so help me out. And sorry boys, you’re not allowed at the recital. Girls only!


For those interested:
West End Dance Company

Update:
The dance lessons are now over as are the life and times of Phoenix (my dancing alter ego that was a little to wild not to be kept in her cage). The classes were a blast but even more so were the times spent with my dancing partners, Countess Preening Peacock and Red. Good luck with the next round!

And thanks to Mr. Corde for assisting with the name selection. The mythological bird rising from the ashes is very fitting for the life I'm leading now. As for the song, major props to HLT for selecting Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix.

#3 Take a Cooking Class

What a culinary adventure!

During my family vacation in June I decided that for my birthday I wanted to take a cooking class and from that the idea for the 30x30 blog blossomed. So this past Friday, I traveled to Atlanta where I met my mom for a little mother-daughter weekend.

But first a quick look back…

Growing up I fondly remember the summer days where Josh (my brother) and I, perched ourselves in front of the television with our cheese sandwiches watching the Food Network. Decades later I cannot begin to add up the number of hours I have spent watching this delightful network. I guess with that and my first Betty Crocker cookbook, a true foodie was born.

So on Saturday, my mother and I journeyed to the Viking Cooking School in Atlanta for a 5-hour hands-on class on French Culinary Basics. I have never seen that much butter put to such good use. I really think we used a pound in each recipe. Gotta love the French!

Here’s the menu:

• Classic French Bread
• Cheese Soufflé
• Beef Bourguignon

• Seafood Crepes

• Tarte Tatin

Favorite highlights:

Making crepes – Mom and I took to a range and got to work making four beautifully crafted and expertly flipped crepes. I think a crepe pan is next on my list to purchase. (I say next b’c I already picked up a baguette pan at a kitchen outlet on the way home. Here comes the fresh baked bread!)

Making the baguettes – I had to get in on this action. After hours of feeding, kneading, beating and sleeping, it was time to make our beautiful artisanal loaves. First you stretch the dough into a rectangle and then you fold it several times, sealing the edges each time. Finally you pick it up and lay it seam side down on the baguette pan. The final touch prior to baking is the slitting of the baguettes, which requires a razor blade or sharp knife.  

Eating it all – After all the food was complete, we all sat down at the table to enjoy the fruits of our labor. There are few things better in this world than a freshly baked baguette dipped in the savory sauce of beef bourguignon.

The finishing touch.

Lucky for us, dinner reservations weren’t until 9pm. For anyone heading to Atlanta soon, go to JCT Kitchen in the Westside Urban Market. It was mind blowing!

 

For dinner:

Iceberg salad – a wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with blue cheese, radishes and onion strings. I just might like this better than the classic of bacon and tomatoes.

Wood Grilled ½ Chicken with duck fat crisped heirloom potatoes, lacquered pork belly and local honey

Meyer lemon doughnuts with expresso ice cream – these things melted in your mouth

I have to say that the class and weekend more than lived up to any expectations. Special thanks to mom for coming along for the adventure.

Resources:

Viking Cooking School

JTC Kitchen

Next up on the list: Boxing lesson

A quick rewind:

Truth be told, this all took place last weekend before the blog was actually set up. If anyone feels especially cheated then I guess it doesn't have to count towards the goal.
Perhaps I need to form an oversight committee to rule on these types of issues.

On to the real story...

Growing up, my grandmother, May, would always cook a special meal for each of her children's and grandchildren's birthdays. While the dinner menu may have changed over the years, the dessert never did. As long as I can remember, my birthday dessert was homemade caramel cake with peach ice cream. So last Saturday I set out on an adventure to create homemade peach ice cream from freshly picked South Carolina peaches.

The hurdles came early and often. First off, the peaches on the trees would not be ripe enough for ice cream so I had to settle for a basket of very ripe peaches. In my defense, I did at least take the time to wander through the orchard and I promise to return sometime soon to actually do my own picking.

Where to go:
Fisher's Orchard
Greer, South Carolina
www.fishersorchard.com

After a slight detour to Campbell's Covered Bridge and the Tomato Vine, I made it home with my pre-picked peaches and began the ice cream adventure. After hours of boiling, freezing, peeling and squashing, the mixture was ready to go into the fridge but oops, I put the freakin’ stuff in the freezer. So here I am on Sunday morning trying to thaw out the creamy peach ice block. Lucky for me the summer heat worked its magic. So all was going well and I proceeded to prepare a massive southern meal for some friends. After hours of refilling ice and salt, I figured it was set so I got lazy. By the time we finished eating, the mixture had completely melted. Luckily I was able to resuscitate the mixture 30 minutes later just as our butter and salt comas were lifting.

Thanks to some good friends for giving me a great excuse to cook and for sacrificing their bodies to the 30x30 cause.

2 down and 28 to go!
(Blog and Peach Ice Cream)

The start of some things new...

So here I am, one year and some odd days shy of my 30th birthday. For whatever it’s worth, this is not a quarter, third or mid-life crisis. Simply put, I just want to try new things. You see, less than a year ago I began a new life for myself. I realized (much like in the book Eat, Pray, Love) that I have a tendency to lose myself in people, relationships, situations, etc…In plain English, I just felt bored with myself.

With that said, I am starting a blog to try 30 new things before my 30th birthday. Some of these things will be small and trivial, some large and significant. I welcome your input and insights. And further, if you’d like to join me on one of my so-called adventures, well then, I’d like that too.

Here's a rough draft of some things I'm considering:

1. Write a blog
2. Take a French cooking class
3. Take a First aid class
4. Take a self defense class
5. Take a meditation class
6. Cook a dish with mussels
7. Make homemade bread
8. Teach Maddox a new trick (or just to behave)
9. Volunteer to help underprivileged children
10. Join a networking group
11. Bike the Swamp Rabbit Trail
12. Run the Cooper River Bridge Run
13. Build something
14. Make a triple layer cake
15. Send birthday cards
16. Go camping
17. Explore local waterfalls
18. Go to a roller derby game
19. Take French lessons
20. Bake croissants
21. Take a group to First Fridays
22. Get a Concealed Weapons Permit
23. Take a golf lesson
24. Learn a new song on the piano
25. Visit Happy Cow Creamery
26. Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
27. Visit the Makers Mark distillery
28. Host a dinner party
29. Take shag lessons
30. Make peach ice cream
31. Buy a lottery ticket
32. Bake Christmas cookies
33. Take a group to a hockey game
34. Wear a sock monkey costume downtown

This list will certainly evolve over time but I think it's a good starting point for now. And just a note to anyone wanting to suggest something for me to try, keep it clean. That's all I'm going to say about that.