A much more leisurely trip this year we set off just after midday Wednesday to head to New Orleans for Thanksgiving. We did catch a lot of holiday traffic leaving town and then again in Houston, plus some roadworks so it took us til 11 to get there. We got a little rental car to save wear on the truck (and to be more efficient) so it took the trip to get used to being so low down on the road! I was standing up to get out the car rather than jumping down *grins*

Thursday – Thanksgiving day – we spent with DmentD’s family, his Mum put on a wonderful spread, we brought some of the gumbo home with us! We played a few games and relaxed  lots and ate even more *grins* a nice day together.

Black Friday we wanted to avoid anywhere with shops, so we went off to the Audobon zoo. We got there not long after opening so it was still quiet and we were able to park near by! It’s a nice zoo, not as large as I had been lead to believe but interesting to walk around. We spent about 4 hours there, and I took over 240 photos, I averaged about a photo a minute *grins* I chose a select few to upload here, didn’t fancy putting them all up! It was a really enjoyable morning. We messed about and acted like kids, taking photos playing with the sculptures, and ‘climbed’ to the top of Monkey Hill. There were a lot of interesting exhibits, a Mayan section with ant eaters and jaguars and the Louisiana Swamp with alligators, nutrea, bears and racoons. They had some white tigers, and we spent a while watching the orangutans playing.

In the evening we went out to our all time favourite restaurant in town – Lolas. Spanish Creole, killer garlic mushrooms and a paella to die for *grins* We headed to Angelo Brocado’s for dessert, gelato!

Saturday we met some friends for breakfast and then went and did what we’ve been talking about doing the past few visits. Go to the cemetary! As New Orleans is below sea level the dead aren’t allowed to be buried straight in the ground, so mausoleums and crypts are built with everyone wanting to show how rich and prosperous they were. We went to Lake Lawn, one of the more well kept cemeteries I’m told, and spent a while wandering about taking photos of some of the more interesting pieces of statuary and stained glass. We were there at a nice time of day to catch the sun shining through some of the glass. And while taking photos of the castle we met a couple walking their dogs who told us about the weeping angel so we finished the visit by finding her.

Saturday we spent with friends, playing the wii and having a good time. DmentD and I bought a new game that allows us to sit on the balance board (which we may now need to get *grins*) as a control, for a game where you’re sledding down the mountain on a cow! We had a fun evening and got home late!

Friday night we had seen a poster for an exhibition at the Museum of Art. So Sunday morning we decided to visit there and see what it was about. It was a Disney display, Dreams Come True, in New Orleans only to commemorate the opening of The Princess And The Frog which is set there. It showed the history of their animation, taking us from the Silly Symphonies, through Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, finishing with a display on The Princess And The Frog. It showed processes and techniques that had been pioneered in those films, preliminary sketches and story boards and character development. It was a fascinating display, we spent a few hours there, using up all our allotted time so we didn’t get to see the rest of the Museum.. but then that exhibition was the whole reason for our visit so I’m not really bothered about missing the rest of it.

We spent a little more time visited with family, and napping, before leaving New Orleans about 8 in the evening. We got back home about 4 this morning, grabbing a sleep before returning the rental car, then I headed back to bed for a few more hours.

I got home and discovered my new glasses, I was being the guinea pig and trying out an internet company, Eye Buy Direct. They weren’t too expensive and took precisely as long as they said they would, the glasses fit and seem just fine (though it’s raining now so I can’t wear the sunglasses *grins* I think I cursed us!). I would say they met expectations all around. If anyone else is interested I would recommend them, and can send you a coupon code for money off!

As usual, the full selection of photos are in the gallery

With the time and the inclination on hand this weekend DmentD and I decided to have a try at a new sourdough recipe. We started it yesterday morning, mixing the starter (good ol’ Bready) with some water and flour to create a sponge and letting it ferment for 12 hours.

Then last night, when we got home from GonzO’s birthday gathering we started the second step, adding some more flour and water to form more of a dough, and letting that ferment while we slept.

This morning before breakfast we added the final ingredients and formed the two loaves it made. Letting it proof while we went shopping we came back this afternoon and baked it off.

Definitely not a loaf to start without preparation, but definitely a fantastic loaf, soft and tender with a nice crisp crust, we immediately had to cut off a slice, or three *grins* and eat it with butter melting on it.

It needs to be a little more sour, next time we’re going to try repeating the second step which should result in more of a tangy flavour, but it’s a beautiful loaf of bread anyway!

This afternoon, while that was baking, I started some kolaches to take for Thanksgiving breakfast. We managed to get the same sausages as last time (chicken, roast garlic and mozzarella.. mmm yummy) only this time I ran out of bread flour so I had to sub in some whole wheat.. I’m interested to see how these turn out.

The rest of this week has been alright, not a whole lot to do at work. I did manage to cycle most of the way in to work one day, taking the bus the last couple of miles (and all the way home at the end of the day), I want to try and do that vaguely regularly and see how that goes.

6lb Ground Beef
1 Onion
14 Cloves Garlic
6 Mushrooms, processed
100g Breadcrumbs
Herbs (parsley, chives, oregano)
1tbsp Salt
1.5tsp Pepper
2 Egg

Yields 18 x 7oz Burgers

500g minced beef
4 rashers (smoked) rindless streky bacon
1 onion chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 stick celery chopped
30ml (2 tbsps) korma curry paste
1 clove garlic chopped
15ml (1tbsp) plain flour
200ml (7 fl oz) chicken (veg) stock
5ml (1tsp) dried herbs de provence
120ml (8tbsp) tomato puree
100g (4oz)frozen peas
420g can baked beans
115g (4oz) tortilla chips
115g (4oz) grated cheddar cheese

Cook mince and bacon for 5 mins in a large pan. Add onion, carrot and celery then
cook for 2 minutes. Add curry paste and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add stock, herbs, tomato puree, peas and
baked beans, bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Preheat a grill (or oven). transfer the mince mixture to four individual dishes or one
large one. Scatter over tortilla chips and cheese. Cook until golden.

Recipe from KSC

6oz Unsalted Butter
5oz Sugar
5oz Brown Sugar
3/4tsp Salt
3oz Eggs
1tsp Vanilla
10oz AP Flour
3/4tsp Baking Soda
10oz Chocolate Chips
4oz Chopped Pecans

Temperature 350F
Yields 36

Cream the butter, sugars and salt together.
Slowly add the eggs and vanilla, scrape down often to combine thoroughly.
Add the flour and baking soda and mix until almost combined.
Add the chocolate and nuts and mix together until smooth.

For oatmeal raisin add 1/4tsp cinnamon
Replace chocolate chips and nuts with
2oz Raisins
3.5oz Oats

Recipe from TCA

1 Gallon Pressed Cider/Apple Juice (not from concentrate)
3 Oranges, sliced
10 Cinnamon Sticks
2tsp Ground Allspice
4tbsp Cloves
4tbsp Ground Ginger (or a piece of root, sliced)
1 cup Brown Sugar

Put in a pan together and bring to a boil.
Simmer for a while!
Taste at intervals to check taste and add any spices as necessary.
Serve warm.

3 Large Chicken Breasts
1lb Mushrooms
4oz Butter
1 Large Onion
Garlic As Desired
20oz Arborio Rice
8oz Wine
10cups Stock
6oz Parmesan
2oz Butter

Yields 4 hearty portions

First sautee off the mushrooms and chicken, remove from the pan.
Melt the butter in the pan and sautee the onion and garlic.
Add the rice and cook, stirring, until starting to turn translucent.
Stand back and add the wine!
Stirring constantly add the stock a ladle at a time, stir until fully absorbed before adding the next ladle.
Be prepared to be stood there stirring for at least 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked.
Don’t be worried if the rice is cooked and you haven’t used all the stock, or if you need more stock.
Right before serving stir in the parmesan and butter, and some fresh parsley is desired.

If altering recipe, I found that 2oz rice = 1 cup stock approximately.

Two new cakes of late, the first being the wedding cake we were working on last week. The other being the Bass I did at work.. mostly on my own but with some help on the finer points of airbrushing technique.

Finally! A week after the day, I finally get the chance to look through my camera, see what photos are allowed online (and that I can be bothered to put online, certainly not all 300 of them!) and write our account of the party.

By some miracle we were actually all set and ready for 7, the time on the invites. Food was cooked and laid out, decorations were up and lit, we were dressed, it was impressive let me tell you *grins*

We had carved our pumpkins Thursday night and I had the cake all made.. well, okay, it was mostly styrofoam, cheaper and allowing for a more impressive looking cake!

The bar followed DmentD’s old tradition of being the blacklight room. We followed a couple of other old traditions too, making a big entryway, and taking photos of everyone by it as they arrived.

I’m not entirely sure what to say here about the party.. it was a party! Fun was had, drinks were drunk. Sadly it appears that DmentD’s camera got damaged, but the rest of the house is still in tact! We attempted a game, we even had prizes, and had more planned just in case, but the vibe didn’t swing that way.

The fire pit got christened! A momentous occasion, and something we’ve been dying to do since May. We in fact used it twice, at the party and then just DmentD and I, snuggled under a blanket together in front of it on the Sunday night.

We ended the party by smashing up a few of the pumpkins.. don’t ask why, there’s no real reason except “because we could”.. and it meant they were pre smashed and ready to go into our compost the next day *grins* You’ll have to go to the gallery to see those videos.

It took us til today to get everything fully cleaned up. We had taken all the decorations down and moved them all into the dining room.. a kind of anti-staging area!

However we’ve spent this week working on a wedding cake for the lovely ladies over at Freak Revolution so we didn’t have time to clean up fully.

Today everything got attacked. Decorations were put in their boxes and put back in the attic, floors were hoovered and mopped, furniture was put back where it was supposed to be.. And then we both heaved a big sigh of relief!

The rest of the photos that I had the energy to upload are in the gallery

Cake photos are with all the other cakes