Cup of Coffee

November 24, 2021: Numerology

35 Comments

I was picking up an order of green curry for the missus from the local Thai place and I noticed there were numbers written here and there around the restaurant. Like, in the windows, mirrors, menu board, walls, etc. I think I saw them in about 6-7 places. Four digit numbers, not all the same.

I asked the woman who rang me up about it. She just gave a slight smile, said, "Lucky numbers," and walked back into the kitchen.

35 thoughts on “November 24, 2021: Numerology”

  1. The chipolte andouille cornbread stuffing is delightful.

    12 cups cornbread broken into 1-inch pieces (include crumbs), spread in even layer on 2 baking sheets, and dried in 250-degree oven 50 to 60 minutes
    3 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
    2 cups half-and-half
    2 large eggs, beaten lightly
    8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), plus extra for baking dish
    2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
    3 medium onions, chopped fine (about 3 cups)
    3 rib celery, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
    4 - 5 chipotle chiles en adobo, chopped (about 4 tablespoons)
    2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves
    2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, minced
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    1 tablespoon kosher salt
    2 teaspoons ground black pepper
    1 ½ pounds andouille cut into 1/2-inch pieces

    Place cornbread in large bowl. Whisk together stock, half-and-half, and eggs in medium bowl; pour over cornbread and toss very gently to coat so that cornbread does not break into smaller pieces. Set aside.

    Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heated skillet; when foam subsides, add red bell peppers to skillet along with a third of the onion and celery. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes, and transfer to medium bowl. Return skillet to heat and add remaining 4 tablespoons butter; when foam subsides, add remaining onion and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chipotle chiles en adobo, along with thyme, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add this mixture, along with sautéed onions and celery and andouille sausage, into cornbread and mix gently so that cornbread does not break into smaller pieces. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.

    Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 10 by 15-inch baking dish (or two 9-inch square or 11- by 7-inch baking dishes). Transfer stuffing to baking dish; pour any liquid accumulated in bottom of bowl over stuffing and, if necessary, gently press stuffing with rubber spatula to fit into baking dish. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

    The end result didn't have enough bread chunks but it wasn't mushy. To give the final version a bit more chew we're going to reserve 1/3 of the bread cubes and layer dry / wet / dry / wet. The flavors here are outstanding.

    2. We did Thanksgivings in Oklahoma with the extended family a few times when I was a younger man. My aunt and uncle who lived in New Orleans always brought a big pot of gumbo, it was my introduction to Cajun cooking. Needless to say, I became a fan.

      1. Jacobs is some of the finest andouille you can get, and they ship!

        Best Stop has the best boudin you can find, but their sausages, including andouille, are good but not great. They also ship.

        1. Jacobs had me at "smoked over pecan wood..." I'll be ordering some. The wife wouldn't eat gumbo because shrimp, but I'll whip up some jambalaya or red beans and rice with it. Awesome wintertime comfort food.

      2. OMG, I love gumbo. I am especially partial to gumbo z'herbes. Or at least my interpretation, which gets seafood.

        If I could figure out a satisfying version with no meat (the Girl eats fish, dairy, eggs, but no land animals)....

  2. Wander Franco getting paid albeit still taking a big cut.

    1. If the cheapskates in Tampa can pay their guy there is zero excuse for the Twins to be sitting on their hands with Byron Buxton

      2. Different agents, different players, different leverage, different objectives. Wander Franco doesn't have the service time leverage over the Rays that Buxton has over the Twins right now, but Buxton's position is also undercut by his health history & past availability.

        On the one hand, I think the Twins are being obstinate about paying the guy, especially if it's truly down to escalators based on performance. On the other hand, any deal with Buxton is essentially unprecedented because nobody as good as he is on a per-game basis has ever had a meaningful career after missing the amount of playing time on the IL he has up to this point.

    2. One thing on that being such a club friendly deal is that it will be easy for the Rays to unload him for prospects in 4 years or so.

      1. I bet he makes it a while. Longoria was traded after ten full years with the Rays, after his age 31 season. Franco is two years younger so I bet he's traded at age 29 or 30.

  3. "1970 Rewind" will take Thanksgiving Day off. There will be posts Friday and Saturday. Whether there will be a post on Sunday depends on what time I get back Saturday and how much time I have when I do.

  4. I’m not a big turkey guy. It’s okay, particularly if people let me deep-fry the bird, but I like other fowl better. Last year I roasted a goose, which was a much better (to me) than a deep-fried turkey. The Poissonnière liked it, too, so I decided I’d get her to try her another new bird.

    Just arrived at my campus office after a visit to one of the local whole animal butchers. In the freezer, I’ve stowed six duck breasts, which I plan to sous vide tomorrow, then sear right before everyone sits down tomorrow afternoon.

    1. Every once in a while, back in the day, my mom would roast a capon for Sunday dinner and they were always delicious. About a month ago I set out to find one, but it seems caponizing is a lost art and I had zero luck. I'm going to keep trying, I figure if I ask around at enough butcher shops I'll get a lead eventually.

        1. Where is local for you? I think our nearest Lund’s is in Maple Grove. This could be our Christmas dinner, although wife and daughter are talking brisket.

              1. We used to get those at Coborn's when I was in college, I think they were 99 cents each. I'd roast two of them for dinner with some mashed potatoes or noodles or government rice. It was a pretty good budget meal.

      1. This is the one my wife uses, she found it online a few years ago. This is for a whole bird, so you can cut everything in half for a breast. Bonus: Since you're only using half the champagne you can use the other half bottle for mimosas. Also, use a brut or extra dry, you don't want a sweet wine for this. Cooking time is reduced a bit, too, but make sure it's thoroughly cooked, the Thanksgiving of the pink turkey is a bad joke in our house. With all the moisture in this recipe it's hard to overcook it.

        2 tablespoons dried parsley
        2 tablespoons ground dried rosemary
        2 tablespoons rubbed dried sage
        2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves
        1 tablespoon lemon pepper
        1 tablespoon salt
        2 stalks celery, chopped
        1 orange, cut into wedges
        1 onion, chopped1 carrot, chopped
        1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
        1 (750 milliliter) bottle champagne

        Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a turkey roaster with long sheets of aluminum foil that will be long enough to wrap over the turkey. (My wife uses an oven bag and removes the turkey for the last half hour to crisp up the skin).
        Stir together the parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture into the cavity of the turkey, then stuff with the celery, orange, onion, and carrot. Truss if desired, and place the turkey into the roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth and champagne over the turkey, making sure to get some champagne in the cavity. Bring the aluminum foil over the top of the turkey, and seal. Try to keep the foil from touching the skin of the turkey breast or legs.
        Bake the turkey in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. Uncover the turkey, and continue baking until the skin turns golden brown, 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, near the bone should read 180 degrees. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

      2. I brined 2 boneless turkey breasts for 8 hours at the joint. Washed them off, patted them dry and now rubbed them with a sweet and smoky dry rub we have in house. Tomorrow they will go on the Traeger. I plan on smoking them at about 225. First attempt of turkey on the Traeger. We will see how it turns out.

        The brine was pretty basic. 2 cups of hot water with 1/2 cup sea salt and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Heat to dissolve the sugar and salt. Add 8 cups cold water, 1 onion (quartered), 6-8 sprigs of Thyme and 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns. Brine for 6-8 hours. If you go much longer than that... too salty!

    1. Yikes. If it is decent weather (the definition of decent to be determined) I may trek over there and see if I can pick up a ticket on the street since I am only a few minutes away.

  6. So I'm trying to get into the Dept. of Education website to check on my PLUS loan that's been in COVID forbearance for almost two years. My. God. It. Is. So. Fucking. Slow. I mean excruciatingly slow. Like dial-up modem in 1998 slow. I know it's a government website, but damn, man, I may not live long enough to find out how much I still owe.

      2. I missed the first half, but the second half was a lot of fun. I'm still in disbelief they called this a charge.

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