If you don't like something, eat it.
Here we go again.
Every year at this time, we get overloaded with pumpkin everything.
Pumpkin coffee drinks.
Pumpkin beer.
Pumpkin cake.
Pumpkin french toast.
It gets worse.
There’s pumpkin spiced potato chips (yes, really).
Pumpkin flavored croutons.
Pumpkin flavored butter.
Pumpkin spiced nuts.
On and on it goes. I’ve barely scratched the surface. There’s nothing off limits. If you can think of it, some company has pumpkinized it (to coin a phrase).
When I’m out, I tend to be pretty easy going. I very rarely complain (though my wife might disagree with that), and generally I let wrongs slide. It’s just not worth making a stink, and being the bad guy. I even get embarrassed when someone unduly complains. If there are serious issues with the food, or service, that’s one thing, but for little offenses, especially when with a group, it’s best to keep your mouth shut, smile, and let the good times roll.
I can be a perfectionist to a fault sometimes, and while that can be an asset, it also is a curse. When things aren’t up to standards, I get annoyed. I recently had an experience at a food establishment that pushed a few of my buttons. It ended up being a cascade of annoyances. It got me thinking about things that annoy me, and common ‘wrongs’ I see perpetrated on the restaurant going, food eating public.
Is there anyone on the planet that doesn’t love mashed potatoes? If there is I haven’t met them. Mashed potatoes are a crowd pleaser, and any self respecting home cook needs to be able to make a good version of it. They’re incredibly easy to make to make well. Any home cook can make satisfying and delicious mashed potatoes.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I have a repertoire of dishes that are delicious, easy to make, and everyone loves. Mashed potatoes are also on that list.
Making them over the years I’ve learned a couple of tricks to make them taste better. And I think my mashed, despite being simple, are quite good. I’ve even had a family member tell me once my mashed were the best they’d ever had. I say that not to boost my own ego, but to make the point that great mashed potatoes are easy to make. Anyone can do it.
I’m an IT Professional, and as part of my job, I go to a technical conference every year. This year I had the pleasure of attending Ignite. Ignite is put on by Microsoft, and it’s huge. There were 23,000 attendees this year. 23,000 IT sys admins, developers, engineers, and managers. It’s fun and you learn a lot about upcoming products and technologies.
But I want to talk about the food of course. The conference fee includes breakfast and lunch. I can only imagine the logistics of trying to feed 23,000 people. It’s got to be a massive undertaking. And as you can imagine, just getting that many people in line to get their food, and setting up tables is a job that requires a lot of staff. The hall where the food is served is gigantic. It’s mind blowing how big it is.
Mention gravy and my mind will immediately picture a mound of buttery mashed potatoes, with a pool of silky homemade gravy resting in the middle. Or scratch made biscuits, smothered in the stuff. Or thick slices of turkey, made even tastier with a ladle poured on top.
Making gravy is not hard, it’s easy, and it doesn’t take long either. Please don’t buy the jarred stuff, it can’t compare to homemade gravy. The foil packets or boxes of gravy mix are subpar too. Homemade gravy is best.
I like food 