The Tops Wreath, Ageless and Evergreen

 Last year right about this time, my friend Meghan and I hand-crafted our own wreaths. Exultantly I put my wreath on my door, where it held up spectacularly, I have to say.

At some point last summer I saw my old artificial wreath from Tops marking time in the cellar. I was in the process of cleaning out the cellar and I said, I will put this wreath in the garbage because I will not need it, now that I am a hand-crafting wreath kind of person.

However.

At the last minute, on my way to the tote, I wisely made a sharp right into the garage, and I hung the Tops wreath on a nail. The nail was sitting there and nothing was on it, what the heck. 

The Tops wreath had been a good deal a couple of years ago. I bought it after Christmas and it was marked way down. You know me, I hate letting go of a bargain!

And lo, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone!

Meghan and I have not yet been able to hand-craft wreaths this year. We may yet! But there have been all these extenuating circumstances such as her becoming engaged to a gentleman in Pittsburgh, and me being busy with my art business throughout the Christmas season. When you are busy, that is when the Tops wreath is your friend. Two days before Christmas I think it was, I remembered it in the garage. Forth I went to get it. Miraculously an appropriate length of red grosgrain ribbon appeared, and in five minutes, that wreath was tied to the door.

Where it looks mighty pretty. 

Take another look!

I mean, you cannot tell, can you, that there are Styrofoam snowflakes under that snow? You cannot.

Once again, the moral of the story is: Never throw anything out.

You will regret it!

The turkey big as Turkey

That Sesame Street scene above, that will be my Thanksgivinv table this year!

Because I went to Tops and bought the biggest turkey.

This turkey is so big that action halted at the checkout. The clerk looked at it and gasped. The clerk's name tag, by the way, read Israel. That must be an adventure to have that name! I wonder if when he goes on break his fellow employees make jokes about ransoming captive Israel.

"Rejoice, rejoice, O Israel!" perhaps they warble.

But back to my turkey.

"I know," I said. "It's big."

The Buffalonian behind me in line also got involved.

"Wow," he said.

I said modestly: "I had to look hard for it."

A 24-pound turkey is not the biggest turkey in the world but it was the biggest to be had at Tops. And I was lucky. Last year they were smaller. It is funny because the food magazines always use a 12-pound turkey as a guide.

Food magazines, that flaw aside, are fun at Thanksgiving. It is no wonder I capitulated on Cooking Light the other day.

You are guaranteed recipes for humble vegetables I love, like cauliflower and squash and Brussels sprouts. Sometimes even cabbage! Sometimes even rutabaga.

Desserts are down-home and use cheap fruits like apples and pears. No macadamia nuts or cocoa nibs.

Old wives' implements that are otherwise rarely mentioned are ushered into the spotlight and discussed. Fat separators. Potato mashers. Food mills.

In the middle of it is the traditional, cheap, all-American turkey.

Bring it on!

Living high on the hog

Wow, you blink and all of a sudden you have not written in a week!

Then it gets difficult to start writing again because you think you have to have something earth-shattering to warrant breaking your silence.

I must change my habits. I hate being in this situation! So here goes, again.

We continue to explore the potential of the pork chop.

Tops had a special last week, $1.99 per pound for a huge boneless pork loin. You buy the pork loin and then chop it up into chops and freeze some, is my strategy. Last night before the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra we had pork chops with orange and fennel, interesting because I did not have fennel. However I have learned how to sub. You can use celery and some fennel seed.

We do not grow fennel in our neck of the woods so why does everyone keep calling for it? Fie. Plus I happen to think fennel is overrated even though Pennario would be mad at me for saying so because he was so Italian.

Tonight, speaking of Italian, it is Pork Chops Milanese. 

I have everything ready in shallow bowls.

There is the flour in the foreground, then the beaten egg behind it, and the bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese.

Wish me luck! I will report how it goes.

The Pork Project is rolling again.

And so is the Web log!