Black Friday

I’m not sure why they call it “Black Friday” but it’s the day merchants offer incredible deals and open at like 4:00 AM. So, people line up and wait outside (overnight, sometimes) to get the deals. Now, I know my boys have done this for computer crap (not too sure about my girls) but I never do. Because I know the trick: there are only like four or five of the sale items and once they are gone, they are gone... So, I stay away from stores on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

I woke up Friday morning at the incredible hour of 9:00 AM! I dumped the old coffee and made a fresh, four-cup pot. For some odd reason, it was sunny outside (it’s supposed to be cold with snow flurries all day). So, I checked the weather and it’s just a break in the clouds – snow is supposed to be headed this way.

Speaking of the weather, I forgot to mention I thought it was great that the rain stopped yesterday long enough for the Detroit parade to get done.

I waited until after 11:00 AM, but it hadn’t yet gotten above freezing. It was still sunny with high clouds. So, I donned warm clothes and went out to cut the front lawn.

Doing the side lawn (next to the garage) was a b*tch! It was only 29 degrees F. here, but there was a sustained 20 MPH wind from the west. So, the wind & cold made cutting the side lawn a real pain. To add to that, the herbage I’d cut out of the gardens was frozen. I actually at one point thought I would have to rake it to the vacant lot next door until I discovered I could move the piles about with the push mower wheels. That let the mower chop it up.

But, cutting the front lawn was not too bad with the house acting as a buffer to the wind. I was back inside by 1:00 PM. So, it took me twice as long as usual to cut the whole front lawn. But, that’s done for the year!

I was hungry, so once I’d warmed up (and it took a while) I made a sandwich (unlike 90% of Americans today, mine was roast beef). Then I took a nice nap.

When I woke up, I was still chilled. So, I decided to make some potato soup. I used the recipe I created in the recipe section of this website (if you remember, this was the soup my Mother said was “almost” as good as Jake’s – that still rankles!)

So, I got out my trusty Dutch oven pot and heated it up. I added about 1/2 pound of bacon, cut into lardons with my kitchen shears (I find that easier than using a knife). I cooked the bacon until it was browned and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, I removed the bacon bits and then crumbled when cool.

Most of the bacon grease went into my coffee cup (I keep it in the fridge for all kinds of things), but I reserved two tablespoons of bacon drippings. Now, my original recipe called for two cups of red onions, but I just cut up one big *ss sweet onion. I threw the approximately two cups of chopped onions in the pot and sweated them over medium heat until translucent (about 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, I was peeling a bunch of russet potatoes. My original recipe (you remember, the one my Mom said was almost as good as Jake’s – did I mention that?) called for red potatoes, but all I have in the house is russet. I added three cloves of garlic (I like garlic) and cooked it an additional one minute. I then added eight cups of homemade chicken stock (the last I have) and the potatoes. I covered it and simmered it gently, about 40 minutes.

I took the pot off the heat and, with the slotted spoon again, pulled out about 1/3 of the cooked potatoes and set aside on a plate. Using my immersion blender I pureed the soup until smooth. I added two cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a handful of dried parsley (the flat leaf parsley outside is dead and gone). I tested it and added salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Hmmm... it’s good but not great (my Mom could be right) so I mounted a half stick of butter to make it shine.

I returned the reserved potatoes (after cutting them smaller) and the bacon and let it simmer until ready to serve. I wish I had that Westborn Italian bread or any crusty bread to go with it. But, I don’t and so I fixed a bowl to eat. Excellent!

I went in and watched the Wizard of Oz (a perennially favorite). After that, I watched some cooking shows. I went to bed about 1:30 PM.