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11.26.2011


oh hayyy fall!


fall means a lot of different things, but first and foremost--
it means vanilla peppermint lattes from coffee bean.


and gingerbread lattes from starbucks.


while we're on the subject of fall, i'd like to "fall" back a little and update you on the last few weeks! having a job is great for paying the rent, but not so great when you're too tired at the end of the day to update your blog. on the plus side...i've been doing a lot, i mean a LOT, of cooking recently. i've started doing weekly posts on my friend jen's website "talk nerdy to me lover." i'm the local food nerd and each thursday i put out a story and a recipe or two that came from my very own kitchen. seeing as olive is the only person who gets to experience my food in person, she happens to be the audience for my pretend cooking show--hence the title "the adventures of fanny and olive." to see my posts on TNTML, just search for my name. or click here!

well, other than turning
26 
exactly a month ago, 
here are the other highlights.

halloween!
cereal boxes...knife...angry look on my face...
can you guess what i am?


here's a hint.
brought to you by:
tony the tiger.


and then just last weekend i accomplished the tremendous victory of locking myself out...and then breaking in through my very own window using a pebble, a tube of lipgloss, and a pen.
need a visual image?
don't worry, i had a camera.


wednesday finally arrived which meant one thing.
ROADTRIP!


i tagged along with my good buddy loryn to pacific beach in san diego.  her friend jess graciously invited us into her home and let me invade her kitchen with all of my OCD tendencies like trying to clean her dishes and sweep the floor. 
not to sound like a pilgrim--but this was technically my first thanksgiving. 
of course i've celebrated thanksgiving for the last 26 years, but for the first 24--my dad cooked--and for the last one, i was invited to eat my turkey day feast restaurant-style in hollywood. this was the first thanksgiving meal i was ever counted on to prepare the most important part. 
and i don't mean the stuffing...even though we all know that's everyone's favorite.
i'd be lying if i said i wasn't nervous. i had three people including myself relying on me to not only correctly cook a giant turkey, but make it delicious as well. 
so...
what did i do?

well.
pardon my french,
but i made that bird my bitch.


after putting on my lucky flannel,
i rubbed it with a sage garlic butter and then stuffed it with all kinds of fresh herbs. i told it good luck, bathed it with tender love and care...


and what do you know...


it turned out pretty damn good!
our feast was beautiful. everyone chipped in with the cooking, cleaning, and drinking of the hot bourbon apple cider. after they popped a pumpkin pie in the oven--loryn whipped up an awesome sweet potato casserole and jess was in charge of the sausage, cranberry, and apple stuffing. i made the garlic roasted green beans with red pepper flakes and lemon zest, the cranberry sauce with orange and vanilla, and the gravy--which was possibly the thickest, richest, most luscious gravy i've ever come into contact with.

thank you giblets.
.......sorry turkey. 
if it makes you feel any better, i was as uncomfortable as you were.
okay.
maybe not.











and of course no thanksgiving feast is complete without a coma.


and feelings of regret.


as we headed back for LA the next morning, i was greeting with the most wonderful surprise! it's not like i stumbled upon a bojangles or anything, but i still had no idea that this existed on the west coast...


it was like a little reminder of home.
...for my belly.


i also encountered something else unexpected on the way home.
anyone notice anything odd giant boob about this picture?


once i finally got my face out of my bagel, i realized there were some pretty gorgeous views from the backseat.



want to see more of my recent ventures with food?
click here!
and don't forget to check out olive's updates here

gobble gobble!

since it's been a good long while since my last blog post--i figured i would start from today and then move backwards. two days ago was turkey day, which means that today is leftover day! instead of preparing the traditional thanksgiving sandwich, i opted for something a little different this year.

rosemary potato pancake with a turkey, onion, anaheim pepper, sweet roasted delicata squash, and maple-smoked jarlsberg hash--topped with a parmesan sage sunny side egg.

*foodie note: delicata squash: a sweet winter squash with a flavor similar to a sweet potato or butternut squash. no need for peeling this guy--the skin is edible and yummy.*
split, seeded, diced, tossed with olive oil, rosemary, cinnamon, and salt and roasted in a 425 oven for fifteen minutes.



for the hash:
leftover sage turkey, garlic, onions, anaheim peppers, roasted squash.


for the potato pancake:
parboil (partially cook) the potato. i used a redskin because i like their size and flavor. cover the potato with cold water, once boiling, turn the heat off and let it sit for five minutes. shred the potato, mix with fresh rosemary and thyme. flatten into pancake shape in a non-stick pan with olive oil and butter.



flip the pancake once it's golden brown on the bottom, cook for 2-3 more minutes in the pan and then finish cooking in the oven at 300 while you prepare the hash and egg (about five minutes).
sautee hash ingredients and sprinkle over the crisped potato pancake.
top with grated maple-smoked jarlsberg cheese

 you don't really need the cheese, but come on--maple smoked jarlsberg? YUM.
*foodie note: jarlsberg is a mild, buttery, nutty cows milk cheese with a slightly sweet flavor*


top hash with sunny side down (or up, depending on what you like) egg.
sprinkle with chopped sage, parsley, and parmesan.


happy thanksgiving leftovers!