Samhain - 2026
The Wheel of the Year turns. Samhain is the end of the Wheel. It is the last of the harvest feasts. Root vegetables are a mainstay. The veil was very thin and the ritual flowed through me.
Main Course: Dutch Oven cooked Pork Roast, Potatoes & Carrots: Buttercup Squash : Pork Gravy
Dessert: Cream Cheese frosted Brownies - Also Sugar COOKIES!!!!!!!!
Dinner prep went well and our dinner guest brought a white chocolate mousse with an apple compote (which was dove into before I could snap a pic). It was VERY tatsy.
We had close to 60 ghosts, goblins, princesses, Minnies, aliens, Santas, etc.... They all appreciated the full sized candy bars. Had one kid yell back to his parents before he chose his treat "Hey Mom, they have full sized candy bars".
Hope your Halloween was fun & pleasant.
Yule is next - it is the beginning of our Wheel of the Year
Please keep politics off this thread
Do not disparage any belief system
As promised.
thanks for those pictures. you would have needed an armed guard for those scallops had I attended. just swapping the pork roast for pot roast takes me back to my granny's house on sundays ...
I really wanted a venison roast, but it is hard to come by venison this time of year. My hubby used to fill our freezer every year - but when we moved he gave up hunting & I do miss it.
I usually do a pot roast every other month. I usually do pork tenderloin and roasted potatoes, but I wanted something a little different since I do pork chops & apple chutney for Mabon.
Morning Veronica...that all looks fantastic..
I would fight Devangy though for the bacon wrapped scallops...bliss..
After seeing your photos a toasted muffin with Vegemite doesn't quite cut it this morning..
Spring has well and truly arrived here, weather is warming up but still very much up and down as it does..
Thank you. I love it when a plan comes together.
This article has made me really hungry. As for root veggies, my wife grows great sweet potatoes - just ate one at lunch yesterday. Unfortunately there are no trick-or-treaters here.
I am glad I made you hungry.
I usually use our sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have two great recipes I use.
It's okay, I just made and ate my breakfast. I usually make my own breakfasts. This morning it was mixed orange and cranberry juice, a gouda cheese omelette, fried cherry tomatoes, buttered toast (no more jam or marmalade due to my propensity for gout) and coffee that I brew from canned Tim Horton's ground coffee - a little bit of Canada for a western breakfast.
The white chocolate mousse sounds delicious!
It was very tasty..... I could have eaten it all, but restrained myself.... had to add an extra 10 min walk this morning for going hog wild as it was.
On pork?
The whole spread looks good.
bleah ...
the dinner rolls, pork, and gravy would've been my dessert ...
The gray was the perfect consistency. That is rare for me.
Tell me your secret! Since I do all the cooking for Thanksgiving (nobody else knows how to cook) my gravy can be hit or miss.
Everything looks delicious and sounds like they all had a great time
My gravy usually ends up not thickening or ends up too runny.
I love to do the cooking, but I hate the cleanup.
I usually end with gravy with the consistency of paste
The secret to gravy is letting someone else make it. It pours right out of the Heinz jar beautifully every time.
That's what my sister does. She's the smart one
Do you use flour or cornstarch. I use cornstarch and mix it with broth (beef, chicken or turkey - depending upon the protein) then I stir that into the the juices from the roasting of the meat - sometimes it comes out perfect - sometimes not so much.
I usually start with the dry gravy mix. I like McCormick the best. I use the drippings from the pan and stir my gravy mix in. If I used a lot of butter, it tends to get really thick. To thin I will stir cornstarch into cold water and see if that helps. It does. Only one time did I make it too thin and then I ended up with lumpy paste. That was a disaster
I've been doing the instant gravy packets using the turkey drippings instead of water and that seems to be working really well.
I like my chicken gravy when I make a roast chicken. It's buttery, peppery and lemony. I think it's the best gravy in the world
I love me some Heinz gravy. I whip up a mean poutine with frozen fries, a protein, cheese curds or chunks, and gravy from a jar. Top with some green onion, voila. When my kids come over and cook they always make the sauces and gravies from scratch. It makes a huge mess with the ingredients and pots and pans. I have come to respect the jar.
For me gravy is always hit or miss, but my family loves it all.
I do use Heinz beef gravy when I make hot toast beef sandwiches.
He he - I didn't even see that....
Thanks. It went well.
You ate good
We ate very well.
Can I come over? That looks wonderfully delicious!
not without a hairnet, you f'n hippie ...
Beard net too
no-run nylon hose with the eyes and mouth holes cut out, a big knot on top.
don't forget to stop into a convenience or liquor store when you have it on ...
/s
So do you roast the Beet Chips? I have done similar to squash, eggplant...
Yes, I roast them so they end up very crispy. The family loves them.