Hamster Casserole, the dry white meat and too many chestnuts

I'm sure they're dancing with joy at the reprieve.

(This message was brought to you by the Committee for the Obligatory Homage to Dancing Hamsters.)

Sandwiches, sandwiches, sandwiches.

Chestnuts would be good for catching squirrels. Maybe you could then upgrade the servers?

From the foodnetwork.com -

(I think this would work with fewer chestnuts - y'know, just be less chestnutty.. and that one could substitute vegetable broth for chicken stock.)


Roasted Chestnut Soup with Dumplings
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2000
Show:  The Essence of Emeril
Episode:  Christmas Show


Soup
1 1/2 pounds fresh chestnuts, roasted and peeled (or 2 (10-ounce) cans whole chestnuts, drained)
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon garlic
2 bay leaves
1 large Idaho potato, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 quarts light chicken stock
1 sprig thyme
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 lemon, juiced
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1 cup warmed heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


In a saucepan combine chestnuts, onions, celery, garlic, bay leaves, potato and chicken stock and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. In a blender, puree the soup in batches along with fresh herbs, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in heavy cream and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.




Dumplings:
1/4 pound ground pork
1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon quatre d'epices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 wonton wrappers


In the bowl of a food processor combine pork, garlic, green onions and parsley and process until smooth. Add the Worcestershire, egg yolk, heavy cream, crushed red pepper, quatre d'epices and salt and pepper and pulse until thoroughly combined.
To assemble dumplings, use a spoon to place a tablespoon-sized dollop of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Use your fingers to wet the edges of the wrapper, then fold in half, easing edges so that they meet to form a triangle. Press firmly to seal dumplings.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook dumplings in small batches so as not to crowd. Dumplings are done when they float and wrappers are tender and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve dumplings floating in hot chestnut soup.

Or you could save the chestnuts until they're old, such as "I just flew in from Chicago and boy are my arms tired!"

After a few more years they become hoary old chestnuts like, "Take my wife, please!"

What happens to old chestnuts, anyway? Do they become wrinkled like raisins? Dense little bb's? Turn to flour and become cakes?

Only Joe Miller knows for sure.

Turkey sandwiches, turkey salad, microwaved turkey hot dish, turkey flavored ice cream, turkey pie, turkey a la king, turkey white sauce with ziti, sabaglone with turkey chips. Oh, the possibilities are endless. The chestnuts? Store them until they get good and hard. Then throw them viciously as the next person who offers you a slice of turkey. (That should come in handy right around Christmas time.)

Mr. B is a chest nut and that hasn't changed a bit as he's gotten older.

Speaking of chest nuts, I went to Target today to get some storage containers (read plastic boxes) and as I gave up because they were all either bright red or bright green and I don't want my garage to look like merry christmas all year, I walked back towards the front door of the store. I had to stop though, because I couldn't help but notice this whole department selling colorful melons. Yes, melons. While I wasn't paying attention, bras have changed. They are all molded, sort of like thickish bifurcated helmets, and there are rows and rows of them in lots of colors and patterns.

What's with that? Nipple Disguise? Chest moons?

Do they come in hamster size? Hamsters, wearing colored bras, festively running the servers. That's enough to get Gus excited, I 'spect.

I like the idea of a squirrel upgrade. I should go squirrel fishing! http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~yaz/en/squirrel_fishing.html

Boomer, oh, my.

<asparagus have been duly packed into omelets>

Leftover mashed taters with a little onion and celery cut up. Crack a couple of eggs and mix a stiffish mixture. Make patties about 3-4 inches across and about 1 inch thick (or a little more). Fry gently until golden brown on both sides.

Serve with warmed leftover gravy.

Day-After-Thanksgiving breakfast in my mother's house, usually. It's why I always make tons of mashed potatoes!

Ah, yes, potato latkes!! And Chanukah is just around the corner.

This threads reminds me of my favorite website www.hamsterdance.com

Oof, remind me not to open that at work.

"Whatcha got there, jespah?"
"Oh, nothing, uh, just some research. Yeah, that's the ticket."

deeda dee da dee da doe doe

The hamsters were named after actual hamsters. They used to show pictures of them but they went comercial. The hamters sold out, man. They went hollywood, forgot there hamster roots. But they still rock.

Back to the topic. Excuse me.

Are hamster roots edible?

I'm not gonna touch that one. Nope. Refuse to go there.

The Chinese have been using hamster root for thousands of years. It's a natural aphrodisiac.