Gas Pains

Tom grew up in Milwaukee, bartended in Wauwatosa in the '70s and moved here in 1984.

Commentary, observations and musings about the outdoors, life in general and maybe Tosa politics and personalities will be the order of the day. He savors a lively debate as much as terrific cooking.

Happy Thanksgiving From Deer Camp

Family, Firearms, Hunt'n, Life Is Good, Terrific Cooking

This recipe takes eight months so be sure to plan ahead...

One Mossberg auto-loading 12 gauge turkey gun

One  HEVI-Shot® 12 gauge turkey load

Assorted cammo, decoy, calls and license

One gobbler (acquired by means of the foregoing)

Two cans of beer, pliers and propane torch

Garden squashes

Signature dressing

Frozen garden green beans

Frozen pumpkin pulp - from the garden too

One bottle of French red wine

Get up in the dark and hide in the woods. After sun-up call in a large gobbler. Kill the bird with one shot to the head. Bring the bird home and brag to wife.

Open a beer and begin plucking the bird. Keep plucking - being very careful to not tear the skin. Open second beer and continue. Use pliers on the tough feathers. Singe-off all the fuzzy hairs on the bird with torch. Freeze with giblets and neck.

Prepare garden.  Plant. Tend and weed.  Harvest.

Begin thawing bird in garage fridge during deer camp.

On Thanksgiving morning slice into halves various acorn, butternut and turban squashes. Remove seeds and pulp and place cut-side down on a foil covered cookie sheet. Bake until soft, remove and allow to cool.

Jill assembles and bakes Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood No Fault Pumpkin Pie

Scoop the cooked squashes into a bowl and mix with whatever inspires you. Butter, grated Parmesan Reggiano or whatever. Transfer to a baking dish.  Set aside to put in the oven along with the dressing later on.

Spray the bird all over with olive oil and anoint with some seasoned salt.

Put the whole shebang in a roasting pan and insert into a preheated 350 degree oven. Place a tent of foil loosely over bird for the first three hours.  Bake about 4 hours 5 hours – basting periodically.

Simmer giblets and neck in a sauce pan all afternoon to make a rich stock.

Go sit in a deer stand for the last hour or so before sunset. Leave instructions to baste the bird and add the squash and dressing to the oven as the turkey nears completion. 

Return after dark.

Remove the bird from oven and allow to set for about 20 minutes before carving.

Add giblet stock to the roasting pan and make gravy.

Serve with family.

Aside from all of this terrific food remember that you live in a country where you can have both uncensored access to the web and stuff like firearms.  You can blog about whatever nonsense you want.  You have the freedom to speak your mind.  You can criticize public officials and make some trouble from time-to-time.

Toast with the wine and give thanks.

Because most of the people on this planet have none of this.

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Gas Pain’s Signature Dressing

A couple of 14oz. bags of dried unseasoned bread cubes

One tube of pork sausage

One cup each of chopped carrots, celery and onion

One cup of dried fruit - raisins, currants or cranberries (chop any other big fruit)

One cup of chopped pecans

¼ t nutmeg

2 t sage

1 t fennel

2 t fresh parsley

Low sodium chicken stock

One stick of butter

A couple of eggs

Brown the pork sausage in a pot. Remove and allow to drain. Add the butter and the vegetables to the pot and sauté until barely soft.  Add the fruit, pecans, spices and browned sausage. Stir. Add the bread cubes and beaten eggs. Add chicken stock a cup at a time and mix everything until moist.

Spray a baking dish with olive oil and add the moistened dressing. Cover and bake for about an hour. Remove the cover for the last 15 minutes so the top browns-up. Center should be hot.

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