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Discussion Groups / English Usage / December 2003Not exactly a spoonerism, but....
Ordering lunch today at one of the few restaurants open for business on Christmas day [1], my mother, perhaps tired from all the driving around, told the waitress that she'd like some "shamp scrimpy"....r [1] because other family members had other obligations today, we had family Christmas dinner the evening before...I should know; I spent eleven hours cooking it.... dadoctah@earthlink.net spake thus: > Ordering lunch today at one of the few restaurants open for business on > Christmas day [1], my mother, perhaps tired from all the driving around, told [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Christmas dinner the evening before...I should know; I spent eleven hours > cooking it.... 11 hours? I prepared the turkey and put it in the oven on Christmas Eve, and set the timer to come on at 07:30. I only spent the time between 10:30 and 12:30 actually cooking.  SignatureDavid ===== > dadoctah@earthlink.net spake thus: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Eve, and set the timer to come on at 07:30. I only spent the time > between 10:30 and 12:30 actually cooking. I can't do that, as in the bush you can't quite trust the electricity supply to keep the timer alive. Not a big issue, I know; but I wish Mr Belling had fitted a battery back-up. But I agree RH must have had a hell of a lot of potatoes to peel if it took 11 hours; and maybe he doesn't do enough cheating. I suppose two or three hours' actual cooking must be about right for me, too. My Christmas frauds are apple and chilli sauces made in advance (that's not really cheating, of course), cranberry redcurrant or Cumberland out of a bottle, bortsch made with ready-cooked beetroot and good-quality tinned consommé so no trouble, Aunt Bessie's frozen Yorkshire puds (I only ever use them as a Christmas cheat, but they're not bad); frozen prepared baby carrots (tasteless, actually, but OK if you cook them in stock); this year I even used ready-made sauce for the obligatory prawn cocktails, and it was fine; and I just don't do stuffing at all. BTW, this year I cooked -- cooked, not parboiled -- the parsnips in a strong solution of honey with pepper before lobbing them in the oven with goose fat: even the non-parsnip-lovers liked them. Pickling onions done sweet-and-sour went down a storm, too: Elizabeth David's *Italian Cookery* "Cipollini in agrodolce", but with a good splash of balsamic vinegar. Did these the day before, too, and microwaved: the only thing wrong with this is the onions exude moisture overnight and dilute the syrup a bit. Mike. mike_lyle_uk@yahoo.co.uk spake thus: > > dadoctah@earthlink.net spake thus: > > [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > the obligatory prawn cocktails, and it was fine; and I just don't do > stuffing at all. Yorkshire Pudding? For Christmas dinner? Strange. We don't do starters; there's far too much to eat with the main course and pudding as it is. I've just enjoyed the left-over sausages and potatoes with the last of the gravy. Surely the most delicious gravy of the year - it's not often I can find the time to boil up giblets for over two hours. SignatureDavid ===== > Yorkshire Pudding? For Christmas dinner? Strange. Why not Yorkshire pudding at Christmas dinner? it goes so well with the roast beef. We don't do > starters; there's far too much to eat with the main course and > pudding as it is. > I couldn't even find takers for the Christmas pudding this year. My husband had to go to work today, so he wouldn't eat a large meal late in the evening, and we didn't want to eat early in the day. I really miss Boxing Day. > I've just enjoyed the left-over sausages and potatoes with the last > of the gravy. Surely the most delicious gravy of the year - it's not > often I can find the time to boil up giblets for over two hours. Do you spend a lot of time nursing the giblets as you boil them? Otherwise, why would the cooking time make so much difference? SignatureFrances Kemmish Production Manager East Coast Youth Ballet www.byramartscenter.com fkemmish@optonline.net spake thus: > > Yorkshire Pudding? For Christmas dinner? Strange. > > Why not Yorkshire pudding at Christmas dinner? it goes so well with the > roast beef. Well, it would. > > We don't do > > starters; there's far too much to eat with the main course and [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > the evening, and we didn't want to eat early in the day. I really miss > Boxing Day. I would hazard a guess that most UK families eat their Christmas Dinner in the middle of the day. > > I've just enjoyed the left-over sausages and potatoes with the last > > of the gravy. Surely the most delicious gravy of the year - it's not > > often I can find the time to boil up giblets for over two hours. > > Do you spend a lot of time nursing the giblets as you boil them? > Otherwise, why would the cooking time make so much difference? Actually, I don't know, as I've only ever done this for Christmas Dinner, so I've always had plenty of boiling time available. They do move around as the water boils, and I have to keep adding water as the stock reduces. SignatureDavid ===== > fkemmish@optonline.net spake thus: > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Dinner in the middle of the day. > My parents served Christmas dinner in the early afternoon. So did my in-laws. Neither we, nor my brother and his wife like to eat Christmas dinner early in the day. We like to get up late, eat a leisurely breakfast (more of a brunch, really), and have dinner late. >>>I've just enjoyed the left-over sausages and potatoes with the last >>>of the gravy. Surely the most delicious gravy of the year - it's not [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > move around as the water boils, and I have to keep adding water as > the stock reduces. It's so long since I cooked a whole bird of any kind, that I can't even remember whether there are giblets sold with poultry in the US. In any case, I find that a well-fitting lid on the pan, and a low heat keep most things from boiling dry. SignatureFrances Kemmish Production Manager East Coast Youth Ballet www.byramartscenter.com fkemmish@optonline.net spake thus: > > fkemmish@optonline.net spake thus: > > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > dinner early in the day. We like to get up late, eat a leisurely > breakfast (more of a brunch, really), and have dinner late. Depends what you mean by "late". I set the oven as I said and we got up about 09:00 to a very light breakfast. Then present opening, then cooking, then lunch. Each family has its own traditions. > >>>I've just enjoyed the left-over sausages and potatoes with the last > >>>of the gravy. Surely the most delicious gravy of the year - it's not [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > case, I find that a well-fitting lid on the pan, and a low heat keep > most things from boiling dry. They usually aren't supplied any more in the UK, but the Christmas turkey is an exception. Although I would be surprised if the neck, heart and liver we received actually belonged to "our" bird - they come in a separate bag. SignatureDavid ===== > fkemmish@optonline.net spake thus: >>My parents served Christmas dinner in the early afternoon. So did my >>in-laws. Neither we, nor my brother and his wife like to eat Christmas [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > up about 09:00 to a very light breakfast. Then present opening, then > cooking, then lunch. Each family has its own traditions. My daughter didn't get up until 10:30, so that's when we started thinking about breakfast. I really don't miss those Christmases when the children were up at 5 am showing us what Father Christmas had put in their stockings. We do still wait until after breakfast before we open the presents, though. My daughter reminded me that my mother always allowed her to open one present on Christmas Eve. My husband thought it must be a Dutch tradition, but as far as I know, it was just because my mother didn't want to wait until Christmas day. Fran > > Yorkshire Pudding? For Christmas dinner? Strange. > > Why not Yorkshire pudding at Christmas dinner? it goes so well with the > roast beef. A family eccentricity of considerable mildness in comparison with some of our others! We have it with goose. > We don't do > > starters; there's far too much to eat with the main course and > > pudding as it is. > > > > I couldn't even find takers for the Christmas pudding this year. [...] Two years running for us: a shame, but modern youth doesn't seem keen on things with dried fruit in. Son and I will probably pig out on it for Hogmanay, though. In the evening we eat a French thing called "Gateau Ninite", a cloying chocolate-and-sugar hit with raw egg-whites in it. I rarely manage more than half a slice, but it's very good. Mike. > > Yorkshire Pudding? For Christmas dinner? Strange. > > Why not Yorkshire pudding at Christmas dinner? it goes so well with the > roast beef. That's exactly what we had. Delish. SignatureSML ess el five six zero at columbia dot edu http://pirate-women.com > > > Yorkshire Pudding? For Christmas dinner? Strange. > > > > Why not Yorkshire pudding at Christmas dinner? it goes so well with the > > roast beef. > > That's exactly what we had. Delish. So did we. Why not? We all loathe turkey, and chicken is not a special treat. Alan Jones >>>> Yorkshire Pudding? For Christmas dinner? Strange. >>> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > So did we. Why not? We all loathe turkey, and chicken is not a > special treat. The fare at the Christmas Eve family gathering we attended was strictly Filipino. For Christmas Day dinner the main course was ham. SignatureSkitt (in Hayward, California) www.geocities.com/opus731/ Mike Lyle filted: >> dadoctah@earthlink.net spake thus: >> > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >took 11 hours; and maybe he doesn't do enough cheating. I suppose two >or three hours' actual cooking must be about right for me, too. Very well...my direct involvement in the cooking process was probably not much more than an hour spread out over the entire day, most of that peeling potatoes (the hard way)...but the roast beef went into the slow-roaster at 10:30 Tuesday morning, the vegetables joined it at about 6pm, and I put the whole thing aside some time after 9...on Christmas Eve I packed everything into the car and took it down to Mom's house to "finish" it (the roaster *cooks* the meat and the timetable ensures that nothing fails to be tender, but the outside of a roast needs a little browning)....r > 11 hours? I prepared the turkey and put it in the oven on Christmas > Eve, and set the timer to come on at 07:30. I only spent the time > between 10:30 and 12:30 actually cooking. Am I misreading this, or was an uncooked turkey in the oven from some time on Christmas Eve until 7:30 in the morning Christmas Day, at which time the oven began to heat up? All night, that is, basically at room temperature? SignatureMaria Conlon Please send any email to the Hot Mail address. mariaconlon001@hotmail.com spake thus: > > 11 hours? I prepared the turkey and put it in the oven on Christmas > > Eve, and set the timer to come on at 07:30. I only spent the time [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > time the oven began to heat up? All night, that is, basically at room > temperature? You did not misread it. Our house is unheated at night, so "room temperature" may not be what you might think, although it has been rather mild this year. The turkey has to sit for 7 hours or so, after being taken out of the fridge at about 3 degrees, before being cooked. I might not do this in the summer, but we have been following the practice for 20 years with no ill effects. SignatureDavid ===== > dadoctah@earthlink.net spake thus: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Eve, and set the timer to come on at 07:30. I only spent the time > between 10:30 and 12:30 actually cooking. Were you all crispy when you were done? (By the by: Have you heard "While shepherds watched ... " sung to "On Ilkley Moor ..."? Impressions? Inchoiring (TM) minds need to know.) Cheers, Sage sage@allstream.net spake thus: > > dadoctah@earthlink.net spake thus: > > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Were you all crispy when you were done? I was, thanks to the liberal covering of streaky bacon with which I had covered myself. This provides delicious nibblings for the cook, pre-dinner. > (By the by: Have you heard "While shepherds watched ... " sung to "On Ilkley > Moor ..."? Impressions? > Inchoiring (TM) minds need to know.) I think I heard that, although we have not performed it in my Cathedral yet. In a building staffed by little boys (and now girls), there are alternative names for many of the activities which go on. Away in a Manager. While Shepherds Washed their Socks by Night. Spam in Alium. Evensnog. My current favourites from One Song to the Tune of Another involve Graeme Garden singing something to a Bob Dylan tune. At the end he gets out a harmonica and plays it badly. SignatureDavid ===== "sage" <sage@allstream.net> wrote... > [...] > (By the by: Have you heard "While shepherds watched ... " sung to "On > Ilkley Moor ..."? Impressions? > Inchoiring (TM) minds need to know.) The tune was originally composed for that hymn, in fact, c.1804. The composer was a shoemaker from Canterbury named Thomas Clark (1775-1859), who composed over 900 anthems, psalm and hymn tunes. That one, _Cranbrook_, was subsequently borrowed for 'On Ilkley Moor Bah t'At'. Matti matti-nospam@totally-official.com spake thus: > "sage" <sage@allstream.net> wrote... > > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > who composed over 900 anthems, psalm and hymn tunes. That one, > _Cranbrook_, was subsequently borrowed for 'On Ilkley Moor Bah t'At'. Gosh, I'd completely forgotten about this. I am occasionally borrowed by a local 18th Century choir (that is, they sing 18th Century music) to play at a church service which has a small wind band in place of the modern organ. They have performed While Shepherds to the tune of On Ilkley Moor. And Glory Shone Around, And Glory Shone Around, And Glo - o - o - ory Shone Around. SignatureDavid ===== [...] > They have performed While > Shepherds to the tune of On Ilkley Moor. > > And Glory Shone Around, > And Glory Shone Around, > And Glo - o - o - ory Shone Around. I think I may be going mad. Or is this just an extension of Humphrey Lyttleton giving people silly things to do? After all, the lovely Samantha is right now trying to cope with the challenge of formatting my 40-gigabyte hard drive, while Sven is eager to get on with entering his virus-free data in some floppy wetware. I reckon poor Bill is lumbered with his micro-soft for life. Mike. >[...] >> They have performed While [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >his virus-free data in some floppy wetware. I reckon poor Bill is >lumbered with his micro-soft for life. I bought a copy of BBC Homes & Antiques magazine this December and there was a free CD of Christmas music with it - "While Shepherds etc" to the tune of "Ilkley Moor" is on that. SignatureLouisa Essex, England, Europe > Ordering lunch today at one of the few restaurants open for business > on Christmas day [1], my mother, perhaps tired from all the driving [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > family Christmas dinner the evening before...I should know; I spent > eleven hours cooking it.... But did you have to snovel the show, as I did one Christmas? SignatureJack Gavin |
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