Traditions

Just a quick heads up about the coming busy week.

Time: Midnight.

As for the last several years, we're hosting a New Year's Eve Party at Two Dog Hill. And as with most things at our place, it will probably be more than a party: armor making, book research, dancing, cider racking, wine tasting, fight practicing and general craftiness are all on tap. I know for certain that siobhan_sca intends to attend for several days so we can hang a shield for her, do some instruction, figure out armor and perhaps make some gear for her. She is leaning toward Roman with lamellar. I've been thinking of the latter myself for a while. Maybe we should buy some plates ahead of that week.

I'm casting about for a party theme, as I think we have probably used up the novelty of the last two years' "Hats" theme. At the moment, I'm thinking of "Welcome to the Second Great Depression." Instead of soup kitchens, it is nursing a single cup of coffee and a worn out laptop sucking down free wifi at Panera to cruise Linkedin for job prospects. You get the idea.

Ok, not compelling. Help a guy out here!

If you have been before, you're invited again. If you think you would be welcome this time, you almost certainly are. Just let us know you would like to attend so we know how to plan. Bedrooms are first come first serve, as are the sofas.

I'm not a huge believer in assigning things for people to bring to a pot luck. There are enough good cooks coming Thursday that I don't have to worry about 16 people bringing Pepperidge farm cookies.

Still, this time around is our biggest Thanksgiving ever, and possibly the most people I've ever tried to feed for a sit down dinner. And because I always forget some detail, it seems wise to start some sort of list. My major concern is with someone planning to bring something which requires significant stove or oven time, as that is at a premium. Please check with me about such things! I expect the smoker, grill, ovens and cooktop to all be in demand!

Menu

• The Biggest Smoked Whole Turkey That Fits on My Smoker
• Some Other Turkey, Possibly Deboned Whole, not Smoked.
• Some Very Large Spinach Stuffed Turkey Breast on the Grill
• Jen's Ham or Other Main Dish that Looked Good at Costco
• Adam's Fancy-Schmancy Wild Caught Salmon on the Grill Last Minute
• Brian & Carrie's Mystery Crockpot Meatballs

• Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes and Apples
• Twenty Freakin' Pounds of Mashed Purple Potatoes
• Blue Cheese Cabbage Slaw
• Vinegar-Honey Glazed Carrots
• Corn off the Cob by Special Request
• Catherine's Rolls
• Catherine's Cranberry Salad that Might Belong Below
• Thjora's Pumpkin and maybe other Flavor Pies
• Cosette's Big Pans of Artery Clogging Cheesecake or Similar
• Evja's Applesauce Cake?

Things We Need

• Cornbread
• veggie snack plate
• Good bread

Watch this space for changes, updates and additions.
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Once again, it's time to arrange my favorite way to spend Thanksgiving: By hosting a bunch of our close and new friends for Way Too Much Food.

Traditional activities: I smoke a turkey and go on a last minute mad scramble for some esoteric food ingredient I thought would be easy to find, Thjora does some amazing pies, Adam brings wild caught pacific salmon (at least I hope this is a tradition now!), Helga oversees the purple mashed potatoes, and we completely avoid football. New in the mix this year: four player Wii marathons! Bring your controllers.

If you've ever been before, or been invited before, you're invited again. If you're someone we talk to but haven't invited before, you're invited.

Thjora doesn't like me calling this the "Little Lost Lambs" Thanksgiving, and it really has mutated from that into something else. But if you read this blog and are in the approximate area and have nowhere else to go for Thanksgiving, well, drop me a line. Odds are, you're welcome. Kids are welcome, just keep in mind that our house is slightly non-kid safe. Dinner could be record breaking if all invitees come.

This year, we will certainly be showing off our new garage, probably the newly-paneled rec room, and maybe my new helmet!. Unlike last year, we have no plan to tear out the kitchen on Friday. We still plan to, just not soon.

Other merriment will take place over the weekend, possibly including the often-planned, never realized bonfire, fight practice and maybe a wine tasting. So even if you must have overcooked green beans at grandma's house, come on over the bridge to our place for the rest of the weekend!

Please RSVP to both me and Thjora. The spare rooms are sort of first come first serve, but my in-laws get dibs. They rarely stay over though.

As Pennsic approaches, it's time for my annual attempt to organize a supper club in our camp.

For those who haven't camped with Vair & Ermine before, while we do not have a meal plan, several campers have, in the past, agreed to share dinner and clean up duties so that no one has to do their own cooking every night. Also, it is only slightly more work to cook for 10 people than it is to cook for two. (Really!)

The plan is simple:

• You provide dinner one evening for all the members of the supper club, never more than 12 or so adults. You clean up your cooking.
• The other members then provide dinner and clean up for you for the other evenings of the supper club.
• We do not run supper club on the same evening as Atlantian court.
• The exact start night is negotiable, based on when people arrive and we have a "quorum" of clubbers.
• We try to coordinate what's being cooked which night so that we don't end up with spaghetti and meat balls 3 nights in a row.
• I use the term "cook" here, but if you want to order pizza for the other clubbers, that's fine too.
• We don't expect fancy medieval food, nor that you cook it over a pit fire.

That's it!

Our camp kitchen is pretty well equipped, so don't worry about having to bring lots of gear, unless you want to make something tricky.

Here are a few things we've discovered over time:
Unless we have LOTS of people arriving early at the war, it rarely makes sense to start the shared dinners prior to the middle of the war, around the 30th this year.
Approximate 7PM dinner time is a good choice, but negotiable. Knowing when you'll have dinner ready assures that everyone is there.
If you're arriving at war after the middle weekend and want to join in, then you may benefit from cooking at home, freezing it all and bringing it to war ready to thaw and reheat. I've done this many times.

Once I get a better idea of how many people are interested, we can sort out who else is cooking what when.

If you're interested, email me with your arrival day, your preferred "cooking" night and what you'd like to provide. Also, any food allergies or dietary restrictions.
I hope you'll join us at the table!

The Embattled Ring of the Bay Company, a much more pleasant name than "Central Region."

It could be better, but this works.

This weekend is the 21st Ice Castles I've had a chance to attend. Over the years I've missed a few due to bad weather or scheduling snafus, but it has a special place in my heart as it was the third event I ever fought at--and Throckmorton, Cedric and I won the chivalry prize, awarded by judges that included Princess Cyffaith and (then) Countess Nyan-nyan.

A few years later, I had my first big polearm win at Ice: My team had killed two of their team and vice versa, leaving Sir Loric the noted poleman and me both left alive, whole and armed with polearms. We had a great fight with everyone watching, and I killed him after about 5 passes.

This year Philip and I are day tripping, and we need a third for our team. Anyone interested?

Once again, it's time to arrange my favorite way to spend Thanksgiving: By hosting a bunch of our close and new friends for Way Too Much Food.

Traditions are now starting to solidify in place: I smoke a turkey and go on a last minute mad scramble for some esoteric food ingredient I thought would be easy to find, Thjora does some amazing pies, Adam brings wild caught pacific salmon (at least I hope this is a tradition now!), Helga oversees the purple mashed potatoes, and we completely avoid football. New in the mix this year: four player Wii marathons!

If you've ever been before, or been invited before, you're invited again. If you're someone we talk to but haven't invited before, you're invited.

Thjora doesn't like me calling this the "Little Lost Lambs" Thanksgiving, and it really has mutated from that into something else. But if you read this blog and are in the approximate area and have nowhere else to go for Thanksgiving, well, drop me a line. If I don't want you there, I'm mean and scary enough to tell you. Odds are, you're welcome. Kids are welcome, just keep in mind that our house is slightly non-kid safe.

This year, we will certainly be showing off our new garage, as yet unfinished but done by Thanksgiving. And there's a chance we'll be using the holiday as a send-off for the old kitchen–one last big meal cooked in it, then on Friday, we tear it out and put in the new cabinetry! You are not required to be handy or useful in this process in order to attend Thanksgiving, but refurbishing a kitchen is a great way to work off those holiday pounds. Update: Kitchen destruction looks less likely, but be assured there will be plenty of similar fun available.

Other merriment will take place over the weekend, possibly including the often-planned, never realized bonfire, fight practice and maybe a wine tasting. So even if you must have overcooked green beans at grandma's house, come on over the bridge to our place for the rest of the weekend!

As Pennsic approaches, it's time for my annual attempt to organize a supper club in our camp.

For those who haven't camped with Vair & Ermine before, while we do not have a meal plan, several campers have, in the past, agreed to share dinner and clean up duties so that no one has to do their own cooking every night. Also, it is only slightly more work to cook for 10 people than it is to cook for two. (Really!)

The plan is simple:

• You provide dinner one evening for all the members of the supper club, never more than 12 or so adults. You clean up your cooking.
• The other members then provide dinner and clean up for you for the other evenings of the supper club.
• We do not run supper club on the same evening as Atlantian court.
• The exact start night is negotiable, based on when people arrive and we have a "quorum" of clubbers.
• We try to coordinate what's being cooked which night so that we don't end up with spaghetti and meat balls 3 nights in a row.
• I use the term "cook" here, but if you want to order pizza for the other clubbers, that's fine too.
• We don't expect fancy medieval food, nor that you cook it over a pit fire.

That's it!

Our camp kitchen is pretty well equipped, so don't worry about having to bring lots of gear, unless you want to make something tricky.

Here are a few things we've discovered over time:
Unless we have LOTS of people arriving early at the war, it rarely makes sense to start the shared dinners prior to the middle of the war, around the 4th this year.
Approximate 7PM dinner time is a good choice, but negotiable. Knowing when you'll have dinner ready assures that everyone is there.
If you're arriving at war after the middle weekend and want to join in, then you may benefit from cooking at home, freezing it all and bringing it to war ready to thaw and reheat. I've done this many times.

Once I get a better idea of how many people are interested, we can sort out who else is cooking what when.

If you're interested, email me with your arrival day, your preferred "cooking" night and what you'd like to provide. Also, any food allergies or dietary restrictions.
I hope you'll join us at the table!