leftover turkey & sweet potato hash

It's two days past Thanksgiving now.  The oven is bare and chilly in its state of dormancy, the table is folded and stowed in the closet (yes, I said closet. we break out our thrift store card table along with our finest crystal for special occasions like these), and the fridge is full to bursting with remnants of our Thursday feast.

In typical post-Thanksgiving fashion, we've been reliving that special meal with plates full of the leftover dishes we prepared that day.  And we're relishing in the fact that dinner is basically already prepared, should we feel inclined to laze around a bit more than a usual night allows us.

baked chicken thighs with onions & peppers in chimichurri

Right on schedule, summer arrived here in Seattle on July the 5th.  It's been warm and mostly sunny here with envy-inspiring temperatures in the 70's and 80's.

Sorry, everyone else, but the Pacific Northwest is the place to be this summer.  While the rest of you across the country are dealing with one scorcher after another, rushing from your air conditioned homes to your air conditioned cars to your air conditioned destinations, we're enjoying the perfect summer weather.

Yes, I enjoy rubbing it in a little.

Ginger Pear Upside Down Cake

This is the third post in a series focused on ginger, its health benefits, and the versatility of the root in recipes. I would love to hear your favorite uses for ginger, so please feel free to comment or email if you have something you'd like to share. If you missed the first two posts in this series, just click on the links below:
Ginger, Lemon & Honey: Tea for the Season
Carrot Ginger Soup

---

Now that the time has changed, my body has shifted to a different schedule.  I'm all yawns and heavy eyelids by about 9:30 at night, and I can't stay under the covers any later than 8 am, even on the weekend.  This schedule suits me, though.  Getting up early and taking my time, having some tea, and gazing at the now-orange leaves of the tree outside my window as I think and type and relax with just me.  I can see myself working from home some day and absolutely loving it.

For now I guess I'll settle for the Saturday morning blogging session.  Today's post is very exciting for me for two reasons.  The first is that I get to share more of what I've learned about ginger.  Now that I've read that line, I realize that I'm much more interested in the second reason.  I will be sharing with you a recipe of my own devising that happens to be baked, gluten-free, and a serious party in your mouth.