Other Tangents

An Architect’s OCD Guide to Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again, you know, the time when you can use spreadsheets to plan out your Thanksgiving cooking schedule! But, yes, also the time of year to go all out on some tasty treats to share with your family and friends. Drool over a cooking spreadsheet, then check out this recipe for Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad.

Jeff Pelletier

November 25, 2015

I pride myself on being a well-organized person, which I think is inherent in a lot of architects. Caring about the details, is what I like to call it, and I like to think I don’t really have OCD. Of course, having a ridiculously organized LEGO room makes defending myself something I have to do frequently, and makes my argument mildly dubious. Still, I often surprise myself at how excited I get about spreadsheets with lots of detail. So when Thanksgiving rolls around, and I'm hosting a big dinner, I’ve found that being well-organized helps ensure that everything gets cooked in a timely manner, and that when guests show up I’m not running around like a mad man. So, I made a really detailed spreadsheet that helps plan out my days leading up to Thanksgiving.

Yeah, I’m probably mildly nuts. But definitely NOT OCD. I swear.

This year, I am really in love with the recipes on the New York Times cooking page (their app is incredible, by the way), and that formed the cornerstone of a lot of my recipes. Every year, I take notes on what I liked from that year and what I would change, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this all turns out.

One new addition this year, is a salad inspired by a local restaurant, Vios (they're fantastic, by the way, especially if you have kids, because of their play area). I’ve been mildly obsessed with it, and I wanted to pass along the recipe, as I think it is easy and a crowd pleaser. I hope you get to enjoy it at some point, and I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad

Salad Ingredients:

• (2) Persimmons cut up into bite sized pieces
• Pomegranate Seeds (let’s say ½ cup, but add or decrease this depending on your tastes)
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (make them yourself, or buy them that way)
• Toasted Walnuts (roast in oven at 325 degrees for ten minutes)
• Bibb Lettuce (optionally, you can add a little radicchio)

Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Ingredients:

• 1-2 Tablespoons Spicy Mustard (the more you add, the spicier it gets)
• 1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
• ¼ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
• Salt, Pepper, Various Spices (such as marjoram, thyme, basil – the fresher the better)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil (if you can get a lemon flavored one, all the better – check out Trader Joe’s)

Directions:

1. To make the vinaigrette, place the mustard, lemon juice, and vinegar in a small bowl, and whisk until it is all combined. Then mix in the spices to your taste, and then slowly whisk in the oil. Boom, you have an awesome dressing.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a big bowl, mix, and add dressing (a little goes a long way).
3. Serve immediately.

Happy Thanksgiving and happy cooking (and eating)!

This post is part of the ArchiTalk series in which Bob Borson of Life of an Architect selects a theme, and a group of us (architects who also blog) all post on the same day and promote each other’s blogs. This month’s theme is From an Architect's Table. To read how others interpreted the theme please click the links below.