Thanksgiving Dinner:

Turkey: brined a la Alton Brown. Next year: use Sunset’s brine, it’s easier.

Stuffing: from Sunset. I used a stick of butter instead of a tablespoon and then drained it off and made the gravy with it later. I used sage instead of rosemary. Next year: use half as many shrooms, cube bread and allow to dry out for a few days, don’t forget to season. More sage!

Rolls: Grandma Ruby’s “Cloud” recipe, in the shape of a turkey. Next year: Same.

Cranberry Sauce: Back of bag recipe with 1.5 cups of pomegranate seeds. Next year: Same.

Veggies: Sweet Potato Beet Stacks and Green Beans with Bacon. I made a casserole instead of the individual stacks. I really liked the beets with the sweet potatoes, but no one else touched them. I missed the shallots and lemon, so it was just green beans with bacon. Next year: Just roast the beets and sweet potatoes, save the rest of it. Use shallots and lemon next year with the green beans.

Mashed potatoes: Same as usual. Next year: Same.

Gravy: Made a roux with the mushroom butter and flour, added turkey stock and pan drippings. Next year: Need a gravy separator, and don’t forget to season!

Pies: Pumpkin, apple (traditional), Walnut. I made the Chocolate-Walnut as a tart instead of a pie. Regular crust, 2 eggs, 1/2 c sugar and corn syrup, 1 T butter, used base of chocolate chips instead of melting. Next year: Same for pumpkin and apple, try 2/3 c sugar and corn syrup for the walnut.

Lemonade
1 part sugar
2 parts lemon juice
6 parts water

Recipe adapted from Kellie.

Baked Potato Soup

4 large baking potatoes (8 small)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
6 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/4 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded

The original recipe called for bacon and sour cream, as well. I skipped those for time and family taste preferences (SOMEone doesn’t like sour cream).

Wash, dry and prick potatoes with a fork. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour or until done. Let cool. Cut in half and put through potato ricer, or peel and dice. (Original recipe: Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp; set aside. You can use the skins for stuffed potato skins, or discard.)

Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly (about 8 minutes).

Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, half of the green onion, and 1 cup of cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated. Do not stir too much, or the soup will get glue-y. Add extra milk for a thinner soup (it will thicken as it cools). Serve with remaining green onions and cheese. Makes A LOT of soup. Freezes well.

Rolled Biscuits, Adapted from Joy of Cooking

Preheat oven to 450

1 c AP flour
1 c whole wheat flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
6 T butter
3/4 c milk

Mix flours, baking powder and salt. Add cold diced butter and mix with fork or pastry blender until pea sized. Add milk and stir until cohesive. Knead 5-10 times against side of bowl. Roll dough 1/2″ thick, cut into 2″ biscuits. Bake 10-12 minutes.

I’ve been posting pictures since the first of the year, and up until now they’ve all been cell phone pictures. Not the greatest quality, but SO EASY! I busted out an actual camera for today’s photos, and quickly remembered why I abandoned this a year ago. For whatever reason pictures off of my camera do not agree with my laptop and WordPress to orient pictures correctly. I’ve figured out a workaround finally, so maybe I’ll start taking real pictures. Maybe. The phone upload is so easy, though, so no promises!

Chicken Makhani

1. Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.
2. Saute the onion in the butter until soft.
3. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes.
4. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.
5. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream (I used half and half) and cilantro just before serving over Basmati rice.

Kesari Gosht (Mutton/Lamb in a Saffron-flavoured Sauce)

1. Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan and saute cumin seeds till it begins to sizzle.
2. Add in onions and fry till lightly browned.
3. Add salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric and tomatoes, and cook till tomatoes pulp and form a thick consistency.
4. Mix in lamb pieces to coat with spices. Add about a cup or two of water and put on the lid. Let simmer over medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes till lamb is done.
5. Add in potatoes and saffron water and cover cook for another 10-15 minutes to cook potatoes through. Feel free to add in as much extra water as needed.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve warm with hot Rotis or Naan.

I made chocolate peppermint lava cakes for Christmas dinner and had some leftovers. Darn! Another excuse to turn on the oven to heat up a bit tonight. Double darn!

Chocolate Peppermint Molten Cakes
Makes 4
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
5 oz. High Quality Bittersweet Chocolate (Valrhona, and Scharffenberger seem to be easy to find)
2 Large Eggs
2 Egg Yolks
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 tsp. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 tsp. Peppermint Extract
Pinch of Salt
Candy Cane for Garnish

Oven at 450°F

1. Set a glass bowl over a pot of gently boiling water (double broiler). Break up the the chocolate, and add it and the butter into the glass bowl. While the mixture is melting, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together in another bowl until light and thick.

2. When chocolate is almost completely melted remove from the heat, stir to release some heat as it should be quite warm. Slowly pour in the eggs, peppermint extract, pinch of salt and then quickly beat in the flour until just combined.

3. Butter and flour (I used cocoa powder) four 4-ounce ramekins (I used eight 2-ounce ramekins), tap out excess flour. Pour the chocolate mix evenly amongst the ramekins. At this point, you can keep them in the fridge for several hours, and simply bring them to room temperature before baking. Otherwise, bake them on a baking sheet for 6 to 7 minutes MAX, centers will be soft. Allow to sit for 3 minutes.

4. Invert the ramekin onto a plate; let them sit about 10 seconds and give the bottom a little tap, then lift. Sprinkle with candy cane, serve immediately. Accompany with unsweetened whipped cream or peppermint ice cream if desired.

It’s been nearly a year since I posted. Let’s try this again!

Today:
Black Eyed Peas and Cornbread

1lb black eyed peas (these were from our CSA), soaked overnight
1 ham shank
1 onion, diced

Drain peas, add onion and ham. Cover with water. Simmer over medium- low heat for about 2 hours or until soft. Enjoy with cornbread and a squirt of ketchup.

It was looking a little unlikely I would get the block done this month until Nana came and kidnapped Gosling and Tweety. With Ken Burns’ fabulous new documentary in the backgeound and a grapefruit gimlet, I managed to eek it out tonight.

Easy Pizza Sauce
2 T olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic
1 large (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
Basil or other herbs, as desired
Pepper

Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Press garlic cloves through garlic press into hot oil. Allow the garlic to simmer in the oil for a few minutes, but not develop color. Add can of tomatoes, any herbs and a generous grind of black pepper. Simmer over low heat 1-2 hours.

Tonight’s pizzas: pepperoni on the first, ham and pineapple on the 2nd.

After pizza, the younger members of the family needed baths. The color appearance of children and bathwater are courtesy of Crayola and their bath products.