(98). Productive Monday

Today was a great day for tying up loose ends.  Not in terms of housework unfortunately, but in terms of other stuff.  For example:

• Pinot had her follow up vet exam yet again, and the ear infection is *finally* gone!  Woo hoo!  She got the first dose of the doggie flu shot too.
• Got the remaining original picture files from the Munich trip today.  Keyword tagged people, approximate geo-tagged, and rolled in to existing folders.  Created a webpage for ALL of the original prints that will be unveiled later this week….to those in the circle.
• Booked a hotel for New Orleans – this was the cheapest, best rated, close to the French Quarter AND close to the start line giving a discount for people signed up for one of the races, and I wanted to book it early to make sure there were rooms available.  done!
• Figured out our plans for Thanksgiving/weekend.  Now I just need to convince Nick that he wants to do a Turkey Trot with me on Thanksgiving morning.
• Confirmed the Christmas plans with all the key players and everyone is on board.
• Finished and ordered a fun surprise.  Stay tuned.

The housework did live to see another day, but at least we had a really yummy dinner to go along with the season finale of Greek tonight courtesy of this  Onion Custard Pie Recipe.  I have no idea what the difference between this “custard pie” and a “quiche” is, but I do know that this recipe was pretty darned good.  I’ve started making a batch of pie crusts and freezing the dough so it’s ready to go at a moments notice on nights like this, when the urge for something with a crust arises.  I’d like to think that I made the recipe a bit lighter by skipping the 1/2 and 1/2 and subbing skim milk, but the butter probably counteracted any of that.  This took a bit to make, between the parallel (onions cooking/pre-baking crust) followed by the actual oven time, but the result was quite tasty and filling.  Considering how much Nick was wandering around the house before dinner complaining that he had to tighten his belt to forget the hunger pains, one serving and the boy was filled.

Bonus points to those of you that got the Troll 2 reference. 

The Last Week In November

It twas a very busy week!  We started off on Monday the 24th by a small make-your-own-pizza dinner when Colby & Josey dropped off CJ.  We were dog-sitting Mon night – Weds AM. Once Julie picked CJ up on Weds, we headed out the door to drive up to Rochester for the long weekend.  It took about an hour longer than normal, but otherwise no complaints.  Got in to the ROC and unpacked by 9PM, just in time to meet Mandy out at the Distillery for her 21st birthday.  What better way to end the night than garbage plates.  Thursday was Thanksgiving proper – I got up and made stuffing and candied sweet potatoes to bring to Debbie’s house – Debbie and Bob had prepared all of the makings of a full dinner (which we were able to have firsts, seconds, and sometimes thirds of).  Yum..   turkey induced coma on Thursday night, just in time to wake up early for some black friday shopping in the morning.  We got some Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch (my first time), and headed home to watch the Nebraska game.  I will admit that I slept through the first half (turkey + early waking+ battling stores = sleepiness), but I woke up during half time, and didn’t miss the 57 yard field goal and interception-TD to win the game over CO!   (Insert victory dance here.)  Good stuff.  We had dinner with my mom, and headed out to meet up with Melanie, Javed & Borch @ Oxfords.  Somehow, we ended up with garbage plates on Fri night too!  Saturday we tried to track down Vanessa at Wegmans, but we couldn’t find her….  got some Bill Gray’s (worlds best cheeseburgers!) and then got ready for my 10 year HS reunion.  Meet up with the ladies & Paul at Johnny’s Irish Pub for a quick hour of pre-game and then headed over to the Daisy Flour Mill for the reunion proper.  It was not as awkward as I’d imagined, so that was good   Sunday it was time to head back to DC, which ended up being a much longer trip than anticipated due to blowing out a tire about an hour south of Williamsport, but we were able to change the tire and get back on the road without losing too much time.  Minges & Javed were nice enough to follow us back (going at donut speeds no less), and the tire was still covered under warranty so it was not an expensive fix yesterday.

Phew.  So I hear it’s December now, or something!

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Is there anything better than leftover turkey & sides from a Thanksgiving feast?  In years past, having the holiday at home in Maryland, Nick & I have always gotten a much much bigger turkey than the amount of people were were intending to feed, just so that we could live off of the leftovers for a week or so after the fact.

This year, with my high school reunion falling on Thanksgiving weekend, we’re heading up to Rochester for the holiday, where my sister is hosting the meal this year.  While I’m excited to be able to see family for the holiday, I was a bit bummed that we wouldn’t get to feast on the remains after the fact.  With Nick’s pending conference and a wedding this weekend before he leaves, it didn’t leave us much time before the holiday proper to have our own mini pre-thanksgiving – so, we did it yesterday!

The menu included a roasted turkey (of course), and some quasi-alternative Thanksgiving sides that erred on the side of healthy – not a traditional thanksgiving meal, but could pass for one nonetheless.  This way we were still eating healthy/less processed/less sugar/no white bread, and when the actual Thanksgiving hits us in a couple of weeks, it won’t be like we just had all of this stuff.

Menu & recipes (pictures are in recipe pdf’s):

1. Chilled Asparagus with Tarragon Vinaigrette (asparagus)
2. Pumpkin Soup in its own shell (pumpkinsoup)
3. Roasted Root Vegetables (roastedrootvegetables)
4. Cranberry Sauce (cranberry-sauce)
5. Green Bean Casserole (green-bean-casserole)
6. Holiday Turkey with Rice Stuffing & Fresh Herbs (turkey-with-rice-stuffing-and-gravy)
7. Pumpkin Cheesecake Minis with Gingersnap Crusts (pumpkingingersnapminis)

We’ve also continued work on the home improvement projects over the weekend – big progress in the kitchen.  stay tuned

Pictures are going up!

Thanksgiving and leading up to Christmas photos – woot woot!

Yum, leftovers

The best part of Thanksgiving may just be…the leftovers. After cooking a 24 pound bird for 4 people and sending quite a bit home with our guests, we still had a bit to much on. And to experiment with:)

As usual after cooking poultry with bones, made up a nice big pot of turkey broth. Good stuff.

Turned half of the turkey broth into a turkey noodle soup, with veggies, shredded turkey meat, and wheat egg noodles. Oh and tomatoes – yum.

Used more of the extra turkey meat to construct a shredded turkey chili, which turned out awesome. Loving the secret blend of spices

Our Thanksgiving Menu

Day before prep work is done, and the menu is coming together! Saving lots and lots of room for tomorrow….many of the recipes can be found below.

- Melanie & Javed are bringing Pumpkin Dip & Apple Slices (a la wine club) – as good as they were at wine club

- Mom’s Coleslaw Recipe – I was the only coleslaw fan, and I loved it
- Pumpkin Biscuits with Orange Honey Butter – Liked better without using biscuit cutter, still good, especially with honey butter
- Cornbread Stuffing with Apple, Turkey Sausage & Wine – Still the favorite stuffing recipe
- Moraccan Rub Turkey – Love how it adds color & flavor
- Turkey Gravy – took my own spin, turned out great
- Debbie’s Pineapple Dressing – one of my favorites, liked and disliked dependant on the person
- Garlicy Mashed Potatoes – good and garlicy
- EP’s mashed sweet potatoes – marshmallows added goodness
- Yukon Gold & Blue Cheese Gratin – much much better than i thought – mushrooms threw nick, but i thought they added a nice touch. not overly blue-y either!
- Maple Glazed Autumn Vegetables – disappointing. wouldn’t make these again.
- Mom’s Popped Cranberries – always a favorite
- Boston Cranberry Nut Bread – i love, others are neutral about
- Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie – worlds better than other variations tried this season
- Real Whipped Cream – can’t beat it (ha ha ha)
- Pumpkin Upside Down Cake – really good! I decreased the oil by half as well!
- Deviled Eggs – good!

Blue Cheese may break up lots of turkey

Yukon Gold Potato and Wild Mushroom Gratin with Blue Cheese

Source: Bon Appetit, November 1996 | (Servings:

5 ounces crumbled blue cheese (such as Stilton, Gorgonzola or Maytag Blue), about 1.5 cups, at room temperature
2.5 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1.5 tablespoons butter
1 pound mixed fresh wild mushrooms (such as chanterelle, morel, portobello, stemmed shiitake, oyster, crimini or hedgehog), thickly sliced
1.5 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme, or 3/4 teaspoon dried
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced into rounds

Position a rack in the top third of oven and preheat to 400. Butter 13 x 9 x 2″ glass baking dish. Place cheese in a medium bowl; add 1/2 cup cream. Using fork, mash into a chunky paste. Mix in 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix in remaining 2 cups cream.

Melt butter in a heavy large pot over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and herbs, saute until mushrooms are tender and liquid cooks away, about 8 minutes. (Cheese sauce and mushrooms can me made 8 hours ahead. Cover separately and chill.)

Arrange half of potatoes on bottom of prepared dish. Spoon 3/4 cup cheese sauce evenly over. Top with all of mushroom mixture, 3/4 cup cheese sauce, then remaining potatoes. Top with remaining cheese sauce. Cover dish with foil.

Bake gratin 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until potatoes are tender, top is golden brown and sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes; serve hot.

Some folks add parmesan cheese to the top, and add garlic to the sauce.

New Vegetable Recipe for Thanksgiving

Maple-Glazed Autumn Vegetables

Source: Williams Sonoma | (Servings: 10)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 lb. parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch
chunks
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut
into 1-inch chunks
1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut into
1-inc h chunks
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
¼ cup maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 to 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Set an electric skillet to 450°F and melt 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) of the butter. Alternatively, melt the butter in a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Add the parsnips, butternut squash and acorn squash and stir to coat with the butter. Cover and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir the vegetables and reduce the electric skillet to 400°F, or reduce the heat on the stovetop to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes more. Add the sage, thyme, maple syrup and the remaining 2 Tbs. butter. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl, garnish with the parsley and serve immediately. Serves 10 to 12.

My favorite stuffing….

I first made this on Thanksgiving in 2005. Unfortunately this year, I couldn’t find a pumpkin to cook it in – less of the novelty, but oh so good!

Overstuffed Pumpkin with Cornbread, Apple, Turkey Sausage & Wine Stuffing

Source: Food Network | (Servings: 10)

1 4-5 pound pumpkin, I’ve done with and without
¼ cup melted butter
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, I used more – should be chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 granny smith apples, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon fennel seed, I didn’t use
2 oranges, zested
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, I used dried, 2T
¼ cup chopped fresh sage, I used dried, 2T
2 pounds round turkey sausage, I used 1.25
1 cup Sauvignon Blanc wine
1 cup heavy cram
1 16 ounce package Cornbread stuffing
3 cups chicken broth, I used less
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350. If you pumpkin, cut lid and clean out inside. Brush inside with butter, salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in skillet. Add onion, celery, garlic and apple cubes. Sprinkle in spices (celery seed, fennel, zest of orange, parsley and sage). Stir often till fragrant.

I cook sausage separately and rinsed befor adding to ’soft’ veggies.

Deglaze pan with wine, cook down ~2 minutes to evaporate alcohol. Stir in cream. Check seasonings. Turn out into a large bowl. Add cornbread. Blend in eggs, then broth until very moist.

Fill pumpkin and bake for 20 minutes, or fill baking dish and return to the oven until evenly heated.

A new Thanksgivng dessert to test this year….

mmmm, it looks so good!

Pumpkin Upside Down Cake with Cranberry Pecan Topping

Source: From “A Passion for Desserts” by Emily Luchetti | (Servings: –)

16 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.5 cups AP flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and whisk until smooth. Pour brown sugar mixture into bottom of preared pan.

In a medium bowl, combine cranberries and pecans. Place them in the pan over the brown sugar mixture.
In a large blow, whisk together eggs, pumpkin puree and oil. In another bowl, sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Carefully spread the batter over the cranberry pecan topping.

Bake cake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, 40-50 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Place large plate on top of the cake. Invert the cake and plate together, then remove the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.

Let cool completely before serving.
Can be made a day in advance; wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.