recipe: cranberry sauce (T-Day 3 of 3)

taken from: Serious Eats 

changes: skipped the cinnamon stick in place of 1 tsp of cinnamon, added 1-2 tbsp triple sec

result: it came out really well, BUT (in my taste) it was a little tart -- i think i'd prefer cranberry sauce to have a bit of tangy & sweet all at the same time. it's a great, reliable base recipe though - next time i will add a touch more sugar, or even brown sugar to help round out the tart.


ingredients:
- 1 (12-oz) bag fresh cranberries
- 1+ cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- zest from 1 orange
- 2 tbsp juice from 1 orange
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1-2 tbsp triple sec or Grand Marnier 
- pinch kosher salt

to make: combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. cook, stirring occasionally, until berries start to pop. press berries against side of pan with a large flat spoon (or wooden spoon, though this may stain it) and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until berries are complete broken down and take on a jam-like consistency, about 10-15 minutes total. 

remove from heat and allow to cool about 30 minutes. add water in 1-tbsp increments to adjust to desired consistency, if needed. sauce can be serviced immediately or stored in the fridge several month.

recipe: apple galette with salted maple caramel drizzle (T-Day 2 of 3)

original recipe from: Live Eat Learn

changes: none to the original recipe, other than sprinkling some sliced almonds over top before baking

result: SO good. the crust tasted good on its own -- the sprinkle of sugar over top was perfect. this was pretty easy to put together (even more so than a pie) and looked so beautiful. would definitely make again.

ingredients: 

photo from Live Eat Learn

filling: 
- 2-3 granny smith apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp almond paste 
- dab of butter

dough:
- 1 & 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar + more for sprinkling on top
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 tbsp ice water
- 2 tbsp cold apple or apricot brandy
- 1 egg white

salted maple caramel: 
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt

recipes: cauliflower goat cheese gratin (T-Day 1 of 3)

original recipe from: New York Times

changes: none to the ingredients, but prepped it the night before and left it in the fridge up until 1 hour before baking

result: flavor was really good and i love the idea of the this dish, but there was a lot of extra liquid in the dish after it was baked -- maybe this was a result of prepping it the day before, maybe there was too much moisture left in the cauliflower before i prepped it, i don't know. i'd try this again but will cut back on the milk and really drain the cauli before assembling it to see if that fixes the issue

picture from New York Times

ingredients: 
- 1 large cauliflower, broken into florets
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- 6 oz goat cheese
- 1 large garlic clove
- 5 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs 

recipe: spicy roasted pumpkin seeds

after the carving up & roasting a pumpkin for my pumpkin muffin puree, i had a little treasure trove of seeds left. i went with the spicy roasted pumpkin seeds recipe from Natasha Sanz Caballero -- they came out crispy and spicy, exactly what you'd hope for. considering they were almost zero effort, they were a great lil snack. 

photo from Natasha Sanz Caballero

ingredient list:
- 2 cups pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (decrease this if you don't love spicy)
- 1/2 tsp Spanish paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt  

to make: 
preheat oven to 350 degrees F. heat olive oil in small pan, and add the spices. mix well. add the pumpkin seeds and stir to coat, cooking over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. 

transfer the seeds to a baking dish or cookie sheet, spread out in a thin layer, and roast for about 15 minutes. serve at room temp.

recipe: spinach & artichoke dip, or stuffed mushrooms (T-day 5 of 5)

my last recipe & appetizer from Thanksgiving... which is only timely that i'm finally able post it up on Xmas. i was looking for quick & easy but delish artichoke dip as a filling for stuffed mushrooms. the Hot Artichoke & Spinach Dip II recipe from allrecipes.com was well-reviewed and fit the bill, and actually turned out surprisingly good. spinach dip oftentimes is kinda blah when you get it as an app at restaurants, or it's served at random parties... good, but kind of... eeeeh. this one actually had a TON of flavor... it make the mushrooms pop, and the leftover dip i had as  post-t-day appetizer was fantastic. 

photo from allrecipes.com

ingredients list: 
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 & 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

recipe: pecan pie blondies (T-day 4 of 5)

this was one of the better Thanksgiving desserts i've ever made. they

photo courtesy of Bakerita

were insanely unhealthy, but worth it. there really isn't anything better than brown butter... especially when it's mixed up with brown sugar and other fatty, sugary goodnesses. i used the recipe from Bakerita, following it to a T. 

ingredients list - blondie layer:

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter

- 1 cup dark brown sugar

- 1 large egg

- 1 tbsp vanilla 

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- 1/4 tsp kosher salt

ingredients list - pecan layer:

- 1/4 (4 tbsp) unsalted butter

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

- 1/4 cup heavy cream

- 1 & 1/2 cups roughly chopped pecans

recipe: crab dip (T-day 3 of 5)

made this as an app for T-day, in the hopes it would taste even remotely as close to the crap dip from Tasty n Alder. while it wasn't quite the TnA dip, it was actually really damn good. i ate way more of it than i should and was barely all that hungry by the time T-day din came around. worth it though! 

*picture from allrecipes.com 

i used the Spicy Maryland Crab Dip recipe from allrecipes.com as a base recipe, adjusting things a bit to our own taste. 

ingredients list: 

- 1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened

- 1/2 cup sour cream

- 1/2 cup mayonnaise

- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- 1 & 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 tsp dry mustard

- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

- 3/4 lb fresh crab meat

- 3 dashes hot sauce

- Old Bay seasoning to taste

- bread, pita chips, blue corn tortilla chips for dippin

to make: 

preheat oven to 325 degrees F. lightly grease an 8x8" baking dish, and set aside.

in a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, Parmesan cheese, majo, lemon juice, Worcestershire, garlic, mustard, and about half of the cheddar cheese. fold in crab meat, hot sauce, and Old Bay.

transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish, and top with remaining cheddar cheese. bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. 

recipe: green bean casserole (T-day 2 of 5)

photo from Serious Eats

although i HATE green beans, i have no problem cooking them for everyone else on Thanksgiving. this recipe from Serious Eats provided a perfect from-scratch way to make the traditional GB casserole, without having to mess with the old cream of mushroom stuff. i can't vouch for how it was personally, but the homemade soup i tasted while it was prepping tasted pretty damn good. everyone else gave it the old thumbs up, so it sounds like a keeper if i ever make traditional GB casserole again.

i scaled the recipe down a bit, but followed it verbatim otherwise (besides a lil extra garlic). 

ingredients list: (serves 4-6)
- 1 cup fried onions (French's would work, i used an off-brand from the Asian market)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 3/4 lbs white button mushrooms, rinsed 
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/8 cup flour
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1 lbs green beans, ends trimmed, and cut into 2" pieces
- 1 tsp kosher salt

recipe: thanksgiving stuffing (T-day 1 of 5)

stuffing this year, adapted (and scaled down) from The Pioneer Women's recipe. it is a fairly traditional recipe - not too sweet, nothing crazy in it, and i loved it. since i've only been eating stuffing for the last few years, there still isn't many that i really like (i hate mushy gloppy stuff), but this one is holds it's own. everyone really enjoyed it... unless i get a request for a non-traditional stuffing, this is probably going to be the go-to.

*photo from Pioneer Woman Cooks (T-day = too distracted to take pics. must eat. mmmmm!)

ingredients list: (this scaled down version makes about 9 servings)
- 1/2 loaf cornbread (i used Jiffy)
- 1/2 loaf italian bread
- 1/2 loaf sourdough bread
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1/4 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3-4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely minced
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- additional salt & pepper to taste

thanksgiving recipes (4 of 4): roasted brussel sprouts with shallots and balsamic vinegar

t-day for 2 meant i was only making 1 veggie. neither K or i were ever very fond of brussel sprouts, until having them 1) grilled and 2) served nice & charred in a restaurant... so we say NO to mushy, unflavored brussel sprouts of yesterday, but YES to having them with char and delish seasonings. amazing what a matter of proper prep can do to a dish... more and more things i always said i don't like, i find myself liking now after i have them in a new and better way. 

picture from seriouseats.com 

this recipe was taken from seriouseats.com (my go-to of late), and was so on point. i scaled it back a bit and added in bacon to my portion after (we had a vegetarian over) which threw it over the edge - the sweet/savoriness of the balsamic & shallot were the best of friends with the salty bacon. yum!









ingredients list: (1 lb made enough for 3 ppl)
- 1 lb brussel sprouts, bottoms trimmed, outer leaves removed, split in half
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 slices cooked bacon

thanksgiving recipes (3 of 4): traditional stuffing

photo from mykitchencraze.com

stuffing was never my favorite t-day side (it always looked so mushy and full of i have no idea what...just multi-colored glob), but the last few years i've tried to make my own and tailor it to what i like and it's grown on me a bit. and make it so i can SEE the actual ingredients and know what i'm getting into (same way i've approached coleslaw...another past mush-mystery). Kyle wanted a "traditional" stuffing this year (no apple, no cranberry, nothing sweet), which was surprisingly hard to find a recipe for. i went with the recipe from mykitchencraze.com, which fit the bill and turned out really good adapting it a little bit for our taste/serving size (i actually ate an extra-large serving of it).

K did not love the sweetness from the cornbread, but that's part of the reason i liked this recipe... i like the layered bread approach. to each their own. 

ingredients list: 

- 1/2 the pan of a 8x8 dish cornbread (i used 1 box of jiffy which seemed to be enough)

- 1 loaf of french bread (i used 6-7 gigantic pieces of sourdough, since i needed to use it up)

- 1/2 stick butter

- 1 medium onion, diced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 4 stalks celery, chopped

- 3 cups low sodium chicken or veggie broth (+ extra if needed)

- 1/2 tsp dried basil

- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

- 3 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

- salt to taste

thanksgiving recipes (2 of 4): porcini mushroom gravy

photo by seriouseats.com

i've tried to make gravy on several occasions in the past, mostly recipes made with real turkey drippings, and they have all failed terribly. to the point where we just ended up using a jar of store-bought gravy because they were so liquidy and just useless. this recipe sounded delicious, did not deal with any unwieldy drippings, and on top of it all sounds classy as F, so i gave it a go. not only was the consistency perfect, but this was SO damn good. like... it tasted like real gravy. that i could be served somewhere. and not be disappointed. be actually happy.

i was worried it might be too chunky with the mushroom bits (it was not) or too strongly taste like mushrooms (it did not). happy to report i officially have a go-to gravy recipe. the recipe (and photo since i forgot to take one) are courtesy of seriouseats.com.

ingredients list (makes about 3 cups):

- 4 cups stock (i used veggie stock since we had a vegetarian popping by)

- 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms (i used a dried mix of porcini, oyster, crimini, & a bunch of other mushrooms) 

- 1/4 cup butter

- 1/4 cup flour

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 2 tbsp dry sherry

- 1 tbsp heavy cream

- kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

thanksgiving recipes (1 of 4): jalapeno & lime cranberry sauce

t-day! it was just 2 of us, so we debated between just going out, or doing the whole thang. we ended up doing the whole thang, which was kind of nice since it was the first year that i had full control over what was made. i've never been a huge fan of any of the thanksgiving sides (sweet potatoes of any kind, yams, stuffing... mushy veggies... all of it). so i tried to just make what i like, and some stuff i don't for K. it actually turned into one of the better t-day meals i've ever had, and wasn't as hard as i thought it would be to do everything from scratch. success! 

i did, however, totally forget to take pics of everything i made (which were almost all new recipes i was trying), so i'm borrowing the "official" pics from the recipes sites i snagged them from... i was too distracted by all the last minute stuff and way too damn hungry to think about it. 

photo from seriouseats.com

recipe 1 - jalapeno & lime cranberry sauce, from seriouseats.com.  my first homemade cranberry sauce. i loved the idea of this (huge fan of spicy & sweet), b think it i might have accidentally added too much lime - it was just so, so bitter, which seemed more like a result of the zest than the lime juice itself. if i made it again, i'd probably just add a dash of lime and just let the cran & jalapenos do their thing.

ingredients list: 
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice + 1/2 tsp zest (Warning: scale this back if you don't want it too limey!)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapenos, seeds removed (i used 1 large jalapeno which was just enough)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp mezcal

turkey with pumpkin ale and sage

impromptu thanksgiving feast for Sunday dinner yesterday. as part of 'clean out the freezer' mode, why not cook a massive 9-lb turkey for dinner for the 2 of us? we have had these old Smuttynose Pumpkin Ales in our fridge for no joke 2 years now that nobody liked (sorry Smuttynose!), so it seemed like a good time to use one of them... we poured half the ale inside the turkey along with a huge sprig of fresh sage and 5 garlic cloves, and used the remaining ale to fill the pan and baste the turkey.

served with corn bread, baked potatoes, corn, and Stella Artois Cidre (which we tried for the first time this weekend -- DELISH drink). the pumpkin ale beer flavor didn't really come through the turkey except for some portions of the dark meat, which was so good. if we wanted to jimmy-rig the beer can chicken stand, that probably can be used with the turkey as well ... something we may have to try for next time if we're feeling risqué enough to balance that beast. YUM!

recipe: pumpkin muffins

i haven't updated this in a while seeing these pumpkin muffins were made a week after Thanksgiving, using the leftover pumpkin pulp i had hanging around in the fridge. i had snagged the recipe from Smitten Kitchen, almost verbatim except for the oats i added in for a lil extra somethin'. it was a very simple/quick recipe, and they  came out great- light & delish. 

ingredients list: 

- 1 & 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp pumpkin-pie spice
- 1 & 1/4 cups plus 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp oats

to make: preheat oven to 350F degrees. prepare muffin pan with shortening or paper liners.

stir together the pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 & 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda,oats, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then stir in the flour mixture until just combined. in another bowl, stir together the cinnamon, remaining 1 tbsp sugar, and 3 tbsp oats.

divide batter among the muffin cups until about 3/4 full, then sprinkle tops with cinnamon/sugar/oats mixture. bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. done!

third annual black friday pizza

third annual Black Friday pizza. it is exactly what it sounds like... pizza made from thanksgiving leftovers. this year was much the same as others (gravy for sauce, mozz, sauteed mushrooms, garlic, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce...), however we added in thin sliced potatoes since we didn't have any mashed potatoes. mother of delicious, it was fantastic. 

we had it with a bottle of Chandon Sparking Red wine that we had brought back from Napa months ago and were saving for t-day (the champagne tour guide said it was excellent paired with t-day fair)... it was just as good as i remember. sparking red is so unusual it's a total mouth party to have a nice dry red in bubble-mode. fantastic. i just wished they sold it outside of CA :-/

recipe: pumpkin ale cheesecake

so i'm a big fan of The Beeroness blog, however i have had yet to try anything from her site. her Pumpkin Ale Cheesecake with Beer Pecan Caramel Sauce suuuper caught my eye for Thanksgiving baking. mother of mother. it was a fun desert and even though i'm not huge on pumpkin pies, i def enjoyed this. 

ingredients list:
cheesecake:
- 9 standard sized graham crackers
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 eggs, room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmet
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 & 1/4 cup pumpkin ale (i used Blue Moon Pumpkin)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp flour

caramel sauce:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup pumpkin ale
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup cream
- 1/3 cup pecans

to make: prep a spring form pan with parchment/grease and set aside. in a food processor, add the graham crackers and brown sugar, and crush until it becomes all crumbs. add melted butter and process until it resembles wet sand. dump into the bottom of the prepared spring form pan, and press down until it is firmly compacted. set aside.

preheat oven to 350F degrees. in a large bowl, add the brown sugar, white sugar, and cream cheese and mix until well combined. one at a time, add the eggs and vanilla, carefully mixing until well combined. 

in a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and mix until combined. add pumpkin puree mixture to sugar/cream cheese mixture and stir gently until fully combined. add the beer until combined (note: the batter will be VERY liquidy at this point). sprinkle the flour over the bowl, then stir until just combined. pour batter over the prepared crust.

bake at 350F, adding a water bath if desired,  for about 1 hour or until the center no longer jiggles when you shake the rack the cheesecake sits on (be very careful not to over bake). chill until set, about 3 hours. for best results, chill cheesecake overnight before serving. 

to make caramel sauce, add the sugar, beer, and corn syrup to a saucepan and stir over medium high heat for about 1 minute. reduce heat to low and allow to boil about 10 minutes with a temp around 230F on a candy thermometer. add the butter, pecans, and the cream, and stir until combined. allow to cool to room temperature before serving. 

recipe: turkey tortilla soup

yet another t-day leftover recipe. i've never even considered making tortilla soup before since i always have seen it full of beans and corn (yuuuck), but i had the realization that it's my kitchen i can do whatever i want. beans be gone! so with that... my interpretation of it:

ingredients list:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded & chopped
- 1 poblano, seeded & chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (14.5 oz - i used Hunts)
- 2-3 cups leftover turkey, cut into small chunks
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 & 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 cup instant brown rice
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 flour tortilla (i used Mission Cheddar & Jalapeno), cut into thin strips
- sour cream for serving
- green onion, for serving


to make: heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. add onion, jalapeno, poblano, and garlic and saute until the veggies start to brown. add next 9 ingredients, stir well, and bring to a boil. simmer on low heat for an additional 35 minutes. after 35 minutes, add rice, raise heat to medium-low, and allow to cook for an additional 15 minutes.


while soup is simmering, heat vegetable oil in a small pan. fry tortilla strips for about 1 minute, remove to a paper-towel lined plate, and set aside.


when soup is done, finish with a dollop of sour cream, tortilla strips, and green onion. done!


verdict: YUM! i was afraid this was going to be too spicy with the jalapeno and poblano, but they cooked down nicely, giving just enough kick to the dish. the slight sweet from the ginger and spices still came through with all that heat - i think having the rice/turkey helped take it down a notch. my ideal soups are creamy, but i didn't have the heart to do that tonight for calorie's sake... if it were up to me i would have added sour cream to the entire soup, forget just the dollop on top. even with that, it still gets a solid 7 *******. would make again fo sho.

recipe: pumpkin apple pancakes

sunday is big breakfast day... usually a sausage / egg / pancake fiesta of sorts. today we're still hopped up on t-day leftovers so decided to jack up the pancakes with leftover pumpkin filling, apples, and cinnamon. yummmz.

we used boxed pancake mix (it's rare we're that motivated to cook-cook on a weekend morning - i'm not gonna lie, i'm hungover a lot)... the recipe is following those box instructions, dropping in about a 1/4 cup of pumpkin filling (assuming you're cooking for 3-4 servings), a half a chopped granny smith apple, and about 2 tsp of cinnamon. we've been cooking them in butter lately... it doesn't help the calorie count, but once you get that buttery crispy crust on them you can't go back.

pumpkin makes it lil more moist (and brings juuust a slight pumpkin taste), apple & cinnamon are always great p-cakes. 6.5 ******~.

recipe: pilgrim panini

(even if my photo is ugly, i swear i'm still delicious)

it's day 2 of thanksgiving leftovers, and what better way to tackle them than in sandwich form.

i made this with (in order of layers): spicy honey mustard, turkey, stuffing, garlic sauteed mushrooms, swiss, and cranberry sauce, all on buttered sourdough. not to leave gravy out of the equation, i had a side dish of it for dips. served with pomegranate soda + vodka.  

not including the ingredients list or instructions, a panini pretty much speaks for itself (and needs to be customized based on avail foodages and personal preference... all's fair in turkey and leftovers : )

and verdict... really speaks for itself also. it's a thanksgiving party on bread, you can't go wrong. esp with the mix of stuffing/turkey with the sweet stuff... damn it's just good. 7 *******.