Day 334: Jalapeno Poppers

I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas!!!  It's Christmas night as I write this and I'm sitting in my PJs eating Chinese food, because, unlike some members of my family, I didn't totally pig out at Christmas dinner and I happened to still be hungry around suppertime.  :)  We certainly had a wonderful Christmas and I can't believe it's already all "wrapped up."  Ha.  Go ahead, shake your heads in embarrassment, it's okay. 

On Christmas evenings, I generally sit back and reflect on the day.  I'm still not sure if this is a good or bad thing.  I end up wondering if it was Christ-centered enough, if we had as much fun with family as we could have without stressing about this and that, and if my kids were really as grateful as they could've been for their gifts.  Was I as grateful as I could've been???  I think it's good to be self-reflective as long as it doesn't become an obsession.  After all, we can't redo Christmas this year, but we can grow in the coming year and try better next year.  But my family certainly did have a fantastic Christmas and I like to think that the answer is "yes" to the questions above.  And now I'm hopeful that my kids will sleep for a week.  Just kidding!  I know they'll be up with the sun tomorrow morning. :)

Anyway, the recipe I want to share in this post I made for the first time last Friday (12/19, Day 334).  I hosted a surprise baby shower and my friend has been craving jalapenos and all things spicy all through this pregnancy.  So when I saw this recipe from Ree Drummond when I was watching her show last week, I knew I had to make it!  Coincidentally, I also made them as appetizers for today's Christmas dinner.  They are delicious and a huge crowd-pleaser!

Adorable lollipops made by a friend for the shower!

Jalapeno Poppers

10-20 jalapenos (however many poppers you want--get half as many jalapenos)
8 oz cream cheese (a container of cream cheese "spread" that you can spoon out is best)
1 package of bacon

Preheat the oven to 275*. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet to bake the jalapeno poppers on.  My advice--WEAR GLOVES!  So, while wearing a pair of clean, latex gloves, cut each jalapeno in half and clean out the seeds and pale veins.  Then, place a spoonful of cream cheese in each jalapeno half.  Cut all the bacon strips in half and take each half slice of bacon and wrap it around the jalapeno half.  Secure the bacon with a toothpick.  Place the poppers on the baking rack.  Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy.  Devour!

Day 333: Deep-Fried Brusselsprouts with Capers & Walnuts, Goat Cheese & Basil Chicken, Mashed Potatoes

I often make spinach & goat cheese stuffed chicken and I've been using garlic and herb goat cheese with it.  But all I had in my refrigerator today was plain goat cheese, so I searched for a way to make the dish more flavorful.  I minced 2 cloves of garlic and mixed them in with the goat cheese, and then instead of using spinach, I cut up some basil (julienne style) and added that to garlic and cheese mixture.  I stuffed this under the skin of the chicken breasts and baked them in the oven at 400* for about 35 minutes, or until cooked through with crispy skin.

But onto the star of this post, the brussel sprouts.  Randy loves brussel sprouts.  I don't understand it.  I'm not a huge fan.  But being the darling, loving wife that I am, I try to still cook things that he likes once and a while even if I don't.  ;)  So, if I was going to make brussel sprouts, they were going to be flavorful and yes, deep-fried.  Does anything NOT taste better deep-fried???  Begin by making the dressing...

Deep-Fried Brussel Sprouts with Capers & Walnuts
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 TB capers, rinsed
2 scallions, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 TB honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb brussel sprouts
oil for frying
1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped

Heat the oil on the stove until it reaches about 350*.  While it's heating, prepare the dressing.  In the bowl that you plan to serve the brussel sprouts in, combine the walnuts, capers, scallion, garlic, honey, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.  Mix well.  Place the bowl near the hot oil.  In batches, fry the brussel sprout until they deepen in color and just begin to flake a bit, about 3 minutes.  Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and transfer them right into the dressing.  Toss with the dressing.  When all of the brussel sprouts are finished, add the parsley to the bowl and toss everything together.  Serve warm.

Day 332: Olive Garden Breadsticks

I brought the Olive Garden to our house tonight as I made my Zuppa Toscana (Oh my, remember when I made that for Day 1 of this blog???  Feels like forever ago!), a garden salad, and luscious garlic breadsticks.  I can't believe that I only have about 1 month left of this 365-day dinner-tracker!  I feel almost nostalgic as I think back to day 1 and the excitement I felt to start this blog.

The original recipe for the soup can be found from the link above, but it requires using a slow-cooker and letting the soup cook all day.  I didn't get the soup started today before I left the house and when I got back, the afternoon just started slipping away from me!  But I really wanted to have this soup for supper, so what was I to do?  If you want to make this dinner in less than 5 hours of slow-cooker simmering, here's the plan:

Preheat the oven to 400*.  Cut up the potatoes, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with garlic powder.  Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.  In a dutch oven, over medium heat on the stove, heat some olive oil and brown the sausage.  Add the onions and garlic to the pan.  (Using a dutch oven for the whole soup will keep the flavor of the browning sausage in the same pan, and if the soup isn't cooking for 5+ hours, you'll need all the flavor-boosters you can get!  (At this point, I poured in about 1/2 cup of white wine--that's not on the original recipe!)  Add the chicken stock.  But, instead of using 32 oz of chicken stock and water for the rest of the liquid, I just used 48 oz of chicken stock to enhance the flavor (see my point above).  Then, I added the potatoes to the soup and stuck the pot into the 400* oven.  When I was almost read to serve, I took the pot out of the oven and put it over low heat on the stove.  I added the heavy cream and kale and a little salt and let the soup continue simmering on the stove until ready to serve.  Voila!  Zuppa Toscana in about an hour and a half! :)

Olive Garden Breadsticks
My breadsticks didn't come out quite as light a fluffy as Olive Garden's, BUT.. the bread itself is sweet while the buttery goodness on top is garlicky and salty.  The flavor-profile is complete for this second Olive Garden recreation.  My favorite thing about these breadsticks is they only have to rise once, and for under an hour.  And they bake in only 15 minutes!  Easy and fast bread from scratch!

1 pack of active, dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 TB butter, softened
4 1/4 cups flour
2 TB sugar
1 TB salt
1 1/3 cup warm water

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, pour in the 1/4 cup of warm water and sprinkle in the yeast.  Let stand for about 5 minutes.  Add the butter, flour, sugar, salt, and warm water.  Mix on low until the dough comes together and is sticky.  Dump out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a few minutes.  Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces and roll the pieces out into small logs on baking sheets covered with parchment paper, lightly kneading the dough as you go.  Cover the breadsticks with a towel and let rise for about 45 minutes.
For the topping, I melt about 3 TB of butter and sprinkle in some garlic powder, salt, and dried oregano, all to taste.  I brush this mixture over each breadstick and bake in a 400* oven for 15 minutes.  When they come out of the oven, I recreate the same butter mixture and brush it over them again.  Then, I lightly sprinkle some salt on top of the breadsticks.  Serve warm.

Catching Up: Days 320-331

I look forward to the day this 365-day journey is over and I can just blog when and where I feel like it, for whatever (food-related) reason.  It will also mean my new website will be up and running!  Yep, can't wait for that!  In the meantime, however, please enjoy this rambling re-cap of the last 11 days with some new recipes sprinkled right in!

Days 320 & 321: Randy and I had the privilege of being out 2 days in a row!  Friday (12/5) was to celebrate my birthday.  We went to Leo's Ristorante in Worceester which was fabulous as always.  Then on Saturday night our church had a Christmas Gala which we attended.  It was a very nice evening and good food!

Day 322: I made my chicken & spinach alfredo pizza for our life group.  However, I cheated and used store-bought pizza crust, unlike the link above.  It wasn't as good. :/

Day 323: (Monday, 12/8)  Randy worked late this night so I drove my kids down to Auburn to visit my parents.  My mom and the kids and I went to Applebee's (or as Abby used to call it, "Bumblebee's", her new favorite place) for dinner. 

Day 324: Parmesan-Crusted Chicken, mashed potatoes, garden salad.  Today was a really gross day weather-wise.  Normally, it's my grocery shopping day, but I wasn't bringing the kids anywhere.  I let Abby pick something out of one of my cookbooks for us to bake together.  Her first pick was a roasted chicken with carrots and onions.  haha!  But after I nixed that idea, she picked these linzer cookies (luckily she picked something with few ingredients--so I had them all!):

Linzer Cookies
3/4 lb of butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
raspberry preserves
powdered sugar

In an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar until smooth.  Add the vanilla, then the flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together.  Dump dough out onto some plastic wrap.  Form it into a disk, wrap completely, and chill for 30 minutes.  Then roll the dough out and cut circles or different shapes you may desire.  Cut a small circle out of half of the shapes.  Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill for another 15 minutes.  Bake in a 350* oven for 20-25 minutes, until edges begin to brown.  Allow to cool to room temperature and make "sandwiches" by spreading the raspberry preserves on the flat side of the cookies without a hole.  Sprinkle powdered sugar on the cookies with a hole and then place those cookies on top of the raspberry preserves.


Day 325: Sunday-Dinner Pot Roast on a Wednesday!  How awesome.

Day 326: Home all day to cook and play!  Spent the morning preparing the sauce and meatballs for the good ol' faithful: spaghetti and meatballs.  I also made up the dough for the gingerbread cookies we would make the next day.

Day 327: Tonight I made Hawaiian pizza and mozzarella spedinis.  These are a very filling but very delicious appetizer!  We also made our gingerbread cookies and read the story "Gingerbread Baby" by Jan Brett as a family.  We moved our family movie night to tonight (Friday) since Randy would be gone Saturday night.  Couch-cuddling and watching "The Santa Clause" was a great way to spend the night!

Mozzarella Spedinis
Inspired by an appetizer we had at Il Forno's about 4 or 5 years ago...

6 slices of white, hearty bread (or however many you want to make)
6 slices of mozzarella cheese
butter
breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten + water for dipping
2 cups or so of oil for frying

Spread the butter thinly on the slices of bread and fold in half over a slice of mozzarella cheese.  Press firmly to make a "tight" sandwich.  When the oil is hot enough for frying (350* or so), dip the sandwiches into the egg and water mixture and then into the breadcrumbs and then place in the oil.  Fry the spedinis in batches and place on a paper towel when golden brown and finished frying.  Serve with warm marinara sauce.

Day 328: Randy was out tonight so the kids and I rocked the leftover pizza from last night.  Delicious and easy!

Day 329: (Sunday 12/14) Surprise birthday party in the family!  I made a carrot-cake and chocolate-praline crisps.  Here is the EASY recipe for those crisps:

Chocolate Praline Crisps
12 whole graham crackers
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Layer the graham crackers on a baking sheet.  In a saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, and vanilla to a boil and boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in pecans.  Pour over the graham crackers and bake in a 350* oven for 10-14 minutes or until bubbly and pecans are lightly toasted.  Let cool slightly.  Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and then, using a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, drizzle the chocolate over the crisps.  Let cool until chocolate is firm.  Cut into triangles to serve.

Didn't get a picture of the crisps, but the cake was pretty enough for 2 pictures!

Day 330: Our church had an outreach event at Roll-On America, our Happy Birthday, Jesus! party.  It was a great night with pizza included!  Dinner=done. :)

Day 331: TODAY!!!  Served up some restaurant-style salsa along with chicken quesadillas.  #comfortfood

#yesplease

Day 319: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Because my week was so busy, I didn't have time menu plan and grocery shop as I normally would.  And we've had some pretty "heavy" meals the past few nights, so I wasn't surprised when I asked Randy what he wanted for dinner and he said "Caesar salad."  But Randy knows he can request just about any meal we've ever tried and I'll make it.  So when he requests Caesar salad, it's not going to be just any Caesar salad. 
I've posted my Caesar dressing recipe before on this blog, but here it is again!  So to put together this salad, I started by grilling some chicken on my grill pan.  Then I began the dressing:

I started with 2 minced garlic cloves, some Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and a freshly juiced lemon in my salad bowl.

Whisk until smooth.

Add a good amount of mayonnaise and parmesan cheese.

 

Then, I grilled the Romaine lettuce.

Combine the lettuce, chicken, and sprinkle with parmesan shavings.  Toss in the bowl with the dressing.  That's a good-looking salad!

 

It's no secret that I like to have an appetizer or some food on the table when Randy comes home from work for him.  Here's a simple idea that takes literally no time and is absolutely fun and delicious for that "grown-up time" we have for a few minutes when he first comes home.  Then, he's off to play with the kids while I finish fixing supper...

In a small bowl, combine some parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.  Pour in some olive oil for a nice dip.  Tear up some crusty bread and place on a plate.  Serve with red wine. ;)



 

 



Day 318: Turkey Pot Pie (3rd & Final Day of Thanksgiving Leftovers!)

I've said before how I like to have little appetizers ready for Randy when he comes home from work, especially if dinner (like turkey pot pie) is still in the oven.  These crab cakes aren't exactly "little" appetizers, but I had made them the day before so Randy and I were both craving them!  It's nice to have something special for or before dinner to make a weeknight feel like a weekend!

For our final day of having turkey leftovers, since turkey was the only thing still left over, it made sense to make my turkey pot pie with herb crust.  Follow the link to the original recipe.  It's worth it, trust me!  Of course, since I was using leftover turkey, I skipped the steps about cooking the turkey breasts, I simply boiled the carrots for a few minutes, then place the shredded leftover turkey, cooked carrots, and peas in my pie plate.  I then followed the steps to make the thick broth and poured it over the meat and vegetables.  I followed the same recipe for the crust and baking.  It was delicious!

Leftover crust... this would be Randy's favorite part.  If I had more time, I'd turn it into something, but the day just didn't hand me enough hours. ;)

Day 317: Turkey Bowtie Soup w/ Cornbread Croutons (Day 2 of T-Day leftovers)

Last night we used up the last of the sausage stuffing in my sausage bechamel shells.  Tonight, I used about half of the turkey that remained and a good portion of the turkey stock we made on Thanksgiving night to make a turkey soup.  We also had our cornbread stuffing leftover, so we turned those into croutons for a soup topping.  Randy did that for me by following my instructions since I had to leave to deliver food for a small catering gig.  (I'll include some of those recipes at the end of this post.)  So here's the original recipe for the cornbread stuffing:

Cornbread Stuffing (Tyler Florence)
1 loaf cornbread, cubed (6 cups)
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 TB softened butter
1-2 tsp fresh sage, chopped
salt, pepper

In a small bowl, mix the soft butter with the sage to make a "sage butter."  Melt the seasoned butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and add the onions.  Cook for about 15 minutes, or until soft and golden.  Place the cubed cornbread in a large bowl and pour the cooked onions on top.  Mix the egg and heavy cream together and pour over the bread and onions.  Season with salt and pepper. 
I used this stuffing to stuff my turkey and then baked the rest of it at 375* for about 25-30 minutes.

Cornbread Croutons

To make the croutons, take the leftover stuffing and add a little olive oil or chicken broth to moisten it again.  With your hands, take clumps of the stuffing about the size of a tablespoon and squeeze slightly (to help them maintain their form) and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with a little extra olive oil if desired and season with salt and pepper.  Bake in a 350* oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until brown and fragrant.



Turkey Bowtie Soup
5 cups turkey stock
3-5 large carrots, sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
about 1 cup or more of leftover turkey (blend of both white and dark meat)
3/4 lb of bowtie pasta
salt, pepper to taste

In a stockpot, boil the stock with the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.  Once the broth comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the carrots to cook for at least 5 minutes.  (You can do this step earlier in the day and then let the broth and vegetables sit until you're ready to finish preparing dinner.) 
Bring the soup back up to a boil and add the pasta.  Season with salt and pepper and let the pasta cook for a few minutes.  Add the already cooked turkey and allow the soup to simmer for a few minutes.  Taste to adjust the seasonings.  Serve with the cornbread croutons on top.

To some, this picture is a lonely sight--dinner on a TV tray, solo.  But to a mom of littles, it is pure bliss.  My kids were in bed when I got home and hubby was off to work.  I enjoyed a few moments of peace while watching "Chopped" and sitting in front of our newly trimmed tree.

Intimate Catering Gig... A Few Recipes...

Goat Cheese & Onion Tartlets
I often serve these as appetizers for get-togethers, especially around this time of year.  I served them for Thanksgiving this year and last and they are always a big hit!

1 package (2 sheets) of puff pastry, thawed

1 TB butter
1 TB olive oil
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 TB chopped scallions
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 egg
salt, pepper
3-4 oz goat cheese

Out of 1 sheet of puff pastry, I'm able to get 9 circles cut out with a circular cookie-cutter.  This makes 18 circles, total.  Cut them out and place them on a greased mini-muffin or tartlet pan and push them in to create small shells.  Preheat the oven to 350* and place the prepared shells in the refrigerator.  In a small skillet, melt the butter and drizzle in olive oil.  Place the red and white onions in the skillet and cook over medium heat until caramelized, about 15 minutes.  When good and brown, add the scallions and cook for just another minute and then turn off the heat.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and heavy cream.  Season with salt and pepper and add the onions.  Divide the onion/custard mixture among all of the tartlet shells.  Break up the goat cheese and divide equally among the tartlets.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Serve warm.

Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce
Randy and I love crab cakes as an appetizer.  There's a restaurant in Maine called Yellow Fins and their crab cakes are amazing.  But I have to brag a little and say that Randy claims these are better than Yellow Fins' cakes. ;) And now I have to be completely honest and say that the recipe belongs to Ina Garten, who can do no wrong in the kitchen and provides fool-proof recipes!  I leave out capers and Old Bay seasoning, but you can add them if you want.

2 TB butter
2 TB olive oil
3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)
1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/4 minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 lb lump crabmeat
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsps Dijon mustard
2 eggs, lightly beaten

In a large sauté pan, cook the butter, olive oil, onion, pepper, parsley, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until the vegetables are softened, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Cool to room temperature.  Add the crabmeat, mayo, breadcrumbs, Dijon mustard, and eggs.  Mix well.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  When ready, melt 4 TB butter with 1/4 cup of olive oil in a skillet to fry the crab cakes.  I use a small melon-baller to make mini crab cakes, but you can form the cakes however works for you.  Fry for a few minutes on each side, then remove and place on a paper towel to drain.  Serve hot with remoulade sauce.

Remoulade Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 TB small-diced pickles
1 tsp course-grain mustard
1 TB white wine vinegar
pinch of salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in the food processor and pulse several minutes until the pickles are well-minced and the ingredients are combines.  But do not puree.  This can be served cold or at room temperature.

I also served grilled lemon chicken skewers.  Chicken on a stick--fun stuff!

Day 316: Thanksgiving leftovers day 1--Sausage Bechamel Shells

So after a long weekend of eating actual leftover Thanksgiving dinners and a couple birthday celebrations, it was time to re-invent some leftovers.  Once the vegetables and potatoes ran out, we were left with 2 types of stuffing and massive amounts of turkey leftover.  What to do, what to do?

I started with the sausage stuffing to give us a break from turkey from a night.  I'll give you the original recipe first, then the recipe for what I did with the leftovers.

Roasted Chestnut Sausage Stuffing (Tyler Florence)
I replaced the chestnuts with walnuts, which I simply toasted on a dry skillet for a few minutes until they were fragrant.  Everything else in the recipe I followed exactly.

1 carrot, peeled & roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
1/2 bunch fresh sage
1.5 pounds sweet Italian sausage (ground or loose)
olive oil
salt and pepper
5 cups cubed sourdough bread, crusts removed
1 lb roasted chestnuts
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 375* and butter a 9 x 11-inch baking dish.  In a food processor, puree the carrot, onion, celery, and sage into a fine pulp.  Brown the sausage in a large skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat.  When the sausage is good and brown, remove it with a slotted spoon and place it in a large mixing bowl.  Add the vegetable pulp to the skillet and cook until most of the moisture has evaporated.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the pulp to the mixing bowl with the sausage.  Add the bread cubes and the chestnuts (walnuts, for me!).
Mix together the chicken stock, cream, and egg.  Pour this wet mixture over the meat, bread, and vegetables.  Season and fold everything together.  Pour out into the roasting dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown on the top.

So, that was one of the stuffings I had leftover.  To turn it into a sausage béchamel shell dish, here's what I did:

Sausage Béchamel Shells
Béchamel sauce is simply a white sauce with nutmeg.  It's a little sweet and very smooth and creamy.

1 lb medium shell pasta
4 TB butter
1/4-1/3 cup flour
1 cup or more of whole milk
nutmeg
parmesan cheese
leftover sausage walnut stuffing
beef broth

Preheat the oven to 250*, just to warm the leftover stuffing.  Drizzle a little bit of the beef broth into the leftover stuffing to liven it up a bit and place the stuffing in the oven to warm.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season liberally with salt.  Add the shells to cook according to package instructions.  In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the flour to create a roux, or a thickening agent.  Add in the milk and whisk continually over high heat until it starts to bubble, then immediately reduce the heat to "low" and season with nutmeg.  Continue to whisk, the sauce should be thick.  Add more milk to thin it out if desired.  I also added about a teaspoon of fresh chopped sage to help bring out the sage flavor in the stuffing.  When the pasta is done cooking, drain it, and combine the pasta, béchamel sauce, and leftover stuffing.  Mix well, season with parmesan cheese if desired.  Enjoy!

Day 312: Thanksgiving Reflections

I guess it's fitting that this year I hosted Thanksgiving since I'm supposed to be keeping track of what I make each day for this blog.  Of course, even though my mother reminded me to take pictures of the food, I didn't get great pictures of each dish!  Most of my recipes came from Tyler Florence.  I used his Maple-Smoked-Bacon Turkey with Cornbread Stuffing, and his Sausage-Chestnut Stuffing (though I used toasted walnuts in place of chestnuts.)  I also made the usuals: mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, requested green bean casserole and sweet potatoes from my mother, and put together a first course of Bourbon-Butternut Squash Bisque followed by a palette-cleansing green salad as a precursor to the main course.  For appetizers I made Goat Cheese & Onion Tartlets and served a shrimp cocktail.  I offered 4 different pies for desserts: my apple pie, pumpkin pie, a pecan pie, and a frozen cranberry pie.  But Thanksgiving is not just about the food, though that's a big part of it! ;)

Today did not feel like Thanksgiving.  It was very different from my Thanksgivings in the past.  But today was one of the best and most tiring days I've had in a while.  It was wonderful!  I woke up and was literally sick--twice.  I was afraid I was coming down with something but when after getting the turkey in the oven I felt fine, we chalked it up to nerves and stress.  After my huge catering jobs that I've done in the past, I can't believe how nervous I got about cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 6 adults.  Just goes to show how much weight this day and dinner actually carries in our society, in my family, in my mind.  haha!

Smoked Bacon Maple Turkey--YUM!

But onto the day...Randy and I practically had a revolving door.  One of the first things we had to be grateful for was our driveway being plowed out by a friend who offered out of the blue to plow it!  All morning, things continued to go smoothly while we prepared for guests.  My parents came for the whole day and it was so nice having them here!  Friends from Randy's work joined us for dinner and conversation afterward.  When they left, friends of ours who are just like family stopped by for dessert.  On their way out, more family from Randy's side came over for (our second round of) dessert!  We made turkey cookies and candies and played a few rounds of "Catchphrase."  I kept looking around and feeling so grateful for our new home, new couch, and the ability to accommodate more people.

So I sit here, on the couch, feet up, and trying to relax.  It's hard, though, with so many things still on my mind to do this weekend.  I'm working on my blog and trying to watch "Blacklist" with my husband, and oh yeah, thinking about writing a catering menu for Tuesday night.  Not to mention that there's laundry sitting in front of me that needs to be divided so I can wash it at my parents' house tomorrow when I arrive there at 5:15 so my mom and I can go shopping!  I am so tired, but I am so happy.  The day we remember to be thankful has come to an end, but of course we know that our actual grateful hearts should never cease.  One of my favorite episodes of Veggie Tales is "Madam Blueberry" where the message is, "A grateful heart is a happy heart."  This is something I could stand to remember all year long, not just today. 

As I was getting Abby ready for bed tonight she asked, "Mom, when is going to be turkey?"  I replied, "You mean, Thanksgiving?  That was today!  It's over!"  But let's not be done giving thanks!

Days 310 & 311: Marinated Pork Tenderloin & Homemade Cinnamon Buns!

Normally I would be crawling back into bed about now (5:45 a.m.) but I have a blog to work on, so here I am--sipping my coffee with peppermint mocha creamer, wrapped in one of my mother's homemade lap quilts (we need more, Mom! ;) ), typing away.  I was up early this morning as I am every year around Thanksgiving and Christmas to make my "famous" homemade cinnamon buns.  I come from a very tradition-oriented family, so naturally, when Randy and I got married, I wanted to create a few traditions that would be just ours, but that would carry on for a long time.  I'm sure more will unfold as our kids become more active participants in our family, but one tradition I started right away was making homemade cinnamon buns every year on Thanksgiving morning and then again on Christmas morning.  Since I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year, I kind of need the oven for the turkey tomorrow, so we're having cinnamon buns a day early.  We can let it slide. ;)  It's a pretty labor-intensive job; not difficult, just a lot to do--making these buns.  It involves starting the night before, at least 1 hour and 30 minutes before you plan to go to bed, and involves you waking up early the next morning to form the buns and let them rise yet again.  But it's worth it!  It's oh, so worth it!  I'll get into the details of this recipe later.  First, let me tell you about our delicious pork dinner we had last night!

Dijon-Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Ever since I gave birth to my daughter, Abby, about 3 years ago, I haven't liked pork very much.  This is the one taste that seems to have taken a permanent change since pregnancy.  But Randy loves it, I can tolerate it, and it's an affordable meat, so I still make it on occasion.  This is an easy recipe that turns out a very flavorful meat and can feed a lot of people!  I got the recipe (or I should say, the list of ingredients--who knows if it's still exactly the same) from a friend of mine a few years ago and I enjoy making it on a semi-regular basis ever since.  

1 pork tenderloin (the one I bought from the store this time was actually 2 smaller pieces of meat rolled into 1 package--I'd never seen it like that before)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine
2 TB dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 TB fresh chopped rosemary
salt, pepper

Whisk together all of the ingredients from the olive oil to adding a dash of salt and pepper.  Place the tenderloin into a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade in with it.  Seal the bag and then massage the meat a little from outside the bag, trying to get the marinade to cover the whole piece of meat and penetrate it as much as possible.  Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, and up to a day.  When you're ready to roast it, preheat the oven to 400*.  Place the tenderloin on a rack on top of a roasting pan.  Roast in the oven for about 45-50 minutes, or  until cooked through.  Let the meat rest for 5 minutes when out of the oven.  Slice and serve.
I served this meat with "cheesy" rice, as Abby calls it, and green beans.

Homemade Cinnamon Buns
These are almost sinful.  I used to think it was such a treat to have the Pillsbury cinnamon buns.  HA! HA!  Not even close to how good these sticky buns are!  If you're not afraid of a little work, you must try this recipe!!!  

Dough:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 package dry yeast
1/4 cup melted butter (plus more for the bowl)*
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Filling:
1/3 cup sugar
2 TB cinnamon
3/4 cup soft butter (plus more for the pan)*
chopped pecans (optional)
Glaze:
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup melted butter*
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon

*I always use UNsalted butter--in all my recipes!!!  I wasn't sure if I had mentioned that, yet! :)

Begin the night before you want to serve these.  Combine the water and milk in a small saucpan and warm over low heat until it is about 100* F.  (You can test it by putting your finger in--it should just feel warm, not very hot.)  Remove from heat and sprinkle the yeast over the liquid.  Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on top and set aside without stirring until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt the butter and allow to cool a bit.  In a small bowl, combine the butter, vanilla, and egg yolk.  When the yeast is ready, you can pour the butter mixture into the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and nutmeg.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 6 minutes.  Shape into a ball.  Wash out your bowl and then coat it with soft butter.  Roll the dough in the bowl so it is covered with butter.  Cover, and let rise for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Lightly knead the dough again to let out any excess air.  Recover, and let the dough "proof" in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
To form the rolls, the morning you want to serve, start by buttering a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the filling, and make sure the butter is soft and spreadable.  Roll out the dough on a floured surface.  Try to form a 10 x 18-inch rectangle with the dough.  Spread the softened butter across the dough, getting as close to the edges as possible.  Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture over the butter.  Sprinkle on chopped pecans if desired. 

Tightly roll the dough into a cylinder.  Brush the outside edge with water so it will stick to the rest of the dough and form a nice seam.  Cut off the ends of the cylinder, so there are smooth edges and you can see the filling inside.  Carefully divide the cylinder into 12 sections, cutting with a knife. 

Place the 12 sections in the prepared baking pan with room between them to rise more.  Cover and set aside to let double in size, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. 

Before...

...After they've risen about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Bake the buns until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, whisk the sugar, condensed milk, butter, and lemon juice to make a smooth, loose icing.  Add the vanilla and cinnamon.  Drizzle the icing over the warm buns.  Sprinkle again with chopped pecans if desired.  Serve.  Eat.  Nap. :)

This, right here.  This is worth getting out of bed for!

"P" is for Pumpkin

You know that task you put off for a little while and then it gets increasingly hard to take the time to do it the more you put it off?  Like cleaning the refrigerator.  Every week I say I need to clean the refrigerator, but it has to be the day before I go grocery shopping, when the fridge is least full.  Then I keep forgetting and putting it off further.  Then the task seems even more daunting as the weeks pass.  (I am happy to say that I did clean my fridge Saturday night!  It was part of my pre-Thanksgiving task list and I wanted to do it before I lay a towel and the turkey on the bottom shelf to defrost.  I just reminded you to defrost your turkey.  You're welcome.)  Or organizing the top of my bureau--THAT'S something that just gets harder to do the more I put it off!  Or, of course, sitting down to work on this blog.  I'm simultaneously trying to set up my new website, which has been put on hold for quite some time, now, so keeping up this old blog just gets less appealing as time goes on; especially since I just get further behind on my daily recipe log!  In a recent post, "Letting Go of 'Supermom'", I simply listed some of the links to the recipes I used in the days captured in that post, which is what I think I'll do here, also.  As I looked back at my menu from the past 2 weeks, I realized that none of the recipes were new to the blog.  I've been researching new recipes to serve on Thanksgiving, so it's just easier if dinner is something I don't have to think about as much.  That's what good ol' stand-bys are for, right?  Randy worked late a few nights.  He went out one night, I went out another night, we both were out still another night.  The recipes I did use, though, I'll be sure to link to the bottom of this post.

Now, on to the point of this post.  The long-awaited pumpkin post.  I wanted to get this done before Thanksgiving and was hoping it would actually be sooner than this, but here we are.  At least I can cross it off my list when it's done!  Actually, I don't think I even wrote it on my pre-Thanksgiving list.  But I AM the type to write something on my list just to cross it off.  But I bet you already knew that.  So anyway, here's a collection of some pumpkin recipes to help carry you through the rest of autumn or to look forward to using next year if you're already onto your peppermint mocha lattes and baking sugar cookies.
 
Pumpkin Butterscotch Mini-Muffins
I got this recipe from a friend last year.  Randy calls these "crack-muffins" because they're so addicting and since they're mini, you feel like you can eat a whole bunch!  The nickname is fitting because just like a drug-addict may show signs of aggression during withdrawal, Randy can get pretty upset when he sees me making them and discovers that they're not actually for him.  I find it a little amusing.  Is that wrong?  ;)

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup canned pumpkin

6 oz butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.  Sift together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, numeg, baking soda, baking powder, and slat into a large bowl.  Whisk together the eggs, butter, and pumpkin in a separate bowl.  Mix the flour mixture with the egg mixture.  Stir in the butterscotch chips; pour into each cup of the mini-muffin pan.  Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick comes out clean, about 10-12 minutes.  (If you want to use regular size muffin tins, you will have to increase your bake time.  Try 25 minutes and then just keep them in there until a toothpick comes out clean.)

 

Pumpkin Belgian Waffles 
I can't say enough about these waffles!  I made them once on an experimental whim and have made them weekly since!  I don't think I or anyone in my family will ever get tired of this goodness...

2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs, separated
2 TB sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 TB butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat the waffle iron.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In another bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved.  Add the vanilla, butter, milk, and pumpkin and stir.  Mix in the flour mixture and whisk just until blended, but don't overmix.  In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Gently fold in the egg whites to the rest of the batter.  Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and ladle the batter into the waffle iron as usual.  Cook 2-3 minutes.  Serve immediately with fruit garnish.

Pumpkin Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups canned pumpkin puree

Preheat the oven to 325*.  Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.  In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and flour.  Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Or until a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.  Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

These are always a huge hit, no matter when I make them!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350*.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugars, oil, egg, and vanilla until combined. Mix in the flour mixture until just moistened (do not overmix). Drop mounds of the dough (about 2 tablespoons each) onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake until golden and firm to the touch, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling on the flat side of half the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies. If soft, chill for 20 to 25 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie 
I love this pie, by Bobby Flay.  The graham cracker crust makes this the perfect pumpkin pie!  The recipe for filling actually makes more filling than needed but that's not really a problem--just eat it out of the bowl! ;)


1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly warm
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Add all the ingredients for the crust to a food processor and pulse until combined; it should feel like wet sand, and just come together.  Spread the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan, using your finger tips or the flat bottom of a glass. Firmly press the mixture over the bottom and sides of the pan.  Put the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the crust is light brown and firm to the touch, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

For the filling:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.  Whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugars in a large bowl. Add the butter, pumpkin, cream, spices, salt and vanilla seeds and whisk to combine. Strain the mixture into a bowl.  Pour the strained mixture into the baked pie crust and bake until almost set, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove and let come to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled, if preferred.

Pumpkin Scones

So, I haven't quite perfected this recipe yet!  I like the way my one batch came out, but I didn't LOVE it--they weren't quite Starbucks-worthy yet, so I have to keep working on it.  But if you don't want to wait for my recipe to "publish" here are some tips: 1) Take your favorite scone recipe and swap out the cream/milk for pumpkin puree (in part or in whole).  2) Make an icing out of powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.  3) Melt butterscotch chips and drizzle on top!

Links to recipes from the past 2 weeks:

chicken tetrazzini (and mocha brownies), whiskey-cream rib-eye steaks, tortellini soup, shrimp penne with tomato-cream sauce, roasted chicken