Still Thanksgiving in my heart

I just love Thanksgiving food. I might just have to buy a turkey breast for dinner this week. We sent some leftovers home with our parents, and we have guests here for the weekend, so our leftovers didn't stretch as far as they usually do. We had turkey dinner for lunch today, and I made turkey noodle soup for supper with the carcass, but that's pretty much it for the turkey.

If I do get a turkey or turkey breast, I might have to make this dish to go with it. My friend Annette brought this to our first Thanksgiving dinner, in 2002. It is absolutely delicious. I could eat this for dessert, or breakfast. If you typically make a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, etc., this dish would be a nice substitute.

I am guessing the butter could halved or so...and it's definitely NOT diabetic friendly (which is why I haven't made it for quite some time; my father-in-law and my mom are both diabetic). Seriously yummy.

Baked Spiced Butternut Squash with Apples and Maple Syrup

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup apple juice or cider
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 small butternut squashes, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
4 6-ounce Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Stir butter, maple syrup and apple juice in small saucepan over medium-low heat until butter melts. Increase heat and boil until mixture is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in cinnamon, allspice and salt.

Arrange 1/3 of squash slices in prepared dish. Top with half of apple slices, then 1/3 of squash slices. Arrange remaining slices of squash and apple atop, alternating squash and apple slices and overlapping slightly. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Pour maple syrup mixture over. Cover baking dish tightly with foil.

Bake casserole until squash is almost tender, about 50 minutes. Uncover and bake until squash is tender, basting occasionally with syrup, about 20 minutes longer.

This dish can be made 1 day ahead. After baking, cover with foil and refrigerate. Rewarm, covered, in 350°F oven about 25 minutes, or microwave on high about 8 minutes.

Spoon syrup from dish over apples and squash and serve.Serves 8 to 10.

Thanksgiving notes, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  I hope you all had as lovely a day as I did.  There were fourteen of us gathered around our table this year, including my mum; my brother and his girlfriend; my uncle and aunt; my dad's cousin; my cousin, her husband, and their four-year-old son (our godson); my husband's parents; and my husband's uncle.  My husband's sister, husband, and our two nieces also joined us for dessert.

I posted my post-Thanksgiving notes last year, and whether or not anyone else found it useful or interesting, I found it to be invaluable in my planning this year, so I'm going to do it again.  

Cheese & crackers
Shrimp cocktail

Vegetable rice soup
Salad
Turkey
Mashed potatoes
Stuffing
Gravy
Green beans, steamed
Butternut squash puree with shallots
Cat's cranberry sauce
Jellied cranberry sauce
Rolls
Olives, pickles

Appetizers: easy, and enough. I made dill dip with veggies, but never even brought them out.

Veggie soup and salad: brought by my brother's girlfriend, D, who is vegan. They were a lovely addition. The salad had some vegan "chik'n strips" - had I not known they weren't really chicken, I honestly don't think I'd have guessed. Very tasty!

Turkey: 25 pounder was plenty, with leftovers. (Woo!) Bought from Raymond's Turkey Farm. Cooked really quickly; I checked it at 4 hours, expecting it to have another 45 minutes or so to go, based on past years' calculations. Nope. Done. Better early than late, I guess.

Mashed potatoes: I think they needed to cook a little longer than they did - they were a little textural, after going through the ricer. Tasty, though.

Stuffing: for the first time in seven years, the stuffing was perfect. Baked it at 350F, covered, for about 45 minutes, in my deep stoneware covered baker. Uncovered it and baked for about ten minutes more, to crisp up the top a bit. Also, removed a bit before adding broth to it, to keep it vegan-friendly; substituted water for broth. Didn't try it, but D said it was good.

Gravy: perfect! Doubled the recipe and had PLENTY (for once). Didn't overthicken, as I have some years. Made sure to include the pan drippings, but NOT the fat, which I think was probably the reason last year's gravy was greasy.

Green beans: almost forgot to cook them; I washed and trimmed them early in the day, then put them out on the porch to stay cool. OOPS! Luckily, even 2.25 pounds of green beans steam quickly. 2.25 pounds for 14 people = plenty, with leftovers.

Squash: eliminated the textural problem from last year; it wasn't that I didn't puree long enough, but that I didn't roast the squash long enough. Made sure to roast it until it was nice and soft this year, and it was perfect and velvety. Cooked it early, then reheated, covered, in the oven. Worked like a charm. Also, made some of it butter-free for D, and she loved it.

Cranberry sauce: Added a pinch of cloves and a pinch of ginger to Cat's recipe. Just enough - any more and it would've been overpowering, and I would've had to make a plain batch to mix with it (like I did last year). GO EASY on the cloves!

Makin' whoopie

Whoopie PIES, that is. Pumpkin whoopie pies, to boot.

First off, let me explain what a whoopie pie is, for the benefit of those of you who have never heard of such a thing. They're a New England staple (and, according to Wikipedia, a Pennsylvania Dutch goodie as well). Two soft, chocolate cookies are sandwiched together with a creamy white frosting. My grandmother used to make them; I have (and still use) her recipe - remind me to post it sometime.

Last week at work, my friend Stephanie, who knows of my love of all things pumpkin, presented me with a lovely gift: a pumpkin whoopie pie. Two soft, fluffy pumpkin cookies, with a cream cheese frosting between them. It was utterly delicious.

I requested the recipe, which she gave me; it's from Family Fun magazine. I'll be making these on Tuesday, to take to school for our Thanksgiving feast on Wednesday. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients: Pumpkin Cookies
2 eggs
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients: Filling/Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Beat the eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture a half cup at a time, blending each time until smooth.

2. Drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet, using a moist finger or the back of a spoon to slightly flatten each mound. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar a half cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.

4. To assemble the pies, turn half of the cookies bottom side up and spread a generous amount of cream cheese frosting on each one. Top them with the remaining cookies (turned right side up). Makes 10 to 14 whoopie pies.

Where have you BEEN all my life???

Oh, no, sorry, not you. I was talking to my potato ricer.

Browne Cuispro Stainless Steel Potato Ricer


I just made the BEST mashed potatoes I have ever made, thanks to this handy dandy little device. Fluffy, not a lump to be seen, and - perhaps the best part - I didn't have to peel the potatoes! Scrub them, boil them whole, drain, cut them in half, and rice them. The skin stays in the bowl or on the plunger of the ricer. Mix in some melted butter, then some heated milk or half and half, and salt and pepper.

The recipe in my cooking Bible - for it was of course my favorite cookbook that suggested a potato ricer or food mill - calls for half and half and quite a bit of butter - a whole stick for two pounds of potatoes. I used less butter than it called for and 1% milk, and they are still delicious. I'll probably back off the butter a little more on Thanksgiving, to allow for some nice rich gravy.

I prefer russet potatoes for my mashed potatoes - they make the fluffiest mashed potatoes - but Yukon Golds are a decent choice, as well.

Here's my version.

Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup milk, heated
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (decrease to 1 teaspoon if you use salted butter)
Freshly ground black pepper

Cover scrubbed potatoes with water in a large saucepan (water should be about an inch over potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when pricked with a thin-bladed knife. Drain potatoes.

Set ricer over still-warm saucepan. Cut potatoes in half, and put through ricer into the saucepan.

Stir in melted butter with a wooden spoon. Gently whisk in the milk, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Over the river and through the woods...

Actually, I don't have to go over the river and through the woods, to grandmother's house or to anywhere else. I'll be staying RIGHT HERE for Thanksgiving, thank you very much. This will be our seventh year hosting Thanksgiving. We'll be 14 for dinner, and then my sister-in-law, her husband, and our nieces will join us for dessert.

The menu will have a couple of additions to it this year. My brother's girlfriend is vegan, so she's offered to bring a vegan-friendly soup and salad. In turn, I'm making sure that some of the veggies I'm making are dairy-free so she can have them, and I think I'll make my quick chocolate cake, which is dairy-free as well.

My experiment this year is going to be with the mashed potatoes. I usually boil them, then mash them - technically, I guess, I whip them - in my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer. However, I bought a potato ricer a few weeks ago, after having some fantastic mashed potatoes at Lompoc Cafe in Bar Harbor, Maine. I loved the texture of them, so I'm going to give this a whirl. I thought it best, however, not to give it a whirl for the first time ON Thanksgiving, so mashed potatoes are on tonight's dinner menu.

So, the menu is currently looking like this:

Cheese and crackers
Veggies and dip
Shrimp cocktail (and yes, I already have the cocktail sauce on hand)

Vegetable-Rice Soup
Salad
Turkey (we ordered a 25-pounder from Raymond's Turkey Farm)
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Butternut squash puree (made today - it's in the freezer)
Green beans
Maybe another veggie - baked carrots or steamed broccoli? Not sure we need it.
Cranberry sauce - homemade and canned
Dinner rolls

Assorted pies (at least four, at last count)
Chocolate cake
Pumpkin whoopie pies (recipe coming soon)
Ice cream

I feel like I've got a good handle on things. I'll post later about the mashed potatoes!

I Love Trash

Is everyone singing the old Oscar the Grouch Top Ten hit?  No?  You should be.  Here, let me help you...

(And yes, that is indeed Oscar.  That's some vintage first-season Sesame Street, complete with orange Oscar and the original Gordon.)

ANYHOW, the reason *I* am humming "I Love Trash" is because of a fun new snack I recently made.  It looks... well, to be honest, it looks pretty awful.  Like a big pile of...um...trash.  Oscar would probably love it!  But seriously, try this.  If you like Take 5 bars, this will be right up your alley.  You'll be singing right along with me, especially because if you go out and buy some containers, this will make GREAT holiday gifts for co-workers or friends.

There are about three million versions of this already online, and they're all a little different.  Try this, switch out what you don't like, switch in what you do.  I can't wait to try changing it up a little bit!  Chocolate instead of white chocolate...cereal in place of some of the pretzels...

If you do not have a REALLY LARGE bowl, consider making this in two batches.  I blithely broke out my standard large mixing bowl (the largest in the Pyrex set), and it was not big enough!

Trash Candy

16-ounce bag of sourdough pretzel nibblers (mini twists would be fine)
16-ounce can of salted cashew halves and pieces
14-ounce bag M&M's (plain)
8-ounce bag of Heath bits
Two 12-ounce packages of white chocolate, melted
1/4 to 1/2 cup peanut butter (I didn't measure, just scooped some in)

Line two baking sheets with waxed paper.

In a large bowl (you saw my note about the bowl, right?), combine the first four ingredients. 

Melt white chocolate, either in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Keep an eye on it so it doesn't seize up.  Stir peanut butter into white chocolate, and mix well.

Pour chocolate/peanut butter mixture over dry ingredients mixture and toss gently until coated. Pour mixture onto baking sheets. Let cool completely. Break up and store in air tight container for up to two weeks.

Panic! (not At The Disco)

So, I was at the supermarket this afternoon, on my way home from school, trying to decide what to cook for dinner, when some on-sale strip steaks caught my eye. Hmmm....we haven't had steak quesadillas in forever! Perfect! Bought the steak and the red onion, and knew I had tortillas and sour cream at home.

Driving away, on my way to go vote, I realized I'd forgotten the pepper jack cheese. *sigh* I called my husband. With the promise of steak quesadillas in the offing, he offered to pick up the cheese on his way home. Good man.

Voted, came home, tra la. Husband arrived home with cheese. Lovely. I went to my cookbook shelf to find the recipe, which was in an issue of a cooking magazine to which I used to subscribe.

Hmmm. Where is it?

I looked at my cookbook shelf again. No dice.

I went to my backup cookbook shelf. Said shelf has twelve issues of said magazine on it. Nuts. This could take a while.

Lightbulb over head: I had that recipe marked with a purple sticky note!

None of the issues seemed to be marked with a sticky note, purple or otherwise. Oh dear.

"Hon? We may be eating soup tonight."

I perused the magazines, in the vain hope that I would see the recipe.

I think about soup. I think about quesadillas. I continue to search the magazines.

In the second to last issue: SUCCESS. No purple sticky note, but there's the recipe.

Lightbulb over head: I am going to post this recipe at Throwing Spoons, so I'll always know where it is...

Steak Quesadillas

from Everyday Food, June 2006

1 strip steak (8 ounces, 1 inch thick)

1/2 teaspoon oregano

salt, pepper

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided (or cooking spray)

4 flour tortillas (10-inch or burrito-style)

1 1/2 cups grated pepper jack cheese (about 6 ounces)

1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

salsa

Rub steak with oregano, and season with salt and pepper. In a 10-inch skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over high heat. Add steak to skillet and cook, turning once, until browned and still rare, 2 to 3 minutes per side. (Steak will cook a bit more in quesadillas during baking.) Transfer steak to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing 1/4 inch thick slices.

Preheat oven to 425F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Brush one side of each tortilla with remaining 2 teaspoons oil (or spritz with cooking spray). Place 2 tortillas, oil side down, on each of two baking sheets. Dividing cheese evenly, layer half of each tortilla with 1/4 cup cheese, then onion and steak, ending with remaining cheese. Fold tortillas in half, and press lightly to seal.

Bake, turning over once with a wide spatula, until lightly browned and crispy, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cut each into 4 triangles. Serve with salsa and sour cream.