Sweet Potato Puff

My sister and I disagree about this family favorite. Like most sisters, we've spent the majority of our lives in disagreement, about quite a few things. She doesn't like "all that stuff" that I add to mine. We do agree that a good sweet potato casserole must have brown sugar and marshmallows. We both also agree that Thanksgiving is just not Thanksgiving until you have dressing and sweet potato casserole. Every thing else is up in the air. So I say, "Tough. Don't eat it." Inside I really wish she would and she always does because that's what sisters do, live to make each other miserable and happy in alternating cycles.

Serves 6-8

4-5 large sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled and mashed (OR one large can)
½ c. butter
¼ c. dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ c. raisins
1 small can crushed pineapple, undrained
½ tsp salt
½ c. pecans, toasted and chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ bag mini-marshmallows (coconut flavored ones are excellent here)

1. Preheat oven 350°.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar and egg.
3. In a small bowl microwave safe bowl, stir together the raisins, pineapple and pineapple juice. Warm in microwave 30 sec. Let stand 5 min.
4. Meanwhile, grease an 8x8" baking dish. Set aside.
5. Add the raisins/pineapple mixture to the sweet potato mixture.
6. Stir in the salt, pecans, and vanilla.
7. Spread into prepared baking dish.
8. Cover with marshmallows. Press down slightly.
9. Bake 20-30 min or until marshmallows are melted and slightly toasted.

Winter Waldorf Salad

This easy, no-cook, recipe was passed to me a few years ago by my brother-in-law. It was served as an appetizer, along with thick sesame sticks, at his college graduation party but would go lovely as a side dish. This fruit salad really is as beautiful as it is tasty. I just wish I had a picture to show you.

The famous Waldorf Salad was first seen in the late 1800s at the Waldorf Hotel (aka the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel) in New York. Traditionally, it consists of apple, celery, walnuts and mayonnaise. This version has been jazzed up a little to include 3 kinds of apples, raisins, grapes and a creamy, sweet, ginger dressing. Since the salad is better once the flavors marry, allow at least an hour and up to 2 days in the fridge. This fact makes it the perfect make ahead dish.

Serves 10-12, as an appetizer or side

¾ c. mayonnaise
¾ c. sour cream
1/3 c. honey
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
¾ tsp ground ginger

3 large Granny Smith apples, chopped
3 large Golden Delicious apples, chopped
3 large Red Delicious apples, chopped
1 ½ c. diced celery
1 ½ c. seedless red grapes, halved
½ c. raisins

1 - 1 ¼ c. walnuts, toasted and chopped

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the first 6 ingredients.
2. Add the next 6 ingredients. Toss gently to combine.
3. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
4. Just before serving, stir in the walnuts.

Green Beans Amandine

I devised this recipe shortly after I moved in with my husband. I like to round out my Thanksgiving feast. Growing up it seemed like we had three choices: 1) potatoes, be them mashed, scalloped or in a salad 2) starchy vegetable, usually either corn, rice or sweet potatoes 3) cheese covered versions of 1 or 2. In my world, this just is not satisfying anymore. I need variety. It is the spice of life, right? Long story short, I was greatly in need of more variety and had settled on something green. OK, so my husband is probably one of the pickiest eaters that you have ever known. If it doesn't come from a can then he most likely won't eat it. This is in contrast to my family who eat from the garden 9 months out of the year. So my quandary was this; what can I fix that's not green bean casserole, heaven forbid, but is also not straight from a can? Hmm, almonds are good, so is butter and maybe if I use enough butter and cook it to death then he won't notice the onions...Yeah, that might work.

Well, you don't actually cook it to death. This recipe can actually be made in about 15 minutes. You can use any smoked meat. My dad always throws in some uncooked bacon to his fresh from the garden, well, anything. Matter of fact, I seriously considered using smoked turkey wings instead of ham for flavor but my hubby freaked out and accused me of sabotaging his one side dish. I rest my case on the pickiness.

Serves 8

2 lbs fresh green beans, 1 ½" pieces (or 3 (14oz) cans cut green beans, undrained)
1 small ham hock, fully cooked
1 c. water (reduce to ½ c. if using canned beans)
2/3 c. slivered almonds
1/3 c. minced onion
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp salt, to taste

1. Add green beans, ham hock and water to a large pot.
2. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 12-15 min for fresh or 10 min for canned.
   
3. Drain and set aside. You can either discard the ham, shred in into the green beans or reserve it for a later use.
   
4. Add butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat.
5. Add almonds and onion. Saute until translucent.
6. Stir in green beans and salt. Toss well to coat.
7. Serve warm.

Southern Cornbread

I feel a little silly posting a recipe for cornbread but I've had some really bad cornbread before. Against the advice of my husband I'm posting the super simple recipe that I use 2 or 3 times a week. You can use any of the liquids listed but each will give a different texture. Water cornbread is very coarse, buttermilk cornbread is creamy and milk is somewhere in between. I forbid you to add sugar to your cornbread, unless, of course, you're OK with being a Yankee. True Southerners never add sugar; that's just blasphemous.

For the really crisp crust that defines good cornbread you need to get yourself a cast iron skillet. I unfortunately did not get my Mama's decades old skillets. They went to my sister when my Mama moved to her new house and decided that she was no longer going to cook. Sadly, I had to begin to season my own. After about 10 years, my skillets are now starting to gain that smooth, thicken black iron look. They are also highly non-stick. When I get a chance I will make a post on the care of cast iron skillets. You can substitute a small baking dish (8x8 or similar) but the crust will not be a crispy.

A friend asked me once what was in that covered coffee cup that sits beside my stove. Bacon grease, of course. Saving bacon grease for cornbread is just something I learned growing up. Because grease is very hydrophobic it doesn't go bad for a very long time. If this idea seems strange just use vegetable oil and butter. Be forewarned though that it will just not be the same.

Serves ~8, Makes 1 - 8 or 9" pone

1½ c. cornmeal mix
1 c. milk, buttermilk or water
1 egg, lightly beaten
2-3 tbsp bacon grease (or 2 tbsp vegetable oil + 1 tbsp butter)

1. Preheat oven 450°.
2. Heat skillet over medium high heat until very hot.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, milk, and egg. Stir well.
4. Add grease to hot skillet.
5. Immediately pour cornbread batter into skillet and place into oven.
6. Bake 20-25 min or until golden.
7. Flip pone out onto heat-proof plate and serve warm with butter.

Cornbread Dressing

True Southerners don't eat stuffing. Let's not even think about those seasoned dried out bread squares that come in those little bags at the grocery store. Southerners don't really stuff their turkeys either. We have dressing which is quintessential with turkey or ham but also considered a side. Think of it as a savory bread casserole. It is one of many, many sides that cover tables (yes, tables with an s) on any major holiday at almost all homes south of the Mason-Dixon line. Really good dressing has to have cornbread as its base. Trust me. I've had people that meant well but were trying to reinvent dressing serve me really weird, not so tasty dressing using everything from sweet potato bread to pumpernickel. Nope, sorry, not going to work. Oh, and by the way, do not put sugar in your cornbread. That is a very Yankee thing to do and it will not be tolerated.

Growing up my Mama only used cornbread in her dressing. She also boiled a chicken and shredded that into it. As I've gotten older and now have taken over the Thanksgiving reins I do add both crackers and day-old bread to mine. The cracker and bread add both lightness and additional flavor. I've opted to leave out the shredded chicken. It's just overkill with so much meat already. I reminisce about Mama's heavy, savory dressing but tend to like mine better.

Serves 6-10

2 pones cornbread, crumbled
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch celery, chopped (4-5 stalks)
¼ c. butter
1 stack saltine crackers, crushed
3-4 pieces stale or lightly toasted bread, crumbled
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp ground sage
¼ tsp dried thyme, leaves or ground
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt (use less if making broth with bouillon)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
~5 c. chicken or vegetable broth

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and celery and saute until translucent. Do not brown.
3. Set aside to cool slightly.
   
4. Preheat oven 350°.
5. Grease a 13x9" baking dish, set aside.
6. Combine all other ingredients in a very large mixing bowl. Mix well.
7. Add celery and onion mixture to dry ingredients.
8. Add enough broth to dressing mixture until it is slightly loose. Stir well to combine.
   
9. Pour dressing into prepared casserole dish.
10. Bake ~40 min or until lightly golden and slightly firm to the touch.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Corn Casserole

I commandeered this super easy recipe from Paula Deen a few years ago. It's one of those stick to your ribs kind of dishes that fits perfectly into any Thanksgiving meal. I add slightly more liquid than the original recipe because in my opinion Paula's casserole was, well, dry. I've also substituted in frozen creamed corn because I love the sweetness that you get from those weird little logs.

Serves 6-8

2 logs frozen creamed corn, thawed
1 (8oz) package Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 c. sour cream
½ c. melted butter

1. Preheat oven 350°.
2. Grease an 8x8" baking dish, set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir corn until no longer clumpy.
4. Add muffin mix, sour cream and butter.
5. Stir until well combined.
6. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish.
7. Bake 45-60 min or until golden.
8. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Kluski and Kapusta

This is a continuation of my discussion of our Polish Thanksgiving. I'm trying to get all my favorite dishes in before Thanksgiving, which is only 4 weeks away, so that all of you can add them to your feast if you so desire. I will try to post pictures later as we make them. My mother-in-law loves this dish. Love is probably an understatement in this case. She will single-handedly eat the entire dish if you don't physically keep her away from it. That being said, this is a staple at our holiday table. We only eat this once or twice a year because we do try to keep our arteries from being terribly clogged. My mother was aghast when I told her how it was made. I have noticed that she doesn't pass it by on the buffet table though.

Kluski is the Polish term for dumplings without a filling. It can also refer to any variety of noodle, such as the egg noodle that is often seen here instead. Kapusta is the Polish word for cabbage. In this popular dish, the kapusta has been pickled into sauerkraut. We usually eat this as part of a large meal but you could serve it as a main dish, perhaps with some crusty bread and kielbasa.

We opt for store-bought dried Italian potato gnocchi instead of the more commonly used egg noodle or other kind of dumpling. You can find them in with the dried pasta at the store. It is sometimes hard for us to find the gnocchi in our stores however. Usually, when we see it at the grocery store, no matter the time of year, we'll buy up 3 or 4 boxes just in case. I have made it using Polish potato dumpling mix but they tend to fall apart on me. The gnocchi absorb the other flavors perfectly and add just the right contrast to the sauerkraut, soft and yet slightly chewy at the same time.

Serves 8-10, as part of a large meal

12 oz bacon, chopped
32 oz shredded sauerkraut (1 large jar), well drained
1-2 lb potato gnocchi, cooked almost tender

1. Add the bacon to a large saucepan or pot. Brown until crisp.
2. DO NOT DRAIN THE GREASE.
3. Add the sauerkraut.
4. Add the gnocchi.
5. Stir gently until all ingredients are well coated.
6. Cover, reduce heat to low.
7. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 20-30 min or until the cabbage is lightly brown and the gnocchi have absorbed flavor.
8. Serve warm.

Ruskie Pierogi

With that crisp smell of Autumn in the air, I long for German food. Well, let's clarify that a little. Not exactly German, but Polish food. Close enough right? I mean, the countries do border each other and were at one time one kingdom. My mother-in-law is of Norwegian descent and my father-in-law is Polish. When my hubby and I first started dating I was quickly coerced, I mean gently shoved, into trying Polish cuisine. Well, it wasn't really a choice. It was either eat it or spend our first Thanksgiving together without food. Turns out, I love it despite my initial hesitation of all things sauerkraut. I could eat my weight in pierogi, bratwurst, or kaluski and kapusta. It gets a little confusing with all the Oktoberfest jargon though.

Our family celebrates this regional cuisine, along with the trusty turkey and southern cornbread dressing, in November during the US Thanksgiving holidays. The original Oktoberfest, however, was held October 12, 1810 in Munich to commemorate the marriage of Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Traditionally, the festival always ended on the first Sunday in October, and began 16 days prior to that date. The royalty decided to hold their anniversary festivities at the end of September because the weather is usually nicer in Germany then. Most recently, though, the dates have been extended to include German Unity Day which is October 3, regardless of what day of the week that actually falls on.

Pierogi is the Polish term for stuffed dumplings. When someone says they had pierogi though, you never know exactly what they were eating because Polish people use this word indiscriminately to mean any kind of filling from fruit to meat. For those poor souls who don't know what a pierog looks like, they are very similar to oversized half-moon ravioli, Chinese pot stickers, or the tiny fried pies that my grandmother used to make. Unfortunately, we don't make them very often, usually once or twice a year because they are relatively time-consuming. I will post a sumptuous picture of these little jewels later.

This is my mother-in-law's version of the Ruskie Pierogi, literally translated as Russian Pierogi. Don't ask me why they call it that. Maybe for "ruski" which was the Polish word for the Ruthenian region of Bavaria, or today's Ukraine. Ruski Pierogi are made with onion, potatoes and cheese, traditionally farmer's cheese. We have southernized it and now use Velveeta Cheese. Also, partly for time conservation and partly from popular opinion, we use jumbo pasta shells instead of the potato pastry. I just can't express how much I love these. Crispy on the edges, gooey and cheesy on the inside, savory onion butter dripping all over, mmmmmm. It doesn't get much better than this. This recipe feeds a Thanksgiving crowd. You can scale as needed. I usually fill the shells the night before, chill them and then pour over the onion and butter and bake just before serving.

Serves 10-12

5 lb red skinned-potatoes, peeled and chunked
1 large block Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 lb jumbo pasta shells, cooked almost done
½ c. butter
1 jumbo onion, or 2 medium, finely chopped

1. Boil potatoes until fork tender.
2. Mash slightly and then while still hot add cheese and continue mashing and stirring until smooth.
3. Fill each pasta shell with the potato mixture.
4. As you go, place the shells open side up in a greased 13x9" baking dish, stacking is fine.
5. Preheat oven 350°.
6. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, add the onion and cook until translucent.
7. Pour onion mixture evenly over shells.
8. Bake 25-30 min.

Savory Mexican Rice

I used to be surprised when someone told me that they couldn't make rice. It seemed so easy, one of those elementary dishes that you start making when you're a kid. Then, more and more people told me that they had difficulty and, therefore, either used instant rice or avoided it all together. I reevaluated my opinion and finally chalked up my rice knowledge to my Daddy who was somewhat of a drill sergeant in the kitchen. "You have to learn to cook or you'll never find a husband." Right...

The quick and dirty of making rice is using a 2:1 ratio, twice as much liquid as uncooked rice. For 4 servings, you'd be safe with 2 cups of water and 1 cup of rice. Then, for long grained rice (the most popular variety used at home) all you need to remember is Boil, Cover, Reduce Heat, Cook 10 min, Let Stand 5 min, Fluff. This is called the absorption method. A couple of things to know are the more water you add and the more you stir it, the mushier and stickier your rice will be. Stirring releases starch within the rice; that's why risotto is cooked slowly and stirred a lot during cooking.

There are probably more varieties of rice than you care to know. Most of the common ones are just more or less processed; for example, brown rice simply contains the hull, or bran layer, that has been removed from your standard white rice. I briefly considered outlining the varieties here but opted to direct you to a company that does that for a living. Sage V Foods contracts directly with farmers to grow specialty varieties of rice and organic rice. Their site lists the more popular varieties. If Sage V doesn't satisfy you then I promise Wikipedia will.

Instant or quick cook rice has been precooked, usually steamed, and then dehydrated. While I personally don't like the texture offered by these precooked rices, they are getting better. Look for a brand that cooks up in 10 minutes. Any less and you'll be compromising quality for convenience.

This recipe leans a little away from your standard rice dish. It's great served with fajitas and black beans, which is what I designed it for. I love jasmine rice, a type of aromatic rice. Aromatics have a nutty flavor that I savor. Generally, you need to add about ½ cup more liquid when using jasmine rice as opposed to regular long grain. This dish calls for a good bit of saffron. I usually horde mine and then never end up using it. If you find saffron too expensive, substitute turmeric but be careful not to overwhelm the dish.

Serves 6-8

2 c. jasmine rice, uncooked

4 ½ c. chicken broth

½ can Rotel tomatoes and chilies (Mexican with cilantro and lime), finely chopped

good pinch saffron, 6-8 threads

2 tsp salt, more or less to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan.
   
2. Bring to boil, uncovered, over med-high heat.
   
3. Stir and shake pan to settle rice.
   
4. Cover, reduce heat to low.
   
5. Simmer 15 min and then turn off heat.
   
6. Let stand 5-10 min. Fluff with a fork.

To reheat rice:

Place only amount needed on serving plate. Sprinkle rice with water and then cover completely with a damp paper towel. Heat on High in microwave 2 min, stir, repeat as needed.