Welcome! Come share my tasty, lip-smacking recipes, that are crunchy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside, and without a single natural ingredient or essential vitamin to get in the way of the rich, fudgy taste. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: Some of the following recipes may actually be healthy.
I am pleased to present Act II of Candy I Will Never Make Again. This candy was not planned. We really wanted to make Butterscotch Haystacks. For those of you who have been under a rock, haystacks are made with crunchy chow mein noodles and melted butterscotch chips. After mixing in all up, you drop them into...wait for it, little "haystacks". No, I haven't been drinking but that might help. So, I guess we waited late about getting the chow mein noodles. A week ago we began our search. On Monday my husband visited the 11th grocery store. Sold out again. I had no idea that these little treats were that popular. Maybe it's just the ease of making them, who knows. All I knew was that I had butterscotch chips and nothing to do with them. This afternoon I turned to my husband and said what about popcorn. "For what?" "For the haystacks silly." "Hmm, yeah I guess. You could call them 'popstacks'." After graciously, OK not so graciously, popping my popcorn (I have microwavable popcorn issues) off he goes to his brother's house. Good thing. I had, let's just say a fit, over these stupid little "popstacks".
First of all, my butterscotch would not melt properly. No worries, a little shortening will fix that. No dice. That's weird. Oh well, onward. I should have seen this as a sign to abandon ship immediately and make more fudge. I dumped the glop of hot butterscotch into a big bowl, mixed it up. Everything looked fine so far. Then, I tried to drop it into little balls. OMG!!! It would not stick together. Ok, what am I'm going to do? The captain goes down with the ship right? After several minutes of pleading the popcorn to hold together with my hand and a spoon, I got out my ice cream scooper. I packed the mixture using the back of a spoon and carefully plopped the little domes out. Seemed OK, for about 3 min. Oh well, I got probably a dozen, very fragile, clementine sized mounds.
They are very tasty, buttery and sweet. Not worth it to me though. It probably took 2 years off my life and if you factor in college and working with teenagers everyday I don't have that many more years to waste.
Let me start off by saying that today is just not my day, at least culinarily speaking. Take this post for instance. I've been meaning to update for days now and finally worked up the motivation to actually do it today. I began by looking for my laptop. I looked everywhere. Where could it be? Oh, my husband must have taken it to my brother-in-law's. OK, no problem, I'll use my internet tablet. My little case is not on its hook. Grrr, I must have left it in the car when we went out for lunch. Blood pressure starting to rise. OK, who am I kidding. My blood pressure is through the roof over the stupid popcorn (Part 2) but we'll get to that.
So, I proceed to drag the kerosene heater into our office. Oh, yeah, we heat primarily with kerosene which is still over $4/gal here. Needless to say, we don't heat the entire house, hence my initial search for a portable typing device. Finally, after lugging the heater over to my desk and lighting the thing I plop down in my chair. WTF! Where is my keyboard....on the media center in the living room? Yep, freaking men. Determined now, I move the heater, lit (don't ever do this), over to the far side of the divided room and my husband's desk. I hate using his computer by the way. I'm sure it is just full of nasties. He never even updates it or anything and the fan grinds like it's trying to break out of the case. Software engineers, bah.
On to the main story. Candy I Will Never Make Again, Act I. I make a fair bit of candy, albeit my reluctance with the candy thermometer. I make a s%@#t load of cookies. You would think I'd be used to trying kitchen situations. Nope. Anyone who has ever cooked with me, and the count is very few, will tell you that I have a short fuse. This gingerbread incited me to shove my General Tso's chicken box, complete with fork, 2 jars of sauerkraut, 3 boxes of gnocchi, and a 4 cup measuring cup all the way down the counter into the microwave, prompting my dogs to exit the room stage left. Despite all that I am not a violent person, I swear. It's just when you so badly want something to go right, need it to, and it doesn't no matter how you coax it, well...I'm sure you've had those days.
Lebkuchen is a traditional gingerbread of Germany. I needed this for Christmas, emphasis on the NEED. I substituted zest for citron which I find rather bitter and omitted the almonds because my nephew is allergic. Other than that it was by the book, almost...This gingerbread, this $#%#@ gingerbread. My husband has forbade me to ever make it again. It didn't seem that difficult, chill overnight, roll it out and place into a prepared pan. No biggie, I've made gingerbread men many times. Wait, I forgot to tell you, as my recipe also neglected to inform me, with about 1 tablespoon more honey you could market the batter as an industrial strength bonding agent. Roll it out, yeah right. I added probably a cup more flour than it called for and it was still too sticky to roll out. I probably ruined my antique rolling pin that has seen 3 generations of biscuits, not really but it felt like it at the time. I will most likely never get it off of a silver platter near the sink, which should not be near the sink getting wet and piled with dirty dishes in the first place. To Hell with the instructions of not to press it into the pan because it will become tough and dense.
It seemed fine to me and the baking bread smelled like Christmas. I was completely surprised that it almost doubled in volume in the oven with such few leaveners. After cooling, it was chewy and dense but not in a bad way. The flavors of ginger and cinnamon really came through. Good, but I'll stick to traditional gingerbread cookies and preserve what little sanity I have left.
Makes 24 bars
Bars
¾ c. honey ½ c. brown sugar 1 egg 2 tsp each chopped lemon and orange zest 2¼ c. flour ¼ tsp baking soda 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp cloves 3 tbsp diced crystallized ginger
In a 2 cup measuring cup, bring the honey and brown sugar to a boil in microwave. Stir well and cool until barely warm.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well combined.
Cover and chill overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Lightly grease a 13x9" baking dish.
Press the batter into the baking dish evenly.
Bake ~ 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and immediately brush with the glaze. Allow the glaze to soak in between coats.
Cool completely, and then cut into bars.
Glaze
6 tbsp apple juice 1 c. powdered sugar
Combine the juice and powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
With every mishap comes a brilliant ray of hope and renewal. Look for my adventures with popstacks and Lebkuchen to be posted soon. That aside, I have found my new favorite thing to make: Fudge. This is not your grandmother's recipe and no, it's not the best you've ever tasted, at least I hope not, but it will make you appear a much better kitchen master than you really are. I recently suggested this to one of my friends that has more kids than time. I swear it only takes about 10 min, not including cooling time.
I was in some grocery store or another a few weeks ago. I never seem to shop at the same one. Anyway, I passed by a center aisle display of holiday baking supplies. I did a double take and walked a few steps backward. One of the condensed milk cans was facing the wrong way and I had glimpsed a recipe on the back. Chocolate and Eagle Brand for fudge? I had never heard of that combination but it started me thinking. It made sense, I mean after all you make ganache with cream and chocolate, hell, even truffles in the right proportions. I had to try it.
I really have no idea what the recipe on the can actually was. Nowadays I usually only glance at the ingredients to decide whether I can make/would like something like that or not. The only thing stuck in my mind was chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. Making cream pies has its benefits. I had 14oz of sweetened condensed milk in my freezer at home. All I needed was the chocolate. I choose milk chocolate thinking that semi-sweet would be too strong. Looking back, semi-sweet would have been fine, especially for fudge lovers.
The day I made my first batch I was in a particularly strong holiday mode. Instead of using all of the milk chocolate that I had purchased for this occasion I opted to festively color some white baking chocolate or almond bark. It's super easy. Just melt down the blocks or chips, drip in some coloring and layer into a wax paper lined baking dish. I have since made some chocolate/peanut butter fudge using this same method. It was a hit. Both batches came out silky and dense with a hint of milky flavor. Below is the recipe for holiday ribbon fudge but feel free to experiment with different flavor combinations.
Makes ~2 lbs of fudge
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk, divided 1 (11oz) bag of milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 (11oz) bag of white chocolate chips 1 tsp vanilla extract, divided red food coloring green food coloring wax paper
Line an 8x8" baking dish with wax paper. Set aside.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine half of the condensed milk and the milk chocolate chips. Don't worry about stirring at this point.
Heat for 30 sec intervals in the microwave on HIGH until melted. Stir well after each interval. If the mixture becomes clumpy, add solid vegetable shortening in 1/2 tsp increments until the mixture becomes fluid and glossy.
In a separate bowl, repeat for melting the white chocolate.
Stir 1/2 tsp vanilla into each bowl.
To the white chocolate add 3-4 drops of each food coloring. Stir very slightly (1 or 2 circles of the bowl) with a knife. The colors will ribbon as you pour it into the prepared pan.
Begin layering the chocolate mixtures into the prepared dish. Do not stir. Just pour one on top of the other. Keep in mind that the bottom of the dish will be the top of the fudge.
Once all chocolate as been poured in, rap the dish on the counter several times to settle the fudge.
Cover the surface of the fudge with wax paper.
Let cool completely at room temperature, 2-3 hours.
Once cooled and set, turn the dish upside down and slowly pull the fudge out using the wax paper to grip.
Remove all paper and place the fudge bottom side up on a cutting surface.
Very nearly every time we eat out our appetizer is one of three choices: mozzarella sticks, some sort of cheese dip or potato skins. Potato skins always get my vote, granted I'd most prefer spinach dip or salsa but those are simply NOT on the menu as far as my husband is concerned. I love how the crisp potato skin complements the ooey, gooey cheese and bacon filling. And, of course, anything served with sour cream is excellent. You can buy frozen potato skins at the grocery store now days but they are, well, kind of expensive for what you get. I've found an easy, quick way for making them at home.
I used to try baking the potatoes first, which always left me with an hour and a half wait coupled with either burnt skins or powdery, over-cooked potato. My wanting to start the potato skins this way always kind of baffled me because I always make our "baked" potatoes in the microwave. With that in mind, I tried something different this weekend. I cooked the potatoes almost done in the microwave then finished them in the oven. Perfect and in under a half hour. You can up the cheese to ½ lb if you like them overflowing with cheesy goodness.
Serves 3 - 5, as an appetizer
5 medium potatoes, scrubbed clean with a towel or brush. They must not be wet. 1/3 lb cheddar cheese, shredded ¼ lb bacon, cooked and crumbled sour cream (opt.)
Preheat oven 450°F.
Place the potatoes evenly around the microwave. Try to place them so they don't touch each other. Do not prick them. I promise they won't explode.
Cook on HIGH for 6-8 min or until almost done.
Meanwhile, toss the bacon and cheese together in a small bowl.
Remove potatoes from microwave and slice each in half, length-wise.
Place each half, cut side up, on a baking sheet.
With a small spoon, scoop out the middle of each half, leaving about ¼" edge. Be careful not to go all the way through the skin. Reserve potato innards for another use.
Fill each cavity with the bacon/cheese mixture.
Bake for 15 - 20 min or until cheese is melted and skins are crisp.
Usually for Christmas we give out homemade cookies and candy to our loved ones in lieu of store bought gifts. I hate shopping and I hate it even more when I give someone something and a year later I see it sitting, unused, on one of their shelves, near the back is the worst. Case in point, my mother just re-gifted a sampler tea set that I gave my sister last year. How did she come by it? Apparently, neither one of them was using it. Oh yes, we love tea but just never seem to have time to use the cute, little infuser mug. Right. So now I have 6 black tea tins in my cabinet. To be clear, I'm not much of a black tea drinker. I lean much more towards the green variety. Grrr.
This year we've been so busy I began looking for an easier way out early on. Very shortly after Halloween I decided on flavored sugars instead of our traditional cookie boxes. It's a super easy, relatively inexpensive gift and looks elegant to boot. You can go with any flavor and color. Zest, flowers, rose water, cocoa, on and on. I chose vanilla and lavender. Vanilla because it's pretty universally accepted and lavender because, well, I had a lot of lavender and nothing to do with it. Don't get me wrong; I love the heady floral taste of those little flowers but everyone doesn't agree. My husband feels like lavender is better left to soap but who said his opinion ever mattered for very much when it comes to my kitchen.
So I ground the lavender in my mortar, split some vanilla beans and dumped everything in an old spaghetti jar, sterilized of course, with as much sugar as would fit. Shake, shake, shake. Every 3 or 4 days, or whenever I thought about, shake, shake, shake. After about a month, I colored it. A few drops of desired food coloring is all you need. Don't freak out if it doesn't change right away. Just keep shaking. At some point I added some pearl powder to make it sparkle but it's not really necessary. The longer the sugar stands, the stronger the flavor will be. Three months gave me a nice, wafting aroma when the lid was taken off. We filled 14 jars with about 8 lbs of sugar and spent about $30 total. I think the sugar will be great in coffee or tea, especially the vanilla. My friends could also pop the lid and use it as room freshener if they decide not to actually eat it. I'm hoping at least that these little jars don't get relegated to that dusty, old shelf but, hey, we're really not out a whole lot either way.
Vanilla Sugar 1 super clean (sterilized is best) Large Jar or other air tight container (plastics aren't great here because they can sometimes leach flavors, plasticy and otherwise, into the food) Granulated sugar 2 Vanilla Beans, split and halved Food Coloring (opt.) ~ ½ tsp Pearl Powder or Edible Glitter (opt.)
Lavender Sugar 1 super clean (sterilized is best) Large Jar or other air tight container (plastics aren't great here because they can sometimes leach flavors, plasticy and otherwise, into the food) Granulated Sugar 1 Vanilla Bean, split and halved ½ tsp Lavender Flowers, ground; more or less to taste Food Coloring (opt.) ~ ½ tsp Pearl Powder or Edible Glitter (opt.)
Fill the jar ½ full with sugar.
Add the vanilla beans and/or lavender.
Fill the jar the rest of the way, leaving ~1" head space. This will make shaking easier.
Add the coloring, 3-4 drops is enough for pastel colors, depending on how much sugar you're using.
Seal tightly.
Shake, shake, shake. Continue shaking every 3 or 4 days or whenever the mood strikes you.
At least a week before you divide it up add the pearl powder, if desired.
Pour the sugar into clean, dry, decorative jars, removing any large bits as you go. You can find the little jars at most any craft store.
I don't think I ever had bean soup until I met my husband. Come to think of it, we didn't really eat soup very much in my family unless someone was sick. My husband's family on the other hand had lived for years in Michigan before coming to Alabama so they were big bean and cabbage soup people. Being his high school sweetheart, I would sup with his family pretty often during my formidable years, therefore, my first navy bean soup was his Mom's. To tell the truth, I didn't much care for it. There was a strong, bland, bean flavor and, well, that was pretty much it; no other seasoning, not even a nice hunk of fat back. Even after we got married my husband would beg for me to make bean soup. Nah, let's have something else.
Finally, I gave in. I was determined that if I was going to eat it then the recipe would have to change. Honestly, it wouldn't have to change very much to be better. I poured over my books and the Internet searching for something more appealing to me. Eventually, I found it. An Italian twist, a lighter, more flavorful soup. Over the years I've tweaked and adjusted it to our tastes. I actually couldn't tell you where I first came by this recipe or, probably more accurately, which originals I combined. Nevertheless, I am pleased to tell you that I actually enjoy bean soup now.
The bacon and thyme lend a smoky, savory flavor and aroma that I just love. In the past, I have forgotten to brown the bacon and instead just tossed it in with the veggies. This gives it a more...soft quality, more like meltingly delicious and opposed to finite tasty bits. Both ways are good. By pureeing half of the beans, the soup takes on a silky texture and feels heartier without the addition of thickeners, which is good because who needs those extra carbs anyway? Soups are great because they are perfect make ahead meals. There is really nothing more satisfying than to come home after a long, cold day and have a warm bowl of home-made soup in the time that it takes to warm it in the microwave. Additionally, the longer the flavors marry the better the soup will be. I've made this 3 or 4 days in advance and it was great. Not to say that I wouldn't devour it when freshly made, especially in the company of some fresh from the oven Italian bread. You could probably make this in a slow cooker but I usually just make it on the stove because it only takes about 30 min, give or take.
Serves 4-6
½ lb bacon, chopped 2 cans cannellini or other white bean, rinsed and drained 1 bay leaf 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped or shredded 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 1 can Roma tomatoes, smashed and drained 2 cloves garlic, pressed 1 tsp fresh thyme (½ tsp dried leaves) 3½ c. chicken broth salt and pepper, to taste olive oil (opt.)
Brown bacon in soup pot or dutch oven until crispy.
Add the onion, celery and carrot.
Cook 5 min over med-high heat.
Add tomatoes, garlic and thyme.
Continue cooking until tender. Do not burn garlic.
Add broth and bay leaf.
Reduce heat to med-low and begin simmering.
Meanwhile, process 1 can of beans in food processor until smooth. You can add ½ c. chicken broth to make it easier.
Pour beans and bean puree into soup carefully.
Season to taste.
Continue simmering, covered, ~20 min or until the flavors are blended.
Remove and discard bay leaf.
Just before serving, drizzle olive oil over soup in serving bowls, if desired.
Sitting here at work with my eyes blurry from lack of sleep I was thinking intently about biscotti. Actually, more to the point, I was thinking about dunking biscotti into a nice, large mug of steaming, hot hazelnut latte. If I were Italian then my fantasy would probably include a nice glass of wine instead of coffee. But, alas, I'm not and I'm tired so my mind refuses to even admit the substitution.
I'll just have to wait until I get home this afternoon because I'm not, repeat am not, going to go to Starbucks and throw away $8. I could probably make at least 20 biscotti for that price. Matter of fact, I have some sitting on my counter right now from several weeks ago. They quite literally will keep forever especially in a cool house like mine. Back during Roman times these hard little cookies were the staples of soldiers and adventurers. "Hard" just about sums it up too.
After baking my first batch I had to check for poison. I mean, I wouldn't want anyone else dying because I neglected to check a batch of cookies. I just picked up a small piece, the scraggly ones are always sacrificed for the greater good, and proceeded to break out my front teeth. OK, I didn't actually chip any teeth but it sure felt like it for a second. Pressing on, I proceeded to bite chunks off with my jaw teeth and crunch the rock like biscuit to bits. Don't ask why I didn't make coffee or dip it in some milk or tea. I'm just weird like that and I honestly have no idea. Needless to say, my mouth was kind of abused that day but I was satisfied that, yes, I had avoided the poison and the batch was safe.
The next day, I made some hot tea and the biscotti was only better when dunked. The hot liquid infused the bread with flavor while slightly melting the chocolate. Somehow you could taste the flavor of the almonds more strongly even though the bread was now saturated with Lady Grey. It was really good.
I'm thinking seriously of making some biscotti with dried cherries, dark chocolate and pecans for Christmas. My previous batch with almonds and dark chocolate reminded me of Gianduia, that quintessential chocolate/hazelnut combination. You can pretty much use biscotti as a tabularasa just like shortbread. Just keep in mind that with Italian biscotti 2 c. is about the limit with add-ins, especially nuts. Otherwise, the dough becomes too crumbly and will likely fall apart on you. If you find yourself too adventurous, try adding 2 tbsp water or oil and work it in until the dough holds up.
The recipe for this biscotti base comes from The King Arthur Cookie Companion. There is an entire chapter on biscotti; 22 pages, yeah that's right, 22 pages of biscotti. This is a great book full of tips, techniques, and both American and International treats. If you're into baking you should definitely check it out.
Makes 14 - 16 biscotti
2 eggs 2/3 c. sugar ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 c. all-purpose flour 1 c. dark chocolate chips (opt.) 1 c. whole natural almonds, roughly broken (opt.)
Preheat oven 350°F.
Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, all ingredients except add-ins and flour until creamy and thin as pancake batter. Add water if necessary.
Slowly add flour until totally incorporated.
Stir in chocolate and nuts.
Transfer dough to prepared pan and shape it into a wide log roughly 14" long, 2 ½" wide and ¾" thick.
Smooth the top and sides with a wet scraper or spatula.
Bake 25 min.
Let cool on pan ~20 min. Then remove to cutting board.
Lightly sprinkle or spritz water over log to soften crust and make cutting easier. Wait 5 min.
Reduce oven to 325°F.
Cut biscotti into ½ - ¾" slices.
Set the biscotti upright on prepared pan ~½" apart.
I've been making this during the holidays for several years now. It's super easy and seems to be crowd pleasing. You can make it in a crockpot, which is my preferred method, or on the stovetop. This year I made way more than we needed for Thanksgiving and so I have almost a gallon in my fridge. I developed this really bad cough with everyone over spreading around their nasty foreign germs. Sucking down cough drops to get to sleep has irritated both my throat and my tongue. This cider seems to be one of the only things that soothes the irritation and I can't help but feel like the goodness of the apples helps crutch up my immune system. Aside from being witch-doctorish medicinal it is really tasty and refreshing both steaming hot and cold straight out of the fridge. I'm going to freeze maybe a half gallon to take along with us when we go to my brother-in-law's at Christmas. I have no don't that it will freeze well once strained but I'll get back with you on that.
Makes ~1 gallon, can be doubled
1 gal apple cider 1/3 -½ c. maple syrup, depending on taste 3 or 4 - 4" cinnamon sticks, broken 1 tsp whole allspice berries 1 tsp whole cloves 1 tsp vanilla extract OR 1 vanilla bean, split 1 orange, unpeeled, sliced
Place all ingredients in crockpot or large non-reactive pot. Any leftover cider can be added in later or saved for another use. Heat in crockpot on HIGH ~2 hrs. If using stovetop method; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer ~10 min. Remove pot from heat and let stand ~15 min before serving. Keep warm not more than 8 hrs. Cider will become bitter if heated too long.
My curiosity got the better of me yesterday. For weeks I had been wondering , "Are home-made marshmallows really THAT good?" An old friend passed along a recipe, a version of the Thomas Keller original, that was tempting but in a back burner kind of way. A few things were against the seemingly inevitable trial: 1. I don't really even like marshmallows. 2. Hot sugar and butter fingers just don't mix. 3. What will I do with 1 ½ lbs of marshmallows once made? Well, if curiosity had killed a cat before, it could definitely wreak my kitchen.
Last night, I spent the better part of 2 hours making, of all things, marshmallows. I'm talking powdered sugar everywhere. Earlier when I had mentioned my plan to my husband he goes, without missing a beat, "You know they sell those for cheap at the store, right?" Yes...but...I don't know; just humor me.
I guess I expected the heavens to open and bliss to rain from the sky. Turns out they were...eh. They tasted exactly like any other marshmallow that I had ever eaten, only ever so slightly softer. It's not the recipe. It was a good recipe and worked beautifully. In my opinion, it was just not worth the trouble. I heeded my friend's advice and cut back the original amount of 1 tbsp vanilla to 2 tsp but it still seemed strong to me. Perhaps go with 1 tsp if you make them and if you really like marshmallows go for it. Come on, you know you're curious.
Makes ~1 ½ lbs, 2-3 dozen depending on size
3 envelopes of unflavored gelatin ½ c. + ¼ c. cold water 2 c. granulated sugar 2/3 c. corn syrup ¼ tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract or other flavoring Powdered sugar for dredging
In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over ½ c. cold water. Let stand 10 min.
Line a 13x9" baking or sheet pan with plastic wrap or foil. Grease thoroughly with vegetable oil. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and remaining ¼ c. water. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 1 min. Do not stir at all once the sugar dissolves.
Pour boiling syrup onto gelatin and mix at Low speed for a few seconds then gradually speed up to High. If your mixer is flinging syrup, stay just below that speed until it stops and then turn it up. Do not let mixture cool too much before speeding up to High.
Once at High speed, add the salt and beat for 5-12 minutes. It's done when it looks like marshmallow cream and stops increasing in volume.
Add vanilla and incorporate into mixture.
Scrape into prepared 13x9" pan.
Take another piece of greased plastic wrap and press mixture into the pan, smoothing top and spreading evenly. Remove plastic wrap.
Let cool in pan for a few hours.
Carefully lift out marshmallow slab to work surface.
Sift powdered sugar evenly over slab to cover.
Cut into equal pieces with scissors, greased pizza cutter, knife, or simple cookie cutters.
Dredge each piece of marshmallow in powdered sugar.
I'm excited to share this recipe. I like sharing all my recipes but this one in particular makes me happy. Always for the holidays I ask my husband what he wants for dessert. Pumpkin pie, always. I continually feel compelled to ask even though I know what he wants. I think secretly I want him to request some kind of cake or fruit pie or even candy. Nope, always pumpkin pie. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm not really a huge fan of that festively orange concoction. The spice is too strong for me or something. I much prefer it's sweeter cousin, the sweet potato pie but that's another story.
This year I made a compromise. Yes, it is still pumpkin pie flavor but it's lighter and richer and in my opinion, and his surprisingly, yummier. I took my cream pie base and dressed it up so that it could go to the holiday party. Try it and let me know what you think.
Makes 1 - 9" pie, Serves ~ 8
4oz brown sugar-cinnamon cream cheese, softened 7oz sweetened condensed milk 1 c. milk 1 (5oz) box instant cheesecake pudding mix (I could only find sugar-free but I didn't taste any difference. Use 2 small boxes.) 7 oz canned pumpkin puree (~½ regular sized (15oz) can) ¼ tsp pure orange extract ¾ tsp pure vanilla extract ½ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg ¼ tsp ground allspice ** 1 pre-baked 9" deep dish pie shell
1 c. (½ pint) heavy whipping cream ~1 tbsp powdered sugar (more or less to taste) * 2 tbsp white decorators gel (optional)
Cream together the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk.
Slowly add the milk. Stir well.
Add pudding mix, pumpkin, spices and flavorings.
Beat until the mixture becomes thickened. (~5 min)
Pour into pre-baked pie shell.
Chill at least 4 hours.
~2 hours before serving
Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.
Add powdered sugar and whip until medium peaks form. Do not over beat.
Spread whipped cream evenly over filling.
Chill at least 1 hour.
** You can either purchase a pre-baked pie shell or blind bake one yourself. To blind bake means simply to bake without anything in it. You usually do this for pies, such as cream pies, in which the filling remains uncooked.
I am fortunate enough to have many intelligent, extremely skilled men in my life. In years past, as well as this one, one or the other of those men have stepped up and volunteered to cook the main dish for Thanksgiving. That's a man's job anyway, right? The last turkey I cooked was probably 4 years ago even though we always have Thanksgiving at our house. Don't get me wrong; I did have to learn how to cook a giant bird once. I had great references, however, to help me along the almost panic attack inducing way. Butterball has a very comprehensive website, complete with time tables, videos, and tips on everything from buying a turkey to folding your napkins. They really lay it out better than I ever could. I recommended this site to one of my friends from China last year. She had never had turkey before but really wanted to try and make one. Apparently, her turkey came out beautifully and now ranks up there with Kentucky Fried Chicken as her favorite American food.
I have a few quick and dirty guidelines that will hopefully help you along the way.
For whole turkeys, figure on having about ¾ lb per person, 1 ½ lbs per person if you want leftovers.
For boneless turkeys and hams, count on having ½ lb per person, 1 lb per person if you want leftovers.
A good estimate for thawing is 1 day for every 4 lbs when thawed in the fridge, which is really the safest way.
You can store a completely thawed bird for up to 4 days, refrigerated.
Cook at 325°F. Cooking times vary according to weight. Cook until the thigh registers 180°F and the stuffing, if using, registers 165°F in the center.
Get you a digital temperature probe. I have one with an alarm that is great and allows me to stress much less about the food being done or not. You really don't want to worry about giving people food poisoning on top of everything else.
Rub all over with oil before seasoning and baking to help prevent moisture loss. Plus, you don't really need to baste it once you seal the skin with oil.
The breast cooks faster than the thighs so tent it with foil before baking to help prevent it from becoming dry.
My brother-in-law is Kitchen Manager at a steak house so I never really have to worry about carving the bird myself. It is really easy to do though. You just make an incision horizontally through the breast near the bottom and then slice vertically. For full step-by-step instructions go to Butterball's site and/or watch the video below.
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)
Preheat oven 350°.
In a medium bowl, cream together the sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar and egg.
In a small bowl microwave safe bowl, stir together the raisins, pineapple and pineapple juice. Warm in microwave 30 sec. Let stand 5 min.
Meanwhile, grease an 8x8" baking dish. Set aside.
Add the raisins/pineapple mixture to the sweet potato mixture.
Stir in the salt, pecans, and vanilla.
Spread into prepared baking dish.
Cover with marshmallows. Press down slightly.
Bake 20-30 min or until marshmallows are melted and slightly toasted.
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
In a large bowl, whisk together the first 6 ingredients.
Add the next 6 ingredients. Toss gently to combine.
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
Add green beans, ham hock and water to a large pot.
Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 12-15 min for fresh or 10 min for canned.
Drain and set aside. You can either discard the ham, shred in into the green beans or reserve it for a later use.
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)
Preheat oven 450°.
Heat skillet over medium high heat until very hot.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, milk, and egg. Stir well.
Add grease to hot skillet.
Immediately pour cornbread batter into skillet and place into oven.
Bake 20-25 min or until golden.
Flip pone out onto heat-proof plate and serve warm with butter.
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
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the onion and celery and saute until translucent. Do not brown.
Set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat oven 350°.
Grease a 13x9" baking dish, set aside.
Combine all other ingredients in a very large mixing bowl. Mix well.
Add celery and onion mixture to dry ingredients.
Add enough broth to dressing mixture until it is slightly loose. Stir well to combine.
Pour dressing into prepared casserole dish.
Bake ~40 min or until lightly golden and slightly firm to the touch.
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
Preheat oven 350°.
Grease an 8x8" baking dish, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir corn until no longer clumpy.
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
Add the bacon to a large saucepan or pot. Brown until crisp.
DO NOT DRAIN THE GREASE.
Add the sauerkraut.
Add the gnocchi.
Stir gently until all ingredients are well coated.
Cover, reduce heat to low.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, 20-30 min or until the cabbage is lightly brown and the gnocchi have absorbed flavor.
Makes ~2 cups; enough to frost 24 regular cupcakes, 60 mini cupcakes, a 2 or 3 layer cake
8oz cream cheese, softened ¼ c. butter, softened 1 lb powdered sugar 1 tbsp + 1 tsp orange juice 1/8 tsp nutmeg ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Combine the cream cheese and butter. Cream until light and fluffy.
Add the powdered sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Beat until smooth.
Add the orange juice and continue beating until smooth and fluffy.
You can chill the frosting at this point and rebeat slightly just before using. You can also heavily chill the frosting and then whip. If you decide to whip the frosting if must remain thoroughly chilled up to the point of serving.
Let me tell you my apple story. Every Fall we go to northeastern Tennessee for vacation. Usually we do some hiking and camping but one of our favorite things about this season is the food, of course. Fall festivals abound around the country during this time of year, especially in a little nook of Tennessee known as Apple Country. If you're ever in the Erwin, TN area around the first of October make sure to check out their AppleFest. The little town has an excellent, several block display of everything Autumn, including the famous Blue Ridge Pottery. Local farmer's markets and hometown festivals are the best places to breathe in the warm, wafting, mingled fragrance of kettle corn, funnel cakes, caramel everything, sausages, earthy pumpkins and fresh, crisp apples.
My grandmother was an excellent cook in her heyday and one of her specialties was fried apple pies. Shortly before our trip last year I was visiting my Daddy and we were reminiscing about those pies. Off-handedly he said if we happened to see any dried apples to pick some up and he would take them to my grandmother. Let me translate for you: You better not come back from Apple Country without some dried apples. So, we did happen to see some, lots, at the Apple Barn in Sevierville. A cell call later and we had 10 lbs, that's right - 10 lbs, of dried apples in our trunk. A couple weeks and about 450 miles later I showed up on my Daddy's doorstep with the requested apples. What?! You don't want them?! You all of a sudden don't think she can't cook anymore?!....but...I did call you and ask how much you wanted right?...but, it's 10 lbs of dried apples. Keep them, right, what am I going to do with 10 lbs of dried apples? To put this in prospective: There are roughly 3 fresh apples to a lb, 4 lbs of fresh apples makes 1 lb dried apples. 10 lbs dried apples = 120 fresh apples.
Luckily, dried apples keep very nearly forever. A year later, I still have over half of them. Which leads us to the cupcakes that I made last night. These little jewels scream Fall. An earthy, spiced cake with flecks of crystalline ginger and apples topped with lightly spiced, fruity cream cheese frosting. These would be great topped with buttercream frosting too. I can almost hear the festival vendors hawking their goods.
I was bound and determined to make these as minis, despite the fact that I don't have a mini cupcake pan. I just took a couple of my glass 13x9 baking dishes, lined up the little liners edge to edge and plopped the batter down into each using my mini cookie scoop. If you go this route, make sure not to touch the batter at all once it hits the liner because it has a tendency to collapse the cup. Don't worry, the batter ball will ooze down and settle as it bakes. I was pleasantly pleased with my results. The edges of tiny cakes were slightly warped and wavy, which somehow made them look fancier.
**A quick note about nutmeg. I am not usually the kind of cook that has to have this or that particular form of spice or salt. Freshly ground pepper, pure vanilla extract and freshly ground nutmeg are my exceptions. Freshly ground nutmeg has a totally different flavor, well not totally, but definitely different flavor notes than store bought ground. Pre-ground seems to be sharper without the fruity backnotes of the freshly ground. If you haven't tried grating it yourself you should, at least once. You could get one of those snazzy microplane graters, but why waste the money? I just lightly rub the whole nutmeg against the smallest holes on my box grater.
*** Remember, if you frost with cream cheese then you'll need to store the cupcakes in the fridge.
Makes ~5 dozen mini cupcakes (probably ~24 regular cupcakes)
I am pleased to present Act II of Candy I Will Never Make Again. This candy was not planned. We really wanted to make Butterscotch Haystacks. For those of you who have been under a rock, haystacks are made with crunchy chow mein noodles and melted butterscotch chips. After mixing in all up, you drop them into...wait for it, little "haystacks". No, I haven't been drinking but that might help. So, I guess we waited late about getting the chow mein noodles. A week ago we began our search. On Monday my husband visited the 11th grocery store. Sold out again. I had no idea that these little treats were that popular. Maybe it's just the ease of making them, who knows. All I knew was that I had butterscotch chips and nothing to do with them. This afternoon I turned to my husband and said what about popcorn. "For what?" "For the haystacks silly." "Hmm, yeah I guess. You could call them 'popstacks'." After graciously, OK not so graciously, popping my popcorn (I have microwavable popcorn issues) off he goes to his brother's house. Good thing. I had, let's just say a fit, over these stupid little "popstacks".
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