Way-Better-Than-Mashed-Potatoes

We love watching America's Test Kitchen! A great episode a few days ago covered how to mix potatoes and other root vegetables to create a nice combo that's more interesting than just plain old mashed potatoes. I'm sure their recipe is actually the best approach, but I'm a bit less patient so I've adjusted it slightly to suit my needs. We really liked this with the Swedish Meatballs - much more flavor than just potatoes and no boiling of the vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 4 tblsp butter
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 turnip, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3/4 small celery root (celeriac), peeled and roughly chopped
• 1.5 lbs yukon gold potatoes
• 1/3 c vegetable broth
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 c half-and-half
• fresh chopped chives for topping

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter in a small dutch oven or saucepan and add the root vegetables (not the potatoes). Cook them on medium heat until the butter and vegetables start to brown, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes, broth and salt and pepper. Reduce heat so that broth just barely bubbles, not boils. Cover and heat for about 30-35 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
3. Remove from heat and mash (not vigorously, just mash and mix leaving some nice chunks).
4. Add half-and-half and mix and match until combined.
5. Top with chives and serve immediately. Serves 4.

More Globals!

My husband let me unwrap yet another Christmas gift early (he's really not good at waiting to let me open gifts!). I now have TWO MORE Globals! Yay! We've now added to our collection a paring knife and a bread knife. I really have used a cooks knife for absolutely everything in the past so I am learning what to use a paring knife with and am enjoying it. I heart globals :)

Eggnog

Oh holy cow this eggnog is delicious!!! I am once again afraid of losing a delicious recipe to the land-o-lost-links of the internet so I'm copying it down here. Elisa of Simply Recipes, if you hate that I am doing this please just let me know.

Everyone go look at her amazing stuff on Simply Recipes.

Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 2 whole cloves
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp each of Makers Mark Bourbon (Elisa calls for bourbon, rum or brandy but I am definitely a fan of the distinct taste of Makers)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until they become lighter in color (it doesn't take long to just do this by hand). Slowly beat in the sugar, whisking until fluffy.
2. Combine the milk, cinnamon, and cloves in a saucepan or small dutch oven. Slowly heat mixture on medium heat until it is steaming hot, but not boiling.
3. Temper the eggs by slowly adding half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly while you add the hot mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
4. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it begins to thicken slightly, and coats the back of the spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil, or it will curdle.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the cream.
6. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove the cloves and any bits of hardened pieces from the mixture. Let cool for one hour.
7. Mix in vanilla extract, nutmeg, and bourbon. Chill or serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

Christmas Breakfast

Ok so today isn't Christmas but we are acting like it since we are having multiple Christmas celebrations with the families. This morning we had what many would call a normal breakfast but for us was a treat -- we rarely make time for breakfast! Gravlox and cream cheese on fresh local bagels and our favorite Helmut-Sachers coffee. Happy vacation to us!

Time for Christmas Goodies!

We've had our tree up for two weeks, but this weekend REALLY kicked off Christmas for us! We have been shopping our socks off -- I love being Santa's helper! :) To follow this, it's time to do some Christmas baking and goodies making! I think we'll do some Texas Millionaires, Peppermint Chocolate Pretzels, and Cheese Logs! And I think we'll try a new EggNog recipe from Elise at Simply Recipes.

Change of bread and cutting plans

My plan was to make my homemade dinner rolls, but Google+Ina caught my attention. Ina Garten is such a fabulous cook, AND I've always wanted to make popovers, so popovers I am now making!

That lead to a trip to Sur la Table (oh no, oh no, don't make me) to get a popover pan. And darn it if Joe didn't make me pick out a new chef's knife :). YAY! I adore Global knives! I knew I wanted Japanese knives because I like the blade style, but I thought I'd want something like a Shun, but after giving the chef knives a try at the store, I am in love with Global.

And let me tell you -- taking apart two ducks was actually fun and easy. Barely any pressure and... sliiiice. Wow. Love it!

Cranberry Sauce

This is so quick and easy! I can't believe I hadn't tried this before. I learned the base from Simply Recipes, but my variation of choice is included in my recipe below.

Ingredients:

• 1 c sugar
• 1 c water
• 1 quart fresh cranberries
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1 tsp cinnamon or ceylon
• 1 tsp allspice
• a dash of nutmeg
• a few scrapes of orange zest

Instructions:

1. Wash cranberries and blueberries. In a saucepan bring to a boil water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.
2. Add the blueberries and spices. Stir well and keep on low heat for a few more minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Makes about 4 cups.

First Thanksgiving at Home

This year will be the first time we spend Thanksgiving at home! We'll miss our families, but it is so nice to not rush through the airport, or pack, or drive 12 hours, or... anything! So of course I am cooking cooking cooking! Here's my plan - I'll report back on successes and "learning experiences" - heehee.

First of all, I'm not cooking a turkey. I appreciate the tradition, but it's just huge and not exactly my favorite. So we are having duck! I've never cooked a duck, but with a bit of help from epicurious, I'll get it done. This is basically duck two ways with a 3-hour stock that I'm going to start a day ahead of time.

For sides, I'll be make three that I've made before, plus one addition:

• my revision of Apple, Potato and Onion Gratin
• one of my favorite recipes from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen - an amazing green bean casserole
• some homemade dinner rolls
• trying out Simply Recipes' cranberry sauce

And for desert, Butterscotch pudding from Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic

Now I've got to start figuring out how to order and pace all of this or everything will be cold :). Happy Thanksgiving!

Easy Apple Crumble

Our Weeks parents were so nice to leave us some of their local apples, but we couldn't eat them in time and had about 5 left almost a bit too ripe. So, dessert time, of course! I was inspired bythis recipe, but basically made this my own.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 small red apples
• 1 c flour
• 6 tbs butter
• 1/2 c sugar
• 2/3 c oats
• 3 tbs molasses
• 1 tbs agave nectar
• 1 tbs cinammon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• sprinkling of fresh ground nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 and grease a 9x9 dish.
2. Peel, core and chop apples into bite sized pieces.
3. Using a dough blender, blend the butter into the flour in a medium bowl.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and mash into a lumpy mixture.
5. Put the apples in the dish, and pour the messy crumble mixture on top (it will barely spread out to cover the top). Messy is good.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Creamy Sweet Pumpkin Soup

Our neighbor's mother made this soup and shared some with us -- it's fabulous! The orange juice is the flavor that surprises your taste buds.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 lb pumpkin
• 1/4 c unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 6 c chicken or veg stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 c cream
• 2 tbs grated orange zest
• 2 tbs fresh orange juice
• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 lb gruyere or swiss cheese, shredded
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbs fresh chives, chopped (for topping)

Instructions:

1. Saute onion until just brown.
2. Add pumpkin, bay, stock and cook 15-30 minutes.
3. Puree in blender (or use wand blender).
4. Add cream, juices, zest, and spices.
5. Add 3/4 c cheese and stir in until melted.
6. Serve with reserved cheese and chives sprinkled on top.

Provencal Beans and Pasta

This is a soupy-sort-of-side dish. Could be a main course or is nice with fish. We found a recipe from another source but as we tried to use it, it barely made sense. So this is our version.

Ingredients:

• 1 can cannelloni beans
• 4 c vegetable broth
• 3-4 tblsp dried bouquet garni (contains savory, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram, sage, tarragon)
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 c mushrooms, sliced
• 1 c black olives, halved
• 14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 c of your favorite small (bite sized) pasta (we used quinoa and kamut twists)
• parmesan for sprinkle on top

Preparation:

1. Strain the beans, then in a small bowl, cover the beans with water and add the dried herbs and garlic. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Cook pasta adding 1 c vegetable broth to water.
3. Saute garlic, onions and red pepper with a bit of olive oil and vegetable broth to keep from sticking. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once everything is sautéed (onions are translucent), add mushrooms and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
4. Once pasta is ready, drain pasta water into a bowl for use.
5. Drain (do not rinse) beans and add to a pot. Add the cooked vegetables, the cooked pasta and about 2 c of the pasta water. Add artichoke hearts and olives. Mix well and let it cook until everything is hot.
6. Sprinkle each serving with parmesan.

Eggplant Stacks

I made this up with this afternoon because I didn't want to go to the store, and surprise, it's tasty :-). We ate this as a side dish but I think if you cut them into quarters and put toothpicks through the stacks, they would make great hors d'ouevres.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• thyme, chopped
• basil, chopped
• ~5 tblsp creme fraiche
• ~1 tsp avocado oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Peel eggplant and thinly slice into rounds. Place on a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let them sit for a few minutes to remove some of their moisture.
2. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil and place eggplant on the sheet, and sprinkle with a bit of thyme and black pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the slices are soft and bendable.
3. Meanwhile, create the filling. Mix the creme fraiche and avocado oil thoroughly. Also mix in a few tsp of chopped basil and thyme.
4. Once the eggplant is done baking, make the stacks by spreading a very thin layer of the creme fraiche mixture between rounds of eggplant, into stacks about 5 slices high, and spread on top of each stack. Note: if some of the slices are thicker than others, spread a bit more creme on top of thicker slices to balance the flavor.
5. (If you are making this as an appetizer instead of a side dish, slice the stacks into quarters using a serrated knife, and then put a toothpick through each .)

Serving size: 1 large eggplant makes a bit more than 3 stacks.

Salmon & Dill Breakfast Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen pie shell
• 8 eggs
• 2 tblsp ground white pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 6-7 tblsp fresh dill, chopped
• 6-8 tblsp plain Greek yogurt
• 4 oz smoked salmon (or less)

Instructions:

1. Bake the pie shell for 10 mins at 350 degrees (or use box instructions).
2. Whisk eggs, pepper, salt. Stir in all but 2 tblsp dill.
3. Pour egg mixture into baked pie shell.
4. Place dollops of yogurt throughout the egg mixture.
5. Tear up the salmon into bite size pieces and place all throughout the egg mixture. 4 oz will be a fairly true salmon flavor for the dish ("in every bite"). Use less if desired.
6. Sprinkle the remaining dill on top of the mixture.
7. Bake at 400 degree for about 30-40 minutes. (Check by putting a knife blade or toothpick into the pie, which should come out relatively clean, but no egg liquid on it.)

leftover lentil soup

I had planned on making dan's lentil soup tonight but then time passed, it's freezing outside and I was hungry - so here is my soup that is essentially "whatever I had in the pantry!"

Ingredients:

• 1 tbslp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 small stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 c vegetable broth
• 14 oz can "bean, lentil and barely soup"
• 1/2 c cooked quinoa
• 1 c water
• 12 oz frozen sweet potato cubes

Instructions:

1. Make a mirepoix with the first 4 ingredients and add the salt, pepper and cumin.
2. Add the broth, soup and quinoa. Cover and let cook on medium for about 10 minutes.
3. Add water and sweet potato cubes and let cook another 10 minutes.

cinnamon, chickpeas, squash and turnips

cinnamon, chickpeas, squash and turnips

I saw someone cooking with cinnamon and butternut squash on TV so I decided to get some vegetables together tonight. I suppose one could always create a tasty meal by combining vegetables, but I did enjoy this combination. Anything on this list could be left out if you don't have it on hand, really.

Ingredients:

• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 small turnip, peeled and diced
• 14 oz can chickpeas, drained
• 1 bag frozen cubed butternut squash
• 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 6 tblsp sunflower seeds
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 1 cinnamon stick
• salt and pepper
• up to 1 cup vegetable broth
• quinoa (or rice or couscous would work as well)
• 1/2 c parsley, chopped

Instructions:

1. Create a mirepoix with the celery, carrots and onion using some broth instead of oil. Add some salt and pepper and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are tender.
2. Add the turnip and sunflower seeds. Cook another 8 minutes until the turnip starts to become tender. Add some broth if it starts to stick.
3. Add the squash, tomatoes and spices. The dish will create more liquid, so reduce heat to low and cook down until the liquid is just on the bottom of the pan (about 15 minutes). Use this time to cook the quinoa according to package instructions.
4. Serve vegetable medley over the quinoa and top with a hefty portion of parsley.

Nutritional Information: Calories 352; Total Fat 10g; Sat Fat 1g; Chol 0g; Sodium 386mg; Potassium 606mg; Carbs 56g; Fiber 11g; Protein 12g. (Estimated via SparkRecipes with this recipe making 6 servings.)