Do-It-Yourself Grain Bowls

I was strolling through the Walmarts recently when I came upon some pre-fab frozen grain bowls that looked pretty good. But then I thought, I have grains and a magic pot...and leftover Chinese food containers. I can make my own d*mn grain bowls that are tastier and cheaper! TA-DAH! The ones I saw in the store were barley, kale, and turkey sausage. I used what I had on hand and made farro, Prince Edward Island blend veggies, and smoked turkey sausage. YUM! No fast food drive-throughs for me during finals week!

Methodology:

I put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the IP and sauteed half of a large onion (chopped) with four cloves of minced garlic (you can just use two if you're wimpy like that). When tender, I added a cup of pearled farro and two cups of vegetable stock. I cooked it on manual for ten minutes, and let it release naturally.

Meanwhile, I browned a pound of smoked sausage in a large skillet on the stove over medium heat, and then removed it from the pan and sliced it up. To the same skillet, I added another couple of tablespoons of olive oil, the rest of the onion, a couple/few more cloves of minced garlic, and a pinch of hot pepper flakes. When tender, I deglazed the pan with half a cup of white wine, then I threw in a bag of PEI blend veggies, poured in two cups of vegetable stock, covered the pan, lowered the heat to a simmer, and let it cook until the carrots were tender. I added black pepper and seasoned salt to taste.

To build the bowls, I used three leftover Chinese food containers, and put the cooked farro in the bottom, topped that with the veggies, and then the sausage. And I poured the remaining liquid equally over the three finished bowls. Easy-peasy!

Dinner and a Movie: Bridget Jones's Diary

I was recently horrified to learn that several of my dearest friends had never seen Bridget Jones' Diary, so I made it my personal crusade to rectify this abominable situation. I gave one of said friends the dvd and the even more entertaining novel as Christmas gifts, and tonight, we watched the movie together with a bunch of good friends, and I prepared a special themed buffet dinner. This was the menu I envisioned, and echoing Bridget's words, "Have sneaking suspicion am somewhat of a genius in the kitchen as well."

Cocktail Gherkins
Orange Marmalade Dip with Crackers
Blue Soup (Leek and Potato)
Turkey Curry with Jasmine Rice
Baked Ham and Cheese Omelette

The pickles on sticks and turkey curry were inspired by Bridget's mother Pam's New Year's Turkey Curry Buffet. And the blue soup, omelette, and orange marmalade dip were an homage to the tragic birthday dinner that Bridget tried to cook for her friends.

The appetizers included little cornichons on toothpicks (I didn't even bother to take a picture, but see above), and an unusual orange marmalade-topped cream cheese dip with crackers. In the movie, Bridget attempts to create a dessert called Orange Pudding in Sugar Cages, but you see them scooping the finished product up with crackers, and one of her friends describes it as tasting like marmalade.

At first, I was just going to serve orange marmalade with crackers, but that sounded pretty boring. Then I thought I might spread the crackers with cream cheese and top it with orange marmalade, but that sounded like a lot of busy work and still not very exciting.

So I did a Google search and found this recipe for a dip that turned out to be the surprise hit of the party! Many of my young friends are not very adventurous eaters, and they were surprised that something which seemed weird to them at first was so tasty. I took the picture below before I topped the dip with the toasted almonds, because it was prettier. The next time I make this, I think I might mix the almonds into the dip and let the marmalade be the only topping, because it would look nicer.

Orange Marmalade Dip
(Source: adapted from Food.com)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise 
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
8 large scallions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
few dashes hot sauce, to taste
3/4 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted and cooled

Mix the cream cheese, mayo, cheese, scallions, pepper, and hot sauce. Spread into an 8x8 dish, top with the marmalade and spread in a thin layer. Sprinkle on the almonds. Serve with crackers.

In the movie, Bridget tries to make a soup flavored with leeks, and she's supposed to tie the leeks together with kitchen twine. She does not have the proper twine, so she uses some blue string she finds that, of course, ends up turning the soup blue.

So I decided to make a leek and potato soup with the help of my trusty magic pot. It was quick and easy in the Instant Pot (only five minutes!), and it turned out velvety and luscious and DELICIOUS! Of course, you don't have to dye it blue to enjoy this leeky, potatoey goodness.

Instant Pot Leek and Potato Soup

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large leeks, tough outer leaves removed, halved, washed thoroughly and thinly sliced
3 large stalks celery, thinly sliced 
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground celery
4 medium to large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock
1 cup cream
salt and pepper, to taste

On sauté mode, add the butter and olive oil to the pot and cook the leeks, celery, and garlic until the veggies are tender and just starting to brown. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and let continue to cook for a few minutes until the wine has almost evaporated. Stir in the thyme, granulated garlic, ground celery, potatoes, and vegetable or chicken stock. 

Cover with the lid and cook on soup mode for five minutes. Let the pressure come down for about ten minutes before doing a quick release. Using a stick blender, purée the soup until very smooth. Add the cream (or half-and-half or whole milk) and blend one more time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

*If you're making this for a Bridget Jones dinner, add a little blue food coloring...but no string! 

For the first of two entrees, I prepared a curry with turkey and vegetables and served it over steamed jasmine rice (made in the IP, of course--three cups rinsed rice, three cups water, good pinch of salt, in the sprayed insert, on manual for four minutes, ten minutes rest then release). I couldn't find a recipe for the turkey curry, so I just made it up, and it turned our GREAT! Even one of the guests who swears she doesn't enjoy curry liked it!

Pamela Jones' Turkey Curry 
(as imagined by me)

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 lb. turkey breast cut into one-inch chunks
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon granulated garlic, divided
3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided

1 large onion, diced
1-2 chili peppers, seeded and diced (to taste)
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into large dice
2 medium potatoes, peeled (or not) and cut into one-inch chunks
1 cup chicken (or turkey) broth
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon ground celery
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 can coconut milk

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

steamed jasmine rice

To a large skillet over medium-high, add two tablespoons of olive oil, add the chunks of turkey, sprinkle with a half teaspoon each of salt and granulated garlic and a quarter teaspoon of pepper, and cook the turkey until golden brown. Remove the pieces to a plate and reserve.

To the same skillet, add two more tablespoons of olive oil, and saute the onions and pepper(s) until tender. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Add the carrots, potatoes, and chicken stock, partly cover, and simmer for about five minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are tender. 

Stir in the curry powder, ginger, ground celery, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and the remaining half teaspoon of granulated garlic, then cook for another couple of minutes until the spices are very fragrant. Turn off the heat and stir the coconut milk, the remaining teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon of pepper (or to taste), the reserved turkey, and the chopped fresh cilantro.

Serve over steamed jasmine rice.

In the movie, nothing Bridget tries to cook turns out right, so Mark Darcy to the rescue! For the entree, he suggests they make omelettes and serve it with the "congealed green gunge" (caper berry gravy) that Bridget has produced. Since I was cooking for about eight people, I didn't want to be standing at the stove making individual omelettes for everyone.

So I found a recipe for a big ham and cheese pan omelette that you bake in the oven, and I also siphoned some of the eggs and cheese mixture off before adding the ham and made an individual portion in a ramekin for one vegetarian guest. What a terrific brunch dish, and of course, you can add whatever ingredients you have that please you. (I doubled the recipe that follows and baked it in a 9x13 casserole dish.)

Baked Ham and Cheese Omelette
(Source: All Recipes)

8 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
3 ounces cooked ham, diced

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon dried minced onion

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 8x8 inch casserole dish and set aside.

Beat together the eggs and milk. Add seasoning salt, ham, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and minced onion. Pour into prepared casserole dish.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until eggs are set. (The individual one-cup ramekin took 15-20 minutes.)

For dessert, I suggest you pass around a few pints of Ben and Jerry's and a bunch of spoons. And to wash everything down with, I suggest that you choose vodka...and Chaka Khan!

Christmas in Brazil

If there was ever a good excuse to get back to my long-neglected blog, it would be the annual Padula Christmas Cookie EXTRAVAGANZA! Because one of the Padula boys has a Brazilian girlfriend, this year's culinary theme was Christmas in Brazil, and it was DELICIOUS!

View #1 of the cookie exchange table. (My cookies aren't pictured, as they were on the porch chillin',)

View #2 of the cookie table.

The beautiful tablescape!

The appetizer was this Brazilian shepherd's pie type of affair with reconstituted carne seca (dried beef) and veggies underneath and mashed yucca root on top called Escondidinho de Carne Seca. Yucca is a staple in Brazilian cuisine.

These were yummy little chicken-filled croquettes called Coxinhas.

Apparently, the Christmas turkey (Ceia de Natal) is traditionally served with peaches. YUMMY!

The turkey was served with rice and black beans and Brazilian hot sauce, and a fruity bread stuffing.

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this dried fruit-studded bread stuffing, but it was SO GOOD! I'm not sure what it's called in Portuguese, though.

This is called Farofa, and it's toasted cassava flour. It's sprinkled on everything in South America, like Parmesan cheese.

For my money, this dessert was the star of the show! It's called a Torta de Bombom Sonho de Valsa, or Bonbon Pie. AMAZING! Here's the recipe:
http://www.cynthiapresser.com/recipe-blog/desserts/358-bonbon-pie-torta-de-bombom-sonho-de-valsa

The other dessert (which I did not have room for, but looked incredible) was a Passion Fruit Cheesecake. (Passion fruit, or maracuja, is another Brazilian culinary motif.)

I made three different (rather homely, but very tasty) cookies for the exchange this year, inspired by a holiday baking show I saw on the Food Network recently. The first was a soft maple bacon cookie that was supposed to be a whoopie pie, but I ended up just frosting the individual cookies so that I'd have more to share.

Maple Pecan Cookies (or Whoopie Pies) with Bacon Cream Cheese Frosting
(Source: Adapted from Poet in the Pantry)
 
Filling/Frosting:
6 strips thick-cut bacon
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cookies/Cakes:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons bacon fat, reserved from frying bacon for the filling
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/3 cup dark maple syrup
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Filling:
Fry bacon until crisp and reserve and cool the fat.
Crumble (or cut with kitchen shears) bacon and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat together the butter, cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar for three minutes. Add the vanilla, syrup, and salt. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in the crumbled bacon. Transfer to an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator.

Cookies/Cakes:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Get out two rimmed nonstick cookie sheets and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Beat together the butter, bacon fat, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated. Add the buttermilk, mixing until smooth.

In a liquid measuring cup, add the cream, baking soda, and white vinegar, stirring to combine. Turn the stand mixer on low and mix in half of the dry ingredients. Add the cream/baking soda vinegar mix, mixing until combined. Mix in the last of the dry ingredients. Add the vanilla, and beat until well incorporated. Stir in the toasted nuts.

Portion out the batter with a small cookie scoop and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges and the tops are springy. Transfer to wire cooling racks immediately. Cool completely.

Assembly
Remove filling from the fridge at least 20 minutes before starting assembly. Stir before starting assembly. Using a pastry bag fitted with a decorating tip, or simply a butter knife, apply filling on the flat side of one cookie/cake. Press the flat side of another cookie/cake and press gently together.

Wrap each whoopie pie in a small piece of plastic wrap store and in an air-tight container. Best eaten the same day. For longer storage, keep in the refrigerator.

*You can also just frost the top of each individual cookie (as I did here) instead of making whoopie pies.

The second cookie I made was a sour cream cookie infused with Earl Grey tea and frosted with a honeyed lemony icing. YUM!

Earl Grey Tea Cakes with Honey-Lemon Frosting

(Adapted from a sour cream chocolate chip cookie recipe that my friend, Kallie, gave me--unsure of the original source)
Cookies:
1 cup sour cream
2 bags Earl Grey tea
2 eggs
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour

Mix the sour cream and the tea from the two bags and set aside.

 Cream butter and eggs together. Add sugar and mix in. Add baking soda, baking powder and flour. Add vanilla and sour cream and tea mixture. Bake at 350° until lightly browned (10-12 minutes). Cool completely before frosting.

Honeyed Lemon Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 pound (about 2 cups) confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 to 1/4 cup heavy cream
zest of one lemon, finely grated
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Beat the butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in half of the sugar until combined. Stir in the vanilla and honey. Beat in the remaining sugar. Add the heavy cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest, whisk on high for 6 minutes.

The third cookie that I made--and my personal favorite--was a Rosemary Browned Butter Shortbread. Now, I am ALWAYS down with some nutty browned butter, but savory rosemary was an unusual guest at this sweet cookie party. It may sound strange, but applied with restraint, the rosemary takes this shortbread to a whole other level of deliciousness! I was loathe to give (most of it) away.

Rosemary-Walnut Browned Butter Shortbread

(Source: The Kitchn)
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped small (none larger than pea-sized)--or combine walnuts and almonds
1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioner sugar (or another 1/4 cup granulated, if you don't have confectioner's)

Melt the butter in a medium sauce-pan or skillet over medium heat. Swirl occasionally and cook until all foaming has subsided, the butter is dark tan colored with little black specks, and smells fantastically nutty. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and let it cool to room temperature. (The butter should be solid but still smooshy.)

Mix the walnuts, rosemary, and all the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or medium-sized bowl with a hand mixer). While beating on medium-speed, add the cooled brown butter in several additions until it's completely incorporated and the dough looks grainy. The dough should hold together when you press some in your fist - if not, add a few teaspoons of cold water until it does.

Turn the dough out onto your work surface and shape it into two thick logs about 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter (or smaller if you want smaller cookies). The dough will be pretty crumbly, but that's ok. Wrap the logs tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until hard (30 minutes, or up to three days).

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Take out and unwrap one of the logs. Slice it into 1/4 inch round cookies using a sharp knife and transfer to the cookie sheet. Place cookies about a half inch apart - they won't spread much during baking. If any of the cookies crumble, just press the dough back together with your fingers and a bit of water.

Bake for 10-13 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges and very fragrant. Allow to cool five minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Prepare and bake the other half of the cookie dough as above. Cookies keep in a sealed container for about two weeks.

BEST. PANINI. EVER.

Stop what you're doing. Go to the kitchen. Get out your leftovers. Make this magnificent Thanksgiving turkey panini.

Use Puerto Rican bread (or your favorite type of sub roll) spread with a small amount of butter and toasted on a griddle. When golden brown, spread one side with your favorite mustard (I am obsessed with Green Mountain Mustard's Clove Encounter), the other with cranberry sauce. Add sliced cheese to both sides (I used sharp cheddar because that's what I had on hand). Heat up some stuffing and add that to the bottom part of the roll. Drizzle with hot gravy, then top with pieces of warmed turkey. Place the other half of the roll (and cheese) on top, and then grill on both sides until the cheese melts, pressing down with a heavy lid or pan (or use a panini press).

For this, you will be truly thankful.
#yourewelcome

Thanksgiving 2014

I have never been so thankful for a holiday in my life! This semester has been CRAZED, far beyond my typical level of insanity. So I eased my way into Thanksgiving prep by sleeping late yesterday, then spending a little quality time with the pups (I have missed them!). The rest of the day I spent in the kitchen, listening to my favorite Sirius radio show, Entertainment Weirdly, and baking pies (pumpkin--pictured before it got its broiled walnut crunch topping--and pecan) while the snow started to fall. I also made my famous cranberry strumpet, and when Cyd got home, we prepped the stuffing to be baked off tomorrow.

Today, I spatchcocked my turkey (which is still illegal in a few states) and covered it with frozen fruits, lima beans, and an ice pack--just because that's what I could readily find in the freezer to use. You see, I was attempting that trick that has been going around Facebook recently, trying to lower the temperature of the breast by ten degrees so that the light and dark meat are done at the same time. And you know, it kind of worked. The thigh meat ended up at 185, and the breast was 175 after carryover cooking. So it did keep it ten degrees cooler as promised, but we need a technique to keep it twenty degrees cooler. Maybe next year, I will try dry ice or liquid nitrogen! (Ha ha.) Even still, the turkey was juicy and flavorful, thanks to the spatchcocking and with a little help from Bobby Flay and his fabulous mustard-maple glaze. 

Mustard-Maple Glaze for Turkey

(Source: Bobby Flay, via Food Network)

1 1/2 cups grade-B pure maple syrup
2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard (I used my new favorite Green Mountain Mustard--Clove Encounter with garlic and oregano)
2 heaping tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained (I only used 1T)
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder (I used dark chili powder)
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

After the turkey reaches 155 degrees F, begin basting with the maple glaze; continue roasting, basting with the glaze every 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 20 more minutes. (I take it to 175 then let it carry over.)

Et VOILA! This year's Thanksgiving feast: Mustard and maple glazed turkey, mashed potatoes with pan gravy, sausage and sage stuffing ("recipe" below), spicy succotash, and cranberry strumpet.

I make a pretty basic stuffing/dressing; I don't feel the need to adulterate it. I use a big bag of white and wheat bread pieces from the bakery, PLUS a bag of cornbread pieces. I sauté a pound of mild breakfast sausage in a stick of butter (oh yeah) with a large chopped onion and four stalks of celery, chopped. I add a lot of black pepper and a tablespoon (up to 2) of poultry seasoning. When the meat is brown and the veggies are tender, I combine everything and add hot turkey stock one ladleful at a time until I reach the desired level of moisture (up to two quarts). Then bake uncovered at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until well browned on the edges.

Heart to Heart

A gang of folks was playing pub trivia Wednesday night as we usually do, but one of our friends who usually joins us was conspicuously absent, as was another friend, Vicky. About halfway through the game, I got a text from Vicky saying that she was not at trivia because she was at the hospital with our other friend--he had had a heart attack! Fortunately, he survived, and they decided he did not need a bypass, but rather a few strategically placed stents (so it was fairly serious).

I am so grateful that he is going to be okay, but of course, he is going to have to make some lifestyle changes, like quitting smoking, exercising for 150 minutes a week, and eating a heart-healthy diet. His wife says that it probably wouldn't be realistic to try and accomplish ALL of these changes at once, so he's going to start with stepping down the smoking and building up the exercise. But when he came home from the hospital today, I wanted to deliver a heart-healthy meal to them for their welcome home dinner.

I sort of followed the model of my favorite cavatini recipe, but making some heart-healthy swap outs that I hoped the recovering cardiac patient wouldn't notice. (It should come as no surprise that he's a very picky eater.)

First of all, I made a big cauldron of sauce, beginning with two pounds of low-fat turkey sausage (one mild, one hot), a large chopped onion, and a whole head of minced garlic. In the spirit of Jerry Seinfeld's wife who hides vegetables in various foods to fool finicky children, I also added a couple of carrots and a small zucchini (both shredded) and 12 oz. of finely-chopped brown mushrooms to the saute. I deglazed the pan with about a half cup of red wine and a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Then I stirred in a family-sized jar of chunky garden veggie jarred sauce, a couple of pints of my own home-canned tomato sauce, a big palmful or two of dried Italian herbs, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper (to taste).

Leaving the sauce to simmer, I boiled and drained some multigrain penne (I knew whole wheat pasta would be detectable and rejectable). As I was preparing a double batch of this "recipe," I made one 9x13 pan for the cardiac patient and his wife, and 8x8 pan for me and my roommate, and one additional 8x8 pan for another friend who is the primary caregiver for his mother, who unfortunately is battling cancer and a breathing disorder of some sort.

I built each casserole in disposable foil baking pans with some sauce on the bottom, a layer of cooked pasta, a layer of turkey pepperoni slices (on the two smaller pans, not for the man fresh out of the hospital!), more sauce, and a layer of shredded full-fat mozzarella cheese, because low-fat and no-fat cheese is gross. I repeated this order of ingredients in a second layer, and then baked the pans of pasta at 350 degrees for about a half hour.

I delivered the casseroles to their recipients this evening. Later, via Facebook, I learned that the cardiac patient had several helpings of pasta and was none the wiser about its healthfulness. (BWA-HA-HA, she laughs triumphantly!) And my other friend, the sole caregiver to his frequently hospitalized mother, declared it, "Yummy McYummerston!" Tee hee. I highly recommend this dish for those recovering from health issues, new mothers, those grieving a loss, folks who have just moved, or any time a delivery of a home-cooked meal would be especially appreciated.

THANKSGIVUKKAH 2013

HAPPY THANKSGIVUKKAH! For the first and only time in any of our lifetimes, the first day of Hanukkah falls on the same day as Thanksgiving, and this convergence will not happen again for 70,000 years! I suppose the right thing to do would be to create a Thanksgiving menu infused with kosher touches, and I did consider it. But it ended up being just me and my roomie celebrating at home this year, so I just went with traditional Thanksgiving dishes with a few new (non-kosher) twists. This year's menu included:

Apple Cider-Brined Turkey
Sausage and Sage Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes and Turkey Gravy
Cranberry Strumpet
Creamed Succotash
Spicy Vinaigrette Green Beans
Marbled Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie
Maple Rye Pecan Pie

This year's turkey was definitely the best brined bird I've ever done! I loved the sweetness from the apple cider and orange juice. And between the brining and roasting it breast-side down, it was perfectly moist and juicy. WINNER!

Apple Cider Brined Turkey
(Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman) 

3 cups fresh apple cider
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 gallons (6 quarts) cold water
big handful of whatever's left in the herb garden--thyme, rosemary, tarragon, sage
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled but whacked with a knife
1 cup canning salt
2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons peppercorns
5 whole bay leaves
two lemons, washed and quartered
1 large onion, quartered

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover. Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside. Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method. (I just slather the bird in a stick of butter and sprinkle it liberally with black pepper then roast it--breast-side down--at 325 until the thigh meat reaches 180F.)

I don't really have a recipe per se for the creamed succotash. I melted about a half stick of butter in a large skillet and sauteed a diced onion with mild chili pepper (Cubanelle), seeded and diced. Then I added a box of frozen bicolor corn and a box of frozen baby lima beans and cooked them risotto-style, adding turkey stock by the ladle-full until the veggies were tender and the last addition of liquid was absorbed. Then I finished the dish with salt, pepper, and maybe a half cup of cream. I might have added a teaspoon of dried thyme in there as well, as is often my way. Simple and delish!

The other vegetable I prepared was French-style green beans with almonds. As I was getting ready to cook the beans, I spied an easy, tasty-sounding recipe on the back of the package, and on a whim, gave it a try. It was yummy! The only thing I did was to add about a half cup of slivered almonds at the end. Oh, and I steamed the beans in the microwave instead of boiling them on the stove.

Spicy Vinaigrette Green Beans 
(Source: adapted from Pictsweet Recipes)

4 cups frozen French-cut green beans
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup slivered almonds, optional

Place frozen beans in a saucepan and cover with water. Place on a stove top and bring to a boil. Boil three minutes and drain. (Or microwave with a half cup of water added, covered, for five minutes.) In a small mixing bowl, combine garlic, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk oil into garlic mixture. Pour mixture over cooked beans. Add about a half cup of slivered almonds to finish (optional).

I made two pies this year, a pumpkin pie swirled with a cheesecake filling that I've done before (but in a regular pie shell instead of a cookie crust), and then a new pecan pie recipe made with rye whiskey that I saw in The New York Times. My roommate has been on a rye kick lately, and we have a bottle, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. My twist was to swap out the molasses (too strong a flavor for my tastes) for local maple syrup. I also cut back on the rye to balance the flavors with the lighter-tasting sweetener, and it was still plenty boozy. Also, I only used whole pecans all mixed into the filling, which is how I prefer to do it. You can artfully arrange them on top if you like, but they always scorch that way, in my experience. Anyway, my version came out beautiful and scrumptious, if I do say so myself!

Maple Rye Pie
(Source: adapted from The New York Times)

5 eggs

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar 

6 tablespoons butter, melted 

1/3 cup Grade B maple syrup 

1/3 cup light corn syrup 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

2 tablespoons rye or bourbon, not more than 90 proof 

2 cups pecan halves 

whipped cream (better yet, ice cream!) for serving 

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prick bottom of dough with a fork. Lay a piece of parchment or wax paper in pan, then a piece of aluminum foil. Fill foil lining with dried beans to top of pan. Bake 15 to 25 minutes, until the sides of the crust have set and turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and lift out the beans, foil and parchment. Patch any holes with reserved dough, pressing firmly. Bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until golden brown. Let cool at least 30 minutes before filling.

Lower oven heat to 325 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, melted butter.* maple syrup, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and rye or bourbon. Gently mix in the pecans.* Place baked pie shell, still in the pan, on a sheet pan. Gently pour in the filling. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, just until filling is firm and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into center. (Tent with foil or a pie shield if the top starts to get too dark.) Let cool completely. Carefully remove outer ring of pan. Slice with a large, very sharp knife and serve with whipped cream or ice cream. 

Yield: About 12 servings. 

*A tip that takes pecan pie over the top: As you're melting the butter, add your pecans and toast them in the butter until it all starts to smell, well, nutty, and the butter starts to brown. Let this cool a bit before adding to the rest of the filling ingredients to avoid scrambling the eggs.

Ender's Game Brunch

The most recent selection that my book club read was the sci-fi classic, Ender's Game. And we planned it so that we could finish reading it just in time for the major motion picture release. Before attending the movie matinee, we met at our host's house (my friend, Janice), for a wonderful book and space-themed brunch. Here are a few pics for your enjoyment...

This is the tablescape, complete with a space mobile dangling from the chandelier! (I was assigned to bring a quiche, pictured on the lower right, closest to the camera.)













There was a birthday cake for Ender (tee hee). And can you just see the packet of freeze-dried astronaut ice cream next to it? (It was gawd-awful, but amusing as table decor.)

And brunch was served on cafeteria-style trays, just like in battle school. Ha!

Pictured clockwise from the top left: Breakfast potatoes, strata with potatoes and red peppers, cornbread casserole with sausage, apples and maple syrup, the quiche I made with Cajun turkey, Swiss chard, onion, and three cheeses, and a ham and cheese croissant from some fancy bakery in Syracuse, I believe. There was also a lovely fruit salad for "dessert" (not pictured).


As for my contribution to the affair, I didn't make anything space-themed or even related to the book. It was brunch, and Janice wanted to serve quiche, but she was going to be out of town until the day of the party. So I volunteered to make one. I chose the following recipe from my favorite pie guru, Ken Haedrich, but I substituted some Cajun turkey from the deli, because that's what I had on hand. I will definitely try it with the sausage next time. Obviously, this is a dish that can--and should--be adapted in many ways.

Swiss Chard and Smoked Turkey Sausage Quiche
(Source: adapted from The Pie Academy)

Basic pie dough, refrigerated (I cheated and used a refrigerator roll-out crust)

Filling:

1/2 to 3/4 pound Swiss chard, stems removed

8 ounces smoked turkey sausage (or diced Cajun-spiced turkey from the deli)

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups half-and-half or light cream

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)

1/2 cup each of 2 or 3 cheeses, including Swiss, Fontina, or Feta plus Parmesan

On a sheet of lightly floured wax paper, roll the pastry into a 13" circle. Invert the pastry over a 9 1/2" - 10" quiche pan or tart pan, center, and peel off the paper. Gently tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, then pinch the edge into an upstanding rim. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400°. Tear off a 16" long sheet of aluminum foil and press it into the firmed shell so it fits like a glove. To prevent the pie shell from puffing as it bakes, fill the foil about 3/4 full with dried beans, banking them up the sides. Bake on the center oven rack for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°. Remove the shell from the oven, then carefully lift out the foil and beans. Using a fork, poke the bottom pastry 6 or 7 times; the holes will keep the pastry from puffing. Put the shell back in the oven and bake another 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a rack. (Plug the holes with dabs of cream cheese, or put shavings of cheese over the holes and let it melt there, so the filling doesn't run out.)

Reset the oven to 375°. Rinse the chard, remove the ribs (and discard), then coarsely chop the leaves (you don't have to dry them) and set aside. Dice about a quarter of the sausage; set aside. Melt the butter in a large skillet or saute pan and stir in the onion. Saute over medium heat for five minutes, then stir in only the diced sausage and garlic. Saute another two minutes, stirring, then add the chard. Cover and saute/steam for five to eight minutes, stirring often, until the chard is soft and cooked down. Remove from the heat and leave uncovered. While that cools, slice the remaining turkey sauce into 1/4"-thick rounds. Set aside. Whisk the eggs in a medium-size bowl until evenly blended. Whisk in the half-and-half, mustard, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Set aside.

To assemble the quiche, sprinkle one of the cheeses over the bottom of the tart shell (but save the Parmesan for the top.) Using a large fork - which will give you good control - place half of the chard here and there in the shell. Add half of the sausage. If you're using three cheeses, sprinkle on another one now; otherwise wait. Slowly ladle about half of the custard over the filling. Repeat with the remaining chard, sausage, and custard. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake the quiche on the center oven rack for about 40 minutes, until the top is light golden brown and the filling is somewhat puffy. Transfer to a rack and cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Makes ten or more servings.

Put some ZIP in your Hump Day!

Here's another Pinterest classic that is easy, tasty, and perfect for a busy weeknight. My roommate whipped this up while I was teaching my night class tonight, and it was spicy, creamy, cheesy and DEE-LISH! Think of it as grown-up macaroni and cheese...with a kick.

Spicy Sausage Pasta
(Source: adapted from Kevin and Amanda's Recipes via America's Test Kitchen and Pinterest)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14-ounce package smoked turkey sausage, sliced into rounds
1 1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel Tomatoes and Green Chiles, Original Style (we used the cilantro and lime variety)
1/2 cup heavy cream (we used about a cup)
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta, about 2 1/2 cups (we used lumaconi)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Thinly sliced scallions (we used fresh chives)
Salt, to taste
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet) until smoking. Add the sausage and onion, and cook until lightly browned, about four minutes. Add in the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the broth, Ro-Tel, heavy cream, uncooked pasta, and pepper, and give the mixture a good stir. Bring to a boil, cover the skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice while cooking. Preheat the broiler while the pasta is cooking.

Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in one cup of the cheese. Taste, and add salt as needed. Top with the scallions (or chives) and remaining cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned - about 3 minutes.

'Tis the season...for SOUPS!

When I was in the middle of my Christmas Canning Fest, I was texting with my dear friend, Carl--the fellow who inspired me to try my hand at mustard-making. I sent him a photo of the lovely cranberry mustard I had simmering on the stove, and he countered with a photo of his yummy-looking dinner: his grandmother's tomato soup with a side of quesadillas for dunking. He sent me the recipe, and I gave it a whirl a few days later. Easy and delish, and perfectly cozy for this time of year.

Grandma Schweitzer's Tomato Soup

1 small onion, diced
1 large can tomato juice (48 oz.--but I substituted two regular cans of spicy V-8 and a small can of tomato paste with four cans of water)
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2-3 celery stalks, cut in halves or thirds
fresh ground pepper, to taste
2/3 cup tiny egg noodles
1/2 cup heavy cream

Saute one small onion in olive oil in soup pot. Add tomato juice, water, sugar, salt, pepper, and celery. Bring to boil. Simmer for 90 mins. Add heavy cream and noodles and cook for 15 more minutes.  Remove celery and serve.

Soup #2 is going into my post-Thanksgiving repertoire in perpetuity. It was suggested to me by my friend, June, who raved about it after making it last year. Now I will always love my favorite turkey and wild rice soup best, but it's laden with heavy cream and definitely decadent. But this turkey soup is light and fresh and quite healthy--a refreshing change of pace from most of the guilty pleasures of the holiday season. You really must try this one, and not just with leftover turkey; it would be just as good with the ubiquitous deli chicken year-round. And I might try replacing the spinach with kale next time, too.

Lemon Turkey Soup with Fresh Spinach and Farfalle
(Source: Bon Appétit, January 2005)
Yield: 4-6 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
8 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken or turkey broth
2 cups dried farfalle/bow-tie pasta (I used mini-farfalle)
2 cups diced cooked turkey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 10-ounce package ready-to-use spinach leaves (about 6 cups)
grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and stir 1 minute. Add celery, carrots and red bell pepper and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add 8 cups broth and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer to blend flavors, about 20 minutes. Add pasta and simmer until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Mix turkey, lemon juice and lemon peel into soup. Add spinach. Simmer until spinach wilts but is still bright green, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Thin soup with additional chicken broth, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Serve, passing cheese separately.

The last soup I have to offer in this post is the last soup of the semester that I took to share at school. We had a little potluck for our last department meeting, and I wanted to take a hearty, spicy, vegetarian soup. I rifled around in the pantry and found some Rancho Gordo Black Midnight Beans, and I also had sweet potatoes on hand, so I decided that a sweet and zesty chili would be in order. It turned out great, if I do say so myself, and my colleagues really seemed to enjoy it! I recommend this recipe even for carnivores. You truly will not miss the meat with all the other tasty things going on.

Crock Pot Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

1 lb. dry black beans (or substitute 4 cans black beans, drained)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 Cubanelle peppers, seeded and chopped (you could also use Italian frying peppers or even poblanos)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (I like 3/4-inch pieces)
2 - 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes (preferably, fire-roasted)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dark chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground celery
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

juice of one (or two!) limes, to taste

I prefer to use dry beans, especially from my favorite company, Rancho Gordo, that I order from online once or twice a year. I used their Black Valentine beans this time. Rinse and pick them over, then put them in a large sauce pan covered with two inches of water, bring them to a boil on the stovetop, and boil hard for five minutes. Then put the beans and the liquid into a crock pot and cook them on low overnight (eight hours, or high for four hours). Of course, you can opt to use four cans of (drained) black beans instead if you prefer. But then you'll probably want to add at least two cups of vegetable stock in lieu of the cooked bean liquor.

The next morning, place a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, and saute the onions and peppers until the onions are translucent, about ten minutes. When the veggies are almost tender, throw in the minced garlic, and cook for another minute or two. Add this sauteed veggie mix to the crock pot with the beans, along with the sweet potato chunks, the diced tomatoes (and their juice), and the paprika, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, brown sugar, salt, ground celery, cinnamon, and black pepper. Stir to combine and cook on low for 6-8 hours (or high for 3-4) until both the beans (if they started as dry) and the sweet potatoes are tender. Thin with vegetable stock if necessary to reach a desired consistency.

When the chili has finished cooking, taste to correct the seasonings, and add more salt and pepper if desired. Squeeze in the juice of one or two limes and stir to combine just before serving. Garnish with any or all of the following: a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, some chopped fresh cilantro leaves, shredded cheese, and/or avocado chunks or slices.

Like that Bible miracle...but with ham.

I have been playing my Aldi "Chopped" game again, where I wander around the store, grabbing random things, then I come home and figure out how to combine them. This round, I sliced up half a large onion and put it in the bottom of the crock pot, then put in a small ham (3-4 lbs.). I sprinkled it with pepper, garlic, and ground celery seed, and slathered it with grainy honey mustard and a handful of brown sugar. Then I added the mystery ingredient--a jar of red cabbage and apples--and finally, a good splash of apple cider vinegar. I cooked it in the crock pot on low all day (6-8 hours) then served it with homemade mashed potatoes. This is my basic methodology for cooking pork roast, but I wasn't sure what it would be like with ham. As it turns out, it's DELICIOUS! My roommate was heard to exclaim, "I never want to eat anything else but THIS!" Ha ha.

We had this ham dinner for two nights, and there was still plenty left. Monday night after choir rehearsal, I stopped by Panera to buy a loaf of bread to make some sandwiches for an Election Night party (FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!), but they were closed. Boo hiss. So I popped into Walmart and I was surprised to find that they had Cubano bread in their bakery. So I made two (whole loaf) Cubano sandwiches for the get-together.

A Cubano is normally ham and pork roast, but I used ham and honey roasted turkey, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard, and homemade pickles, and crisped up the bread and melted the cheese in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes before serving. My fellow Democrats gobbled them up, despite the fact that Cuban sandwiches made no sense thematically for the occasion. Tee hee. (Pictured left is the AWESOME serving platter than my darling friend, Kurt, sent me for my birthday. It reads: "Democrat: a person who believes in the political and social equality of all. A member of the Democratic Party of the United States." How perfect is that??)

And can you believe that there was STILL ham left after all of this? So for lunch today, I chopped the remaining ham (a couple of cups?) and whizzed it up in the food processor with half of an onion and three medium dill pickles, a good dash of black pepper, and about a half cup of mayo. Then I toasted up some bread, slathered on the ham salad, topped each open-faced sandwich with a slice of sharp cheddar (one had to have pepper jack when I ran out of cheddar), and some tomato slices for my roommate's sammies. YUM! And all this from one little seven-dollar Aldi ham! I AM THE BUDGET MASTER! FEAR ME!