resolutions

Dear Mom,

I'm sitting here enjoying a rather strong beer while my cookies are baking away in the oven.  That is what the holidays are all about.  "Beer and cookies???" you may ask, no-no not just beer and cookies, but everything I've been eating the past week, a.k.a. over-indulgence.  Yes, spending time with the family is great, chestnuts roasting on a open fire and jack frost nipping at your nose and all, but what it's really about is the fact that I ate some type of pork for the last 6 days in a row.  Bacon, slow-roasted pork shank, all-day Italian-style pork, pulled pork (from two different restaurants) and, of course, ham! 

So now it is time for the sweet stuff, and considering that John and I have made a resolution to eat healthier in the New Year, I have to get it all out now!  So that means beer and cookies.  Right now I've got a batch of cowboy cookies in the oven.  (You know that cowboys would not have milk with their cookies, they would have beer!)  I went with cowboy cookies because I wanted to prepare us for the upcoming year of healthy eating, so we get the sinfulness of the chocolate, but the heart-healthy oats at the same time.  Also, this is my reduced-fat, reduced-sugar cookie recipe, which as any cookie-lover knows, you can eat twice as many! (Three-times as many on a holiday!)

cowboy cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick oats
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. molasses
1/4 butter, softened
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Place the 1/2 cup apple sauce in a strainer over a bowl and stain the liquid from the apple sauce for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine flour through cinnamon in a bowl with a mix.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the drained apple sauce and the rest of the ingredients through the egg.  Blend together in the mixer until combined.  Slowly add dry ingredients. 

Place cookie dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.  Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake cookies for 10 minutes, until almost set.  Let cool on the baking sheet 2-3 minutes and then transfer to wire racks.

crazy for casseroles

Dear Kristin,

The thing I like about casseroles is that they are best eaten slowly, so that you can enjoy the whole of the dish while pondering each ingredient that went into its making. They also make great leftovers, so you can reheat them quickly and enjoy a hot, satisfying home-cooked meal even on the busiest of days. Casseroles also help rid your fridge of that last piece of yesterday’s chicken or that stalk of celery that is just about to lose any sense of rigidity and slither to the bottom of the vegetable crisper, never to be seen again in a solid state.
This particular casserole is one of my favorites. It’s just the right mix of savory and creamy, and is totally addicting.

 

chicken and wild rice casserole

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
½ of a large red onion, roughly diced
3-4 stalks celery, roughly diced
2 Tbsp. butter
1 6 oz. package wild rice mix (I use Uncle Ben's)
1 10 ¾ can cream of celery soup
¾ cup sour cream
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cook rice mix according to package instructions.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Sauté onion and celery in the butter until slightly tender, about 5 minutes.

Butter a 9x13” baking dish.

Mix all ingredients except parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Pour mixture into prepared dish.

Bake for 30 minutes. Top with parmesan cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until top is slightly browned and bubbly.

leftovers, take two!

Dear Mom,

I too love a good leftover Thanksgiving sandwich, although I prefer to put all of the side dishes on the sandwich itself.  This probably stems from when as a child, I'm sure you remember, instead of leaving the stuffing, mashed potatoes and veggies in neat little piles on my T-day plate, I would pile everything in layers in the middle of my plate and then mix it all up until I had one big pile of Thanksgiving-goodness.  I imagine it would have been difficult explaining my behavior to most family members, but if I remember correctly, I got the idea from Grandpa, so my methods were not questioned. 

I still occasionally will scoop up my mashed potatoes and stuffing together, but for the most part I've been keeping my sides separated.  John and I visited his family's place this year, and his mother made a whole turkey and an additional breast as well.  We were sent home with a lot of leftovers, and as much as I love the leftovers, sometimes they get a little boring after the 8th or 9th dinner.  So when I started getting eye-rolls from John in response to "So what's for dinner" - "Turkey" I figured it was time to switch things up.  It was mid-week so I didn't want anything overly complicated, stuffed manicotti with turkey, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and kale sounded different enough.

baked manicotti with turkey, artichokes,
sun-dried tomatoes & kale

1 8oz pkg. manicotti shells
1 8oz pkg. frozen artichokes, thawed and chopped
1-1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, rinsed, drained & chopped
1 16oz container part-skim ricotta
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
1 bunch kale (or spinach) chopped
cooking spray
1 jar prepared marinara
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzerella or italian blend cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Cook manicotti according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix together all ingredients from the artichokes through the parmesan cheese.  When the pasta is finished cooking remove from the water, but keep the cooking water boiling.  Add the kale (or spinach) and cook until wilted.  Drain and add to the other ingredients.  Stir to combine and season to taste. 

Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray.  Coat the bottom of the dish with a thin layer of marinara.  Carefully take each manicotti tube and cut open, place a heaping 1/4 cup of the filling in each tube, roll it back up and place seam side down in the 9x13.  Place all filled tubes in a single layer in the bottom of the dish.  Spread any leftover filling over top, and cover with the rest of the marinara.  Cover dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and cover with shredded mozzerella, and bake an additional 15 minutes uncovered, until golden and bubbly.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.

black friday

Dear Kristin,
While some people wait anxiously for black friday to see what kinds of bargains can be had at the mall, I wait anxiously for black friday for an entirely different reason...leftovers! Is there anything better than a hot turkey sandwich with lots of gravy, stuffing on the side, and a sweet piece of pie for dessert? Well, okay, maybe it's not a gourmand's idea of culinary bliss, but it comes pretty close for me.

Our Thanksgiving was pretty traditional, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and vegetables and, of course, pie. Back when your grandparents and aunt would share our Thanksgiving table, I would always make at least two or three pies - there would always be pumpkin and either mincemeat or apple. This year, since I was only cooking for two, I really couldn't justify making two pies. (Hmm...a pie a piece? Maybe that's not such a bad idea!) Well, I really should clarify - I did make two pies - just not at the same time. We had mincemeat pie with our Thanksgiving dinner, but that was only because I've already made two pumpkin pies this year.

This pumpkin pie recipe comes from my mom. While we all know that my mom was not the greatest cook, she did make a wonderful pumpkin pie. This pie is lighter than most I've had - almost, but not quite mousse-like rather than heavier like custard. Topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream, it makes a fine ending to one of the best meals of the year. Oh - and if you can keep pie pilferers out of the refrigerator, it keeps really well, making for great leftovers!

pumpkin pie

1 unbaked 9" pie crust
1 1/2 c. cooked or canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 c. white corn syrup
2 eggs
1/2 c. evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tblsp. pumpkin pie spice

• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• Heat butter and milk together just until butter melts.
• In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, corn syrup, eggs and evaporated milk.
• Add brown sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice to pumpkin mixture. Stir well.
• Add milk/butter mixture to pumpkin/brown sugar mixture and stir well, making sure mixture is smooth.
• Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.
• Bake at 425 F. for 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven to 350 F. and continue baking 35 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. (Pie may still jiggle a little, but if the knife is clean, the pie is done)

misunderstood

Dear Mom,

In your last post you forgot to add a note to your fried sweet potatoes recipe: "Immediately refuse any offers of help from family members during the frying process."  Because chances are you will loose half of those wonderful potatoes due to "quality control."  Any one who has tried them knows exactly what I'm talking about, they're quite addictive.  (Oh, and don't forget to sprinkle with salt.)

Your last post got me thinking about another vegetable.  It's not necessarily tortured, but I think its misunderstood.  (Well, I think a lot of veggies are misunderstood, brussel sprouts and celeriac also come to mind.)  I'm talking about squash.  I actually start day-dreaming about squash mid to late summer, when I know fall is right around the corner, just as the leaves are starting to turn you start seeing squash in the farmer's markets and featured in the grocery store.  I've had a lot of friends tell me that they've never made any type of squash before.  I think maybe it has the opposite complex from the sweet potato.  They look too pretty.  People too often use them in flower arrangements and decorate their homes with the little gourds, and they completely miss out on this fall delicacy.

The other night it was still relatively warm here, considering its November, so I figured why not fire up the grill.  It was probably one of the last decent nights for grilling, but I still wanted to get some squash on the table.  So why not throw it on a cedar plank with some chicken, and to get us in the Thanksgiving Day mood, top it all with a little bit of cranberry gastrique. 

cedar-planked chicken with butternut squash
& cranberry gastrique

1 cedar planked, soaked in water for 15-20 minutes
1 small butternut squash, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 large shallots, sliced
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 cup 100% cranberry juice (not cocktail)
2 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts
1 orange, four thin slices and the juice

for the gastrique
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup white wine
3 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
salt

Preheat grill.  In a large deep dish pour 1/2 cup cranberry juice on chicken and let marinate. Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss together squash through olive oil (enough oil to lightly coat squash), and season to taste.  Spread mixture on the prepared cedar plank, place on grill over low heat and cook for 10 minutes.  Add the chicken over the squash and top with 2 orange slices per breast.  Cook over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. 

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the gastrique.  Combine all ingredients and the orange juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until sauce is reduced by half and coats a spoon.

Serve chicken over squash, drizzled with the gastrique.