Turkey Pot Pie

What better to do with leftover turkey than make turkey pot pie.

Ingredients
1 cup of chopped celery
1 cup of chopped carrot
1 cup of chopped onion
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half and half (I use fat free)
1/4 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 cups of turkey (mixure of white and dark meat)
2 pie crusts
1 egg

In a saute pan, melt the butter and add the celery, onion and carrot. Season with salt and pepper.  Cook the vegetables until they are soft (especially the carrots and celery).  Add the flour and make sure it mixes well.  Add the cream, stir and let it start to bubble and thicken a bit. Then add the chicken broth continue to stir and let the sauce thicken back up.  Add the chopped up turkey and 1/2 cup of frozen peas. Mix well. Season again with a little salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the bottom of pie plate with the first pie crust.  Fill the crust with the turkey vegetable mixture.  Add the second pie crust to the top.  Place slits in the top and then cover the top with egg wash.

Bake on 425 degrees for about 40 minutes.

I made a salad with baby arugula and drizzled it with a little grapeseed oil and white balsamic vinegar. I served some of the left over Shallot-Gin Cranberry Sauce with it.  Frankly the salad was quite tasty with the cranberry sauce mixed in it.

This meal was rated 4.5 asparagus spears

Thanksgiving 2011

It was our year to spend with my in-laws for Thanksgiving so we had Chris's parents and sister over to celebrate.  It was nice having a much more intimate gathering as opposed to our usual 40 plus people on my side of the family.


Menu
Appetizers
étoile Rosé
Assorted Cheeses and Crackers

Hot Pepper Jelly over Cream Cheese



Brie, Midnight Moon, Assorted Olives

Main Course
Shallot-Gin Cranberry Sauce
Green Bean Casserole with Madiera Mushrooms
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Sweet Potatoes
Fresh Turkey
Pork Sausage Stuffing
Dinner Rolls
2009 Newton Chardonnay
2009 Matthew Fritz Pinot Noir Carneros


Dessert
Pumpkin Bread
Homemade Apple Pie
Vanilla and Pumpkin Ice Cream


My plan on Wednesday night was to make as much as I could ahead of time so that S and I could watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade together on Thursday morning.  For those of you who know me well, you know my obsession with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I watch it every year.  While I wasn't able to watch the entire parade we saw a good amount together and S seemed to enjoy it; she pointed at the balloons, she saw Abby Cadabby on the Sesame Street float and really enjoyed the singing and dancing. Unfortunately she missed Santa at the end because of nap time but don't despair, I taped the rest of the parade for her. I don't think Chris has noticed it yet on the DVR otherwise I am sure it would have been "accidentally" deleted as he hates watching the parade.

So Wednesday night I was able to make the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, chop the vegetables for the stuffing, prepare the shallots for the cranberry sauce, make the cranberry puree and set the table. I decided I was going to buy flowers and attempt my own centerpiece. I was actually quite pleased with how the flowers turned out, typically I'm not so good with floral design.

This left making the stuffing, preparing and stuffing the turkey, making pumpkin bread, making the apple pie and making the green bean casserole for Thursday. I was actually quite impressed with myself I got everything done and did 3 loads of laundry all before 2:30 p.m. when our company arrived.


Shallot-Gin Cranberry Sauce

I had never actually made cranberry sauce before but found it to be quite easy.  I found this recipe on Gilt Taste, it is from Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowtiz, Mission Street Food.

Ingredients
1 quart cranberry juice
1 cup sugar
12 ounces fresh cranberries (or frozen)
3 shallots, finely diced
Zest of 2 oranges
Salt
Splash of gin, to taste (optional, but if you're concerned about alcohol, simmer it for a few minutes before adding )
Fresh tarragon, chopped, to taste (optional, but very nice)

1. The day before, generously salt the shallots and reserve them in the fridge.
2. Reduce the cranberry juice by half, then add the sugar and fresh cranberries. Cook on low until the cranberries are very tender. Drain the cranberries and reserve the liquid. In a blender, puree about half the cranberries with a few tablespoons of the reduced juice to get a smooth puree, and reserve the puree, along with the soft cranberries, in the fridge.
3. The following day, drain the shallots and combine them with the cranberry puree, the soft whole cranberries, orange zest, and gin and tarragon, if using.

Green Bean Casserole with Madiera Mushrooms

While I know my husband loves the regular old green bean casserole with canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup I was looking for something a little more exciting this year, something with fresh vegetables. I thought this was a good compromise.  This recipe was from the November 2011 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups chopped sweet onion

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 (8-ounce) package pre-sliced button mushrooms

1/3 cup Madeira wine or dry sherry

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1 cup (about 2 ounces) canned fried onions (such as French's)

1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Place beans into a large saucepan of boiling water; cook 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain well. Place beans in a large bowl; set aside.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and thyme to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently. Stir in wine, salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Add mushroom mixture to green beans; toss well. Place green bean mixture in a 2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish. Combine fried onions and grated cheese in a small bowl. Top green bean mixture evenly with fried onion mixture. Bake at 425° for 17 minutes or until top is lightly browned. 

Mashed Potatoes

I made my usual mashed potato recipe.  I used a combination of red potatoes and yukon gold potatoes; I had just under 5 lbs of potatoes (4lbs, 11 oz to be exact).  Wash and peel the potatoes, cut them into quarters.  Boil potatoes in water that is slightly salted.  When the potatoes are done (you can pierce them with a fork) drain the water and put them back into the pan.  Using a hand masher begin to mash the potatoes, add 2 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of sour cream, 2 palms of Montreal Steak Seasoning, a little salt and 1/4 cup of milk.  Continue to mash until you get the consistency that you are looking for.  I sprayed a corningware dish with some cooking spray and then added the potatoes, I let them cool before I put them in the fridge.  On Thursday I added about a tablespoon of butter (more to come on the butter) and then heated them for about an hour on 350 degrees.

Sweet Potatoes

Since we had such a small crowd I only made 4 sweet potatoes. Clean them and then bake them on 350 degrees for about an hour.  Let them cool and then you should be able to just peel the skin right off.  Cut them into smaller chunks. In a bowl two separate bowls melt butter in one and place brown sugar in the other. Roll the potatoes in melted butter and then roll in the brown sugar.  Place the potatoes in a baking dish and cover in the fridge. On Thursday I heated them for about an hour on 350 degrees.

Pork Sausage Stuffing
2 bags of Brownberry or Pepperidge Farm Sage and Onion Stuffing Mix
2 - 1 lb packages of Jimmy Dean Regular Pork Sausage
2 cups of chopped celery
2 cups of chopped onion
3 cups of chicken broth
2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted plus 1 tablespoon

Saute the vegetables in 1 tablespoon of butter, season with salt and pepper.  Let the vegetables cool a bit and then in a large bowl combine the stuffing, vegetables and slowly add the melted butter, chicken broth and the pork sausage.  Make sure everything is combined well and the pork sausage is broken into small pieces.
When you are ready to stuff the turkey put as much of the dressing as you can in the turkey and the remainder in a corningware dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cook on 350 degrees for an hour, make sure the pork sausage is cooked all the way through.

Turkey
We ordered a fresh Amish raised turkey from Standard Market, it was an 18 lbs turkey.  We cooked ours in a Nesco roaster so we had the oven space for all the side items.  I stuffed the turkey and then liberally coated the skin with olive oil and melted butter.  Seasoned with salt and pepper (lots of pepper).  I added a tiny bit of chicken stock to the bottom of the roasting pan.  We cooked the turkey on 325 degrees and turned it up at the end to 400 to get the skin a little more brown.  We basted the turkey throughout the cooking after the first hour. 

As far as the gravy goes I used a Turkey base that I got from Williams-Sonoma and then added some of the drippings/juices from cooking the turkey to it.



Dinner is Served... Happy Thanksgiving!


Homemade Apple Pie
To make the apple pie I used the filling I made a couple months ago when we received so many apples in our fruit deliveries.  I defrosted the filling over night.  On Thursday I used the Pillsbury Unroll and Fill Pie crusts, I placed the first crust covering my pie pan. Filled it will the apple pie filling and then added the second crust on top.  I put a couple of slits in the top and then cooked it for 40-45 minutes on 425 degrees.  I forgot to take a picture before we started serving it so here is one with a few missing slices.  It was quite delightful!  We served it with Oberweis Vanilla and Oberweis Pumpkin ice cream.

Pumpkin Bread
I cheated on this one and bought a package of pumpkin bread mix from Trader Joes. You just add water, oil and egg.  Pretty simple.  I made two small loaves.  I did make my own glaze for the top.  I used 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and then added a tiny bit of milk (maybe 1 1/2 teaspoons) and just drizzled it over the top.  The sad part is we were all so full no one actually had any on Thanksgiving, but S and I tried it out on Friday and it was delicious.  S LOVES it!

We had a great day, I think everyone enjoyed their dinner.  So I mentioned I would get back to the additional butter I added to the potatoes before heating them on Thursday.  As I was preparing everything Thursday Chris told me to be sure to use lots of butter. I proceeded to tell him how much butter was in everything and he felt the potatoes may need more.  So I figured, its Thanksgiving why not.  Well, the additional butter ended up cooking over right at the end of the cooking time and started to smoke in the oven. There was so much smoke that our smoke alarm went off.  I had just put S down for her afternoon nap and thought to myself what perfect timing, she is sleeping and dinner is ready.  Well, her nap did not last long at all, you see when one smoke alarm goes off in our house all of them do.  This includes the one in S's room and the one in the hall directly outside of S's room. The poor little girl was petrified when the it started sounding.  We ended up with windows open and someone fanning the smoke detector for a good 20 minutes.  Nothing says Thanksgiving like a smoke detector! 

Overall, we had a great day and we have so much to be thankful for. I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving!



S waiting for the company to arrive



Our Final Vegetable Delivery for the Season

This post is a bit tardy considering our delivery was over a week ago.  It was the final delivery of the season and it brings a tear to my eye.  I'm going to miss the anticipation of finding out what we were getting in our bushel. I guess we will just have to wait until June when deliveries start up again.

Fruiting Crops – 2 Butternut squash, Popcorn

Brassicas – 1/2 stalk of Brussels Sprouts, or Broccoli, maybe Cabbage

Alliums –Onions or Garlic

Cooking Greens – bunched Chard, perhaps Kale tops



Salad Greens –bagged Lettuce, bagged Spinach or Arugula
Root Crops – 2# Carrots, Beets, Parsnips, Kennebec potatoes

Butternut Squash

Last Sunday we went to my sister's baby shower for her husband's side of the family and friends.  It was a very nice afternoon and she got a ton of wonderful gifts.  When I got home I decided I was going to do something with the crazy amount of butternut squash we had from the past 2 CSA deliveries, especially since I was going to need room in our fridge for Thanksgiving.

I used 2 squash for Butternut Squash soup, 1 for Macaroni & Cheese and the other was cubed and blanched and put in the freezer to be used at a later date.

I heard about the Macaroni and Cheese recipe from my Aunt Marylynn. She saw it in the September 2011 issue of Cooking Light magazine and made it for her family; they all really enjoyed it including my cousin Neil who apparently despises Butternut Squash.  The recipe is actually called Creamy, Light Macaroni & Cheese, it has 390 calories per serving. The recipe below makes 8 servings, click the link for the complete nutritional information. The best part about this is it's a very kid friendly recipe.  S enjoyed it!


Creamy, Light Macaroni & Cheese

• 3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash) 
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth 
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk 
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese 
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1 pound uncooked cavatappi
• Cooking spray 
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in Gruyère, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined.

4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

5. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray.

6. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

Butternut Squash Soup with Crisp Pancetta
I found this recipe on my Food & Wine Magazine app on my iPad.

•  4 medium butternut squash (6 pounds)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 12 very thin slices of pancetta (3 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 large Spanish onion, chopped
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• Sugar (optional)  

1.   Preheat the oven to 400°. Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Set the squash on a rimmed baking sheet, cut sides up. Put a piece of butter in each cavity and season generously with salt and pepper. Drape the squash halves with the pancetta slices. Roast the squash for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tender.
2. Transfer the pancetta to paper towels to drain. Crumble and set aside. Scoop the squash out of the skins into a bowl.
3. In a large, heavy stockpot, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add 3 of the thyme sprigs and the bay leaf. Stir in the squash and the stock and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Pick out and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until thick and creamy-smooth, about 1 minute per batch. Transfer the soup to a clean saucepan. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper (and sugar if desired).
5. Reheat the soup if necessary. Ladle into 12 bowls. Garnish the soup with the pancetta, the leaves from the remaining 3 thyme sprigs and a drizzle of olive oil.

Make Ahead: The soup and roasted pancetta can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat the soup and re-crisp the pancetta before serving; the soup may need to be thinned with stock or water. 

I made the soup on Sunday night and started to puree it until I woke S up in the process.  So I ended up having to finish pureeing it on Monday night.  We just re-heated the soup and it was delicious.  I didn't add any sugar.  We ate it with some crusty bread.  Yum!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Another meal that Chris loves is pot roast.  I found this recipe on the Whole Foods website so I gave it a try last week. It was super easy and quite tasty.  


Ingredients
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour* 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1 teaspoon dried thyme 
1 (1 1/2-pound) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat 
3 tablespoons canola or extra virgin olive oil 
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups) 
2 Russet potatoes*, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 
2 small onions, cut into wedges 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth 
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste


Directions
On a plate, combine flour, salt, pepper and thyme. Dredge meat in flour, coating all sides. Heat oil in a large saucepan and brown meat on both sides, turning once, about 7 minutes total. Meanwhile, place carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic in a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker. Top with browned roast. Pour 2 tablespoons water into the pan you browned the roast in, scrape up any browned bits and add that rich liquid to the slow cooker along with the beef broth and tomato paste. Cover and cook until beef and vegetables are very tender, 8 to 10 hours on the low-heat setting or 4 to 5 hours on the high-heat setting. 


Nutritional Information
Per serving: 330 calories (110 from fat), 13g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 50mg cholesterol, 520mg sodium, 26g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 8g sugar), 28g protein

Standard Market

For months we have been waiting for the opening of Standard Market which is just down the street from our house.  Well it finally opened a couple weeks ago and we love it!  The market focuses on locally sourced foods.  They have a great wine and cheese section which we have been frequenting.  They have a huge seafood counter which I haven't gotten anything from yet but I am looking forward to it.  The meat department is great.  We have gotten a few items from there, but most importantly I am looking forward to the fresh turkey we ordered for Thanksgiving.

One of the things that Chris has found to be wonderful (besides the beer selection) especially when I am out of town is there Meal for Two dinners.  A couple Fridays ago we thought we would give one a try, it was Chicken Parmesan night.  For $14.99 you received, a salad, 2 large chicken breasts, fresh pasta and marinara.  The food was really good and the best part it was super easy to prepare.  I also couldn't believe the amount of food we got.  This is going to be great for a quick meal on nights when I am at work late and don't have time to cook.

Chris gave meatloaf night a try last week when I was at the gym.  I wasn't able to take pictures because he and S had devoured the meatloaf and mashed potatoes by the time I got home.  It also came with a side of steamed broccoli.  The best part in my opinion was he got his meatloaf fix (since I am not usually a big fan) and I didn't even have to cook.  Although I must admit I did try a little piece when I got home and it was quite good.

Chicken Sausage and Vegetable Soup

I love experimenting with soups once the weather gets cooler.  This one turned out great. Thanks to my sous chef, Becky for doing a lot of the chopping.

Ingredients
Bilinski Spinach & Garlic Chicken Sausage (12 oz package)
Diced Carrot, 2 cups
Diced Celery, 2 cups
Diced Onion, 2 cups
Fresh Ground Pepper
Sea Salt
Vegetable Broth, 32 oz
Cannellini beans, 1 can - rinsed and drained
Dark Red Kidney Beans, 1 can - rinsed and drained
Fire Roasted Crushed Tomato, 14 oz can
1 large zucchini, diced
Baby Kale, rough chop
Red Cardinal Spinach, rough chop

In a dutch oven, brown sliced chicken sausage. Add the celery, carrot and onion and continue to sauté.  Season with ground pepper and sea salt.  Once the vegetables begin to soften add the kidney beans and cannelloni beans along with the vegetable broth. Bring to a slow boil and then reduce to simmer.  Add the can of fire roasted tomatoes.  Simmer on low for a couple of hours with lid on dutch oven.

Add zucchini, and 2 big handfuls and 1 small handful of the fresh greens.  Place lid back on dutch oven until zucchini has softened and greens have cooked down.

Nachos

So this probably won't win any awards for nutritional value but it is certainly a quick meal to make, and quite tasty!  This was one of my what can I make quickly when I get home from work and not have to put a whole lot of effort into it meals.

Ingredients
1lb of Ground Beef
1 can of Black Beans
Tortilla Chips
Chihuahua Cheese
Your favorite Salsa (we used a corn salsa and pico de gallo)
Avocado
Shredded Lettuce
Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Sour Cream

In a pan, brown the ground beef and drain the grease.  Add Taco Seasoning and water and simmer until the taco seasoning is mixed in well with the beef.  Set aside.

Meanwhile preheat your oven on 350 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with foil and spraying it with cooking spray.

1: Tortilla Chips

2: Black Beans

3: Taco Meat

4: Chihuahua Cheese

Place in oven on 350 degrees for approx.  10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted

5: Salsa and Cilantro

6: Shredded Lettuce and Avocado

 We have also done this with shredded pork or chicken. It's great for a big group for game day!

The past few weeks

As you might guess by my lack of posting over the past few weeks we have been extremely busy. Although I do have a few recipes to share.  Between work and the craziness of the holiday season beginning we have not been home all that much.  I am excited for Thanksgiving as we are having it at our house, it's going to be a small crowd but I think it will be a really great day.  I am looking forward to preparing dinner and spending time with my in-laws.

Apple Cake Recipe from Becky's Baby Shower

As promised here is the apple cake recipe my mom made for Becky's baby shower.  She brought me over a photo copy of the recipe she has printed off but I was actually able to find the same recipe on-line, Crowned Apple Cake Recipe.  The recipe shows that it makes 14 servings.

Apple Mixture

4 large green apples (about 2 1/2 lbs.)

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 large eggs

1/3 cup orange juice (apple juice makes a great substitution)

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) or 1/2 cup pecans (optional)

1/2 cup pecan halves (optional) or 1/2 cup walnuts, maybe substituted (optional)

 

Directions 

1) Place oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray a 10 inch tube pan with removable bottom.

2) Peel, quarter, core and slice apples 1/4 inch thick. Place in a medium bowl with honey and cinnamon. Toss to coat and set aside while preparing cake.

3) In a large mixing obwl with electric mixer on low speed, mix flour, sugar, oil, eggs, juice, baking powder, vanilla, and salt until combined.

4) Increase speed to moderately high and mix until well blended, about 2 minutes.

5) Pour 1/3 of the batter into prepared pan. Arrange 1/3 of apple slices over the batter and sprinkle with chopped nuts if using. Cover with 1/2 of remaining batter. Arrange 1/2 of remaining apples slices over batter and top with remaining batter, spreading evenly. Over lap the remaining apple slices around the tube og the pan, extending out like petals. Pour remaining juices from the bowl over the apples. If desired, arrange nut halves along the outer edge to encircle the of the cake.

6) Place cake on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 80 to 90 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer inserted to center comes out clean. If top gets too brown, cover loosely with foil. Remove cake from oven and cool 10 minutes. Go around inside edges of pan with a knife and remove sides of pan. Cool cake to room temperature. Cut around the tube and bottom of pan with a knife. Carefully lift the cake from the pan to a serving plate. (Cake may be stored, covered, at room temperature up to 2 days or frozen.).

 

 

11th Vegetable Delivery - First Extended Season Delivery

I realized tonight that I never posted what we received in our bushel last week which was our first extended season delivery.  We only have one more box left for the season :(

We received Butternut Squash, Popcorn, Broccoli side shoots, a head of Cabbage, Garlic, onions, bunched Chard, Baby Kale, Leaf Lettuce, Red Cardinal Spinach, Beets and two pounds of Carrots.

100th post

I realized this afternoon that my next post would be my 100th post.  I was initially planning on preparing something a fancier in celebration but I just didn't have the time this evening.  I walked in the door right at 5:35 p.m. tonight which means I had 35 minutes to say hello to S, change clothes, get dinner going and get out the door so I could be at the gym by 6:30 p.m. for my training appointment.   As I was staring in the fridge to see what I could pull together quickly I noticed the jars of sauerkraut that I made a month or so ago.   You can find the sauerkraut recipe in my post titled Oktoberfest Update from late September.

Menu
Pork Chops with Homemade Sauerkraut
Roasted Red Kuri Squash with Mint
Alexandra Potato Dumplings

To make the pork, in a oven safe baking dish I layered the bottom with some of the sauerkraut, added two bone-in pork chops that I seasoned with black pepper and then topped it with the remaining sauerkraut.  The sauerkraut has plenty of salt to help season the pork so don't add any additional salt this dish.  Cover the dish with a lid and placed it in the oven on 325 degrees.  I put it in the oven right before I walked out the door.

I found the squash recipe in the November issue of Bon Appetit magazine, Roasted Squash with Mint and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds.  The recipe actually calls for acorn or butternut squash, however I had some slices of Red Kuri squash in my fridge so I went with that.  I also omitted the toasted pumpkin seeds just to avoid the extra step.  I think it still turned out really great.  I placed the squash slices on a baking sheet, drizzled them with olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper.  I called my husband when I left the gym and he threw them in the oven.  The squash was ready to come out of the oven shortly after I got home.  I drizzled them with balsamic vinegar and topped them with mint leaves.

The potato dumplings were by far the easiest part of the meal.  When I got home I put a pot of water on the stove and followed the boiling instructions.  When they were finished, I drained them and placed a tiny bit of butter on them and seasoned them with some pepper.

Chris was very happy because he was able to start watching the Bears game and dinner was ready by 7:30 p.m. so we weren't eating as late as we normally do on a night I go to the gym.  So everything worked out well.  Even better was the fact that the meal was quite good.

This meal was rated 3.5 asparagus spears

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Lasagna

Tonight I made Butternut Squash and Mushroom Lasagna. I found this recipe on epicurious.com.

Ingredients
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1/2 pound crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)

2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 5 1/2 cups)
1 14-ounce can vegetable broth
4 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
4 tablespoons sliced fresh sage, divided

3 15-ounce containers whole-milk ricotta cheese
4 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 large eggs

Olive oil
1 9-ounce package no-boil lasagna noodles

Directions

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to high; add mushrooms and cook until tender, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mushroom mixture to bowl; set aside.

Add squash, broth, 3 tablespoons thyme, and 3 tablespoons sage to same skillet. Cover and simmer over medium heat until squash is just tender, about 6 minutes. Uncover and cook until squash is very soft but still retains shape, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Mix ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon sage in large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper; mix in eggs.

Brush 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with oil. Spread 1 cup ricotta mixture over bottom. Arrange 3 noodles on top. Spread 13/4 cups ricotta mixture over noodles. Arrange 1 1/3 cups squash mixture over. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mushrooms and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with 3 noodles, then 1 3/4 cups ricotta mixture, half of remaining squash, 1/2 cup mushrooms, and remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat with noodles, 1 3/4 cups ricotta mixture, remaining squash, and remaining mushrooms. Top with 3 noodles. Spread remaining ricotta mixture over; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Cover with oiled foil.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake lasagna, covered, 35 minutes. Uncover; bake until heated through, about 25 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. (The lasagna can be assembled one day ahead and refrigerated.)

I cut down most of the ingredients in half because I was making it in a 9x9 dish.  I had a bit more than half of the mushrooms and squash.  I thought the lasagna was really good but I think next time I would add slightly more thyme and increase the amount of vegetables just a bit.  Overall it was a really easy recipe to make and it was quite tasty.

This meal was rated 3 asparagus spears

Becky's Baby Shower

I actually wrote this last night but didn't post it until now so I could get the remaining recipes on here.

Today we had my sister's baby shower, Becky is due on Christmas Eve and is expecting a baby boy! A couple of months ago when my mom first started planning the shower I told her I would make all of the food rather than hiring a caterer.  This all seemed like a great idea until a few weeks ago when I found out I needed to be in Los Angeles for work Tuesday through Thursday of this week.  When I first told my mom that I was going to be out of town her face was priceless, but everything worked out great.  I was off yesterday so we did most of the cooking then and I had a lot of help from my mom, sisters and my brother's fiancée.

One of the most important things we tried to do was make as much as we could ahead of time.  The shower began at noon so we didn't have a whole lot of extra time in the morning to prepare things.

Menu
Appetizers
Assorted Fine Cheeses, Nuts and Crackers
Marinated Olives
Pumpkin stuffed with Garlic Herb Cheese Dip

Main Course
Asian Pear and Spring Green Salad
Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
Pickled Shrimp with Lemon Chive Aioli
Rustic Tomato & Mozzarella Tart
Goat Cheese, Leek and Mushroom Tart
Beef Tenderloin Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions

Dessert
Apple Cake
Pumpkin Bars
Sweet Mandie B's Mini Cupcakes

Beverages
Bloody Marys
Pomegranate Mimosas
Red and White Wine
Grapefruit Izze drinks for the pregnant lady

The mom-to-be





View of the Cheese Tray

The cheeses included: Manchego, Goat Gouda, 8 year Cheddar and 12 month Mimolette
Marcona Almonds, Honey Roasted Almonds, Dried Cranberries, Red Grapes
Brie with Cranberries
Pumpkin Stuffed with Garlic Herb Cheese Dip


Another view of the appetizers












Marinated Olives
I purchased a container of pitted kalamata olives and green olives stuffed with garlic cloves.  Combine both types of olives in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, cracked ground pepper and a dash of red pepper flakes.

Pumpkin Stuffed with Garlic Herb Cheese Dip
Clean out the inside of a pie pumpkin.  In a bowl combine 8 oz cream cheese, a package of the Garlic & Herbs Alouette cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasonings and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Mix well.  Pour the cheese mixture into the pumpkin. Place on a cookie sheet with the top of the pumpkin next to it. Cover and tent with foil. Cook on 350 degrees for 45 minutes, remove the foil and then cook for another 15 minutes. Be sure not to have too thick of a pumpkin.  You can see a picture of the pumpkin in the second photo of the appetizers.  We served the tip with the flat pretzel chips.

Asian Pear Salad with Spring Greens
I used the vinaigrette from the recipe I made a few weeks ago, Asian Pear and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese, however today I just made a salad with spring greens and sliced Asian pears.  I made the vinaigrette yesterday and just stored it overnight in the fridge. Today we sliced the pears and stored them separately until we were ready to use them.  Be sure as you slice the pears to squeeze some fresh lemon juice over them so they don't begin to brown. About 10 minutes before we were ready to eat I tossed the greens and pears with the dressing. 

Roasted Beets with Arugula and Orange Vinaigrette
I used this recipe, Roasted Beets with Orange and Herbed Goat Cheese  as the inspiration for the salad we made.  I actually had intended on putting goat cheese on the salad today but completely forgot to add it.  However, I don't even think it was needed, the salad turned out great without it.

The red beets were roasted on 400 degrees for about an hour. Bake in a oven safe dish and put about 1/4-1/2 inch of water on bottom of pan. We had about 18 beets. Cover with foil while roasting. Reserve the juices.  We peeled them once they cooled and then stored them overnight in the fridge.  I followed the directions in the recipe to cook the golden beets, however I only used 3 extra large beets.  Due to the size of the beets they ended up cooking for a little over an hour. You know they are done when you can easily pierce them with a fork. These were also peeled once they cooled off. 
I squeezed the juice from the roasted orange along with the roasted garlic into a mixing bowl.  Add to the bowl the following and whisk together, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of crushed garlic, 1 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice, 1/2 cup of the reserved juice from roasting the beets. Season with a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper.  Zest of 1 orange. Add chopped fresh tarragon and chives. Store overnight in fridge.

We sliced all of the beets and stored them in a zip lock bag overnight.  Today we placed the sliced beets on a platter and then drizzled them with some of the vinaigrette. I also sprinkled some additional fresh tarragon over the beets.  About 10 minutes before I was ready to serve the salad I mixed a container of baby arugula and some of the vinaigrette in a separate bowl.  I then spread the arugula over the top of the beets. I didn't use all of the vinaigrette on the salad.

Pickled Shrimp with Lemon Chive Aioli
I found this recipe on-line when I was in search of menu items for the shower. It looked delicious, but I was a little nervous about making it for a crowd since I had never had it before.  But I went for it and I am so glad that I did.  So yesterday we sliced the lemons and red onion and stored them separately in zip lock bags.  We doubled the recipe.  We mixed the pickling sauce and stored it in a mason jar overnight.  Rather than making fresh shrimp this morning, we bought 6 lbs of frozen tail on shrimp that were already cooked. This morning we just defrosted them under cold water and the placed them on paper towels to dry.  About 2 hours prior to the shower we mixed the shrimp, lemon slices, red onion and the pickling sauce together in a serving bowl. We also made the aioli yesterday and stored it in the fridge overnight.

We made two types of tarts, a Goat Cheese, Leek and Mushroom Tart and a Rustic Tomato Mozzarella Tart.  Both of these recipes were from Williams-Sonoma.  For the Goat Cheese, Leek and Mushroom Tart we made the Leek, Goat Cheese Creme Fraiche mixture yesterday and then refrigerated it until this morning.  We also sauteed the mushrooms ahead of time and then stored them in the fridge overnight.  Today we made assembled and made the tarts so that they were finished right before we were ready to serve them.  We did take both the leek mixture and the mushrooms out of the fridge and brought them to room temperature before assembling the tarts.

For the tomato tart the only thing we were able to do yesterday was slice the tomatoes.  We simply stored them in a zip lock bag overnight.  We made 3 of the tomato tarts and 2 of the Leek and Mushroom Tarts.

Last but not least, the Beef Tenderloin Sandwiches.  I have made this recipe in the past; you can find the details on my post from July called Good Food, Great Friends. This post contains the recipes for the Beef Tenderloin, the Dijon Horseradish Sauce and Caramelized Onions.  We increased the recipe significantly since we made 15 lbs of tenderloin.  The beef was in the marinade for approximately 3 hours before we grilled it.  We grilled the tenderloins yesterday, stored them in the fridge overnight and then reheated them in the oven about two hours before the shower.  We sliced the meat ahead of time so that we could assemble the sandwiches.  We also made the caramelized onions yesterday and then re-heated them in the oven while the meat was being heated. The Dijon Horseradish sauce can also be made the night before as long as it is refrigerated.  We doubled the recipe for the sauce.

To prepare the sandwiches we used dinner rolls and potato rolls. (As you can see in the photo one of the potato rolls really stood out).  We added 2 slices of beef and some of the caramelized onions to each sandwich.  We left the Dijon Horseradish Sauce out in a bowl for people to add themselves. We also had additional caramelized onions out on the buffet.

You will have to excuse some of the photos as I didn't have my good camera with me.  I hope everyone who attended the shower enjoyed all of the food.  Somehow I didn't get pictures of any of the desserts. But they were delish.  I am going to have to post the apple cake recipe at a later date.  The pumpkin bars were absolutely divine.  My mom made them and used the Paula Deen Pumpkin Bar recipe, I was shocked when I saw that there was only a half of cup of butter in the frosting. 

Congratulations to Becky and Thierry! I can't wait to meet the little guy!