Thanksgiving 2009

It was just the three of us and 80 degrees in LA. We made a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and gravy.

We mixed herbs in to the butter...

Stuffed her with herbs, lemon, garlic...

 

Mom rubbed it in...

added some veggies underneath, and she was ready!

Eddie was reading the paper

But it was 80 degrees, so we decided to go walk on the beach

 When we returned, I made a Wild Mushroom and Scallion Frittata, which I cannot find the recipe for, but will keep looking. Very simple.

Then the stuffing was made. I am fairly grossed out at how much meat or meat-products go in to this. Also, a ton of butter. But it is the best thing ever made, I eat it for breakfast now. No joke. Gross.

 And I mashed the potatoes and added some cream. More simple and LESS fat than I imagined. Next year I want to leave some skins on.

And then it was done! (not finished, a la Granny)

Update: Sarah's November Pizza

I put this off because I couldn't find time for all the rising this dough needs! Then I bought the wrong yeast. Then I poured the entire packet in to the flour mix, not 1/4 teaspoon. Arg. I used this:

This was the first time I have ever made pizza from scratch and I learned a lot. Especially about pulling the dough. You can see from my pictures that I have huge, thick crusts. This was partially by design but mostly by accident as I thought pulling too much would result in super thin pizza. I was wrong, but I also love crust so I ate some with honey when the toppings had been devoured. Yum.

I made three pizzas with this dough, loosely adapting two recipes from Food & Wine October 2009.

For the first pizza, I thought this recipe sounded good, but I didn't use Summer Savory as I couldn't find it, and I also didn't add walnuts. This is great, but needs more goat cheese!

Next I tried to duplicate this recipe  but differed quite a bit. I added mushrooms and onions to the leeks, and then I used gruyere cheese. This was a favorite!

 

And for the last pizza, I was on my own. I didn't have any marinara or tomato paste, so I just threw some olive oil and garlic on the dough, topped with tomato, basil, oregano, mozzarella AND feta just to mix things up. This is Elliott's fave, might be mine too.

Basil plant is DYING!

Cheeeese, yum!

Sarah's Pizza

Delicious! I made two pizzas with pizza sauce and fresh mozzarella. I made one with pureed pumpkin mixed together with salt, pepper, and sage, and topped it with goat's cheese. The pumpkin version was not to my liking, but the margarita styles were delicious.

If it's good enough for Obama

Then maybe it will provide some menu inspiration:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/24/in_depth_politics/main5762869.shtml

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Stick with me. I know vegan desserts are probably not your thing, but trust me, this is good. So good that after I told our definitely-not-vegan friends that the mousse was made with tofu instead of egg whites everyone agreed that you would never know the difference had I not said anything.

I made this recipe, based on one from Cooking Light, which has been sitting in my recipe file for a long time. I am so glad I finally got around to making it as I know I'll be making it a lot in the future. You can make it in ten minutes or less, and while it chills in the fridge you can organize the rest of your meal.

Ode to Heidi #2 - Mushroom Casserole

Heidi's mushroom casserole recipe is delicious. I served it for dinner, hot and right out of the oven.

The next day I added cubed basil tofu and ate it cold, for lunch. 

Ode to Heidi #1 - Curried Egg Salad

I love Heidi's 101 Cookbooks site. Her recipes are healthy, interesting, and delicious.

I very rarely eat egg salad. I like the taste but the more I think about all that mayo, the more I want to pass. Heidi's curried egg salad is fresh and delicious, without all the mayo.

I think it tasted best on its own, but you could make it into a sandwich, with a very mellow bread.
--Sarah

Heath(ier) Chocolate Peanut Butter Spread

Last weekend in Paris, Steve bought a fresh, hot baguette, which is a true treat on its own. Then he opened a brand new jar of Nutella, and spread the Nutella all over piece after piece of baguette. It was delicious. We often discuss if Nutella is better on a crepe (says me), or a baguette (says Steve). Last week I found myself home alone, just me and the jar of Nutella. I didn't have anything to spread it on, so I found a spoon and a jar of peanut butter and made do with the pair (which was crazy good).

Today I found this interesting, healthier option for chocolate spread. I was very doubtful, and fearful it would taste like hummus. As the person who posted the recipes says, "I promise it doesn't taste like hummus!"

Carrot and Cranberry Salad with Fresh Ginger Dressing

I made this recipe from Bon Appétit. I adjusted it by using somewhere between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup of rice vinegar, and adding less than 1/4 of sesame oil. It is a very light salad and would be good for Thanksgiving to counteract all the heavier side dishes. The cranberrys are deliciously sweet compared with the tart of the vinegar.
--Sarah

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown! - Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

The sisters' love affair with pumpkin continues....

In our second to last week of the CSA, we received this pumpkin:

 

It is a Long Island Cheese pumpkin, prized for good eating.  It was too prized to carve and display outside, so I made Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup from the SF Chronicle link here.

You have to roast the pumpkin for 1 1/2 hours.

The pre (looks like it is sweating w/ anticipation):

And the post:

[Lucy scoops out the innards of the pumpkin Linus brought]

Linus: [groans] You didn't tell me you were gonna kill it!

After the pumpkin prep, the soup comes together easily.  Saute the onions, herbs and peppers:

As an additional bonus, I prepared the seeds.  I sauteed them in a little oil and then roasted them in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Delicious!

In the end, I served it with avocado and the seeds:

-- Kate

Sarah's November Recipe Selection: Pizza Dough

It's a pizza party!

From the July 20 - 27, 2009 edition of New York Magazine.

DIY Pie (Yields 3 10-inch crusts):

Carrot Cupcakes with Marscapone Icing

I found this Williams-Sonoma recipe years ago when searching for something to bring to a party. Three years and thousands of miles away from Chicago, I finally made it. (I did not use mascarpone, and I did not top with mango) This is a great carrot cake recipe for those who do NOT like the traditional recipe with all of its spices. This is full of citrus and tastes refreshing and is not at all like regular carrot cake, my favorite cake.  Recipe Here

Nutritionists have long known that yellow and orange fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of the antioxidant beta-carotene, which the body converts into essential vitamin A, but only recently have the full benefits of this color group of produce come to light. Orange fruits and vegetables taste bright and zesty, and they help keep us healthy in many ways throughout the year. In this recipe, carrots help make these cupcakes moist and sweet. -- Youngest

Pumpkin Squares, Part III

I made my own version of Kate's recipe, but made them in to cupcakes so I could easily take to work for the crazy Halloween party they have (think middle school). I ran out of sugar so used a bit less, but substituted with some agave syrup and they tasted fine. I was nervous making these in a different shape, since baking is so incredibly by-the-book, and feared they wouldn't rise correctly. But they did! Everyone enjoyed, from what I have heard / seen. The recipe made about 22 cupcakes.

---Youngest

Update: Kate's October recipe: Rarebit

I just finished Julie & Julia and am fairly displeased with the book. Not at all as interesting or witty as I expected.

Not equally displeased, but not happy, with the Rarebit I made tonight. I think next time I would double the garlic and tone down the horseradish. Also, maybe use a different version of cheddar? Same goes for the beer, I might try another brand. As you can see below, I used Stone, a popular ale from SD.

--Youngest

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin is so good, I really don't know why we don't bake with it all the time. This is the second time I've made these muffins from the November 2007 issue of Cooking Light, and they are perfect for breakfast or for an afternoon treat. They are best when heated under the broiler with melted butter. 

xx - Sarah

Pumpkin Squares - Redone

Your pumpkin squares looked so good that I wanted to make them, too, but I didn't want such a big amount (because I know I would end up eating them all). So, I made the recipe but instead of putting it in an 11x15 pan, I used two 9" cake pans. I reduced the sugar to 1 1/2 cups; next time I might go further to 1 1/4 or 1 cup. It was delicious, and now I have the second 9" cake in the freezer for another day.
xx - Sarah