Sunday, December 8, 2013

Simple Mashed Potatoes

 
Michael made the mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and I have to say they may have been my favorite dish. See his recipe below.
 
Ingredients
 
3 large russet potatoes (or about 6 small potatoes), peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup soy milk
salt and ground black pepper to taste
 
In a large pot bring water to a boil, add the potatoes, cover, and simmer until a fork is easily inserted, about 15 or 25 minutes. Drain, and return the potatoes to the pot.
 
Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until a chunk consistency, then add the margarine and milk. Continue to mash to consistency of choice. Stir in the salt and black pepper until evenly distributed.
 
Enjoy!
 

Candied Sweet Potatoes

 
After the turkey was in the oven, Michael and I had some time to relax and figure out just what we wanted to do with the potatoes. We came across this recipe and thought it sounded interesting. It was a little bit less sugar/oil than a lot of the other recipes we had looked at, but did not lack any taste. I would definitely make it again in the future.
 
Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch freshly ground pepper
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour the oil into a 9x13 inch baking dish, and place in the oven until hot, about 5 minutes.
 
Add potatoes to the oiled dish and bake for 20 minutes in the prehead oven, turning after about 10 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
 
After the 20 minutes is up, remove the potatoes from the oven, and sprinkle with the brown sugar mixture. Stir to coat. Return to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes (it took us about another 20-25 minutes), or until potatoes are tender and golden brown. Stir potatoes as necessary and allow them to brown evenly.
 
Enjoy!
 

Green Bean Casserole

 
We knew green bean casserole was going to be on our Thanksgiving menu, but we hadn't found a recipe when we were at Trader Joe's and stumbled upon a package of fried onions that came with a recipe. We thought we would give it a shot. It turned out well, but next time I need to cook the green beans longer in the skillet, as they came out a bit underdone.
 
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons butter (or margarine)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package slice crimini mushrooms (regular mushrooms work as well)
1/4 sweet onion, sliced
24 oz green beans
1 container Trader Joe's Cream of Portobello Mushroom Soup (canned mushroom soup would work as well)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups swiss cheese, shreeded
about 4 oz fried onion pieces
 
Directions
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet; add mushrooms and saute until they become soft and lightly browned. Add onion and continue to saute until soft and lightly browned. Add green beans and saute until heated through. Add soup and water to skillet, mix and heat through. Add mixture to a small or medium size casserole dish. Top with cheese and fried onion pieces; place in oven and bake until cheese melts and becomes warm and bubbly, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

 
Enjoy!
 

Vegetarian Stuffing

 
We wanted to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but we were a little bit worried we were going to have way too much food for 8 people. We were thinking about skipping the stuffing since neither of us were huge stuffing fans. However, we decided to halve a recipe I found. The stuffing ended up being a hit and was the first thing we ran out of! Next time, I will probably use the original recipe (as shown below) that yields about 10 servings.
 
Ingredients
1 loaf of sliced white bread
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 cups chicken broth (I used vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)
 
Toast the slices of bread in a toaster oven. You want them to be pretty well toasted on both sides, but just be sure not to burn them. Once toasted, cut the bread into cubes.

 
In a stove pan (or a Dutch oven), melt the butter or margarine over medium heat.
 
 
Cook onion and celery until soft. Add the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
 

Stir in the bread cubes until evenly coated. Moisten with 1 cup of chicken broth, mix well.
 

 
Put the stuffing in a greased baking pan or casserole dish. Add more broth, depending on how moist you like your stuffing. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes. I made the stuffing the morning of Thanksgiving and just reheated it right before we sat down to eat. I added some broth once I put it in the baking pan and then added a little bit more right before I put it back in the oven to reheat. The amount of broth you add really depends on your preference. 
 
Enjoy!
 

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

 
This recipe is a must try! I think going forward it will be my go-to pumpkin pie recipe.
 
Ingredients
1 sugar pumpkin
1 premade (unbaked) pie crust
2 eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
 
Note - this recipe make enough for two pumpkin pies or one large pumpkin pie. I had a deep dish 9 inch pan that I used but if I did not have deep dish I would have separated this out into two separate pies. If you do that just be sure to adjust the cooking time appropriately.

 
Cut the pumpkin in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet lined with lightly oiled aluminum foil. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 to 45 minutes, until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Cool until just warm. Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel. Puree in a food process (alternatively, you can use a blender or mash by hand). Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.



 
In a large bowl, slightly beat the eggs.
 

Add brown sugar, flour, salt, 2 cups of the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and evaporated milk. Stir well after adding each ingredient. (I added some cinnamon, if you like cinnamon I recommend adding a teaspoon or so.)


 
Pour mixture into the unbaked pastry shell.

 
**Very important - place a strip of aluminum foil around the edge of the crust to prevent over browning. Michael helped me with this. We figure out the best way to do it by looking up a video. Click here for a cheesy video that explains a simple process.
 
The original recipe says to bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 40 to 50 minutes. I think a combination of our oven and the fact I was using a deep dish pie crush but this baby baked for about 3 hours (including the 10 minutes at 450 degrees). I would suggest giving yourself plenty of time in case the pie does take that long, but begin checking after about 40 or 50 minutes in the oven. The consistency of the pumpkin mixture will have a liquid consistency. Do not have fear - the pie will set eventually while baking. Try not to take the pie out until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. After 3 hours I became a little bit impatient and worried about overbaking so I took it out before it had quite reached that point, but it still turned out great.
 
If you end up splitting the pumpkin mixture into two separate pies, you should take off the aluminum foil when you believe you have 10-20 minutes of baking time left. Since mine took forever I left the aluminum foil on the whole time and I think it really helped save the crust from becoming too hard to eat.
 
Cool and refrigerate pie (after at least an hour of cooling) overnight for best results.
 
(pictured above with chocolate pecan pie and bourbon whipped cream)
Try serving this with some bourbon whipped cream!
 
Enjoy!
 

Bourbon Whipped Cream

 
This year Michael and I hosted Thanksgiving for my family. We were a little bit worried about preparing all of the dishes in our tiny oven and having everything warm at the same time. We ended up eating a little bit later than we were planning but everything worked out really well. I am already looking forward to the next time we get to host!
 
We tried to make everything from scratch, but didn't go crazy about it. This whipped cream recipe was one that Michael was especially excited about. It was a nice excuse to have a good bottle of bourbon around the apartment. It turned out really well and I was surprised just how easy it was to make.
 
Original Recipe can be found here.
 
Ingredients
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons premium bourbon (we used Turkey)
 
In a medium bowl, whip cream with a hand mixer until soft mounds form.
 
 
Gradually add sugar, whipping until cream forms stiff peaks (see Michael's finger above pointing to the stiff peaks).

 
Using a spatula, gently fold in the bourbon. Chill until ready to serve.
 
Enjoy!
 

Black Bread

 
Michael's brother bought Michael the Game of Throne cookbook for his birthday. (Thanks Adam!) If you are into Game of Thrones and you like to cook it is a must-have. After going through every recipe in the book we decided the black bread would be the first recipe we should try. It's a delicious bread that can be eaten with almost anything (we used it for sandwiches, cheeses, bruschetta, etc.), but would be amazing with a stew.
 
Ingredients
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (1 packet)
One 12-ounce bottle dark beer such as a stout or porter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons honey (the original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons but we like it a little bit less bitter)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 egg, beaten
4 to 5 cups mixed flour (we used 2 cups of rye and 2 1/2 cups of TJ's whole wheat/white flour blend)
additional flour for working (once again we used TJ's flour)

 
In a small bowl, add the yeast and honey to the bear and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes until it becomes foamy. Add the salt and beaten egg to the wet ingredients, then begin adding in the mixed flour, one cup at a time.

 
Once the dough forms into a cohesive mass, flour your work surface and turn the dough out for kneading. Need the dough for about 5 minutes until it bounces back when poked.
 
Cover with a clean dish towel and let it rise for at least 1 hour in a warm spot. I usually turn the oven on warm for a few minutes, turn it off and then put the dough in to rise.
 
Next, punch down the dough, put the towel back on and let it rise again for at least 2 more hours in a warm area.
 
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
 
 
Form the dough into two loaves and dust them lightly with flour. If you want you can use a knife to slash the tops in a decorative pattern.
 
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned, then let it stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.
 
 
This picture shows the bread with goat cheese, pistachios and dates. I highly recommend trying this!
 
Enjoy!
 

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Apple Pie


A few weeks ago I wanted to test out a pie crust recipe so I could be sure the pies I baked for Thanksgiving would turn out well. I found this recipe for apple pie and it was so delicious that I will definitely be making it again.

Ingredients
2 unbaked pie crusts (click here for a great pie crust recipe)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (or margarine)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
7 to 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.


Place the bottom crust in your pan.


Fill the crust with the apples. Dust the apples with cinnamon.


Cover with a lattice work crust.



Pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. I used a large spoon and poured slowly so it would not spill off the sides. Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.



Enjoy!



Pie Crust


Most Thanksgivings in the past I've made pies with store bought pie crust. This year I wanted to create the pies from scratch. Luckily, the first pie crust recipe I found was a winner.

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water

Mix shortening, flour, and salt together with a form or a pastry blender until very crumbly. 


Add as much water as needed to hold together, and mix lightly with a fork.

Roll gently on a floured pastry cloth to about an inch larger than pie plate. Fold carefully in half, lift to pie dish, and unfold. Press crust into pan. If necessary, cut off an extra dough.


Friday, December 6, 2013

Pickled Jalapenos

This is a favorite of mine. Nothing says authentic Mexican food quite like taqueria-style pickled jalapenos. Of course they are fantastic on any taco or quesadilla, but in our apartment these babies go on everything - sandwiches, eggs, cheese and crackers, salads - everything. They're super easy to make, and stay good for a really long time (no idea how long cause they never last long enough to find out).

You'll need:
-Jalapenos - sliced into rings (I would say 6-8 but it really depends on the size of the jalapenos, size of the      jar, and how many jars you are making)
-1 carrot -sliced into rings (optional)
-1/2 white onion - chopped (optional)
-2 cloves garlic - minced

For the Brine you'll need:
-1 cup water
-1 cup distilled white vinegar
-4 tbsp sugar
-2 tbsp kosher salt

Directions
(1) In a medium saucepan combine the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and garlic. (Note: you will want to make extra brine if you are using larger jars, or making several jars full).
(2) Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
(3) Add the jalapenos, carrot, and onion and immediately remove pan from the heat. Use a spoon to press the vegetables down into the brine.
(4) Let sit for 10-15 minutes. The jalapenos will have turned a darker shade of green.
(5) Use tongs to remove the jalapenos (and other vegetables) from the brine and pack your jar(s) until they are full.
(6) Use a ladle to pour the brine into the jar(s) until they are filled to the brim and all vegetables are covered in brine.
(7) Let the jars cool to room temperature before putting the lids on.

Tips:
-I prefer using the hottest jalapenos I can find. I've seen some labeled 'medium' or 'mild' (mostly at farmers markets), but keep in mind that they will lose some heat in the pickling process. I have done this with both 'hot' and 'medium' peppers, and the 'hot' ones turn out to be what I would consider medium spicy.
-I've heard some people say to keep these in the fridge after you open them, but the pickling process does preserve the vegetables, and I've left jars on my counter for several weeks without a problem.