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Grandma Grace’s Sweet Potatoes

November 20, 2011 by Rachel

In my family sweet potatoes are an integral part of our Thanksgiving spread.  While some prefer regular mashed potatoes, their sweet cousins have always been the potato of choice at our house.  There are a number of different preparations for them.  I like this one because it’s sweet, but not overwhelmingly so.  Don’t get me wrong, sometimes sweet potatoes with marshmallows hit the spot, but with such a rich meal these potatoes bring the sweetness without going overboard.

 

Grandma Grace’s Sweet Potatoes  - 1 Knife

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups sweet potatoes (about three medium-large potatoes)
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 1/3 cup butter

Prep:

  1. Peel the potatoes and chop them into ½ inch cubes.
  2. Place potatoes in a large pot and add water so that they are covered.
  3. Cook the potatoes over high heat until they can be pierced with a fork.  Once the water comes to a rolling boil stir occasionally and check on the potatoes every few minutes.
  4. Once the potatoes are cooked strain them in a colander.
  5. Melt ¼ cup of butter by putting it in a microwave safe bowl and cooking for 30-45 seconds depending on the strength of the microwave. Set aside.
  6. Break the eggs in a small bowl and beat with a fork.  Set aside.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

Cook:

  1. Pour the potatoes into a large bowl and mash them.
  2. Add to the bowl the sugar, eggs, ¼ cup of melted butter, milk, vanilla extract and salt.
  3. Stir well so that all of the ingredients are well mixed.
  4. Pour the mixture into a 1½ quart baking dish.
  5. In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, flour and walnuts.
  6. Melt the 1/3 cup of butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
  7. Add the melted butter to the brown sugar and flour mixture and stir until completely integrated.
  8. Using a spoon or hands spread the brown sugar mixture evenly over the top of the potatoes.
  9. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.
  10. Serve in the baking dish and enjoy!

Posted in Potato, Side Dish, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Cranberry Sauce

November 20, 2011 by Rachel

Cranberry sauce is a staple of Thanksgiving.  There are two camps, people who like whole-berry and people who like the jelly in a can.  I like both.  There is something about how the jelly holds the can shape that makes it a holiday classic.  At the same time the whole-berry just has a little more of that great cranberry zing.

This recipe is ridiculously simple and is as basic as it gets for cranberry sauce.  It will hold up well in the fridge for a few days, so you can make this well in advance of Thanksgiving Day allowing more time that day to focus on other dishes.  It is also so tasty it might just convert some of the jelly folks over to whole-berry…

 

Cranberry Sauce – 1 Knife

 Ingredients: 

  • 1 bag fresh cranberries (like Ocean Spray)
  • 1 orange
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • ½ cup sugar
  • water

Prep:

  1. Rinse the cranberries in a colander.
  2. Wash the orange and remove any wax that might be on the skin.
  3. Zest the orange to yield about 1 teaspoon of zest.
  4. Using the same orange, juice it into a measuring cup.  It should come to short of ½ cup.  Add water until you get ½ cup of liquid.

Cook:

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine the cranberries, orange zest, juice and water, cinnamon stick, and sugar.  Stir well to incorporate all of the ingredients.
  2. Allow the content to come to a rolling simmer, stirring occasionally.
  3. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the cranberries have broken down and the liquid has thickened.
  4. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  Once room temperature remove the cinnamon stick and transfer into another container to cool in the refrigerator.
  5. About an hour before you want to serve the cranberries remove them from the refrigerator so they can come up to room temperature.
  6. Transfer the cranberries into a serving dish, serve and enjoy!

Posted in Condiment, Fruit, Side Dish | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Basic Thanksgiving Turkey

November 19, 2011 by Rachel

Thanksgiving dinner can be the most intimidating meal all year to cook.  There is a lot going on from all of the sides and desserts, not to mention cooking a giant turkey.  I hope to demystify this dinner, at least a little, starting with the turkey.

Turkey is surprisingly easy to cook; you just need a roasting pan or any pan big enough to hold it.  You can also use an oven bag to cook the turkey, just be sure to follow the directions on it.  You can cook a turkey of any size, or just a turkey breast, following this basic rule: 325° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes per pound of bird.  Also you want to make sure the meat has reached 165° by checking it with a meat thermometer.  The little button thermometers that come with the birds cannot be trusted and often pop pre-maturely.

When it comes to the seasonings, you want to use enough to evenly sprinkle them over the whole bird.  Since bird and breasts can vary in size significantly I did not list measurements.  Use your best judgment as to how much to use.  When in doubt more is probably better than less.  Otherwise cooking a turkey is as simple as the instructions below.

 

Basic Turkey – 2 Knives

Ingredients:

  • One turkey or turkey breast, thawed
  • 1½ cups orange juice (2 cups for a whole turkey)
  • Paprika
  • Garlic powder
  • Black pepper
  • Salt (for whole turkey only)
  • Room temperature butter (for whole turkey only)

Prep:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit.
  2. Rinse the turkey in water, removing anything inside, like organ packets.
  3. If cooking a whole turkey rub the skin with the butter.
  4. Place the turkey in the roasting pan breast-side up.
  5. Pour the OJ over the turkey, allowing some to get inside the cavity.
  6. Sprinkle the paprika, garlic powder and black pepper over the bird so that it’s evenly covered.  If using a whole turkey also use salt.

Cook:

  1. Place the turkey in the oven.
  2. Baste every 30 minutes by pouring the bird’s drippings back over it.  If you don’t own a baster you can use a large spoon.
  3. When you have reached the approximate time that the bird should cook, check the temperature using a meat thermometer.
  4. When finished remove the bird from the pan and place on a cutting board to rest for about 20 minutes before carving.  While the meat is resting it’s a good time to prepare gravy with the drippings or save them to serve as is.
  5. Carve the turkey, serve and enjoy!

Posted in Entree, Turkey | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies

October 30, 2011 by Rachel

Its officially pumpkin season!   Really it has been for some time now.  I love baking with pumpkin beyond the usual pumpkin pie.  These pumpkin brownies I make every year for some occasion, or just because I want eat a whole pan of brownies on my own and feel no shame about it.  The only downside is that every photo I took of my batch of brownies for this post didn’t come out.  All so blurry that even photoshop cannot redeem them.  So just trust me that these are delicious and worthy of taking the time to bake…

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies – 1 rolling pin (Adapted from Very Best Baking)

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg whites
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (like canola)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Prep:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
  2. Grease a 9×9 inch square pan with butter.
  3. In a small bowl separate the two egg whites.

Bake:

  1. In a large bowl combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, 1 egg and egg whites, and oil.
  2. Stir until well combined.
  3. Add to the bowl the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt.
  4. Stir until everything is combined and there are no lumps of flour.
  5. Add to the bowl the chocolate chips and stir until just evenly incorporated.
  6. Carefully pour the batter into the baking pan, making sure its spread evenly.
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  With my oven I usually need to bake for the full 20 minutes.
  8. Allow the brownies to cool, serve and enjoy!

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Butternut Squash Soup

October 2, 2011 by Rachel

Fall has arrived.  The air is cool and crisp, the leaves are turning, and I’m under a quilt as I type this on the couch.  One of the best parts of fall is the squashes that comes into season.  One of the most popular is butternut squash.  I figure its popularity stems from the fact that it is very user friendly, and you can buy it pre-chopped at the grocery store.  Sometimes convenience is everything.

I will say, I am a big fan of a warm and velvety butternut squash soup.  This soup is just that, plus it’s relatively simple to make.  The key to this soup lies with your blender.  Just be sure to blend in batches.  Even if your blender can hold all of the liquid, the warm stuff will expand in your blender and cause a mess.  Just trust me on this one…

 A bowl for now, and some saved for work later!

Butternut Squash Soup – 1 Knife (Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 white onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 3 pounds butternut squash
  • 1 14.5 oz can of chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Prep:

  1. If working with a whole butternut squash, peel and remove any seeds.  Then cut the squash into 1 inch chunks.
  2. If working with pre-cut squash be sure the chunks are all about 1 inch in size, and cut down any chunks that are too large.
  3. Peel the onion and chop into a coarse/thick dice.

Cook:

  1. In a large pot over medium heat melt the butter.
  2. Add onions and salt to the pot, and cook until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add butternut squash to the pot, chicken stock, and enough water to cover the contents of the pot and raise the heat to high.
  4. Bring the pot to a boil, and then lower the heat to medium.
  5. Simmer the squash until tender, about 20 minutes.
  6. In batches puree broth and vegetables in a blender until smooth. Transfer pureed soup into a clean pot.
  7. Season the soup with additional salt (if desired), pepper and lemon juice.
  8. Once soup is seasoned to preference, serve and enjoy!

Posted in Soup, Squash, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Basic Banana Bread

September 10, 2011 by Rachel

I love it when a delicious recipe is beyond stupid easy.  It makes me happy.  Why should good food have to be difficult?  This banana bread recipe is as easy as it gets when it comes to baking.  The best part is you can add goodies like chocolate chips and walnuts to it to add flair.

When baking with bananas you want them to be over ripe, but not yet rotten.  It’s a fine line.  But a banana with lots of brown spots usually is perfect for baking.  You want it to be super ripe and soft so that mashing it is easy.

 

Banana Bread – ½ rolling pin

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick butter (plus additional to grease the pan)
  • 1 1/3 cup brown sugar (you can also use regular sugar instead)
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 cup bananas (about 2 large bananas)
  • ½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Prep:

  1. An hour before baking set out the butter to soften.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
  3. Using spare butter grease a loaf pan (about 8 x 3½ x 4 inches) on all sides.
  4. In a bowl mash the bananas with a fork until they are well mashed and gooey.  Set aside.
  5. Break the eggs into a small bowl, making sure no shells fall in with the eggs.  Then beat the eggs with a fork and set aside.
  6. Measure out the yogurt and set aside.

Bake:

  1. In a large bowl beat the butter with a fork until creamy.
  2. Add the sugar and stir to combine.
  3. Add the eggs to the sugar and butter and mix until fluffy.
  4. In a separate bowl combine the flour and baking soda.
  5. With a spatula stir in 1/3 of the flour to the butter and sugar and mix until incorporated.
  6. Next add the yogurt and stir until mixed in.
  7. Add another 1/3 of the flour and stir until mixed in.
  8. Add the bananas to the bowl and stir until well incorporated.
  9. Add the last of the flour and stir until well mixed.
  10. Add to the bowl the chocolate chips and/or walnuts if you are including them and stir until they are mixed in.
  11. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake in the oven for one hour.
  12. Allow the bread to cool in the pan before serving and enjoy!

Posted in Banana, Bread, Breakfast, Dessert | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Turkey Burgers

September 3, 2011 by Rachel

I have a confession to make.  I don’t cook hamburgers.  I just don’t.  I don’t know why this is, but never once at home have I ever wanted to make a beefy, juicy burger.  I only ever order them at bars.  I do however make the occasional turkey burger.  The other night my friend Kate and I made really great burgers for my mom and I thought I would share what we did.

First, a note on turkey burgers.  Like all poultry these have to be cooked 100%.  That means absolutely NO pink in the middle of the burgers.  For this I recommend thinner patties, but also putting a lid on the pan they’re cooking in to help accelerate the cooking process.  Also you should cut into them to check doneness when they are almost complete.   No one wants to get sick from an undercooked burger.

Also because poultry comes with all kinds of nasty germs I’ve intentionally ordered the steps so you touch everything in your kitchen but the meat first.  It’s important to be safe around poultry.  So if you are touching other items in your kitchen while working with the uncooked meat make sure to wash your hands.  Spreading germs around is bad news all around.

 

Turkey Burgers – 2 Knives

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup shredded cheddar
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3-4 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil

Optional toppings:

  • Cheese
  • Lettuce
  • Tomato
  • Sautéed onions
  • Sautéed mushrooms
  • Condiments like ketchup and any kind of mustard

Prep:

  1. Remove the peel from the garlic and chop into a fine mince, or use a garlic press to mince the garlic.  Place in the bowl you plan to mix the burgers in.
  2. In a small bowl separate the egg white from the rest of the egg and discard the yolk and shell.  Add the egg white to the bowl with the garlic.
  3. If you are not using pre-shredded cheddar, shred the cheese and place in the bowl with the garlic and eggs.

Cook:

  1. In the bowl with the garlic and egg white add the bread crumbs, cheddar (if not already added), salt and pepper.
  2. Add to the bowl the turkey meat.  Mix well until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.  This may mean using your hands. 
  3. Place a large pan (that has a well fitting lid) on medium heat and add the oil to warm it up.
  4. Form the meat into four even patties and add them to the hot pan.
  5. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes with the lid on, checking on them part way to make sure they aren’t sticking to the pan.  If they are sticking carefully loosen the bottoms with a spatula.
  6. Flip the burgers to allow them to brown on the other side and cook for another five minutes with the lid on until the burgers are cooked all the way through.  If you are unsure if they are done cut into one to make sure the center is not pink.
  7. Once the burgers are finished place on a bun, top as you like and enjoy!

Posted in Entree, Turkey | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Basil Poached Peaches

August 27, 2011 by Rachel

The peach harvest this summer is off the hook. They are at the farmers market every single week, no exceptions.  They smell and taste amazing, are juicy and just perfect. One of my favorite recipes for peaches combines them with another summer staple: basil.  While they may not seem like a natural combination the two together are mind-blowing.

For this recipe I wrote it for one whole peach.  I like to save the extra juice/sauce to pour over vanilla ice cream.  The goop is that good it really is worth saving.  I also think you could serve vanilla ice cream with the peaches themselves.   They can be served hot, room temperature or cold – totally up to you.  If saving the peaches in the fridge make sure to cover them with plastic wrap.

 

Basil Poached Peaches – 1 Knife

Ingredients:

  • 1 peach
  • ½ cup white wine
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 sprig of basil (about 10 leaves)

Prep:

  1. Cut the peach in half and discard the pit.
  2. Wash the basil and remove the leaves from the stem.

Cook:

  1. In a wide bottom sauce pan combine the sugar, wine and water over medium-high heat.
  2. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Add to the mixture the basil leaves and the peaches cut-side down.
  4. Cook for 3 minutes, and then using a slotted spoon turn the peaches and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
  5. Remove the peaches and place in bowls.
  6. Let the syrup to cook for 1-2 more minutes.
  7. Allow the peaches to cool a little and then using spoons, a fork or your hands carefully remove the peach’s skin.  Discard the skin.
  8. Using a slotted spoon remove the basil leaves from the syrup and discard.
  9. Drizzle the syrup over the peaches, serve and enjoy!

Posted in Dessert, Fruit, Peach | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

White Pizza with Dried Tomatoes, Artichokes and Olives

August 21, 2011 by Rachel

My friend Sara recently brought over a great dinner idea – a white pizza with Mediterranean inspired toppings.  I made a slight modification to get to this recipe, and it turned out wonderfully.  This is one of those meals that are easy to make on the fly on a weeknight.  You can even add to if you are so inspired.

I put a smaller amount of cheese on the pizza; however you like a really cheesy pizza you can certainly add to it.  I also sized this for a personal pizza, but you can expand everything for a larger pizza.  Just be sure to follow the baking directions on the crust you use.

 

White Pizza with Dried Tomatoes, Artichokes and Olives – 1 Knife

 Ingredients:

  • 8 inch pizza dough (I used Boboli’s but you can use any or make it yourself)
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella
  • 3 sun dried tomatoes (or use the recipe posted on this site for dried tomatoes)
  • 6 artichoke heart quarters
  • half 4.25 oz can of sliced or chopped black olives
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional if you want some heat)

Prep:

  1. Preheat the oven according to the directions with the pizza dough.
  2. Cut the tomatoes in half or in slices depending on how large they are.
  3. If the artichoke hearts are whole or halves, cut them down into quarters to yield six (or more if you really like artichokes).

Cook:

  1. Place the dough on a baking sheet.
  2. Spread ¾ of the cheese onto the dough evenly.
  3. Arrange on the dough the artichokes, tomatoes and olives.
  4. Sprinkle the oregano and red pepper flakes evenly across the pizza.
  5. Top with the remaining cheese.
  6. Bake according to the dough’s directions.
  7. When finished allow to cool for a few minutes, serve and enjoy!

Posted in Artichoke, Entree, Tomato | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Dried Tomatoes

August 20, 2011 by Rachel

The farmers market is in full swing right now.  It’s like sensory overload.  Right now one of my favorites is the heirloom tomatoes.  I decided to take some advice from Martha Stewart’s Living Magazine and try drying them myself.  I recommend Roma tomatoes or bigger, though you can also dry cherry tomatoes.

The big variable with drying tomatoes is how long they will take.  So if you are going to try this have a lot of time blocked off.  My tomatoes were plum sized, I cut them in half, and they took a solid 3 hours.  But tomatoes can take as little time as 1½ – 6 hours.  It’s a low and slow process.  So it’s important to be patient and also keep an eye on them regularly.

 

Oven Dried Tomatoes – 1 Knife

Ingredients:

  • Tomatoes (as many as you want)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Kosher salt

Cook:

  1. Preheat the oven to 250° Fahrenheit.
  2. Cut the tomatoes in half or into slices at least ¼ inch thick.
  3. Arrange the tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with either tin foil or parchment paper.  If tomatoes are halved place cut-side up.
  4. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt to create a thin layer.
  5. Next sprinkle the tomatoes with sugar to coat with an even thin layer.  You do not have to use all of the sugar, or use more if you are drying more tomatoes.
  6. Place the tomatoes in the oven and cook until dried out, checking on the tomatoes every 30 minutes or so.  You’ll know they are dried out when the edges shrivel and the juices stop running. 
  7. Allow to cool on a wire rack, serve and enjoy!

 

Posted in Tomato, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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