Category — Holiday

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.
We did.
Of course, the best part is having all my loves home with me!

For Christmas Eve, we brought back a tradition we began last year (when I had a fractured pelvis and could not stand up in the kitchen to cook) and we once again had blue cheese fondue. We are all in love with the new simple, fun, and communal approach to a special family meal. The kids voted that we add in chocolate fondue for dessert in 2014. Dave and I made that vote unanimous.

This was our Christmas day tablescape.

For our Christmas day dinner, the main course was something I taught at Les Gourmettes, individual beef Wellingtons.

You’ll notice that some of the photos below were taken while I was prepping for that class.

I purchased a full beef tenderloin and cut it into 16 pieces. This was the most economical way to feed a crowd.

For our holiday meal, I purchased already cut filet mignon.

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To you and yours…

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This recipe came from the food section of our newspaper and was provided by our local dairy, Shamrock Farms.

We didn’t trim our tree until Saturday, once the kids and my mother-in-law arrived. So the night before, I put together this breakfast dish while I waited for Marissa’s plane to get in from San Francisco. It was scheduled for midnight but delayed until 2:00 AM. I made good use of the extra two hours and wrote out all my Christmas cards as well… blurry-eyed, but I got it done!

We all enjoyed breakfast and tree-trimming, with carols playing in the background and coffee and hot chocolate mugs in our hands.

I made a few changes to the recipe; using actual rum instead of rum extract and subbing cinnamon bread for the firm white or whole wheat that was suggested. Additionally, I’ve decreased the number of eggs used in the mixture.

This eggnog French toast was a huge hit with the family and will likely become a new holiday tradition for us.

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The final Thanksgiving leftovers recipe of the season is a dessert, using up the last of your mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and whipped cream. It’s a wintertime take on strawberry shortcake.

If your sweet potatoes weren’t mashed, mash them before making these biscuits.

Oh, and did you know that you can buy powdered buttermilk? I’m not certain if I’ve mentioned this product before, but it sure is handy to have when you have all the ingredients for a recipe … except buttermilk. And isn’t that the point of using up leftovers – being able to use what you have and not having to make a special trip to the grocery store? It’s simple to use. Just as with powdered regular milk, you just mix it with water.

One last note – One of the secrets to light and flaky biscuits is to not overwork the dough. When handled with a light touch you should be able to see specks of the fat, whether that is butter, as in this recipe, or vegetable shortening or lard. Less is better when it comes to biscuits.

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I usually use the leftover Thanksgiving turkey to make enchiladas, chili, or tacos. This year… Turkey Gumbo!

The thing about gumbo is that you have to start with a roux. The thing about roux is that you have to stir constantly … for a long, long, long time! And the thing about stirring constantly is that I hate having to do that!

Several years ago I received an automatic pot-stirring thing-a-ma-jiggy, called the StirChef Saucepan Stirrer. It has sat in the box and never been opened … until yesterday when I made this gumbo. I’ve had it so long that the batteries that were included – were corroded.

Guess what, I should have left it in the box. It was useless. It only fit into the smallest of my saucepans and the paddle turned so slowly, seriously ridiculous!

Here are some of the reviews I found on Amazon:

“I spent one dollar on this at a thrift shop and I still feel like I was ripped off. It is no surprise they are already out of business. The thing doesn’t even fit on all but one of my saucepans.”

“I just set this up for the first time to make a roux… what a joke!
It fit the pan and that is THE ONLY thing that was a positive. As soon as those worthless paddles hit that hot oil and flour, they began to dissolve!”

“Attaching the StirChef to my new 4qt saucepan, I turned it on to stir some chopped vegetables for 10 minutes at low heat. After about 4 minutes the flimsy plastic blades began to melt, adding an interesting but unwanted taste to the vegetables.”

Evidently this lame product is a collector’s item of some sort. On Amazon, it sells for nearly $90 new and $60 used. Mine has only been used once. I’m willing to sell it for a mere $45.99.

Are any interested buyers out there? No? OK, maybe you’ll be more interested in my Gumbo recipe.

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If you watched the live Food Network Thanksgiving show last week, you might have seen the round-table discussion at the end of the show. I didn’t see it live but caught a bit of it online.

Some of the leftover ideas the chefs tossed around sounded fabulous – Thanksgiving Eggs Benedict” w/Gravy, Sweet Potato-Cranberry Shortcake, and Turkey Gumbo. Since this was a rapid-fire sort of affair – as in “everyone was talking over everyone else” – there were no recipes given.

Those were the three dishes that caught my fancy, so I thought I’d use their suggestions and create the recipes myself.

Today, is the “Benedict” breakfast.
Tomorrow, the gumbo.
The shortcake is on Sunday.

Get those leftovers out and make these recipes along with me…

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A Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving from my home to yours. xox

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The post entitled, “help me, help you,” received not only many thoughtful and inquisitive comments, which I was blatantly soliciting but also several personal emails.

There was a common theme that ran through them.

“What are your ‘must have’ items for a well-stocked Holiday/Entertaining pantry?”

“I need helpful Entertaining Tips.”

“Do you have tips for last-minute holiday entertaining?”

“I love your Thanksgiving Timeline, it has helped me year after year to stay on track. I know you host many parties, how about a Party Timeline?”

OK, you asked for it, you got it. Since Christmas is exactly one month from today (do not panic!) … I shall take on each of those topics/questions, over the next several days.

Today we shall tackle…

The Well-Stocked “Entertaining” Pantry, Refrigerator & Freezer

Freezer

My #1 must-have is Frozen Pizza Dough. Obviously, you can make mini-pizzas or foccacia, but an even easier option is to roll out, cut into thin strips, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan then bake. You now have warm delicious homemade bread sticks.

Next time you buy a Baguette, buy an extra one. Slice, place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and toast in the oven. Cool and then throw into a freezer zip-lock bag. They are perfect for last-minute appetizers; crostini, bruschetta, added to a cheese plate or topped with a savory purchased spread.

Puff Pastry. My freezer is never without this most versatile workhorse. It is like magic. To make sweet or savory tarts, all you have to do is roll it out, spread something on it, bake, and then slice. Puff Pastry is an appetizer base miracle worker that can be topped with virtually anything — any cooked chopped protein, cheese, vegetables, tapenade, or pesto – you name it.

Frozen Berries. At the ready for refreshing blended drinks or quick dessert with that puff pastry.

Nuts of all types. Storing nuts in the freezer is better than storing them in your pantry. The freezer prevents the natural nut oils from becoming rancid. They thaw in minutes. Healthy and convenient.

Shredded Cheese. When you have bits and pieces of cheddar, mozzarella, or jack cheese left; shred them and freeze. Now you’ll have it at the ready when you want to throw together that quick crostini or bruschetta with your frozen baguette slices.

Frozen Juice Cubes. Make juice cubes from leftover cranberry, orange, or apple juice, and lemonade for that matter; then drop a couple into champagne for an always festive and instant cocktail.

Selection of Frozen Hors d’oeuvres (you know I get mine at Trader Joe’s)

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Thanksgiving is two weeks from today… only 2 weeks, people!

With that in mind, I’m asking for your input, your comments, your suggestions, your help.

If you were to go over to the “Complete Recipe Index” over there on the top left side of this page, and you were to scroll down to “Holiday” then scroll to “Thanksgiving” … you would find more than 30 Thanksgiving Recipes, plus my “Thanksgiving Planning Guide” and about a half dozen Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes.

But you don’t have to go to the trouble today. I’ve listed all of that right here on this page for you.

That’s right, direct links to the “Guide” and all of the nearly 40 recipes can be found below.

After scanning the recipes, PLEASE let me know, by leaving me a comment at the end of this post, what it is that YOU want, and what it is that YOU need a recipe for.

Perhaps, you’re looking for a new take on green beans.

More pecan, pumpkin, cranberry, or apple desserts, possibly.

A new exciting recipe for …. ???  You tell me!

I’m counting on you. I need and want YOUR input. Contrary to what my family believes, I am not a mind-reader! Please tell me what you’re looking for. What you’re hoping for. Your Thanksgiving dreams and aspirations…

OK, you get the idea. For goodness sake just leave me a comment!

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Planning Guide

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We’ll be starting our evening as we always do… with homemade grilled pizzas.

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