Mashed ‘Taters

14Dec11

I wish I could give a recipe for this one, but here’s the closest I can do…Yes, I am still posting Thanksgiving recipes…

One potato/serving

Stick of butter + a little more

Some milk

Some half/half

Some sour cream or cream cheese

Garlic cloves

Penzey’s Country French Vinaigrette

Boil potatoes, drain and allow to cool.  Peel and rice potatoes.  Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat.  Add garlic and sauté for a moment.  Add riced potatoes.  Add a few dashes of milk, mix.  Add milk according to preferences.  Toss some half/half in if you’ve got it…Put a few more squares of butter in mix it up. Add either a few spoon fulls of sour cream or half a package of cream cheese, mix.  Add some of the spices and voilà!

Just a note, you don’t have to rice the potatoes…you can just smash them.  Since this gal works with just a whisk, the ricing helps make the taters more manageable…You can always add in bacon or cheddar to spice up the leftovers too!

Family verdict.  They loved it.  Especially our Irish guest, who I believe is a connoisseur of all things potato…

My verdict.  It was good.  Thicker than usual.  I used cream cheese, because I did not have sour cream.  It’s good, I prefer the sour cream…

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Tags: mashed potatoes

the best pumpkin pie

06Dec11

So I got this recipe from a newspaper flyer, Relish, that comes out pretty frequently in the RTD…

Funny story, I didn’t read the recipe well enough because I thought this just made one.  So I defrosted a gallon size bag of pumpkin from our summer garden.  I thought we would end up with 4 pies…Ha! We made four and froze filling for 4 more… This is ridiculously delicious.  Seriously.  Makes a great breakfast too.

2 9” deep dish pie crusts

1.5 cups packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon clove

1/2 teaspoon allspice

4 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 [29 oz can] can pure pumpkin not the pie filling

2 12 oz cans of evaporated milk.

Preheat oven  to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine all spices in one bowl.  Beat eggs in a large bowl, add evaporated milk.  Add pumpkin, mix well.  Add brown sugar, mix well.  Add spices, mix well.  Once you have mixed well, pour into pie molds.  DO NOT freak out that the mix is VERY liquidy.  Trust me, everything will be ok, just bake it….Bake pies for 15 minutes at 425.  Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake another 45 minutes.  Check for doneness by inserting a knife into the center of pie.  If it comes out clean, it’s done!

Check back soon for my easy peasy pie crust recipe which makes the pie even better!

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Tags: pumpkin pie

dreaded leftovers

04Dec11

Oh, that poor turkey lurkey.  Everyone’s eaten their fill, and they don’t want anymore turkey til Christmas, or maybe even next year…And what about that pile of mashed potatoes and stuffing?  What to do with all the leftovers?

I’ve seen some fancy recipes for turkey pot pie and whatnot, but then you’re adding new ingredients instead of just using what you’ve got.  Whatever happened to a good old fashioned sandwich?  You could spice it up too…

I snagged a Giada panini press at Target a couple of months ago and figured this would be the perfect time to try it out.

I made a cheddar, turkey and dried cranberry panini for the Nut.

I had turkey, cheddar and fig preserves panini for myself…

deliciousness. What did you do with your leftovers?

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Tags: leftovers

more THANKSgiving recipes

02Dec11

This recipe comes from a Pepperidge farm ad…I’d make it again, just without the sausage.  Man it was too much with all the turkey and sides!

1 pkg ground sausage [optional]

12 slices texas toast

1/2 cup butter

2 onions, chopped

1 cup green peppers, chopped.

1 teaspoon sage

2 eggs lightly beaten

2 cups chicken broth

salt, pepper

Bake texas toast according to directions.  Cool and cut into cubes [1” or so].

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a large skillet, crumble & cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.  In same skillet, melt butter and sauté onion and green pepper until tender.  In a large mixing bowl combine sausage, butter mix and bread crumbs.  Add eggs and broth, toss gently.  spoon into a 4 quart baking dish.  Cover with foil, bake for 60 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serves 12.

Family verdict:  Sis doesn’t like the peppers.  Everyone else liked it.

My verdict.  I would try cutting slightly smaller cubes next time, and I would ditch the sausage – too much going on!  I like the pepper and onion though.

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THANKSgiving

30Nov11

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful, to gather with friends and family, and to stuff yourself with delicious foods.  I just wanted to take a moment to share thoughts…and recipes that were absolutely yummy.

I am thankful for the break that I had.  I have been but a ghost on my blog, as I am in the midst of my first year of teaching.  I am a quarter of a French teacher and three quarters English as a Foreign Language teacher.  I am grateful for my job, the great variety of students with whom I interact [kindergarteners to high schoolers], the mentorship and wonderful warm welcome that the county has given me.

I have also been MIA here because I decided to become involved again with the RAMfam, and I feel so lucky that they have adopted me as their backline coach.  It’s been great to work with the old girls to coach, and the current side is awesome to coach!  Oh, how I have missed rugby.  They ended their fall season with a victory against UR that was incredible.  I can’t wait for next season.

I am thankful for my family and friends.  I haven’t had much time to interact with them, because my head has been buried in lesson plans and papers, but I made the time this weekend and took a break to enjoy simple walks with friends, chats over chai, and cooking in the kitchen.  Everyone has been supportive of me and my pursuits, and for that I am very grateful.  I could have and would have done it anyway, but the support of everyone has made it that much easier for me to achieve.  I am especially G.rA.teful for a friend who reminded me I have this blog and that she would love to see some recipes!

This year I tried green bean casserole, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes for our holiday gatherings…

green bean casserole recipe taken from  Mr. Parfitt [culinary specialist at UR, via RTD’s recipes]: tweaked to suit my fancy….

1 pound green beans washed and ends snipped off

2 leeks, cleaned and cut into thin rings

canola oil for frying leeks

2 tablespoons butter

8 oz mushrooms, chopped

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup half and half

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup italian bread crumbs

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bring a large pot of water [with pinches of salt] to boil. Add green beans and cook for 5 minutes [until bright green].  Drain and rinse.  set beans aside.

In a medium skillet heat canola oil & fry leeks until crisp.  Remove and place on paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt.

Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat.  Add mushrooms and thyme.  Cook until mushrooms are soft and take on color.  Add garlic, cook for a minute.

Add flour and cook for a minute, stirring the whole time.  Add stock & half/half, stir.  Cook for 5 minutes until mixture thickens.  Season with salt, pepper.

Mix beans into mushroom sauce and transfer to casserole dish. Top with cheese, bread crumbs, and leeks.  Bake for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.

Serves 6.

Family’s verdict – Although delicious, they miss the French’s fried onions.

My verdict – Tough guys, this dish is delish!

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Tags: green bean casserole, thankful, thanksgiving

THANKSgiving

30Nov11

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful, to gather with friends and family, and to stuff yourself with delicious foods.  I just wanted to take a moment to share thoughts…and recipes that were absolutely yummy.

I am thankful for the break that I had.  I have been but a ghost on my blog, as I am in the midst of my first year of teaching.  I am a quarter of a French teacher and three quarters English as a Foreign Language teacher.  I am grateful for my job, the great variety of students with whom I interact [kindergarteners to high schoolers], the mentorship and wonderful warm welcome that the county has given me.

I have also been MIA here because I decided to become involved again with the RAMfam, and I feel so lucky that they have adopted me as their backline coach.  It’s been great to work with the old girls to coach, and the current side is awesome to coach!  Oh, how I have missed rugby.  They ended their fall season with a victory against UR that was incredible.  I can’t wait for next season.

I am thankful for my family and friends.  I haven’t had much time to interact with them, because my head has been buried in lesson plans and papers, but I made the time this weekend and took a break to enjoy simple walks with friends, chats over chai, and cooking in the kitchen.  Everyone has been supportive of me and my pursuits, and for that I am very grateful.  I could have and would have done it anyway, but the support of everyone has made it that much easier for me to achieve.  I am especially G.rA.teful for a friend who reminded me I have this blog and that she would love to see some recipes!

This year I tried green bean casserole, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes for our holiday gatherings…

green bean casserole recipe taken from  Mr. Parfitt [culinary specialist at UR, via RTD’s recipes]: tweaked to suit my fancy….

1 pound green beans washed and ends snipped off

2 leeks, cleaned and cut into thin rings

canola oil for frying leeks

2 tablespoons butter

8 oz mushrooms, chopped

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup half and half

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup italian bread crumbs

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bring a large pot of water [with pinches of salt] to boil. Add green beans and cook for 5 minutes [until bright green].  Drain and rinse.  set beans aside.

In a medium skillet heat canola oil & fry leeks until crisp.  Remove and place on paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt.

Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat.  Add mushrooms and thyme.  Cook until mushrooms are soft and take on color.  Add garlic, cook for a minute.

Add flour and cook for a minute, stirring the whole time.  Add stock & half/half, stir.  Cook for 5 minutes until mixture thickens.  Season with salt, pepper.

Mix beans into mushroom sauce and transfer to casserole dish. Top with cheese, bread crumbs, and leeks.  Bake for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.

Serves 6.

Family’s verdict – Although delicious, they miss the French’s fried onions.

My verdict – Tough guys, this dish is delish!

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color debate du jour: honeysuckle

28Jul11

The honeysuckle I know - classic.

No summer memory of my childhood would be complete without the sweet smell of honeysuckle. The walks through the neighborhood, the abundance of green vines with delicate trumpets of white and yellow.  Plucking the flowers by the handful, we would carefully separate the filaments from the flower at the base and begin to slowly pull it through dragging all of the sweet sweet syrup through the narrow part of the flower and drink it up in itty bitty sips.  The smell of honeysuckle is nearly intoxicating – it’s a delightful surprise to walk along a new path and smell the sweet scent of this summer flower.

Now, let’s do a little word association…When you say honeysuckle, I think summer, childhood, yellow.

Therefore, herein lies the confusion which Pantone has created for me for the past year:

Honeysuckle is pink, not yellow.

In their press release they outline coordinating colors for fashion:

“Honeysuckle always works with the standard basics of black, navy, charcoal or light to mid gray. But using complementary bronze greens like Willow PANTONE 16-0632 and/or Tapenade PANTONE 18-0840 adds a new sophistication to the combination that showcases the energy of Honeysuckle. The green tones can be really interesting in accessories for Honeysuckle tights and top. Another great and unique combination is Honeysuckle with a pinkish brown like Apricot Brandy PANTONE 17-1540…”

Delightful, insightful, colorful.  You can read more here.

The fact that they would label a pink color honeysuckle has been disquieting to me…Everytime I would see a fashion ad or hear honeysuckle and see pink I would wonder why not a nice golden yellow?  Finally, I decided to do a little research online…

At abouthoneysuckle.com, they state,  “The flower color will range from white to yellow to bright red or rose.”

Who knew?  Apparently Pantone.  Then I googled honeysuckle images…

honeysuckle - pretty in pink.

Go figure.  According to wildflower.org, this pretty variation is, “Native to open woods and shrublands from southwest British Columbia to southwest California.”

In any case, I find it hard to relate the color pink to honeysuckle.  Does the Honeysuckle color throw you through a loop too? or are there other names for colors which don’t seem to fit?

 

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Tags: honeysuckle, pantone colors

a de*light*ful summer dessert

24Jul11

One of my favorite summer desserts comes from a wonderful friend in France.  I made it with her while staying in her home.  I’ve since made many variations here in the States making adjustments for the differences in ingredients [sadly, you can’t find petites suisses here in the States].  While it’s not the same as Annie’s, it’s still delicious and light.  I made one the other night in just 20 minutes – it’s that quick and easy.  The hardest thing was finding lady fingers at the regular grocery store…

Charlotte d’Annie:

•  2 pkgs of lady fingers
• 1 can pineapple with juice [separate the juice, set aside in a bowl]
• 15 oz ricotta
• sugar
• choice of fruit [banana, strawberry, raspberry]
•  1 round deep casserole dish [since I don’t have a charlotte dish]

Begin by dipping the lady fingers in the pineapple juice.  Place lady fingers one at a time in the bottom of the dish and around the edges.

In a large mixing bowl, soften the ricotta and add a little sugar, vanilla, etc to your liking [I tried a bit of cocoa this time]
In a separate mixing bowl, place about 3 tablespoons of sugar in the bottom.  Slice the fruits and mix in with sugar.  [Add a spoonful of pineapple if you wish]

Add the fruit to the ricotta and mix well.  Pour the ricotta mix into dish.

Dip the remaining lady fingers in the pineapple juice and use them to create a final layer on top of the charlotte.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Bon Appétit!

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Tags: charlotte

Jardin pics of the *month*

22Jul11

holy cannoli - look at all that produce!

In my month long absence, the garden has seemed to flourish.  Before I left, I had planted the zucchini, cucumbers, garbanzo, and pea seeds which had been started in a ziploc bag.  I planted 4 or 6 pumpkin plants, figuring that one or two wouldn’t make it.  I was sadly mistaken.  Dad had warned me that something was taking over the garden, and that something turned out to be pumpkin vines.  We’re going to have a whole lot of pumpkin bread, pie and butter this year I suppose!

cinderella's parking lot?

When I first arrived back to the garden, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  The hop vines were already on the top of the arbor hanging down, and with gorgeous green hops growing.

sweet, sweet hops...i'm thirsty

The pumpkin vines were growing through the fence line into the yard, and even over the fence line into our neighbor’s yard.

It was hard to find the cucumbers, zucchini and beans for all the pumpkin vines, however I was able to find enough to make some chocolate zucchini bread and some pickles.  The peppers were starting to produce, the asparagus has really taken off and flourished [can’t wait to harvest next year!!],

asparagus - third planting is a charm

and the eggplant is still producing quite a bit [recipe for eggplant dip coming soon].

In reflecting on the garden plans that I had made, and what it has transformed into – there is a vast difference.  I find that no matter how much one plans, things don’t seem to turn out exactly as expected.  I can’t complain though – we still have an awesome garden with lots of produce, and the garden really brings the family, neighbors and friends together.

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the return to reality.

20Jul11

Salut tout le monde…

I am just getting back from one of the most *ah.may.zing.* programs that the state has to offer to high school students – the Governor’s French Academy.

This year, Washington and Lee graciously hosted the Academy, a big merci to the University!

Chez nous - l'Académie 2011 à WLU

During our stay, the students kept everyone up-to-date with an Academy blog, en français, of course!

It was a wonderful stay chock full of wonderful students, a wonderful team, and lots of culture, language and activities.  The time slipped by too quickly, and now I find myself back at home in Richmond, preparing for the start of my first school year.

The return home was surreal, and I had a sort of reverse culture shock “fight or flight” experience on my doorstep.  Maybe I will try to describe that later…

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