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Monthly Archives: November 2014
The Biggest Hint for Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner
There is the biggest hint I can give you:
Read Your Recipes ALL the way through BEFORE you start cooking or baking!
Clarify any terms you may not know; gather all of your ingredients for that dish
Understand the time frame – don’t get surprised by “Marinade overnight” or “Let the dough rest for 2 hours” or “Use Mushroom Duxelles to stuff. . .” Know what the terms mean.
Write out your menu and make what takes the longest first.
Reach out and ask questions if you don’t know a term or technique.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Series: How to Cook a Thanksgiving Meal: Desserts
If an elaborate dessert table is on your menu, look no further.
Molded Desserts:
Chocolate Almond Peanut Butter Cups
Making gelee Pate de Fruit
Custard Based:
Strawberry Cheesecake rhubarb compote with hemp seed crisp
De-constructed Strawberry Cheesecake with Rhubarb Compote
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with Toasted Almonds
Pies and Tarts:
Easy tart and pie crust
An Easy Crust for Pies and Tarts
Fig and almond tart
A delicious Green Tomato Pie
Cherry Hand Pies
Lemon Blueberry Tarts
Nut Crusted Fresh Fruit Tart
Cakes and Brownies:
Applesauce Cake
Gluten Free Almond Cake
Versatile Gluten-Free Almond Cake
Quince and Gingerbread
Oatmeal Cranberry Bars
Zucchini brownies
Cookies:
Raw Almond Date Cranberry Cookies
Rather than “raw” let’s call them “No Bake”
Almond Date, Cranberry Lime No Bake Cookies
Something Special:
Cinnamon, Almond, Pistachio Danish Ring
Serve warm Apple Dumplings with whipped cream and caramel sauce. A few fresh berries add color to the plate.
Pineapple, Chestnut, Caramel upside Down Cake
Cinnamon Almond Danish Ring
Have Fun!
#holidaybaking #desserts #makedessertsathome #dessertrecipes #gettingfat
Series: How to Cook a Thanksgiving Meal: Breads
Making breads for the holiday meal can be a wonderful addition.
Make them the day or two before and freeze them if you have room. Reheat in the warm oven while the turkey or roast is resting.
Remember:
Follow the links for full recipes and directions
Steak House Yeast Rolls
Basic Buttermilk Biscuits
Cutting out Biscuits
Loaves and Boules No Knead Bread
Here’s a video of how to do the No Knead Bread. It is truly an amazing product!
Series: How To Cook A Thanksgiving Meal – Vegetables and Side Dishes
Butternut Squash Soup with Sautéed Apples and Rosemary Flowers
Here are several vegetables and side dishes you can make for a very festive Thanksgiving table.
Click on the links to visit the post with the recipe and instructions.
There’s everything from soup to nuts!
Soups:
Mound a bit of the cooked seafood in the bottom of the serving bowl; pour the hot soup over the shrimp and lobster.
Butternut Squash Soup with Sautéed Apples and Rosemary Flowers
Vegetables:
Stuffed Mini Pumpkins
Serve and enjoy these delicious Brussels Sprouts!
Georgian Style Green Beans
Sautéed Kale with Bacon and Onions
Potatoes:
Plated Potatoes au Gratin
Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
Cranberry Sauce:
3 Cranberry sauces from left to right: Orange Cranberry, Easy Cranberry Sauce and Sherried Cranberry Sauce
Salads:
Pear, Bleu Cheese and Arugula Salad
Pear and arugula salad
Nibbles:
Lenox Holiday China
Pickled Turnips
Candied Spiced Pecans
I hope you get a few ideas for your holiday table here!
Please comment to let me know what you like the most!
#pickledturnips #candiedpecans #thanksgivingsidedishes #thanksgivingrecipes #mashedpotatoes #brusselssprouts #lobsterbisque #shrimpandlobsterbisque #stuffingyourself #familytime
Series: How To Cook Thanksgiving Dinner: The Main Item
This is a series of links to recipes, videos and more for creating your perfect holiday feast. The first one is for the main item, the turkey, crown roast or whole roasted cauliflower for a vegan option.
Following series over the next few days leading up to the big day, will be the following posts:
- Vegetables and side dishes
- Breads and rolls
- Desserts
- What to do with left overs
Whether this is your first Thanksgiving dinner or your 50th, here are some tips and recipes for making the feast stress free.
I’m linking to the posts I’ve published over the years so click the links and create the Perfect Thanksgiving meal!
Let’s take a look at The Main Item
How to Roast a Turkey – a Step by step guide, with pictures.
Remember to click on the links for the full posts!
Of course if you don’t eat bacon, don’t use it, but it sure is delicious! If not using bacon, be sure to baste the bird every 1/2 hour. If the skin gets to dark, tent it with foil.
Tips for the Turkey:
- Order fresh organic birds well in advance
- If getting a frozen bird, allow it 3-4 days to thaw in your refrigerator
- If brining your bird, remember to keep it cold
- Open up all the cavities and remove any packets of innards, necks etc, from the inside, use these to make stock for gravy
- Allow ample time to roast the bird and to let the bird rest at least 20 minutes before you start carving.
- Save the bones to make stock. I love making stock on a cold dreary day. It makes everything smell so warm!
Turkey Roasting Chart for unstuffed and stuffed birds: Calculate your roasting time with this chart http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/turkeyroastingchart.html
Cover with bacon strips to baste the turkey during the initial phase of roasting. Remember the large bird will roast for several hours. After the first 2-3 hours, the bacon will be done, remove it and this becomes the “cooks treat”. Continue roasting the bird, basting every 30-40 minutes. The skin will crisp and become golden brown. If the skin starts to get too brown before the bird is done, tent it with foil.
If Turkey isn’t on your menu but a Crown Roast is,
Here is a video from Charlotte Cooks on How to make a Crown Roast of Pork or Lamb (Mint Sauce recipe on the site)
Watch it here:
Tips for the Crown Roast:
- Be sure to order your roast well is advance from your butcher. These aren’t typically an “off the shelf” kind of item. they will even french the bones (recommended) and tie it for you, just ask.
- Use your favorite stuffing
- Use a meat thermometer to cook it just right:
- Rare: 135°F remove at 125°F and allow carry over cooking to reach 135°F
- Medium Rare: 140°F Remove at 135°F and allow carry over to reach 140°F
- Medium: 145°F Remove at 140°F and allow carry over to reach 145°F
- Mid well to well 150°F and above. It is suggested to remove the number of well done portions from the others and finish those later rather than subject the entire roast to well-doneness disaster.
- Carry over cooking is when the internal temperature of the meat continues to rise after it is removed from the oven.
- Allow the roast to rest at least 20 minutes before slicing.
If a vegan meal is on your menu, you can Roast a Whole Cauliflower.
We love this and have it often during the year.
Tips for the Vegan Roast:
Plated roasted cauliflower
- Buy large unblemished organic cauliflower; it really has the best flavor.
- Use Greek yogurt, it’s thicker. Or drain plain yogurt in cheesecloth or a strainer over night to thicken it.
- Use any leftovers to make a delicious soup!
So! There are some ideas for your main menu item on the Thanksgiving table.
Next up: Vegetable side dishes!
Happy Holidays!
#thanksgiving #thanksgivingrecipes #thanksgivingdinner #howtoroastaturkey #howtomakeacrownroast #stuffing #holidaymeal #veganroast
Steak House Yeast Rolls
Tanks Giving is fast approaching! I am going to re-post several of the most popular Thanksgiving related posts over the next few days you help you get ready for the big feast!
First up: Steak House Yeast Rolls!
Needing to develop some recipes for a couple of TV shoots coming up, I have been going through a lot of recipes.
This recipe for Steak House Yeast Rolls was a consideration but as I was working through the recipe, the realization that this would be far too complicated to do on Charlotte Cooks, my TV show on PBS in the Charlotte market.
Steak House Yeast Rolls
With only 26.45 minutes to fill, two 2-hour rising times, mixing, shaping, baking, making a filling for cinnamon rolls, icing, would take an entire season, not 26 minutes.
You have the pleasure of the recipe and variations, my neighbors will enjoy a slab of rolls.
Since I started taking a nutrition class a couple of weeks ago, I have seriously increased the awareness of what I am eating and what is in those lovely morsels I select to stuff in my face.
Making these rolls at home ensures you are using good wholesome ingredients. No dough conditioners, artificial flavors or stabilizers. Just fresh butter, eggs, organic flour, sugar, milk and yeast.
The dough feels great and gives your arms a work out.
Original recipe from Martha Stewart
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 ounce active dry yeast
- 4 ounces melted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher salt
- 6 to 6-1/2 cups of AP flour
- Extra soft butter to butter the sides of the bowl and baking dish
- 1 egg for egg wash
Heat the milk and water to 110°F. Whisk the yeast into the heated milk and water. Let sit for 5 minutes, it should become frothy and bubble.
Add the butter, eggs, sugar and salt to a large bowl, whisk in the milk and yeast mixture.
Add the flour one cup at a time, creating a shaggy dough.
This can be done in a mixer with a dough hook but the final kneading will have to be done by hand so you don’t burn out your machine. unless, or course, you have a really heavy-duty mixer. I don’t stress my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer with the final kneading. Initial mixing yes, but not the final knead.
On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and knead until it is smooth and elastic. Form it into a nice round ball.
Butter the inside of a large bowl, Roll the dough ball to cover the surface with butter then place the ball in the bottom of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap that has been also oiled to prevent the rising dough from sticking to the wrap as it rises.
Doubled in Size
Allow to rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. This may take 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
Punch down the dough and divide the dough in half.
Roll each dough ball into an even rope
Cut and weigh for even size
and cut even size rolls. Weigh each roll to weigh 1.70 ounces. Lightly roll them to shape into balls.
Butter a 9 x 12 baking pan. Place each roll in rows 4 x 6, allowing a small bit of space between each roll. This space will fill in as the rolls rise. Cover with oiled plastic wrap.
Allow to rise again, until doubled in size.
Yeast Rolls ready to bake
Once the roll pan is full, you will have some left over dough.
This dough is perfect for some amazing cinnamon rolls!
Roll the dough into a rectangle. Mix some soft butter with some brown sugar and cinnamon to make a paste. ( Make sure it tastes good.)
Spread the butter cinnamon mixture over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle the surface with pecans or walnuts.
Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch the seam closed.
Using a serrated blade, cut 2″ sliced from the roll. Place them cut side up (and down) in a well-buttered baking pan so the sides barely touch.
Cinnamon Rolls ready to rise
Ready to bake!
Use a pan large enough to fill with the sliced cinnamon rolls.
Allow these to double in size.
Baking yeast rolls and cinnamon rolls:
Pre-heat the oven to 375°F
Mix 1 egg with water to make an egg wash. Brush the surface of the rolls with egg wash just before putting them in the oven.
Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan half way through for even baking.
The rolls are done when they are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Any leftovers?
Make bread pudding!
Baked Yeast Rolls
Related articles
- Warm Cinnamon Rolls For A Cold Winter Day (putneyfarm.com)
- Cinnamon Rolls (smallworldsupperclub.wordpress.com)
Happy Healthy Holidays Starting Soon!
FREE – Happy Healthy Holidays
Transform Your Holidays!
Next Monday marks the start of our FREE Holiday Event! We will transform our holiday season together and start the New Year out right!
Do you want to join us? It is FREE and we are all participants.
We can all do it our own way. All you have to do is set goals and be accountable for your actions and progress at least once a week.
Goals should include:
- Nutrition (adding in at least one healthy food per week)
- Exercise (a minimum of 30 minutes 6 days a week)
- Gratitude (take the time to be grateful for at least 3 things in your life daily)
- Giving (challenge yourself to give without expectation of reciprocation once daily)
Nutrition
Don’t be hard on yourself this holiday season. Our goal is to simply add in one healthy whole food each week. Enjoy your holiday traditions and don’t eat beyond what feels good to you.
Exercise
Resolve to get at least 30 minutes of good healthy exercise in each day (with one day of rest). You will feel better through the holidays. Exercise is good for depression, weight maintenance and your general health.
Gratitude
List 3 things that you are grateful for each day. By focusing on gratitude, we see our lives from a different perspective. Instead of seeing what is going wrong, we see the more important picture of what is right in our lives.
Giving
You don’t have to brag about your giving, but if someone gives and it turns out to be really special, share it with us. You may also want to include it as a part of your goal. In prior years, my goal was to give without cost; it does not have to be an expensive gift, just thoughtful and meaningful.
Do you know anyone who is struggling through the holidays? Invite them along!
This weekend I will work on my own goals and post them here.
Please click on the “Secret Facebook Group” page that you can be invited to if you would like to be involved!
Comment below or Follow this link to the Face Book Group to join in, this will be fun!
Share this with your friends!
The group will close on Monday, 11/24, 2014 so be sure to request to join by then. See you there!
#happyhealthyholidays #holidayfun #holidaysupport #holidayweightgain #avoidweightgain #healthyyou
#stayontrack
Make Almond Milk – It’s So Easy!
It’s so easy to make almond milk at home, why wouldn’t you?
Almond Milk and Cookies
The most difficult thing is to remember to soak the almonds overnight. Once you start making your own milk on a regular basis, you’ll get into a rhythm. There is not one bit of this that is hard to do.
The ingredients are few, recognizable as real food and delicious.
Here’s how:
Almond Milk, lightly sweetened
Ingredients for Almond Milk
To make 5 cups:
1 cup raw almonds, skin on
Water to cover for initial soaking; about 4-5 cups (this water gets discarded)
4 cups water – to make the milk
3 Medjool dates, remove the pits
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Method:
Place the almonds in a bowl, cover them with fresh water. Cover the bowl and allow the almonds to soak for 12-24 hours.
Drain the water and use it to water some plants.
Place the soaked almonds into a blender.
Add 4 cups fresh water, pitted dates, vanilla and salt into a high-powered blender. Secure the cover and turn on high. Allow it to run on high for 2-4 minutes, depending on the power of your blender. If you are using a vita-mix, use the lower time to 2 minutes, more generic style blenders, process for a longer time.
Use a wire mesh strainer over a bowl to strain the milk from the solids. Using a rubber spatula or bowl scraper,work the almond, date pulp around the wire strainer until it’s as dry as you can get it. Save this for another use, after all it’s just ground almonds, dates and vanilla.
Straining Almond Milk
Pour the milk into a pitcher or milk jug and refrigerate until well chilled.
This milk is very lightly sweetened and is the consistency of whole milk. If you want it thinner, add more water, thicker, use less water. Same with the dates for sweetening.
You want chocolate Almond Milk? Add organic dark coc
oa powder with the dates. Simply amazing.
Almond Milk Label
Once you try this homemade almond milk, you’ll be so spoiled! Read the labels on a store-bought almond milk. Which would you prefer to drink and give to your family?
The ground almonds and dates left over from the process make nice cakes and cookies. I’ve used the almond debris to replace zucchini in zucchini brownies with great success.
I’ve made Chocolate Almond Cherry Ice Cream and no bake almond butter, date and oat balls.
Almond milk “debris”
How do you use the almond debris left over from the milk? I’m getting fat from the cakes and cookies!
#almondmilk #makeyourown #makealmondmilk #almonds #noprocessedfood #wholefoods #vegan #nondairymilk #nutmilk
#makenutmilkathome #healthyeating #wellness
Almond Milk and Almond Cranberry cookies made from the debris
Eat Fresh! What’s in Season Now: November 2014
Eat Fresh! What’s in Season Now: November 2014
Fall colors are in full swing, we are anticipating the first frost and freeze.
Today, the first day of November is rainy, cold and there are flurries in the forecast.
It’s a great day to pull out the crock out and put on a warming soup or maybe Chai tea.
Gather these things to make Chai. include black tea or burdock root or another herb if you prefer.
If you’re heading to the market this month, here’s what you’ll find in season:
Apples: We’ve had some amazing local apples! The flavors this year are so delicious. Eat them raw, slather with almond butter and toasted almonds, make pies, turnovers or apple dumplings. 
Grab extra to make apple butter for Christmas.
Apple Snack!
Beets: What a powerhouse of nutrition. Red, gold, big or baby beets, roast them, peel them , eat them. Make salads, pickles, noodles, you will feel your blood getting healthier with every tasty mouthful. Don’t toss those green tops! Chop the stems and saute, cook the greens like you would spinach, wash and saute until tender. I love the greens with a splash of Ume Plum Vinegar.
Bok Choy: This season is closing very soon due to frosts and cold weather. Grab some for stir fry, use instead of plain green cabbage in making bok choy slaw.
Brussels Sprouts: OK, try shredding them, saute with shiitake mushrooms, onions and pecans.
Put pecans on top
Use them in making slaw to. Get them before the freezes set in!
Kale and cabbages at the market
Cabbages: Fresh available through mid December. Time to make some sauerkraut! A good New England Boiled Diner with potatoes, celery, onions, carrots, cabbage and brisket would be nice on a chilly evening. Sweet and Sour Cabbage is great with roasted pork or pork chops, sautéed onions and apples. (See, staying seasonal!)
Collard Greens: My favorite choice for Meatless Mondays! Boiled collards, pinto beans and organic blue cornbread.
Greens from the market
Yummy! Don’t salt the water you cook the collards in so you save it to use as a base for vegetable soup. Being November, chilly days are surely ahead. Nothing smells better or warms you better than homemade soup. Except chopping and burning wood.
Cranberries:
3 Cranberry sauces from left to right: Orange Cranberry, Easy Cranberry Sauce and Sherried Cranberry Sauce
Although not local, these fresh berries only appear for a short while. Buy several bags and freeze them now for later. Make a batch of Cranberry Liquor or use left over cranberry sauce to make these oatmeal cranberry bars.
Oatmeal Cranberry Bars
Cucumbers: Going quickly!
Greens: All kinds from whatever was planted in late summer for fall harvest. Make soup or saute yourself up a big bowl.
Fresh Herbs: Grow some of your own. Fresh herbs are expensive and why waste an entire bunch if you only need a leaf or a pinch? Besides having herbs growing in your kitchen is pretty darn cool. You’d be surprised how easy it is.
Kale: One of my favorite greens cooked or raw. If you’re prone to kidney stones, be careful as too much kale may encourage stone formation. Add dried cranberries to your kale salads.
Massaged Kale Salad
Saute it with bacon and onions or use Kale in soups, it’s quite delicious! Crispy kale chips are another way to use this amazing leafy green.
Lettuce: Tender lettuce will be gone once freeze happens. While you can buy lettuces year round, you may notice a slight price increase for it not being local.
Mushrooms: Only until the end of the month. 
Mustard Greens: Spicy and greatly nutritious! If you don’t like how spicy they are, tame them by combining with kale, collards or other greens.
Napa Cabbage: Another good green about to retire for the season. I like this lightly blanched, stuffed and steamed.
Peanuts: Year Round, good source of protein. Have you ever made your own peanut butter?
Pecans: Pecan pie is just around the corner with the holidays fast approaching. Store your fresh pecans in a tightly sealed bag in the freezer for longer storage.Make Spiced Pecans for holiday gifts or make Pecan crusted okra for a new way to serve okra.
Pecan Crusted Okra
Radishes: One of my favorite salad vegetables, but try slicing them on a ham sandwich. Top a piece of lightly buttered bread with thinly sliced radishes, you’ll thank me later.
Romaine: Lettuces planted in the fall for the second planting, are coming to an end. Leaves should be strong and dark green.
Snow Peas: A crispy tasty treat. I love these as a nibbling snack or quickly saute. Be sure to “string” them before eating or cooking.
Snow Pea Tips: A trendy garnish for your plates
Spinach: Before the freezes set in for the winter, you’ll still find fresh spinach. Saute it, make omelets, spanikopita or spinach salads
Inside a baked garnet sweet potato; isn’t that a great color?!
Sweet Potatoes: Available all year. Make Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries; save on fat and full on flavor
Turnips: Roast turnips to bring out their sweetness. Mash carrots, turnips and potatoes together for a fun change to mashed potatoes
The foods are changing from light fresh foods to hearty, sometimes long cooked foods. The aroma of a simmering soup, a slow roasting chicken or pork roast is comforting and warming as the seasons change.
Thanksgiving is this month; time to reflect and express appreciation and gratitude for all you have in your life. With delicious produce still in the markets, plan your Thanksgiving menu around what you discover fresh.
The farmers will appreciate it.
#freshfood #whatsinseason #eatinglocal #eatrealfood #wholefood #realfood #seasonalfood #apples #cranberries #winteriscoming #staywarm #makesoup
Happy Healthy Holidays! Starts in 3 weeks, Join us by clicking here. You can join us from anywhere in the world!
#happyhealthyholidays #healthyholidays
Spoon Feast 