Fresh Tart

I'm so enamored of this dish lately, and have written about it so many times, I decided I should probably just post the damn recipe. So bear with me one more time: navy beans sauteed with cabbage, onions, garlic, sage, and smoky Canadian bacon. Creamy, crunchy, salty, healthy, filling, warm - I'm not sure which of those qualities (probably all, of course) does it for me, but man, I crave it. Makes an incredible meal all on its own. Could be the base of a very nice soup - add broth, simmer a bit, and there you go. Also lovely alongside a pork main dish. See what you think. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Tonight - Wednesday night, the night I actually make a full sit-down dinner - the plan is sauteed chicken breasts finished with a quick pan sauce enriched by a bit of frozen turkey gravy (from last week) and a handful of chopped fresh herbs. (I will most definitely be putting that frozen little gem to good work, mmmmm hmmmm, you'll see it pop up again.) Side of rice and a simple salad (and Honeycrisp apples and fresh pineapple for the kids, who don't eat many veggies, but do very much like fresh fruit). Simple. Low-key. Quick. Nutritious. And most important - always - delicious. When calories are as over-abundant as they are in this (blessed) society, it is all the more important to eat foods that are fresh, real, and what we truly love. And - opinion alert! - we can only discover what we truly love, aka what our bodies truly crave, by eliminating as many fake, processed foods from our diets as possible and filling up instead on real food. REAL. FOOD. And now, I'm done.

Now we all three match! I couldn't resist after Suz and Kim accidentally ended up with different colors of the same Eddie Bauer jacket...now I'm the "white chocolate" of what Suz has dubbed our version of a Whitman's Sampler. Yeah, baby! YUM!

We shed the jackets and got down to serious business - mixing Cosmopolitan martinis. YUM again! Just a hint of sweet, with lots of fresh lime juice - delicious. Then our guest arrived, interior designer Jason Trujillo, and we all four descended into the "naughty pine" (aka Suz's basement) to record our podcast. Jason was great - smart and cool and a blast to chat with - and we all got some snuggle time with Puppy Digby as well (that is one insanely cute dog). Diggers! (For proof that he is indeed a boy dog, check out this photo...)

Last night's soup...quite nice. Will make a tasty lunch today. And that is the end of the turkey, my friends. Another Thanksgiving, officially over. (Hear that? That's my trying-to-shrink ass breathing a huge sigh of relief...)

Today, back to reality. Just wrapped up cleaning my ovens - yuck, yuck, yuck that is an ugly job. Toxic, hideous. But like many pain-in-the-ass chores, in the end satisfying. Sort of. In anticipation of snow on Wednesday (hard to imagine when it's going to be 55 degrees tomorrow, but hey, this IS Minnesota. Or it used to be, now I'm not so sure...), I put out driveway reflectors. Very exciting. Woo. Hoo. Laundry, lots of laundry waiting for me. Sigh. A bit of post-holiday blues, I guess. It was nice hanging with the family all weekend, really nice.

Hope you're hitting the ground running today, back at it y'all!

Think I'll make a big ol' pot of soup for dinner tonight. Brothy, but enriched with a bit of turkey gravy. Carrots, potatoes, lots of onion and garlic. Turkey of course. Pull some of that challah out of the freezer. We'll be jamming! Hearty but not too caloric. I'll let you know how it goes...of course!

Got Christmas lights (put) up last night. We only have lights on one tree, in an attempt to keep it somewhat simple. Although I do love driving around looking at seriously over-the-top displays (with a travel mug of hot chocolate to sip, yum). Still magical, even now that I'm Almost Old.

My nephew Cooper spent his first Thanksgiving in Willmar with the rest of my extended family. I can't get enough of his little orange-y nose, to match his (gradually less, darn) orange-y hair. He and his daddy, Bowen, are having lots of fun together! Babies. They make the holidays (and my blog!) so much fun.

And oh, speaking of fun, after my fortifying soup dinner, I'm heading over to Suz's for Cosmopolitan martinis and hijinxing with my minxes and - tonight - a guest, oooh! Check us out!

Kickin' back in front of the fire, doing a little reading, a little writing, oh yeah, it's NICE! Nathan just came home, John and A are running a few errands, I fit in a gorgeous walk over by Lake Calhoun - one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday. This weather, come on, it's almost obscene! Three days in a row I've been out walking in a t-shirt and sweats. At the end of November! I keep feeling like the other shoe is about to drop...but until then, I'm out and in it and totally enjoying myself.

Back from the store, my stepdaughter created several adorable little tasties out of the American Girl Tiny Treats Cookbook (great holiday gift idea). Such a clever little book! It's packed with pretty, mini, and easy-to-prepare-and-clean-up treats. Tonight we sampled a teeny birthday cake, ice cream cone, and milkshake.

As for me, I've done zero - and I mean zero - cooking the last couple of days. One major perk of making Thanksgiving dinner for only four people - leftovers, of course. I haven't had Thanksgiving leftovers for years, in fact, I can't remember the last time. Delicious, even two days in, still delicious. Perhaps tomorrow I'll make a turkey curry salad, throw in some walnuts and dried cranberries. Stay tuned...

I believe a turkey-challah sandwich is in order for lunch today, non? With a teeny side of stuffing topped with a smidge of gravy (that damn stuffing, so good, and so not light, eek). Hope you've got some tasties planned for lunch today! My friend Andrew Zimmern has a naughty, naughty turkey tetrazzini recipe on his blog if you're looking for something decadent to do with leftover turkey. It looks incredible. And as I said, naughty. Yeah, baby!

Changed the dining room table over to Christmas today and set out a few other choice decorations. We'll get a tree and wreath at some point this week. The pots of tree tops are out. Here we go! Holiday Hell! How many gifts have I purchased? Exactly ZERO. Which is absolutely typical for me at this point in the season. I never shop early. And it always somehow works out just fine. And I do actually enjoy myself, don't worry, it just takes me awhile to warm to the whole thing. Once I get going I get way into wrapping presents and arranging them under the tree (I love beautiful, unusual papers and keeping bows and such spare and minimal). Piano Christmas CDs. A glass of bubbly by the fireplace. Baking and decorating gingerbread men with Nathan.

Yeah, I'll get there.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here we go, wheeeee! The turkey is herb-buttered and officially in the oven, I repeat, officially in the oven (we're eating at 4:00 so I just put it in, at noon). Salad is a go (nice thing about cabbage salad - improves by tossing with dressing a couple of hours ahead). Brownie "pie" is a go (just need to whip cream). Cranberries are a go.Gravy base is a go (to be finished with pan juices). Challah is just completing its first rise, should be ready for the oven in about 40 minutes. Stuffing will go in when turkey comes out. I'll start roasting the potatoes at around 3:00. Pretty relaxing, so far, I can't complain. Next step is set the table. Achieve some form of exercise - absolutely outside, it's a gorgeous day. Shower and pretty myself up a bit. Watch a movie (and enjoy a little popcorn) with the fam. And otherwise cruise until serving time when things always get a bit, uh, hectic.

How's it going for you? Are you relaxed or stressing a bit? I'm thinking of you all and hoping you're having FUN (it's supposed to be fun, remember?) and enjoying the day! I'll check back in with serving photos later this evening. Until then...

Oy. I'm full. Whew. But I really enjoyed it, all of it. The turkey was crisp and juicy. The gravy was particularly delicious this year. I have quite a bit left and am going to freeze it - it will make a gorgeous sauce in the future. I froze half of the challah too - nice breakfast treat in a couple of weeks. I may end up freezing stuffing too... I hardly needed the brownie for dessert, but of course had a (small) slice anyhow. Definitely put me over, oh well! Worth it!

Nathan and I just had a very nice post-dinner walk around the neighborhood, that should help with the ol' digestion. I asked him what he would make for Thanksgiving if he were cooking dinner and he said...pizza. I definitely go through the motions mostly for myself, because I enjoy the planning and cooking as much as - or more than - actually eating the meal! I could take it or leave it when I was a kid too. Until I went to college and then, oh man, I was craving a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner, fantasizing about it, in fact. That's what dorm food will do to a girl!

In the end, a great day. Loved the prep, loved the meal, loved the day with the kids and John. Totally relaxed, ahhh, and now I'm heading for bed! Sleep well, my fellow Thankful Tryptophan Trippers. Zzzzzzz...

Happy 40th Birthday Stephanie!

No, not me! Stephanie Sanford, aka Steph, Little Steph, Sanyer, Severine, my roommate, bridesmaid, quarter's partner, and (with Kim Borgen) my BF since Schroeder Jr. High. My little sister Etta says she's been raised on Stephanie Sanford Stories and it's quite true. Everyone loves Stephanie Stories, she's one very funny chick. I hope you have a fab birthday my dear friend!

Earlier this week Suz and I were cracking up about lameass high school jobs and their even worse uniforms - Stephanie at Orange Julius. Me at Bridgeman's. And Suz was telling me about her stint at her local grocery store deli, and the lunch she served a customer one day. The guy ordered roast beef or the like, and a vegetable, and butterscotch pudding for dessert. He took his food, sat down at a little table to eat, but returned with the pudding - turns out Suz had dished him up a nice bowl of nacho cheese for dessert. Mmmm... DAMN I laughed at that! Full-on tears, whew. Such airheads! I can't believe anyone paid any of us to do our jobs so badly. (And don't even get me started talking about the mistakes we made driving, like Sanford hanging a right onto a railroad track... Scary. Hilarious. But scary!)

Ah, well, no nacho cheese on the menu for tomorrow. I baked brownies today, and made dressing for the cabbage salad. Tomorrow the turkey goes in (of course), plus I'll bake challah, roast potatoes, whip cream, assemble the salad, and finish the gravy. Hope your prep is going smoothly as well!

Oh, I'm having so much FUN cooking for Thanksgiving! I decided to start today - tomorrow Nathan is home from school and we'll be busy. The turkey is a-brining (left), the cranberries are a-popping (or popped, as it were, below), the gravy base is, uh, a-cooling. And the stuffing, ohhh, how I lurve stuffing. I put Parmesan cheese and garlic in mine - in fact, my whole menu has a bit of an Italian twist (Marsala in the cranberries, Italian herbs in the turkey and gravy) - which to me bumps it up to sublime. Can't wait until Thursday! (Obviously, ha.) The scent of turkey roasting in one oven while challah bakes in the other ought to tickle even the appetites of my Thanksgiving-blasé family.

Doesn't hurt my mood that it is a gorgeous day out there - warm and sunny, woo hoo! I'm off for a long walk. I'm going to earn my stuffing with a bit of extra effort this week.

How far are you willing to go for Perfect Turkey? By perfect I mean crisp, browned skin over juicy, flavorful breast meat. I'm willing to go pretty far, although I draw the line at roasting the turkey breast-side down (so the breast collects juices) and then flipping the buttery, 14-18 lb, 350-degree bird over to finish roasting. It's supposed to be incredible, and I'm sure it is, but I have other, very simple, and far (!) less dangerous methods that turn out a gorgeous, juicy bird.

So here you go, Perfect Turkey Tips:

First, and these days not at all unusual - brining, aka soaking the (thawed or fresh) turkey in salted, seasoned water, in the refrigerator, for 10-24 hours. What a difference it makes in flavor and texture (juiciness!) and it really is so easy, especially with the big plastic brining or roasting bags you can pick up at the grocery store.

Second, and now we're getting at the two must-dos for achieving nicely browned, crisp skin - air-dry the bird, on a rack, in the refrigerator, overnight before you roast it. Wet, soggy skin does not get nicely crisp, as you might imagine. The turkey's got to sit in the fridge anyhow, obviously, so like brining this is an easy step. Put a couple of cookie racks over a baking sheet, put the (already brined) bird on it, uncovered, and in she goes for a good night's chill.

Third, and again toward nicely browned, crisp skin - correct basting. That means don't baste with the juices in the bottom of the roasting pan. Why? They're wet, those juices, and you just bothered to air-dry the skin, so why make it soft and soggy all over again? Do baste with melted butter (add herbs for extra flavor, if you like). Hot fat = crispy skin. Yeah baby! Mmmm. (How to time the brine and air-dry? Brine overnight Tuesday, air-dry overnight Wednesday. Voila. If the turkey is frozen? Start thawing it in the fridge today, it takes more than 24 hours.)

Fourth, and also easy - loosely cover the breast with foil for the first two hours of roasting. In fact, if the breast is browning nicely under the foil, keep it there the entire time. The shield it provides keeps the breast from cooking faster than the rest of the bird, which it tends to do (and is often why breast meat is overly dry).

So. Let me know if you try any of these ideas. Can you tell I'm going over my notes, making my plan for dinner? It's going to be just the four of us, here, this year. I usually spend Thanksgiving with my aunts Mary and Marge, their families, and my parents and sibs. We rotate houses and menu assignments each year, although the menu is loosely the same - and delicious. I'm so spoiled. My aunts and stepmom are amazing cooks and it is an elegant, gorgeous, fabulous feast, every year. I crave it, in fact. John and my stepdaughter A usually go to NYC to visit his parents and bro, but not this year. So instead of driving out to Willmar and back in a day (dinner is at Marge's this year), we decided to hang here, the four of us, which we've never done before. Cook a pared- down, simple dinner, somewhat tailored to the quirks of my - frankly, weird! - children and husband, none of whom like mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, stuffing, or pumpkin pie. Mashed potatoes! Pumpkin pie! Lord, how did this happen? Those are the traditional highlights! But there it is.

Therefore, our menu:

Herb-roasted turkey (I'm NOT making chicken for Thanksgiving, I do have my limits) with pan juices
Stuffing (a tiny amount, for me and whoever else might adventurously try a bite or two)
Crispy oven-roasted potatoes (these will be a huge hit)
Home-made challah bread (as will this, akaRockin' Challah, pictured below; I can in fact imagine both kids eating mostly bread and potatoes. Fine, because they're on the menu. John actually made Apasta (!) the first year we hosted Thanksgiving - ah, the lessons of blending families. My aunts will never forget that - needless to say, kids in our, or most anyone else's family, aren't prepared their own separate Thanksgiving dinner! We've come a long way since then, thank goodness...)
Cranberry-orange relish
Crunchy cabbage salad with orange vinaigrette, pine nuts, and mint
Warm brownie "pie" with whipped cream (basically, nothing more than brownies baked in a 9-inch round pan, ha; I'm going to use my Fudgy Passover Brownie recipe because it's so good, my new fav brownie recipe, actually)

I have to admit that it's nice to not plan appetizers - I figure I'll make a big batch of popcorn at some point, and that's about it. And to know that none of us will be stuffed after dinner - should be a relatively light affair. And hey, given the forecast of 55 degrees, we could go for a bike ride afterward! Crazy! But way cool. (Recipes posted in comments, below.)

It should be spelled Bore-at, not Borat. Yawnsville! Why the hell all the buzz on this movie? I found it neither offensive nor funny, just long, boring, and really rather sad. I'm (clearly) no prude and am in fact a big fan of the butt-fart-poop joke genre as well as truly stupid, crude, slapstick humor (Old School?Austin Powers? Even Jackass had its sick moments...). However, I've never been a fan of acts that trick unsuspecting people into looking like complete asses, so I guess Borat and I weren't meant for each other (another big clue, that I clearly should have heeded: I can't stand the Da Ali G show). I fought sleep the whole time and felt a bit depressed when we left. Weird.

Well, on to something much more fascinating...brace yourselves!...quinoa. Ooooh! And again. I know, I've already written about it, but I made up a couple of recipes and got a cool one from reader Donna, for quinoa bars, so here I am again. I had cooked up another - big - batch of plain quinoa, and after eating it for breakfast for a couple of days I decided to innovate with it a bit. First up, quinoa pancakes. As you can tell from reading here, I cook mostly with fresh food, but once in awhile a good mix does come in handy, such as Krusteaz Wheat & Honey Pancake Mix. I loved this stuff in college, since you only have to add water. It makes soft, fluffy, whole-grain pancakes and best of all, you can mess around like crazy with the ingredients. I've been addding nuts, fruit, wheat germ, flax seeds, yogurt, juice - whatever I have on hand or am in the mood for - to these for years. And today, yes, I added cooked quinoa. Since all you add is water, I just put two cups of Krusteaz mix in a bowl, with a bunch (2 cups?) of cooked quinoa, and added enough water to make a thick batter. I cooked the cakes one at a time in a small, non-stick skillet, cooled them on racks, and froze them between sheets of parchment paper (to keep them from freezing together). Voila, instant breakfast! One pancake is one serving - microwaved until warm, topped with a little cottage cheese and sweetened berries, mmmm, a perfect winter's breakfast. (Delicious with maple syrup as well, by the way! And same technique works for other leftover cooked grains - amaranth made yummy pancakes.)

The other recipe I'm experimenting with is quinoa banana bread. I adapted a pretty standard recipe - and by adapted I mean seriously messed with, so we'll see how it turns out. Luckily quick breads are pretty forgiving. It's just out of the oven, smelling quite fabulous, I must say. Update: tastes quite fabulous as well, John agrees. Sweet, dense, crunchy (with nuts), definitely whole-grain looking and tasting, yet moist. (Recipes posted in comments, below.)