My First Thanksgiving, or, My First Snow

If any clarification is needed, I have experienced twenty-three Thanksgivings (some more traditional than others; the one in Spain not being one of those traditional feasts) however, I have never prepared my own Thanksgiving in its entirety. Joakim, on the other hand, has never even tasted a bit of Thanksgiving chow so I changed that this year!

Sadly, I had to work on Thanksgiving and the days surrounding. So the first day after Thanksgiving that I could get around to this task was December 1. Ironically, this was the first day of snow fall in Lund. For more bloggage of my thoughts on said snow, see my Sweden blog by clicking this link.

Now, I am not going to post recipes for everything because everybody has their own special stuffing mixture or sweet potato pie recipe that your great-great-great aunt smuggled from Ireland 167 years ago. I don't care. Just cherish the fact that for not being in America and only having three tiny burners on my electric stove, I kicked my first Thanksgiving's ASS. Boo-yah. 

But I will post some recipes! First of all, let me say that maybe it wasn't a 100% true Thanksgiving as I didn't do a whole bird. I know, I know. But I worked all week around my day off for this feast and we are unable to buy all the supplies (the cooking pan to catch the grease/thermometer, etc) until we're in our new place in January. So I bought two huge turkey breasts and browned them with butter and on the stove then baked them with the stuffing. It tasted GREAT.

I made a green beans almondine with bacon. I just cooked the green beans until tender, browned some almond slivers in butter. Cut some bacon into bits and fried it. Mixed it all together with some lemon juice and bam! Delish.

Naturally, we had mashed potatoes and gravy. We used the fat from browning the turkey breast and followed some tips my mom gave me on flour usage (thanks Ma!).

The rolls were a winner though. I hate to admit where I got this recipe for dinner rolls... It was... (sigh) Martha Stewart. But holy cow, they were good! Joakim took the lead on the rolls (I forced him into this recipe though) as well as the gravy. Both were amazing. He's a hero.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup warm water (115 degrees)
• 2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (115 degrees)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for bowl and pans
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3 large eggs
• 6 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

Directions

• Place water in a small bowl; sprinkle with yeast, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, butter, sugar, salt, and 2 eggs. Whisk in yeast mixture.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir in 6 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, until you have a soft, shaggy dough (if necessary, add up to 1/2 cup more flour). Turn dough out onto a floured work surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes. Butter the inside of a large bowl; place dough in bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/4 hours.
• Butter two 13-by-9-inch baking pans. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 15-inch rope; cut each rope into 15 1-inch pieces. Press each piece into a disk, then shape into a ball. Arrange dough balls in prepared pans. (To make ahead: Wrap pans well, and freeze, up to 2 months.) Cover pans loosely with plastic; let stand in a warm spot until rolls have doubled in size, about 1 1/4 hours (2 hours more if frozen).
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg until blended; brush onto rolls. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Let rolls cool 15 minutes before serving.

Yum!

So what have we so far... Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans almondine, dinner rolls... Aah yes! Cranberry sauce. Used my mom's recipe and it is the best I've ever had!

Ingredients

1 Pkg Cranberries

1 Cup Water

1 Cup Sugar

1 Orange 

1/4 Brandy

2 Cinnamon Sticks

Wash cranberries and pick out the god awful squishy ones. Put into pan with water and sugar and start them cooking over a low simmer. They will pop. If they don't all pop I kind of mash them to the side of the pan with a spoon. 

Zest the orange and add zest to mixture, cut orange in half and squeeze juice in as well. Turn off heat, add brandy, turn heat back on (nothing worse than losing eyebrows over brandy vapor explosion) add cinnamon sticks and let the whole thing cook for about 10 min. Remove from heat and let cool.

I also made her apple cider, but had to replace the cider juice with regular apple juice but it was incredible anyway.

Ingredients

Apple Cider

8 Cups Cider

1 Cup Brown Sugar

2-4 cinnamon sticks (plus 1-2 dashes of ground)

8-10 whole cloves

5-7 whole allspice

Pinch of Nutmeg

Put everything on the stove and bring to a simmer slowly. Let it simmer, with lid on, for about 40 min. Keep warm and serve.

Last but not least, I made a pumpkin pie with maple whipped cream. For instructions on this delight click this link to see a previous blog of mine.

The final touch! And here's a plated close-up...

Not too shabby, Team Fennell-Krantz. Not too shabby.

Date Night

Call us boring, but Joakim and I like to stuff our faces in the comfort of our own home on date night and THEN hit the town (or just shrug and skip it and watch a movie on the couch but ANYWAY). However, we don't just grill a cheese sandwich and call it food, we get bizz-ay in that kitchen and choose a new, delicious recipe each time.

This was several date nights ago (maybe a few months ago; I've been slacking) but well worth the recap. We dialogued with the Barefoot Contessa and created this bad boy:

For the sake of brevity (and perhaps the sake of posting more blog entries today and catching up) I will share the Food Network's digital version of the recipe from her book.

Ingredients

• 2 cups peeled, seeded, and (1/2-inch) diced butternut squash
• 2 cups peeled and (1/2-inch) diced Yukon Gold potatoes (2 medium)
• 2 cups peeled and (1/2-inch) diced parsnips (3 parsnips)
• 2 cups peeled and (1/2-inch) diced carrots (6 carrots)
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 6 (8-ounce) skinless fish fillets such as striped bass or halibut
• 6 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the vegetables, place the butternut squash, potatoes, parsnips, and carrots on a sheet pan and drizzle with 1/3 cup olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and toss together. Spread out in a single layer and roast for 30 minutes, turning once during cooking. After 30 minutes, toss with the garlic and roast for another 10 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender and starting to brown.

Meanwhile, line another sheet pan with aluminum foil, and place a baking rack on top of the foil. Brush the fish fillets on both sides with olive oil and season them liberally with salt and pepper. Wrap each fillet with a slice of prosciutto to form a wide band around the center of the fillet, overlapping the ends on the skin side. Arrange the fillets on the rack with the prosciutto seam side down and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until barely cooked.

While the vegetables and fish are roasting, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium-size saute pan. Add the rosemary sprigs and cook over low heat until the rosemary leaves are crisp and the butter begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Discard the rosemary, stir in the lemon juice, and set aside.

To serve, place the fish on a platter or individual plates, spoon the rosemary butter on top, and surround with the vegetables. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve hot.

White Chili and Corn Bread

Yet another food box! I remember my mom cooking this when I was in high school and I have been dreaming about it. I convinced her to send me the recipe and it is amazing.

Imagine the deliciousness of a chili, but the twist of using only white beans and chicken and other lighter pigmented ingredients. It is creamy without even adding cream (but naturally, I add sour cream to the bowls when serving and shredded cheese to the top).

The following recipe is straight from Mama Fennell.

White Chili

        

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped (White or Brown doesn't matter, just not a red onion!)

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cooked, boneless chicken breast half, chopped 

3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth (low sodium) Always get an extra one just in case you need more*          

2 (4 ounce) cans canned diced green chile peppers

1 (4 ounce) can of diced jalapenos. (Add towards the end to taste. Start with a about a teaspoon, let it cook for about 1-3 min as it will get hotter as it cooks) Or you can do 1-2 fresh jalapeno's and remove the seeds and ribs and dice - WEAR GLOVES WHEN DOING THIS!!! but add the fresh ones when you add the green chiles. 

2-3 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tsp ground cayenne (Recipe used to call for 1 1/2 but it was too much. I just do a scant 1 tsp)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

5 (14.5 ounce) cans great Northern beans, undrained

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 

1 cups sour cream

1 bunch green onions light green and green parts only, sliced for garnish

Salt and Pepper

Put chicken breasts in pot and cover with cold water, add seasonings (a bit of salt/pepper, 1 tsp cumin and 2 smashed cloves of garlic), bring to a boil and let cook for about 30-40 minutes. They may not be 100% done but they will finish cooking in the chili. Do not shred them in long shreds as they'll be stringy. Cut the breasts in 4ths and then shred. Discard water and seasonings.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 10 minutes, or until onions are tender, add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute more. Add the chicken, chicken broth, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and fresh jalapeno's (if using) and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and add the beans. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated thoroughly. If using canned jalapenos add 1-2 tsp and cook for 1-3 minutes and taste. If you want it spicier add another tsp till it has the heat you desire.

Taste for seasoning and add salt/pepper as desired. 

Pour into individual bowls and top with the cheese, sour cream and green onions

*We have to walk to and from our grocery store, so we used a caldo de pollo to make the broth at home, not canned chicken broth.

I also made a homemade corn bread (kind of last minute) to go with the chili.

Corn Bread

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

2 1/2 cups milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, combine cornmeal and milk; let stand for 5 minutes. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix in the cornmeal mixture, eggs and oil until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean.

I also softened a half a stick of butter and added a couple teaspoons of honey to it and blended well to spread on the corn bread.

Sloppy Joes

Try explaining the name “Sloppy Joe” to a Swede. Yeah, have fun with that. But he is on this train and loving it.

Most Americans have their own recipe. But I’ll throw down the one I used which is pretty generic but extremely delicious.

Sloppy Joes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan

1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand

         Montreal Seasoning

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 crusty rolls, split, toasted, and lightly buttered

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.

Add oil and meat to the pan.

Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up.

Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning.

Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine.

When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet.

Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes.

Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer.

Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile sloppy meat onto toasted, buttered bun bottoms and cover with bun tops.

I added a white cheddar which I shredded and placed on the top of the meat (which was piled on the rolls).

Lasagna and Food Boxes

Joakim calls them “food boxes” (and invariably, I do too) but American generally call it “leftovers.” Whatever you call this phenomenon, we’re big fans, BIG FANS. He’s constantly in class and I’d be forced to eat cafeteria food at the school I teach if I didn’t bring leftovers, so we definitely make a bunch of food boxes.

So we’ve been on the hunt for food that is delicious and makes for good food boxes that re-heat well. Thus far, lasagna has been a great food box. It actually was not my favorite recipe. Joakim disagrees, but I think it was a B- lasagna. However, it was my first time making lasagna and I chose a randomly semi-complicated recipe. I will post it on here for the sake of the food blog, but I would change many things or do a new recipe entirely next time.

Things I would change: Bet you never though you’d hear me say this, but I’d add more meat. This recipe is intending to be a bit healthier than other lasagnas, but seriously, lean meat isn’t going to kill you. Either add more of the sausage they want OR ground meat. Up to you. I did, however, like the three cheeses. But the sauce was adequate. I could probably make a better one if I just winged it.

Make at your own risk! It wasn’t bad, by any means. Maybe I’m selling it too short. I’m just doing what Joakim says he does. “I put myself on the same expectation level as Gordon Ramsey.” Haha. Yes, yes he does.

Classic (semi-healthy) Lasagna

Meat Sauce

1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

2 onions, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

12 ounces mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/4 cup dry red wine

2 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes, drained and chopped

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, (not packed in oil), slivered

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste

Pasta & Cheese Filling

12 whole-wheat lasagna noodles, (12 ounces)

2 cups nonfat ricotta cheese

1/8 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Ground nutmeg, to taste

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1.            To prepare meat sauce: Heat oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up clumps, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and carrot; cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushroom liquid evaporates, 4 to 6 minutes.

2.            Stir in wine, plum tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme and crushed red pepper. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is very thick, 30 to 45 minutes more. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

3.            To prepare filling & assemble lasagna: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

4.            Cook noodles until just tender, about 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain, then cool by plunging noodles into a large bowl of ice-cold water. Lay the noodles out on kitchen towels.

5.            Season ricotta with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Spread about 1 1/2 cups meat sauce in the prepared pan. Layer 3 noodles on top. Spread another 1 cup sauce over the noodles. Dot about 2/3 cup ricotta over the sauce, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Continue layering the noodles, sauce and cheeses, finishing with the sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Sprinkle with parsley; cover with foil.

6.    Bake the lasagna until the sauce is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Okay, as I am looking at the pictures again, it was pretty tasty.