Cranberry Sauce

I would like to apologize for the lack of pictures. I always like to see the end product of a recipe and I'm sure I'm not alone. I seem to have misplaced my camera. Hopefully it will turn up soon!
Anyway...on to cranberry sauce -
I'm pretty sure the only reason I ever ate turkey was so I could use it to put large quantities of cranberry sauce on. I love homemade cranberry sauce. It's easy enough for my kids to make which is great because they are very eager to contribute to our Thanksgiving dinner this year.
I've made so many different types of cranberry sauces over the years, my favorite additions probably being cardamom and ginger. But for Thanksgiving I try to keep it simple. There are already so many flavors at the meal. I've found that a traditional, simple cranberry sauce is best.
This way you're adding a nice bright flavor without being overwhelming.


Cranberry Sauce
1 bag fresh cranberries
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
pinch of salt

Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add cranberries, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add orange zest and salt.
You can make the cranberry sauce up to a week ahead of time.

Creme Fraiche and Creme Fraiche Biscuits

I just remembered I need to make my creme fraiche now so it is ready in time for Thanksgiving. I am going to be using it to make these really good biscuits.
I love creme fraiche, it's something I try to have on hand. It's great with potatoes, with fish or chicken, in salad dressing, as a base for dip, with vegetables, as a finishing touch for soups, sweetened and served with fruit... you can almost always use it in place of sour cream. It adds a nice subtle tanginess. Oh and it is ridiculously easy to make.


Creme Fraiche
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk

In a glass jar, add cream and butter cream. close jar and shake gently to combine. Let it sit in a warm spot for 12 - 24 hours. It should be thicker than cream, thinner than sour cream. Refrigerate until needed.

It will get thicker and more delicious as it sits. I try to make it 3 days before I'll be using it. I've heard it will keep for 2 weeks or more but I've never had any around that long.

Holiday Mashed Potatoes

I call these "holiday potatoes" because they are ridiculously rich and indulgent, the kind of food I eat only once in a great while, usually on the holidays. Unless of course my brother is in town. He inevitably requests that I make these for him. They are delicious, worth every gram of fat, calorie and carbohydrate!

5 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (approximately)
2 tablespoons table salt
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sour cream
cream as needed

Place the potato chunks into a large pot, cover with enough water to come 2 inches above.
Add the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender.
Drain the water from the pot. Add the cream cheese and butter, mash the potatoes until there are no lumps. Stir in the sour cream. Add cream until the desired consistency is reached. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Chiffonnade Brussles Sprouts

I'm one of those strange people who have always loved Brussels Sprouts. My grandmother would always serve them on Thanksgiving, and while it was a dish I'm sure many of my family would have been happy to see go, it wouldn't have felt like Thanksgiving without them. Take the turkey, but please don't touch the Brussels sprouts! Grandma would boil them, usually until they were overcooked which is a tradition I am happy to see go :)

I was determined to make everyone love them as much as I did which meant finding a new way to cook them. I came across shredded Brussels sprouts on a menu of a restaurant that sadly, is now long gone. They served their sprouts sauteed with shredded Parmesan. I've opted to leave the Parmesan out and roast them.

The Brussels sprouts are not really chiffonnade, but they give that appearance when they are thinly sliced across their width and, well, it sounds better than sliced Brussels sprouts.



Chiffonnade Brussels Sprouts
3 pounds Brussels sprouts, the tough outer leaves removed
1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil
coarse salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400.
Thinly slice across the width of the Brussels sprouts discarding the stump. (Alternatively you can use a food processor, make sure to remove the stump first.)
Toss the sprouts with the oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place on a large baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.



I like to let these roast until some of the sprouts get dark and crispy. It's a matter of preference, this is even good raw!
This is an excellent dish for people who think they don't like Brussels sprouts I've converted many people with this recipe. Confession, I'm also one of the annoying people that more or less forces you to try something even after you tell me you don't like it, convinced that you simply haven't had it prepared like this or if you have it wasn't done well or maybe your tastes have changed. (If I've done that to you, I'm sorry. I would like to say I won't do it again but that is probably not true.)

If you have any leftover which I never do (I've even made extra hoping for leftovers!) you can toss the roasted Brussels sprouts with pasta and a little Parmesan. So simple and so good!

Honey and Thyme Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables with Spinach

I love the sweetness of roasted vegetables. The fact that they are healthy is just an added bonus. This makes a wonderful side dish, but I've also had it over couscous and it was a delicious, healthy, satisfying meal.

1 pound Carrots
1 pound Celery Root
1 pound Turnips
1 pound Parsnips
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup Honey
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 pounds Baby Spinach
fresh Lemon juice to taste

Heat oven to 400. Cut all of the vegetables except for the spinach into a thick julienne.
In a bowl combine olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Add carrots, celery root, turnips and parsnips and toss to coat the veggies. Place the veggies on 2 large baking sheets and cover with foil. Roast about 25 minutes until the veggies are tender then remove foil and roast until they are glazed about 10 more minutes.

In a large pan, saute the spinach and a bit of salt until the spinach is just starting to wilt. Add fresh lemon juice to taste. Plate the spinach and top with the roasted veggies.

Canberry Apple Oatmeal with Walnuts

I don't give my kids dry cereal. I don't think it's a healthy way to start the day. I know there are "healthy" cereals out there, but I prefer to give them something else, something more substantial. Because of this I'm constantly looking for quick healthy alternatives.
The other morning we were running late, I was trying to throw breakfast together really quick so I reached for oatmeal. I usually make my oatmeal with milk or soy milk because I really don't like the taste of it when it's made with water. I was out of milk. Actually I was out of pretty much everything but I did have fresh apple cider. I also had a bag of fresh cranberries on hand.
They turned out to be a delicious additions to oat meal, which lets face it can be quite boring. Not only are my kids eating healthy oat meal, but they are getting cranberries which are loaded with antioxidants.

Cranberry Apple Oatmeal with Walnuts
(makes 4 servings)

2 cups oats
2 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup walnut pieces

In a large pot add oats, cider, water, cranberries and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the berries start to break up. Stir in cinnamon and walnuts. Serve with honey.
If you like your oatmeal even sweeter, you can add more cider in place of the water.

I've made a single serving of this for myself and it turns out really well (just use 1/4 of all the ingredients).

I've also made this in the microwave which I think I prefer. The berries break up more, just make sure you use a large bowl because it boils up. It took about 10 minutes in my microwave...no stirring needed.

Curried Butternut Squash soup with lemon

Once the weather gets chilly I seem to develop a constant craving for soup. This particular soup is one of my favorites. I have a bit of an obsession with squash, so I usually have all of the ingredients on hand.
An immersion blender really simplifies the process but if you don't have one, a food processor or a blender would work as well.
The curry in this soup is subtle and the lemon adds a nice bright note. This soup is a perfect example of how little needs to be done to good, in season produce. I used Butternut squash
because that is what I happened to have on hand but you could certainly use another variety.



















1 small butternut squash
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons curry
2 cups good tasting vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt to taste

Cut squash in half. Place cut side up on a baking sheet, rub the surface with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast at 400 until it is soft to the touch, about 45 minutes - 1 hour. Let it sit until it is cool enough to handle. Scrape out the seeds and discard them. Scrape the flesh out of the skin and set aside, you should have about 2 cups.

In a hot pan add a little olive oil. Add onion and saute until it is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and curry, saute for another minute or two. Add squash and broth or water. Simmer for a few minutes.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender or in a blender/food processor. If you would like the soup thicker, simmer until it reaches the desired consistency. Stir in the lemon juice, salt to taste.