I already told you that Fall is my favorite time of the year. When I was a kid in the Salt Lake area, we had the beautiful colors in the mountains. We don't have that here in Southern Utah. When we moved here Randy asked what trees were indigenous to this area and my simple answer was none! But November begins the holiday season for me and that is what makes this time of year so special.
Jill and Kirsten arrived yesterday for a week-long stay. We were talking about traditions and it made me think about some of the holiday traditions we had as kids, not many, and the traditions that Randy and I have. Again, not many. And some would say that they aren't even traditions, but, they are ours! As a kid we always spent Thanksgiving with Coral and Karl McRae and their kids. We would have the dinner at our house one year and they would have the dinner at their house the next. I don't remember much about the cooking because we were always playing games in the basement and only came upstairs when dinner was ready. I do remember a "kids" table. Brent and I were the youngest so we were always at that table. No matter which house dinner was at, the menu was the same. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, yams with marshmellows on top, string bean casserole, rolls, bread and butter pickles and olives, lots of olives! When Great Aunt Mandy came, she always brought apricot nectar and we added 7 Up to it for our drink. She always brought butter mints as well. Dessert was always pumpkin pie. After dinner the adult males would retire to the front room and take a nap in front of the fire place. The kids would go back down to the basement and play and I assume Mother and Coral did all the cleaning up.
When Randy and I got married 22 years ago, we were living in Livermore, California and the "traditions" started the very first year. First tradition, Randy, Carl, Gary and Steve (I affectionately called them the gruesome foursome)always played golf on Thanksgiving morning. I did all the cooking on Thanksgiving in those days. Because it was just the two of us, we kept it rather simple. No yams because neither of us like them so why bother. Plenty of turkey, potatoes and gravy, string beans, rolls and no pumpkin pie. Yes, no pumpkin pie because Randy doesn't like pumpkin! So, for several years I suffered in silence. A number of years went by and we invited bro Gary and Patrice over for Thanksgiving. It was great to have them but it sure made a dent in my leftovers! As the years went by we invited other friends as well and if I didn't end up with enough leftovers, I would just cook another turkey! But, if others were coming we always had two desserts, something chocolate for Randy and pumpkin pie for everybody else! The only other "tradition" we have on Thanksgiving is football. We actually plan the meal around half-time! And, since everybody in my family loves to hate (well, loved, because they aren't much fun to hate amymore)Dallas, we were all rooting for the same team, whoever Dallas was playing!
This year it will be a small group for dinner. Jill and Kirsten, Randy and I and Steve.
I wanted to post some of my recipes from past years. I wanted to start with an updated green bean casserole that I got from Cuisine at Home. I'll follow that up with the green bean recipe from bro Gary. I'll also be posting some of my favorite recipes for using your leftovers. I love a hot open-face turkey sandwich as much as the next person, but there is so much more you can do with all those leftovers!
Bon appetite and stay well until next time!
Green Bean Casserole with Onion Rings
Onion Ring Topping
Heat
3 cups vegetable oil
Soak:
1 large onion, sliced into 1/4 " thick rings
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Blend:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil to 350 degrees in a large saute pan over medium heat.
Soak onion rings in buttermilk.
Blend flour, cayenne, salt and pepper in a second bowl.
Dredge onion rings in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Fry until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels before serving.
Saute:
2 strips thick-sliced bacon, diced
Add:
1/2 cup onion, sliced
8 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
Pulse:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Melt; whisk in:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Slowly add; stir in:
1 1/2 cups milk warmed
herbed cheese mixture
salt and pepper to taste
Combine:
1 pound haricot vert, blanced
sauteed mushroom mixture
herbed cheese sauce
Before serving, top with:
Onion Ring Topping.
Coat a 1 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.
Saute bacon in a saute pan over medium heat until nearly cooked.
Add onion and cook until tender. Stir in mushrooms; cook until soft and onions are golden, about 5 minutes, then set aside.
Pulse cream cheese, butter, Dijon, garlic, herbs, lemon juice and Worcestershire in a food processor until blended; chill.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Slowly add warm milk, whisking until thick. Stir in herbed cheese, salt and pepper until melted.
Combine blanched beans, mushrooms and cheese sauce in a large bowl. Transfer to prepared casserole dish and chill until ready to bake (up to 1 day ahead).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake casserole for 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly. Before serving, top casserole with fried onion rings.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Tiny Tacos
Girls just want to have fun!!!
So, most of you know that I am pretty "crafty." It started in my teens when my mother taught me how to crochet and knit. It expanded to ceramics , cross stitch and needlepoint as the years went on. Once I had filled all my walls at Christmas time I took up quilting. I then bought a bigger house to accommodate it all!
Actually, it is Jen's fault that I took up quilting. I fought the notion of taking it up because I thought that I had enough going on with all the other things. So, why is it Jen's fault? Because she had mentioned that she was interested in taking it up and might want a starter kit. So, Suzanna and I had lunch in downtown Livermore and right next door was a quilt store. Now, isn't that convenient! So, we went in and on the wall was a small Americana wall hanging that I just fell in love with...and it was going to be a class where I could learn how to quilt. And, as a bonus, we had just purchased what was going to be our vacation home for the next 5 years and I was going to decorate the guest bathroom in Americana. Meant to be!!
So, I walked out of the store with the starter kit and the fabric to make the wall hanging. The rest is history. I don't know how many quilts I have made. More than a dozen made specifically to go on beds and probably another dozen or more decorative wall hangings.
My most recent find is a fabric called minkee (sometimes spelled minky if you do a google search). Now, imagine the softest fabric that you can think of and make it 10 times softer. You now have minkee! And it comes in the most vibrant colors and patterns. The first one I made was a baby snuggle and is in greens, blues, browns and yellows. I love it so I will keep it for myself. I currently have it in my office because it gets very cold in my office during the winter and it feels very good over my legs. Also, I can stroke it and that makes me very happy! I had a guest give me a tip and told me to get myself a massage and I thought no way!!! I'm going to get the fabric for a grand snuggle for me! The grand snuggle is roughly 62X70. The girls at my favorite quilt store told me that the animal prints in brown, black and cream were me! I made it and I love it!
So, the girls at the resort went nuts over these blankets so I planned a minkee blanket making party at my house and asked that they bring a finger food. I looked in the Devin Alexander cookbook that I recently purchased and found these fun mini tacos.
Bon appetite and stay well until next time!
Tiny Tacos
2 servings
10 Tostitos Baked! Scoops
1/4 cup finely shredded romaine lettuce
2 tablespoons finely chopped tomatoes
1/2 ounce (about 2 1/2 tablespoons finely shredded light cheddar chees
1 teaspoon lower-sodium taco seasoning
2 ounces 96% lean ground beef
1 tablespoon mild or hot red taco sauce
Arrange the Scoops side by side on a plate.
Mix the lettuce, tomatoes and cheese in a medium bowl until well combined. Divide evenly among the Scoops (about 1 1/2 teaspoons per Scoop).
Stir 2 teaspoons water into the taco seasoning in a small bowl until it has no lumps. Set aside.
Prehead a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Put in the beef. Use a wooden spoon to coarsely crumble the meat as it cooks. When the beef is no longer pink, after 1 to 2 minutes, stir in the seasoning mixture. When no liquid remains, after about 1 minute, remove from the heat. Divide the meat evenly among the Scoops, atop with lettuce mixture (about 1 teaspoon in each). Dollop the top of each with taco sauce. Serve immediately.
101 calories per serving
So, most of you know that I am pretty "crafty." It started in my teens when my mother taught me how to crochet and knit. It expanded to ceramics , cross stitch and needlepoint as the years went on. Once I had filled all my walls at Christmas time I took up quilting. I then bought a bigger house to accommodate it all!
Actually, it is Jen's fault that I took up quilting. I fought the notion of taking it up because I thought that I had enough going on with all the other things. So, why is it Jen's fault? Because she had mentioned that she was interested in taking it up and might want a starter kit. So, Suzanna and I had lunch in downtown Livermore and right next door was a quilt store. Now, isn't that convenient! So, we went in and on the wall was a small Americana wall hanging that I just fell in love with...and it was going to be a class where I could learn how to quilt. And, as a bonus, we had just purchased what was going to be our vacation home for the next 5 years and I was going to decorate the guest bathroom in Americana. Meant to be!!
So, I walked out of the store with the starter kit and the fabric to make the wall hanging. The rest is history. I don't know how many quilts I have made. More than a dozen made specifically to go on beds and probably another dozen or more decorative wall hangings.
My most recent find is a fabric called minkee (sometimes spelled minky if you do a google search). Now, imagine the softest fabric that you can think of and make it 10 times softer. You now have minkee! And it comes in the most vibrant colors and patterns. The first one I made was a baby snuggle and is in greens, blues, browns and yellows. I love it so I will keep it for myself. I currently have it in my office because it gets very cold in my office during the winter and it feels very good over my legs. Also, I can stroke it and that makes me very happy! I had a guest give me a tip and told me to get myself a massage and I thought no way!!! I'm going to get the fabric for a grand snuggle for me! The grand snuggle is roughly 62X70. The girls at my favorite quilt store told me that the animal prints in brown, black and cream were me! I made it and I love it!
So, the girls at the resort went nuts over these blankets so I planned a minkee blanket making party at my house and asked that they bring a finger food. I looked in the Devin Alexander cookbook that I recently purchased and found these fun mini tacos.
Bon appetite and stay well until next time!
Tiny Tacos
2 servings
10 Tostitos Baked! Scoops
1/4 cup finely shredded romaine lettuce
2 tablespoons finely chopped tomatoes
1/2 ounce (about 2 1/2 tablespoons finely shredded light cheddar chees
1 teaspoon lower-sodium taco seasoning
2 ounces 96% lean ground beef
1 tablespoon mild or hot red taco sauce
Arrange the Scoops side by side on a plate.
Mix the lettuce, tomatoes and cheese in a medium bowl until well combined. Divide evenly among the Scoops (about 1 1/2 teaspoons per Scoop).
Stir 2 teaspoons water into the taco seasoning in a small bowl until it has no lumps. Set aside.
Prehead a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Put in the beef. Use a wooden spoon to coarsely crumble the meat as it cooks. When the beef is no longer pink, after 1 to 2 minutes, stir in the seasoning mixture. When no liquid remains, after about 1 minute, remove from the heat. Divide the meat evenly among the Scoops, atop with lettuce mixture (about 1 teaspoon in each). Dollop the top of each with taco sauce. Serve immediately.
101 calories per serving
Vegetarian Chili
I know that this is going to sound like I stole the plot from National Lampoon's Vacation and that I cast my dad, Joe, in the role that Chevy Chase made famous. Mother must have been the Beverly D'Angelo character. But, since this happened when I was about 6 or 7, whoever wrote the screenplay for the movie must have taken part of the storyline out of the events of our family that winter.
So, here's the story. Grandma Ferguson had been ill with cancer for some time and my mother, being a registered nurse, cared for her in our home until the time of her death. Grandma had lost her only son, my Uncle Gaylen, when he was just 21 to bone cancer. Her only other child was my mother, Yvonne. The three of them had lived in Aberdeen, South Dakota and when my mother married my dad and they moved to Utah so that Dad could go to Utah State University, Bertine stayed in Aberdeen until she retired. Dad built her a small house in downtown Bountiful, where she lived until she became ill.
So, upon her death, mother decided that she should be taken back to Aberdeen and buried in the plot next to Gaylen. So, my dad borrowed a red station wagon from a friend, put grandma in the back (not on top, mind you) and he and mother proceeded to drive her back to Aberdeen. Now, don't attempt to do this now as I'm pretty sure you can't just put a casket, with a dead body in it, in the back of your car and drive it across country!
They stopped for the night in a small town in Wyoming, I think that dad said it was Laramie, and since it was really cold, a kind service station owner (yes, they were all service stations in those days) let them park the station wagon inside, presumably so that grandma wouldn't get cold!! The rest of the trip was uneventful, as far as I know.
So, why do I bring this whole thing up and how does it relate to a recipe you ask?? My parents had some really good friends, the McRae family. They just happened to have 4 kids like us, all around the same ages, just boy, girl, girl, boy instead of our boy, girl, boy, girl. We spent every Thanksgiving and Christmas with them and we vacationed with them every summer. So, Coral and Karl offered to take care of us kids while my parents carted grandma across country. We sat down to dinner one night and as I finished my meal I pronounced "good beans"! Now you should know at this point that there was not a bean to be seen and nobody really knows why I said it but it quickly became a family joke! It even carried down to my kids and to my grandkids. Most dinners when I visit them or they visit me, one of the kids or grandkids will announce "good beans" and it's usually followed by at least a little smirking! Funny how those things stick with you.
So, this is one my favorite dishes out of the kitchen at Fitness Ridge and it just happens to have beans in it.
Bon appetite and stay well until next time!
Vegetarian Chili
serves 8
1 14 ounce can black beans drained
1 14 ounce can kidney beans drained
1 14 ounce can navy beans drained
1 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes drained
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup kernel corn
1/4 cup green chilies
1 yellow onion chopped
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 package chili seasoning
1/2 cup sliced green onions
In pot sweat garlic and onions together. Combine all ingredients except green onions. Simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish with green onions.
245 calories
So, here's the story. Grandma Ferguson had been ill with cancer for some time and my mother, being a registered nurse, cared for her in our home until the time of her death. Grandma had lost her only son, my Uncle Gaylen, when he was just 21 to bone cancer. Her only other child was my mother, Yvonne. The three of them had lived in Aberdeen, South Dakota and when my mother married my dad and they moved to Utah so that Dad could go to Utah State University, Bertine stayed in Aberdeen until she retired. Dad built her a small house in downtown Bountiful, where she lived until she became ill.
So, upon her death, mother decided that she should be taken back to Aberdeen and buried in the plot next to Gaylen. So, my dad borrowed a red station wagon from a friend, put grandma in the back (not on top, mind you) and he and mother proceeded to drive her back to Aberdeen. Now, don't attempt to do this now as I'm pretty sure you can't just put a casket, with a dead body in it, in the back of your car and drive it across country!
They stopped for the night in a small town in Wyoming, I think that dad said it was Laramie, and since it was really cold, a kind service station owner (yes, they were all service stations in those days) let them park the station wagon inside, presumably so that grandma wouldn't get cold!! The rest of the trip was uneventful, as far as I know.
So, why do I bring this whole thing up and how does it relate to a recipe you ask?? My parents had some really good friends, the McRae family. They just happened to have 4 kids like us, all around the same ages, just boy, girl, girl, boy instead of our boy, girl, boy, girl. We spent every Thanksgiving and Christmas with them and we vacationed with them every summer. So, Coral and Karl offered to take care of us kids while my parents carted grandma across country. We sat down to dinner one night and as I finished my meal I pronounced "good beans"! Now you should know at this point that there was not a bean to be seen and nobody really knows why I said it but it quickly became a family joke! It even carried down to my kids and to my grandkids. Most dinners when I visit them or they visit me, one of the kids or grandkids will announce "good beans" and it's usually followed by at least a little smirking! Funny how those things stick with you.
So, this is one my favorite dishes out of the kitchen at Fitness Ridge and it just happens to have beans in it.
Bon appetite and stay well until next time!
Vegetarian Chili
serves 8
1 14 ounce can black beans drained
1 14 ounce can kidney beans drained
1 14 ounce can navy beans drained
1 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes drained
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup kernel corn
1/4 cup green chilies
1 yellow onion chopped
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 package chili seasoning
1/2 cup sliced green onions
In pot sweat garlic and onions together. Combine all ingredients except green onions. Simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish with green onions.
245 calories
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Warm Brie Chicken Breast Sandwich
I can't believe I'm going to say this....I bought yet another cookbook. It's not my fault, really! It's the fault of Bart Rinker, a guest at the resort. He was in the lobby on Saturday morning and had purchased both of Devin Alexander's cookbooks. She is the author of The Biggest Loser Cookbooks and I met her earlier this year when she came to the resort to spend a couple of days with Chef Cameron. She is actually using some of his recipes for her next dessert cookbook. I purchased The Most Decadent Diet Ever book and had to try this chicken sandwich on Sunday night. Super easy and really good. The brie adds such a silky texture and a great salty component. I also got to use some of my arugula out of my garden. This recipe is for one sandwich but is easy to make additional ones. I will try to post more of her recipes over the coming weeks but highly recommend that you all look for her books. Well worth the investment!
Bon appetite and stay well until next time!
Warm Brie Chicken Breast Sandwich
1 serving
1 3 1/2 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast, visible fat removed
Olive oil spray
1/2 teaspoon chopped dried rosemary
salt and pepper
1 whole-grain hamburger bun
1 ounce light brie
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, optional
1 small handful arugula leaves
Preheat grill to high.
Place the chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper on a flat work surface. Use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound it to an even 1/2 inch thickness.
Lightly mist the chicken with spray, and then sprinkle it with the rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Place the chicken on the grill. Turn the heat to medium, if possible, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until no longer pink inside. During the last minute, place the bun halves, insides facedown, on a top grill rack to toast, watching them carefully. Immediately spread the Brie over the top half of the bun.
Spread the mustard, if using, over the inside of the bun bottom and place it on a plate. Add the chicken breast, then the arugula. Flip the brie-spread bun atop the sandwich. Serve immediately.
301 calories
Bon appetite and stay well until next time!
Warm Brie Chicken Breast Sandwich
1 serving
1 3 1/2 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast, visible fat removed
Olive oil spray
1/2 teaspoon chopped dried rosemary
salt and pepper
1 whole-grain hamburger bun
1 ounce light brie
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, optional
1 small handful arugula leaves
Preheat grill to high.
Place the chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper on a flat work surface. Use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound it to an even 1/2 inch thickness.
Lightly mist the chicken with spray, and then sprinkle it with the rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Place the chicken on the grill. Turn the heat to medium, if possible, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until no longer pink inside. During the last minute, place the bun halves, insides facedown, on a top grill rack to toast, watching them carefully. Immediately spread the Brie over the top half of the bun.
Spread the mustard, if using, over the inside of the bun bottom and place it on a plate. Add the chicken breast, then the arugula. Flip the brie-spread bun atop the sandwich. Serve immediately.
301 calories
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