Living 2 Eat |

Thanksgiving Weekend

Dear Foodies,

Wow… what an incredible past couple of days.   Food, food, and more food.  I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed each and every bite.   Living in the city it is rare that I get an honest to goodness Southern feast complete with family, friends and fun times.

My immediate family was scattered this year – parents went to my sisters in Arkansas, brother went to his in-laws, and I headed to Lake Placid for Thanksgiving with my grandmother and cousins.   Being single, I am blessed with the ability to be somewhat of a free agent during the holidays.  Over the years I have enjoyed holidays with good friends, and extended family.   This year, I was so thankful for the opportunity to be in the company of countless relatives (some that I have not seen in a very long time).

Our meal was nothing short of blatant gluttony.    As Southern Baptists, we do not imbibe, but we often overeat.   Since gluttony is rarely preached upon in the Baptist church, we can overlook a day or two of extra calories, carbs and sugars.

The meal time began with everyone holding hands, a scripture reading from the Bible, and everyone sharing what they are thankful for.   Cousin Mary Lou started off the circle of thanks and told how she praised God for having a wonderful Christian mother who taught her the importance of faith and family.   I gave thanks for being with my extended family and being able to meet some of them for the first time.

After a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving, it was time to eat… and eat we did… the kitchen counters were a makeshift buffet and not an inch of counter space could be seen.   Here is a sampling of what I feasted upon:

Fried turkey breast

Roast turkey

Smoked turkey

Fried venison (aka Bambi; deer meat)

Macaroni & cheese

Stuffing (my grandmother makes this and it is wonderful)

Candied sweet potatoes

Sweet potato soufflé (with an incredible topping)

Turnip greens

Squash casserole

Creamed corn

-         A table of appetizers included fresh fruits, spinach dip with bread chunks, boiled shrimp and several other things.   I didn’t spend much time at this table because I was saving room for the main course.

-         I cannot begin to even tell you what was on the dessert table as I was so full that I did not eat one more bite of anything after my second plate of food was consumed (our plates were the very large Chinet platters).  I was stuffed.  But, several cousins raved about the red velvet cake.

NOTE:  all of these items were fresh, nothing canned and nothing processed.   The ladies (and gentlemen) in the family are all excellent cooks and all take pride in their culinary concoctions.

Cousin Cecilia reported later that evening that the potato salad and deviled eggs were forgotten in the refrigerator. 

A Southern family gathering is always a treat.    Our meal was huge as each dish was prepared in huge pans akin to what can be found at any industrial kitchen.   We are big eaters!  Needless to say, we had enough food left over that 50 people could have eaten and probably not emptied the pans.  

Regardless of the economy and world happenings, I am rich…  surrounded by family, able to celebrate my faith and give thanks, and have plenty to eat.  Praise God for His goodness to all of us.  

Ben

It’s important that the turkey or chicken be properly thawed before cooking. The best way is to let it thaw in the refrigerator. Leave it in the original wrapper, place on a tray to catch drippings and refrigerate until the bird thaws. Depending on it’s size, allow two to four days for thawing.

If thawing in the refrigerator isn’t possible due to lack of time, there are two other alternatives. For a more rapid thawing, you can place the poultry in watertight wrapping in cold water. Change water frequently to hasten thawing. Small birds require about 1 hour. Larger birds require 6 to 8 hours. Thaw until pliable.

Or you can leave the bird in its wrapper and place it in a heavy grocery sack, closing the opening. Put the bird on a tray and let it thaw in a cool room away from heat. Check it frequently. Once thawed, the bird should be cooked immediately. Remember to allow enough thawing time, since it will take quite a while for the bird to thaw.

… for more of Chef Rick McDaniel’s cooking tips, click here.

When frying bacon, sprinkling a pinch of salt in the frying pan will help to keep the grease from splattering.

Chocolate Braised Beef Short Ribs

2 pounds beef short ribs, 3 inch cut
2 ½ cups onions, large dice
1 ½ cups carrots, large dice
1 ½ cups celery, large dice
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 ounces tomato paste
2 cups red wine
1 Tbsp. Black peppercorns
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
12 ounces Hershey’s Dark Coveture Chocolate
12 cups beef or veal stock
2 sprigs fresh thyme

1. Season ribs with salt and pepper and let stand for four hours, refrigerated.

2. Heat 3 Tbsp. Oil in roasting pan over medium high heat. Sear ribs evenly on all sides.  Remove ribs from pan.

3. Add vegetables, mix well and caramelize for 15 minutes.  Add tomato paste, stir well, roast for 5 minutes.

4.  Add wine and stir. Add peppercorns, mustard seeds and bay leaves.  Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and reduce by half.

5. Add chocolate, stock and thyme, mix well.

6. Return ribs to the pan and bring to simmer.  Cover pan with foil and place in preheated 250 degree oven for 5 hours, or until meat easily falls from the bone.

7. Remove ribs from the pan. Strain braising liquid into clean saucepan.  Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and reduce by half.

8. Once ribs have cooled, pull meat from the bone and shred into small pieces. Serve with reduced braising liquid.

NOTE:  This recipe comes from The White House Executive Chef (1994 - 2005), Walter Scheib.   He has a fantastic website that might be of interest, click here.

Baked Hot Chocolate

Sunday Night Dinner brought us this dessert, click here for the recipe. The photo here may be small, but click the link and you will lick the screen… heavenly!

Blueberry Muffins

with

Streusel Topping

The recipe is an adaptation of Ina Garten’s blueberry coffee cake muffins with a topping added. The muffin part is delicious on its own with a moist and light cake like crumb filled with blueberries. And they aren’t overly sweet, which is a big plus. The streusel topping makes the muffin even better by adding a nice crunchy texture and a bit of sweetness.

Sunday Night Dinner brought us this muffin, click here for the recipe.

You can easily remove the silks from corn on the cob by wiping downward with a damp paper towel.

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This incredible recipe is from Once Upon A Plate.

Recipe discovered at Use Real Butter.

Lime Cheesecake with Blackberry Sauce
Good Housekeeping Illustrated Book of Desserts 

crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tbsps sugar
6 tbsps butter, melted

filling
3 8-oz pkgs cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 limes, juice of
2 limes, grated peel of

sauce
10 oz fresh or frozen blackberries or raspberries
¾ cup sugar

Combine graham cracker crumbs with butter and sugar with whisk. Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan (or 6 4-inch springform pans); refrigerate.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth; gradually beat in sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending until smooth. Add remaining filling ingredients, beating until smooth.

Pour over prepared crust. To minimize cracking, place a shallow pan half full of hot water on lower rack during baking. Bake at 325°F for 55 to 65 minutes or until set (25-33 minutes for 4-inch pans). Turn oven off; let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes with door open at least 4 inches. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Remove sides of pan; cool to room temperature on wire rack.

Refrigerate overnight or up to three days. In a pan, boil berries and sugar until sauce thickens. Deseed through a food mill or sieve. Let cool and serve over cheesecake.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Dear Foodies,

Today in America, you may be happy or you may be sad.   But, we are all Americans and must unite.   History has been made and until our new leaders have made themselves unworthy of our respect and honor, let us all give the new team a chance.

There is no better symbol of America than Grandma and apple pie.   Below is Grandma’s apple pie recipe.    Bake it and share with someone of the opposite political persuasion and find some common ground.  

We are all Americans!  May God bless all of us. 

Ben

Grandma’s Apple Pie

Incredibly delicious hot with vanilla ice cream or, an old Yankee touch, a slice of cheddar cheese.

6 cups peeled, sliced apples (Idared, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Granny Smith)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter

pastry for double-crust 9-inch pie

Preheat oven to 450°F.Combine apples and lemon juice in mixing bowl. Combine sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well. Pour sugar mixture over apples, and stir to coat. Spoon filling into pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan. Dot with butter.

Transfer top pastry to top of pie, trimming off excess. Fold edges under to seal, and flute rim. Cut slits, decorative or not, into top pastry for steam to escape.

Bake in preheated 450°F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F, and bake for 45 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Texas Cooking, a great place for Southern and Southwestern dishes.   www.texascooking.com