Happy Thanksgiving

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A day late, but here's hoping you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I am so incredibly thankful and blessed beyond measure.  Thankful for the gift of family, friends, and for all of you.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Tasty Thursday

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching we're in the process of finalizing our turkey day menu.  I'm a big fan of individual portions, it makes any spread more delectable.  Which is why I can't wait to make mini versions of this wild rice stuffed acorn squash side dish.  How beautiful do the colors of this easy, semi-homemade, healthy, vegtastic (yes I said vegtastic, and no it's not a real word) side dish look.  I can't wait to dig in!

INGREDIENTS:

2 Large Acorn Squash

1 (6.2 oz) Box of Uncle Bens Wild Rice Mix

1 ¾ c. Pear Nec­tar (or Apple Juice)

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/3 c. Dried Cranberries

1 Pear

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the wild rice mix accord­ing to direc­tions, but sub­sti­tute the water with the pear nec­tar.

2. Mean­while, heat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut your acorn squash in half, wash, and remove the seeds. Lay the squash on a foil-lined bak­ing sheet and spritz with olive oil (using a olive mis­ter). Bake the squash in the oven for 40 min­utes, and then remove.

3. Wash and core the pear, and cut into small pieces.

4. When the wild rice is fin­ished, mix in the dried cran­ber­ries and pear pieces, and mix to blend.

5. Spoon the rice mix­ture in each acorn squash half, and place back in the heated oven for 20 min­utes. Serve warm.

Tasty Thursday

The Mister and I took a sick day yesterday.  And between episodes of this season's Downton Abbey, I started mulling over our Thanksgiving Day menu.  I love a good stuffing, and wanted to make something gluten free.  Fast forward an hour of perusing turkey day stuffing recipes and I think we found a winner: focaccia stuffing with mushrooms and fennel.

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

2 leeks, halved lengthwise, white and light green portions thinly sliced

1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and diced

1 tsp. kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

½ tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1 oz. dried wild mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup of hot water for 15 minutes

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, quartered

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 package gluten-free focaccia stuffing

2 1/3 to 3 cups of vegetable stock, warmed

DIRECTIONS:

1.       Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 2 1/2-quart (2.5-l) covered baker or a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33cm) baking dish.

2.       In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the leeks, fennel, 1/2 tsp. of the salt and pepper, and sauté until soft and translucent, 10 to 12 minutes, adding the thyme and rosemary during the last minute of cooking. Transfer to a large bowl. 

3.       Drain the soaked wild mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve.

4.       In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the cremini mushrooms and the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the wild mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the leek mixture, add the stuffing and stir until well combined. Stir in the mushroom soaking liquid. Then stir in the stock 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) at a time, making sure it is completely absorbed into the croutons and does not pool in the bottom of the bowl. Taste a crouton; it should be moist throughout but not crunchy or mushy. You may not need all of the stock.

5.       Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish. Cover with a lid or a buttered sheet of aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid or foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown and crisp, 25 to 35 minutes more. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 10 to 12.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving with friends and family, and hopefully a delicious spread.  I just wanted to take a second to say all that I'm thankful for this year.  I am thankful for my readers, our friends and family, our four-legged companions, this life, this baby, and the Mister.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

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Happy Thanksgiving

Hope you and yours are gathered today to share what Thanksgiving is all about, family (and the food of course)!  I am thankful for our friends and family, our four-legged companions, this life, to all my readers, for this baby, and for my Mister. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!


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Tasty Thursday: Thanksgiving Edition

Every Thanksgiving I'm in charge of either the appetizers or the desserts, desserts being my dish of choice to make.  I generally tend to leave the main course to the pros.  Here are some of my favorite contenders for dessert this Thanksgiving.  These are delicious and visually stunning, the perfect combination to wow your guests.

Clockwise from top left:
Vanilla Tart with Nutmeg Crust and Spiced Pears
Apple Cranberry & Currant Pie with French Topping
Poached Pear Crumble with Chocolate, Coffee and Hazel Nuts
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Things I'm thankful for: the Mister, el gato, my amazing friends & family, this blog and my readers, and so much more.

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Tasty Thursday (Thanksgiving Edition): Potato Roast

No, it's not Thursday, but since tomorrow I will be spending time with loved ones, and filling my belly, I thought I'd share Tasty Thursday a day early.  Let's face it Thanksgiving is firstly about giving thanks, but secondly about food!  This Thanksgiving I'm responsible for the potatoes, here's what I'll be making, Potato Roast.

Ingredients:3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
4 shallots, thickly sliced lengthwise
Coarse salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)
8 sprigs thyme

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine butter and oil. Brush bottom of a round 9-inch baking dish with some butter mixture. With a sharp knife or mandoline, slice potatoes very thinly crosswise.
2. Arrange potato slices vertically in dish. Wedge shallots throughout. Sprinkle with salt and red-pepper flakes (if using); brush with remaining butter mixture. Bake 1 1/4 hours. Add thyme and bake until potatoes are cooked through with a crisp top, about 35 minutes more.