Gobble it Up!

mini apple pies with Star Crust
below mini chocolate cream Pies

 My 3rd year of thanksgiving! I have learned a few things over the years, but first a quick recap of the last 2 years.  Year one was crazy I cooked solid for 2 days and had 15 people coming to my house. The term go big applied here! I made 4 different desserts (sweet potato pie, apple pie, chocolate pecan tart, and cream puffs), a 24 pound turkey named Hank, 5 different sides (carrots, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, green bean casserole and stuffing) I truly have no clue how I pulled it all off.

Last year I had a smaller crowd, only cooking dinner for 8 was way more manageable. I also had to work on the day before and the day of. I still made 4 different desserts in the form of mini pies (apple, sweet potato, pecan, and chocolate cream) a 17 pound turkey,  and 4 sides (green bean casserole, Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, and stuffing) Everything was in smaller portions so a bit easier to handle. 

Now that I have bored you all with a not so quick overview of the last 2 years- lets get on to this year. I am hosting about 10 people. I learned last year that my mini pies were cute- however they took a really long time to make. This year I am sticking to two desserts.  I have a 20 pound turkey courtesy of my work! yeah I got a free Turkey! I am going to add a cocktail. That should be fun! Now for the recipe roundup!
To start the day off right I will be serving a Special cocktail in addtion to Ryan's homemade beer. In trying to be festive I thought of a Cranberry Margarita- Here is a recipe simple and easy.
Cranberry Margaritas!
1 1/2 cups cranberry juice
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup tequila
1/2 cup Triple Sec

-Pour everything over ice and stir to combine. garnish with some salt rimmed glasses and lime!

Turkey Brining in my largest pot. -  (beer brine)

I asked Lukas to name the Turkey-  as we do every year since I was young, usually it's Tom. He has named our Turkey- Bunny. Yes! that is not a typo- A turkey named Bunny!  Last year I did a beer brine bird, and the year before was a cider brine. Both were amazingly delicious. No other recipes I saw looked as good as the cider-brined-turkey-with-star-anise-and-cinnamon . It will go down as one of my favorite turkey brines of all time. I will just warn you now, doing a wet brine like this one takes up alot of space in the fridge. If you have an extra fridge or even a large cooler it will help to keep your fridge free for other ingredients. And for easy clean up use a brine bag- yes they do make heavy duty bags just for this, don't use a garbage bag- they are NOT food safe.
this year really jumped out at me. So  I am going to go with the
Now on to the sides. Really if it ain't  broke don't fix it right? Well I am only changing a few things around.
But not the Mashed Potatoes! They are the co-star to any thanksgiving dinner for me. Served with any creamy mashed potatoes goes the gravy! Gotta have gravy! here is a fantastic rich-and-silky-turkey-gravy recipe.
Green Bean Casserole- A can of green beans and mushroom soup just doesn't cut it. 2 years ago  I made up my own version- Using fresh green beans, and a thick mushroom sauce. I am a sucker for the fried onions so they have to stay. The first year it was devoured, no leftovers for me. Last year I  made double and it was still all gone. This we will see if I can make enough! -yet still no recipe. I am such a slacker. 

Once again I am here with Stuffing- I can't explain how it's made. I can say whats in it but it's going to have to be by feel. I have watched my dad make it countless times- It's a basic stuffing recipe with onions, celery, mushrooms, olives, chicken stock, sausage, bread, salt, pepper, garlic. Mix together and either stuff or bake in the oven. Dad I'll be calling you on Thursday morning!

Last but not least Brussels sprouts! My favorite! My sister in law never liked Brussels sprouts until I made them for her. SO I get to make a whole bunch because I know they will at last be eaten by both of us. With any leftovers I will use for pizza later in the week. (SO YUMMY)

 Now onto Desserts! This is usually the section that takes the most amount of time to make. So happy I am only going to make 2 different kinds. 

Salted Caramel Cream puffs- Oh YES! thanksgiving doesn't have to be all about pies. I declare cream puffs just as good if not better then pie. They are light and fun to eat! need I say more?!

As always I will make Ryan's favorite- Chocolate Pecan tart. Rich and full of a toffee and chocolate flavor is a great end to a turkey dinner. 

This year I will take  more pictures.  I hope I have inspired some ideas. And wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. 

Energy Bars

I came across this recipe when flipping through cookbooks at the library. Wow so great! This energy bar is full of protein and nutrients. The best part is you can add any kind of nuts and dried fruit. I kept it pretty traditional with raisins and almonds this time. Next time I plan to use figs and pecans.

Raisins, Oat, Almonds, Honey, Butter

Energy Bars:
Adapted from Green Market Baking Book
1/4 cup Salted Butter
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup Milk
1 TBS vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups oat flakes
1 cup chopped almonds
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 350*

Toasted Oats and Almonds

Spray the sides and bottom of a square baking dish.  Rehydrate the raisins in the milk and vanilla let sit till plump about 15 min.  Melt the butter in a large pan on medium heat, add the oats and almonds toss to toast for about 5 min-  make sure to keep stirring. Add the cinnamon and cook for 1 min longer. Pull off the heat.  Add the eggs and honey to raisin mixture, mix well, then add to the oat raisin mixture. Stir till evenly combined. Spread the mixture into the baking dish, and bake till golden brown and pulling away from the sides about 20 - 30 minutes. Cool before cutting. They will keep for 1 week. I know they won't last that long here!

Chicken Pot Pie

I am still using up that giant chunk of pie dough that I brought home from work. I overdosed on Pop Tarts, chicken pot pie sounded good and easy. I do have to admit that I have never made chicken pot pie at home, however plenty of times at work. I had a limited supply of vegetables, and two picky boys. My filling wasn't as exciting as most but still Delicious. As long as the basics are covered- it doesn't matter.  On to Chicken pot pie! For the recipe below I have added a few vegetables to make it more exciting. In my actual pot pie there was chicken, potatoes, onion, carrots and corn.

Chicken Pot Pie
butter_pie_crust
2-3 Chicken breasts
2 Potatoes
2 Carrots
1 Onion
1 Zucchini
2 Celery stalks
1/4 cup Olive OIL
1/3 cup  corn kernels
1/3 cup  peas
1 cup broccoli blanched- chopped
1 egg
For the Sauce:
4 TBS butter
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 TBS sherry
2 tsp Dill weed
1 tsp black or white pepper

Make pie crust, and roll into 2 rounds, place 1 in a pie dish the other is for the top- set aside.
Preheat oven 375*
In oven proof baking dish cook chicken till no longer pink inside.  While chicken is cooking prep the vegetables: dice potatoes, carrots, onion, zucchini, celery- make sure to dice everything the same size. Toss them together in a bowl with the olive oil and garlic. Put them on a baking sheet and roast for about 15 min.  Toss the cooked chicken and vegetables with broccoli, corn and peas.
To make the sauce: in a saucepan on medium heat melt the butter. Once melted add flour and whisk for 1-2 minutes, slowly add the milk while whisking. Whisk over medium heat till thickened. Once sauce is thick add the sherry, dill, and pepper.

To assemble: pour sauce over the chicken and vegetable mix.  Add to pie shell. Take the top pie crust and lay over the top of the pie. Trim and crimp the sides, and cut slits in the top. brush the top with egg wash.  Bake at 375* for 45 -60 minutes. Wait 10 min before cutting into it will be HOT!

Meaty Tomato Pasta

Spring has sprung and it has been busy in my house. I notice I haven't written a new post for almost 2 months. I have been half writing posts. Now I plan to finish.
This post is about my throw together dinner that is my go to at least once a week. It is healthy and easy! So many different combinations can be put into this dish. It's just whatever I have on hand. Alright here we go Baked Meaty Tomato Pasta!
1 TBS Olive Oil
1 TBS diced garlic
 1/2 Yellow onion diced
15oz can of Tomato Sauce
 16- 20oz Meat-- this can vary*
 1/4 cup pured squash, sweet potatoes or carrots etc.- OPTIONAL
1 tsp dried Basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried dill weed
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 pound whole wheat pasta or gluten free pasta
8 oz  Shredded Italian Cheese- this can vary**

optional add ins - 1 cup of corn kernels, 1 /12 cups Garbanzo beans,  Use rice instead of Pasta!
* Meat-I use Italian sausage links the most, brown them up then slice. But using ground beef, turkey, chicken is great too. Really any kind of meat that is available.
** Mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano-  in a pinch I have used cheddar.

In a 4 quart pot start boiling water for the pasta, add a pinch of salt. Once the water starts to boil add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions.

before adding the cheese and baking!

 Meanwhile in heavy roasting pan cook your meat. Once it is done cooking, drain the fat- if any and set aside. In the same pan add the Olive Oil and saute with the onion and garlic till translucent.  If the meat needs to be sliced slice it now and add to the onion garlic mix. Time to add the spices, tomato sauce,  and pured veggies. By this time the pasta should be done cooking. drain but SAVE some of the cooking water! Add the pasta directly to the tomato mixture, toss all together. At this point look and see if the sauce looks a little dry, that is when I like to add some of the pasta water to thin it out. After everything looks combined sprinkle the top with the cheese and turn the oven to broil- (my saute pans are all metal if yours have a plastic handle I suggest you transfer the pasta to a baking dish then sprinkle with cheese) Toss the whole thing in the oven to brown the cheese up for about 3-5 minutes. Pull from the oven let sit a few minutes before eating. So quick and easy, the best part just use up what is in the pantry and fridge.


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On the roller derby news front my team has a game coming up on May 19th. If anyone is in the Everett, Washington area you should come on by for a good fun game! Check out my team's website for all the details. http://www.tacokickers.com/.

Grainy Beer Mustard

Soaking Mustard Seeds in Beer

 I never knew that making mustard was so easy. I came across some mustard seeds 1/2 price, I figured I would give it a go. Just like my other recipes, I change it to my needs or what I have in my pantry. I found a great recipe from smedette. I didn't have everything her recipe required, so I changed it a bit.
I must say if you have never made mustard, just do it. It's so easy, you don't even have to can it. Just keep it in the fridge, or share with friends. Either way it will disappear quickly! I had it the other night on my burger- and it was 1 million times better then the store bought stuff!


When buying spices look for them in the Bins or bulk section of the store. Buying in bulk is much more inexpensive, then the tiny fancy jars. I like to make a big trip down to Pike Place Market and visit Market Spice- they have the best selection. 


Grainy Beer Mustard:
1 12oz bottle of beer
 (I used Pyramid Hefeweizen)
1/2 cup brown mustard seeds
1/2 cup yellow mustard seeds
1/2 cup mustard powder-mild works best
1 TBS onion powder
1 TBS Kosher Salt
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 garlic cloves minced
2 TBS Sliced jalapeño pickled
1 TBS sliced habanero pickled 
Pour beer and mustard seeds into a glass jar and set aside for a few hours- or even overnight in Fridge, to let the seeds soften.
Whisk mustard powder, onion powder and salt in a small bowl.
Using a food processor or blender, blend the garlic, jalapeño, habanero together. Add the beer soaked seeds, blend to break up about half of them.  Whisk in mustard powder mixture and vinegar. Put in non-reactive pot and cook over medium heat until just barely boiling; whisking often.  Turn down heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, cook longer if you desire a thicker mustard, or less for a thinner mustard. And thats it, mustard is made. Let it sit for a few days for the flavors meld. Refrigerate if you don't plan to can. 


For you canners out there, this is easy.
 Use a hot pack method, for water bath processing. Process in boiling water for 10 min. take out and let sit for 24 hours, remove rings and store. 
I hope you all enjoy!

Clam Chowder

To continue with my last post Steak House Chili. It's Clam Chowder time. When I think of Clam Chowder I can only imagine New England Clam Chowder. The stick to your bones thick chowder of my childhood. I know there are some die hard Manhattan Clam Chowder people, but to that I say "That ain't Chowder!" It's more like Manhattan Clam Soup- which is fine and dandy.

 Alright now down to my chowder, it has to have nice chunks of potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, clams and bacon. - Yes Bacon! My recipe calls for canned clams- Sorry to disappoint, but clams here are rather expensive, and since the heaviest part of a clam is the shell. I can't afford to be buying 8 pounds of clams just for 3 1/2 pounds of meat. 

Clam Chowder:

4 Slices Bacon

1 Yellow Onion- diced

3 Stalks Celery - diced

3 Carrots- peeled & diced

3 Medium Potatoes- peeled & diced

2 Cups Stock- Fish, Chicken, or Veggie

48 oz of canned clams drained from juice - SAVE THE JUICE!!

4 oz salted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups whole milk

1 TBS Dill Weed

1 TBS Red Pepper Flakes

1 TBS Black Pepper

Salt to taste. 

In a large stock pot cook the bacon slices till crispy, take them out and set aside. Add the onion, celery, carrots and potatoes, saute in the bacon fat till the onion is translucent. Add the stock, and reserved clam juice. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 20 min.  In a separate  pan melt the butter, once the butter is melted add the flour. Whisk for 1 min, then  slowly add the milk. Once the milk is Incorporated , let simmer till it is thickened.  Add to the big pot of veggies. Chop up the bacon. Add bacon, clams and spices. Keep on low for 10- 15 stirring so it doesn't burn, or stick to the pan. Serve with nsourdough bread. 

Steak House Chili

Last Friday I was ambitious!  First I started cooking a few of my favorite things Chili and Clam Chowder. Ryan wanted Chili and I wanted Clam Chowder. What the heck right? I had plenty of time and everything I needed.
First off I started with Chili since it cooks longer then Clam Chowder. I looked at a few recipes but then decided to wing it, as I do quite a bit. In no way since I made both in 1 day am I suggesting you do the same. I am just insane.
Clam Chowder is right after the Chili, I just wanted to do two separate posts.

Steak House Chili
3 TBS Olive Oil
3 Pounds Beef for Stewing* (see note) cubed
1 Jalapeno Pepper- Diced 1/2 seeds removed
1 Yellow Onion- Diced
1 Red Pepper-Diced
1 Green Pepper- Diced
1 TBS Minced Garlic
3 (14oz) Canned Beans** (see note)
1 (28oz) Canned Tomato Sauce or 1 jar of  Tomato, Basil & Garlic Sauce
1 (14oz)  Petite Diced Tomatoes
2 TBS Chili Powder
2 TBS Cumin
2 TBS Italian Seasoning
1 TBS Oregano
1 TBS Dill Weed
1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro Chopped
1 TBS Red Pepper Flakes - or more if you want it Spicy
1 TBS Ground Black Pepper
2 tsp Salt- add more to taste.

In a large pot over medium heat Saute Beef, Jalapeno, Onion, Peppers, Garlic. Until the meat is browned and onion is translucent. Lower the heat, add everything else. Cover and let simmer for a few hours, till the meat is tender. Serve by it self or over rice, noodles, hot dogs, burgers, nachos. Great toppings are cheddar cheese, diced onions, cilantro, sour cream. The possibilities are endless.

Notes: * This steak is  really tough and needs to be cooked for a long time to become tender. It is relatively cheap. If you like ground beef, pork or turkey that can subbed as well. Even chunks of chicken is good. If you don't have a long time ground meat is the way to go.
** Any variety of beans works well.  I like to use a mixture or Black, Garbanzo, Kidney, Pinto and Chili. If using dried beans you will need  4 cups dried beans that have been soaked overnight and rinsed.

Infusion Party!

I made these fun tags for each bottle

 3 Months ago I planned an Infusion party. A liquor Infusion is when you transform a regular liquor into something fabulous. I chose gin and vodka, and only did fruity concoctions, but spicy and herbal are great too. My friends were encouraged  to create an infusion to share at the party. They did a great job!

This idea was so exciting that I went a little infusion crazy.  Using strawberries from my garden, yellow plums from a friend, peaches from the farmers market, and blackberries that I picked.  I had bottles and bottles of fruit and liquor sitting in my garage. At first I was so excited I would check on them daily, it was going to be a long process!! Some infusions only took a week or two, others 3 months! Alas when I started infusing, this blog didn't exist so I don't have pictures of the whole process.

At the party we had so many infusions! With Jazz in the background and mason jars for glasses, someone said it felt like a speakeasy.

• Pear Ginger Vodka- Chopped up pears and ginger slices for 2 weeks with a 3 TBS of sugar
• Peach Vanilla Vodka- Halves of peaches, with 1 TBS Vanilla Extract 1/4 cup sugar for 1 month
• Peach Lavender Gin- peach pits with 2 sprigs of lavender 3 TBS of sugar for 3 weeks
• Blackberry Lime Gin- whole Blackberries 1 lime pealed with no pith, 3 TBS sugar for 2 months
• Plum Gin- Yellow plums halved, with 1/4 cup sugar, 5 whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick for 3 months
• Strawberry Vodka- 2 cups strawberries halved in 1 quart Vodka for 2 weeks
• Habanero Tequila- 3 Habaneros halved infuse for 2-4 hours
• Jalapeno Tequila- 3 jalapenos halved for 2 days
• Lavender Tequila or Vodka- 2-3 sprigs lavender for 4 days
• Chocolate Vodka- 1 dark chocolate Bar cut into cubes for 4 days
• Raspberry Vodka- 2 pints Raspberries for 2 months

Strawberry Lemon Drop

 For the party we had lemons and limes along with ginger ale and sprite for mixing. We made up some crazy drinks! My favorite was Strawberry Vodka lemon drop, I recreated one for a picture since I didn't take any photos during the party.