veg-giving

it's still over a month away, but as soon as the first fall chill gets into the air, i begin to get excited about the arrival of my most favorite holiday ever in the whole entire universe, THANKSGIVING.

this year will mark the first year that i am completely vegetarian for the holiday.  i've been a quasi-veg in the past, breaking my anti-carnivore vows in favor of savoring a generous helping of gravy-slathered turkey and turnip greens cooked with ham.  as my appetite for meat has dwindled and left me almost grossed-out at the thought of ingesting an animal, i am left wondering how i am going to enjoy a holiday centered around a giant, plucked and roasted dead bird (and its various accoutrements).

luckily, i'm not alone in this dilemma; i won't be the first person who strives to have a veggiegiving amidst a sea of turkey-loving friends and relatives.  and i'm glad to know that many of my favorite thanksgiving recipes can be altered to be (or already are!) kind, and veggie friendly.

roasted shallots
the weeping and ruined mascara that comes with the prep is so worth it...the shallots get sweet and creamy on the inside and deliciously brown and crispy on the outside.  purple is such an unexpected color on the thanksgiving table, but it works, and it is a delight!

carrot souffle
something new to our table last year, but it was a smash and we were all left licking our fingers, and the souffle dish.

cranberry chutney
a rue/jones holiday classic, that always has, and always will be, deliciously meat free!

quinoa stuffing
i'm thinking something with all the regular stuffing flavors, minus the chicken broth part.  oregano, maybe some nuts and raisins thrown in there, and some bread crumbs for varying texture.

greens with veggie broth
no holiday meal where i come from is complete without a generous helping of greens of any variety...collard, turnip, or what have you.  they're usually cooked with ham, which gives them their unmistakably salty flavor.  my grandfather used to cut the saltiness (or maybe enhance it?) by pouring some vinegar over his greens.  i think if i cook mine with veggie broth instead of pig juice, i'll feel better about myself and not like a schmuck for shirking family tradition.

mashed potatoes
pretty straightforward...any ideas for a good gravy substitute?

i also stumbled across nava atlas' in a vegetarian kitchen website, filled with amazing, creative ideas to celebrate the harvest the kind way.  instead of substituting the meat with the infamous tofurkey (which skeeves me out a little bit, in all honesty...i'm not a huge soy fan), i think i might try out the butternut squash stuffed with wild rice!

what the holiday all comes down to is that you get to spend time with people you are glad to have in your life, and that you get to share a meal surrounded by them.  thanksgiving doesn't have to be a preachy holiday, and i don't intend to espouse a "veggier-than-thou" attitude when i sit down at the table this year.  as long as you are thankful for the meal in front of you, and as long as you appreciate the labors of nature to provide for you and the labors of those who prepared the meal, you can have a kind thanksgiving.

my seestor has joined the blogosphere!! yayyyy!!!

emma sue.: 1.: "'I should write that down' How many times has that particular thought run through your head? For me, all day, e'ryday. I have always aspir..."

friendship!

once upon a last weekend, three friends hopped in a car and embarked upon a thirteen hour journey to the sleepy little village of frienship, maine.

the trip started out strong as the friends powered through the first half of the drive with some beer (for the passengers), a bag of chips, plenty of string for friendship bracelets, an atlas, and a copy of "the adventures of huckleberry finn".

as the hours progressed and the miles ticked away on the odometer, the three delawarean travelers were quite literally on their way to becoming maniacs (no pun intended), battling terrible traffic, drizzly weather, and archaic windshield wiper blades.  however, as soon as this came into view, they knew it was well worth the 13 hour journey in the car:

SO worth it.

a sampling of the weekend's beautiful sights:

the poole's

periwinkles and pebbles

expert navigation to seal island

friendship jam

Add caption

blustery sunday morning

rachel

exploring the tide pools

handsome birthday boy!

seahorses.  forever.

giving of thanks

t minus ONE WEEK until my most favorite holiday in the whole wide worrrrrrrrrlllllddd!

i am lucky because i get to celebrate it TWICE in the same year.  two beautiful meals with wonderful people i am glad to have near to me.  perfect.

aaand this year is the first time that i get to host a thanksgiving at my own house!  thanksgivings past have been always with my mom and dad and nuclear family, either at my grandmother's house, my childhood home, or with friends out of state.  i would enjoy the few days off from school, catch my breath and catch up with my family and friends who were in town for the holiday as well. 

however, this year is the first thanksgiving that i have not been a student, and in job world, having "time off for the holidays" means "you get one day off for thanksgiving".  one day??!  one measly day to drive home, eat my meal at an uncomfortably rapid speed, then turn around and drive back to be at work at 7:30 the next morning?  ehh, i'm not exactly a fan of this idea.

solution?  make family come to me.  mom and dad, who all have wonderful school administrator and retired person schedules, suggested the idea, and i was more than happy to acquiesce.  my brain kicked in to high alert menu-planning mode, and this is what i came up with, for a small, quiet, almost-but-not-quite traditional thanksgiving meal.

romertopf chicken

a thanksgiving consisting of four people, two of whom aren't exactly enthusiastic carnivores, on top of a very small kitchen, might consider a 37 pound turkey overkill.  solution?  the romertopf clay pot, a wonderful culinary invention that has been a favorite in my family for years, yields the most incredible roasted chicken you've ever known.  and it's stupid-easy to use, which means less time worrying about multi-step cooking, and more

time for playing parcheesi and watching the macy's parade.  

mashed potatoes and stuffing

no brainers, really.  one year my family was so overwhelmed and actually FORGOT about making mashed potatoes altogether.  needless to say it was, like, the worst thanksgiving EVER.

cranberry chutney

a hearty alternative to canned cranberry sauce.  the recipe makes a ton, has such a unique flavor, and goes on everything, from bagels with cream cheese to pork roasts to apple slices.

roasted shallots

roasting them makes them sweet, and, my, don't they look so pretty and purple nestled in a white ramekin!

carrot souffle

this was an addition to the thanksgiving table last year, replacing the beloved sweet- potato casserole so near and dear to us.  but after the infamous blazing marshmallow topping mishap of a few years ago, the souffle is a decidedly safer alternative. 

brussels sprouts

method is still TBD... the oven is going to be getting a great workout, so the kitchen might be overheated with any more roasting.  hmmm...

apple custard tart

pumpkin pie is great and all, but sometimes a little change is nice.  my mom suggested this new recipe... and if it turns out to be anything less than delicious i will be completely shocked.  

learning to love martha

i have had it out for martha stewart since i was about nine years old.  she just rubs me the wrong way for some reason.  maybe it is her overarching, crippling strive for perfection.  her arrogant tone of voice.  her ability to go to prison for money embezzling and come out even more popular and adored than before she did hard time.

whatever the reason, i made it a lifelong goal to do everything anti-martha.  that is, until i stumbled upon this recipe from her "Food" magazine.  after re-creating this delightful quiche, i am slowly embracing my inner martha (that is my birth name, after all.)

leek, asparagus, and gruyere quiche

ingredients

one pie crust (store bought is fine...maaaartha suggests you make it yourself, but, psssh...)

1 tbsp butter

1 lb. asparagus, sliced thinly on the diagonal

1 leek, rinsed well, halved, and sliced thin

1 c. shredded gruyere

1 1/4 c. half and half

4 eggs

salt and pepper to taste (a couple of teaspoons each, i guess...)

pinch nutmeg

method

preheat oven to 350.  line a 9" pie plate with the crust, crimping it along the edges.  fill the pie crust with the shredded gruyere.

melt butter in a large skillet.  add the sliced asparagus and leeks, and saute for 6-8 minutes.

in another bowl, combine half and half, beaten eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  whisk together.

to assemble the quiche, pour the asparagus and leek mixture over the shredded quiche, then pour the half and half mixture overtop.  bake for 50-60 minutes, until quiche is firm and crust is browned around the edges.

bangin' breakfast

i was home this weekend and i wanted to impress my parents with my cooking chops and surprise them with a nice sunday morning breakfast. as i was thumbing through the old cookbooks in my kitchen looking for a belgian waffle recipe, something better, easier, and more heavenly caught my attention.

behold the puff pancake: this is the taste of perfection.  i'll never go back to regular pancakes again.

dutch baby puff pancake

ingredients

1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2 eggs at room temperature (important! or it won't puff!!!)

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 stick butter

method
preheat oven to 425. in a large cast iron skillet, melt the butter, being sure to coat all sides of the pan. whisk together remaining ingredients in a bowl, then pour into skillet. cook for one minute, until edges begin to bubble.

transfer skillet into oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

serve immediately, or else it will deflate!

(and add a candle if it's your birthday!!)

serve with a nice spread of the following toppings:
-1 pint strawberries, capped and quartered, mixed with 1/4 c. sugar and chilled
-really good fruit preserves
-cinnamon and sugar
-confectioner's sugar
-maple syrup

try serving this as a dessert, too. serve with coffee ice cream, cinnamon sugar, and nutella and bananas! wow wow wow!

oh, elaine...i love you so.

my grandmother is the shit.

she's only 5'1", but behind her petite little frame she packs a punch.  and makes a hell of a casserole.

after catching up with her over lunch the other day, i thought it would be fitting to theme this next post with some of my favorite dishes that she makes.  we're talking good old, eastern sho' style home cooking.  lots of butter, sugar, cream, etc.  (which probably explains my family's sky-high cholesterol levels... but how else is food supposed to taste this good?) 

elaine t. laws, you are the best.

black walnut cookies

i learned this recipe from her last christmas, and i love love love these cookies.  so so simple!  the walnut flavor is strong...and you must use black walnuts, or else they won't taste the same.  and make sure you butter the hell out of the cookie sheet.

ingredients

2 eggs

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

pinch salt

1 c. black walnuts, chopped

method

using an electric mixer, beat the eggs for 7 minutes.  combine dry ingredients, then add to eggs.  butter an aluminum baking sheet.  drop batter onto sheets and bake at 350 for 10 minutes, until the edges brown slightly.

remove from sheet immediately and transfer to rack to cool.

baked pineapple

if you're looking for a culinary time-warp back to 1963 suburbia with ed sullivan being broadcast in the background and herb alpert playing on the hi-fi... this is it.  i always ask for this at my birthday dinner.

ingredients

3 large eggs

1/2 c. sugar

2 tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 can Dole #2 crushed pineapple

1/2 c. (one stick) butter

4 slices white bread

method

beat eggs.  combine sugar, flour, and salt and add to the eggs.  add pineapple (drained).  mix well and pour into buttered casserole dish.

melt butter in a saucepan.  tear the bread slices and saute in the butter until just moistened (make sure they aren't browned).  spread over pineapple mixture in casserole dish.

bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

chicken casserole

classic.

ingredients

2 cups diced chicken breast, cooked

1 cup cooked white rice

1 cup celery, diced

1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup (love it!)

2 tbsp. minced onion

3/4 c. mayonnaise

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1/2 c. slivered almonds

1 c. Corn Flakes cereal

butter.  lots of butter.

method

crush corn flakes and combine with 1/3 stick of melted butter.  combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  pour into casserole dish and top with corn flakes.  bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until the top is crispy and bubbly.

oh my god.