Christmas countdown!

Merry Christmas to y'all! The big day is quickly approaching! Nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit more than baking. Every year, I spend hours and hours baking homemade gifts for family and friends. This year is no different, I have spent the last two days baking our traditional favorites and a few new things. I stocked up at the grocery store on Monday morning...

Got my tools and gadgets out...

And started the baking marathon!
Most of my recipes are from Everyday Food.

I started with a special request from Justin. His favorite from last year was Molasses Sandwich Cookies (click links for recipes). These are amazing, like big gooey christmas- filled sandwiches!
They start out with chewy molasses cookies.

The cookies are filled with a buttery molasses filling.

Soft, chewy, spicy goodness! Make sure you have a huge glass of milk, or better yet, hot coffee!


Next up: Chunky Chocolate Everything Cookies! I got the idea for these cookies from this Food Network recipe. I had pecans on hand (like, a lot...) so I used them instead of cashews. Also, I replaced the M&M's with Craisins and dried cherries, but otherwise followed the recipe. The dough was very dry, so I added a few tablespoons of milk at the end to pull it together.
Yum, yum!


I always make these shortbread cookies every year...they are MY favorite! Another one from Everyday Food...Martha is always right on time! You can make them with ANY mix in or coating you can imagine. My favorite is the orange- cranberry. This year I also tried dark chocolate, dried cherries, and pecans (like I said, I have a lot of pecans...). Both turned out quite delicious!
Icebox Shortbread



I decided to try another shortbread variation, too! Chocolate Shortbread Wedges...I got a tad carried away with the shortbread...but it is soooo easy!



Moving on...Butter Pecan Cookies! These are seriously the easiest cookies I have ever made. Plus they are delicious, and look like you got them from a bakery! Justin and I both love these sparkly, sugary treats!


Whew! Yep, there's more!

Pumpkin Chocolate chip Squares. This was a new one, but it will definitely be a repeat next year. So, so good! I love pumpkin. I love chocolate. I love these!!


Almost there...Hope my family is hungry! :)

Chocolate Chunk Biscotti
Again, I needed to use my pecans...so I replaced the pistacios and raisins in the Everyday Food recipe with pecans and chocolate chunks. I also had some coconut left over from the Chunky Chocolate Everything cookies, so I threw that in, too! MMMMMM! I love biscotti and coffee!




And finally, last but certainly not least, the infamous Red Velvet Truffle! Everyone loves these, but I have to admit....I hate to make them! I know. It's the one thing (baking-wise) that is just a total pain in the butt! I make them because Justin loves them and I love Justin! :)

Red Velvet Truffles

1 red velvet cake mix, baked according to package directions
1 can cream cheese icing
2 bags white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or crisco
chopped pecans

Crumble cake into a large bowl and stir in icing until uniform in color. Scoop out cake mixture with a cookie scoop onto parchment paper- lined cookie sheets. Place cake balls in the freezer for at least 2 hours to firm. Meanwhile, melt white chocolate chips with oil or crisco in a double boiler. Using two forks, coat each ball in white chocolate and rest on parchment paper. You can sprinkle with leftover cake crumbs or chopped pecans.



I packed everything up in tins and plastic goodie bags...



All ready for the trip to Meridian...get ready, everyone!

Goodbye November...Hello December!!

Well, I am finally getting around to posting my Thanksgiving recipes and photos. I hope you all had a fabulous holiday...I, for one, am still in a food coma...and there is another pan of dressing in the fridge!!

We had a wonderful day Thursday. I cooked all morning, and once Justin got home from work, we pigged out. The best part about Thanksgiving for two?...Immediately changing into stretchy PJ pants after we ate!!!

Here are all my recipes...

Appetizer:
Brie, drizzled with honey, and topped with pecans. Served with cracked pepper water crackers



Katie's brined, buttered turkey breast with gravy

1 7-8 lb fresh turkey breast
1/3 cup cider vinegar per 1/2 gallon of water
1/3 cup kosher salt per 1/2 gallon of water
1/3 cup brown sugar per 1/2 gallon of water
6-8 whole peppercorns
1 whole head garlic, cut in half; plus 3 cloves, minced
1 bunch each: fresh sage, rosemary, thyme
1 shallot, cut in half
ice
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 lemon
1 Tbsp dry mustard
2 squirts Tabasco
2 tsp EVOO
1 stalk celery, cut into sticks
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, cut into sticks
1 cup apple cider
2-3 tbsp burre manie (50/50 paste of butter and flour)

1. Brine the turkey: In a large bucket or stockpot with a lid, bring 4 quarts of water to a simmer. Add vinegar, salt, sugar, peppercorns, garlic head, 2 sprigs rosemary, 5-6 sage leaves, 3-4 sprigs thyme, and shallot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Add ice to brine until you have enough liquid to completely submerge the turkey. Cover and refrigerate 8-12 hours.

2. Butter the turkey: Remove your turkey breast from the brine and pat dry, set aside. In a small bowl, combine butter, minced garlic, dry mustard, 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, 1 tbsp chopped thyme, 1 tbsp chopped sage, EVOO, juice of 1 lemon (reserve lemon halves), and tabasco. Separate the skin from the turkey breast. Place 1/2 of butter under the skin and 1/2 on top of the skin. (Don't be shy! Generously coat inside and out)

3. Prepare your pan: Place a rack in the bottom of a roasting pan. Arrange celery and carrot sticks, lemon halves, onion halves, and remaining herbs in the bottom of the pan. Pour cider into pan. Place buttered turkey on the rack.

4. Roast the turkey: Heat oven to 325. Roast turkey for 2 hours 15 min or until instant read thermometer shows 160 degrees. Remove from oven and transfer to serving platter. Tent with foil and allow to rest 20 min before carving.

5. Prepare gravy: Strain drippings from roasting pan. Place drippings in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Skim fat from drippings. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add burre manie and whisk until desired thickness is achieved. Strain gravy into serving dish.

Serve turkey with gravy.


Deep South Cornbread Dressing
"Southern Seasons"

1 Cornish hen
2 quarts chicken broth
1/2 onion
1/2 carrot
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced
2 tsp celery salt
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 cups mushroom bechamel (recipe follows)
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chicken broth strained from cooking hen
4 eggs
1 recipe cornbread, crumbled
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Place the hen, broth, onion, carrot, and bayleaf in a medium stock pot. Simmer 1 hour and 20 minutes over medium heat. Remove hen and strain broth. Allow hen to cool and pull meat from bones. Chop meat.
Preheat oven to 325
In a medium skillet, heat oil over low heat. Add bell pepper, celery, onion, celery salt, and poultry seasoning and cook slowly for 10 minutes.
Pour into a mixing bowl. Add mushroom bechamel, cream, broth, and eggs mixing well. Add crumbled cornbread, boiled egg, and chicken. Mix. Pour into 3 qt baking dish. Bake 1 hour and 15 min. Dressing should be moist, but not runny.

Mushroom Bechamel

2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp onion, minced
1 tbsp shallot, minced
1 tbsp celery, minced
1/2 tsp salt
3 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup chicken broth, heated
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/8 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup whipping cream, warmed
Heat oil in a 3 qt saucepan over low heat. Add onion, shallot, celery, and salt. cook vegetables until tender. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium. cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add chicken broth, garlic, and thyme. Bring back to simmer and cook 10 more minutes.
In a separate skillet, make a light blond roux by melting butter and stirring in flour. Add to simmering broth mixture. Cook 3-4 min and add cream.



Mama's Sweet Potato Casserole

Filling:
3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients for filling in a mixing bowl with hand mixer until smooth. Pour into casserole dish. Mix topping ingredients until well incorporated. Sprinkle on top of filling. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.



Parker House Rolls
Bobby Flay

click link for recipe



Pumpkin Cheesecake
"Southern Seasons"

Filling:
1 1/2 lb cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
pinch salt
5 eggs
4 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice

Crust:
2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 275
Place softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat using paddle attachment on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape sides and beat again to ensure there are no lumps. Add sugar and salt and mix well. Add eggs and yolks, a few at a time, allowing them to incorporate well before adding more. Set the mixer to low and add vanilla, pumpkin buree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Blend well another 2-3 minutes.

Combine crumbs, cinnamon and sugar and mix by hand. Add butter in stages, mixing well before each addition. Evenly distribute crust in a 10 inch springform pan, pressing firmly on the bottom of the pan and building crust up 2 inches on the sides.
Pour the cheesecake batter and bake 1- 1 1/2 hours. The cheesecake should jiggle slightly when tapped. Remove and refrigerate overnight before serving.

Thanksgiving!!!

It's Thanksgiving- eve! Justin and I will be spending the holiday at our house this year. He is working tomorrow...so I will be cooking our first "family" Thanksgiving here in Jackson. It is nearly impossible to cook such a meal just for two, so we will be eating Thanksgiving for DAYS! I started on Monday planning my menu and shopping. Yesterday, I started prepping a few things. Here is what I have planned so far.

Katie and Justin's little Thanksgiving:

Katie's brined, buttered, herb roasted turkey breast

Mama's sweet potato casserole

Cornbread dressing

Homemade Parker House rolls

Pumpkin cheesecake

I will post recipes at the end of the week.

So yesterday I started prepping and organizing all my veggies and herbs.

I made the mushroom bechamel for the dressing

I made cornbread for the dressing, and I made the herbed butter for the turkey. Today's plans include making the cheesecake, boiling and chopping the chicken and eggs for the dressing, and brining the turkey. I'm so excited to see how my first turkey turns out! I did some research and came up with my own recipe for brine, herbed butter, and gravy. We'll see! This is also my first attempt at dressing...fingers crossed.

Happy Thanksgiving-eve!

Corn Chowder

Last week, mom brought me a huge bag of fresh veggies from the farmer's market. Fresh corn, potatoes, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes!! Yay! I love veggies! As soon as I saw those potatoes and the corn, I couldn't wait to make this corn chowder:

Corn Chowder
Tyler Florence

So good! I used baby red potatoes cut into quarters instead of the Idaho potatoes, since that is what I had on hand. This recipe made enough for two suppers for the two of us.

Recipe update marathon...

Ready, set, cook!!
Hope you're hungry...here are some of the things I've made here lately (and been too lazy to blog about)

Click the recipe names for link to recipes


Grilled Tilapia with Smoked Paprika and Parmesan Polenta
Cooking Light

We loved this soo much. I love new ways to prepare tilapia, and this was a-mazing. Smoked paprika is incredible..do not substitute the "regular" kind!


Creamy Pumpkin Risotto
Epicurean

O.M.G. That's all.



I bought the big can of pumpkin puree, and had a lot left after I made the risotto. I found this recipe from Rachael Ray for Pumpkin Penne. I forgot to take a pic, but here is the link if you are interested:

Penne-wise Pumpkin Pasta

Pasta Milano
Joelen's Culinary Adventures

This was really, really good! Thanks, Joelen! Just like Macaroni Grill's! The best part is, Joelen gives instructions for freezing and reheating later! Love it!


Ok...now I'm hungry...must eat...more to come!

Lazy blogger...

Yes, I have been quite the lazy blogger lately...But I have been busy! I have been cooking (duh!), painting, and learning how to take pretty pictures with my camera. I have tons of recipes I need to fill y'all in on, but first, let me show you what I've been doing!
I have had this huge canvas sitting in our spare bedroom for months. Finally, I got the time and inspiration to use it! I decided I needed some new art above the mantle, so this is what I did:

You like? I think it turned out cute, plus it looks perfect with our new furniture!

I have always wanted to know how to use my camera (a Nikon d3000 DSLR) without just putting it in one of the "auto" modes. So....I ordered a book and got busy! I am still figuring some things out, but I know how to make a correct exposure in Manual mode. Pretty fun...Here are some of my favorite shots so far.






Now...let's get down to the real business of this post:
Last night I made my very first Coq au Vin!! It took a solid 3 hours, but it was well worth it. I mean, anything cooked in wine is wonderful in my book! Plus, I got to light some cognac on fire!!! (another first) I made some garlic mashed potatoes and toasted some french bread to serve alongside the chicken. It was heaven...warm, rich, delicious!! Perfect on a chilly fall night.

The classic Coq au Vin, or Rooster in Wine, is made using a big, old rooster. These are impossible to find in modern American grocery stores...so, a regular farm-raised chicken must do. (Another reason I will have my own chickens someday!) The recipe I used also suggested using a Capon...a bird I have neither heard of nor seen at my local Kroger! Chicken it is!!

I had originally intended to use Julia Child's recipe, but after some research on the necessary modifications of her fancy, French recipe; I decided to use this one from Anne Burrell. (she is the fun, platinum blonde on "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef") I also looked at Ina Garten's and Tyler Florence's recipes. This one looked like the simplest one for a first attempt. I plan on trying the others eventually...working my way up to Julia's!
Here is the link to the recipe from www.foodnetwork.com

Coq au Vin: Anne Burrell

My only modifications: I omitted the fingerling potatoes and made mashed potatoes instead...because they are my favorite! I used cognac instead of brandy...because I felt like it, okay?!


Chicken's all browned-up!


Look at that flame! Awesome!


I peeled all those little babies...


Ready to eat!



Lots of work, but sooo worth it. Just ask my Mama, she got to eat with us!!

More recipes on the way...

Happy Fall Y'all!

Oh, man! I have been loving this fall-ish weather we have been having! Today I made a trip to the farmer's market for some mums and found this amazing lettuce pot!



They called it "living lettuce". It makes me want a HUGE salad. You just trim off what you need to make your salad, etc. and it keeps growing for you!! LOVE it!

Here are some pics me and Baxter enjoying these beautiful days:


gorgeous sunny sky

sweet puppy dog

some of my roses making one last show before winter


You are probably wondering what I have been cooking lately, huh? Well, last week I had some cupcakes to make for Hunter Beason. His mom, Mecie, told me they were having another camping party and wanted cupcakes. She gave me creative control and told me to "do whatever"! Here is what I made:

S'Mores Cupcakes!

They have been really big lately on all of the cooking blogs, so I thought this was a perfect time to try them out. Here is a link to the recipe I used from "Good Thymes and Good Food" that includes the graham cracker crust, chocolate cupcake,and marshmallow buttercream. I topped each cake with either a graham cracker stick or a mini hershey bar. Also, I left out the chocolate chips from this recipe. (only because I forgot to buy them!!) They were soo yummy!

Also, I discovered a new love at The Fresh Market! I have many many loves there, but this one is taking the number one spot this week! This pistachio gelato is beyond words. Get some.


I was really craving seafood a couple weeks ago (specifically crab legs and shrimp), so I decided to make Justin and I a form of Surf and Turf. After searching the internet, I found this recipe on "What's Cookin' Italian Style" for a crab, shrimp, and mushroom sauce to go on steaks.

For the steaks, I got 2 filets from The Fresh Market and cooked them according to the only steak recipe I will ever use...Ina's Steakhouse Steaks. Perfection, everytime!

I served Rachael Ray's potatoes gratin on the side. This is one of my absolute favorite potato recipes. If you know me, you know I LOVE potatoes. So, trust me on this one...it is like potatoes in alfredo sauce....mmmmm.



Umm. Yeah. Definitely not something you want to eat on a regular basis, but a good splurge!

Hope everyone is getting outside to enjoy this weather if you can! Have a great week!

Honey-roasted BLT's with red pepper aioli

Ahhh. Tomatoes! If there is one thing that makes these sweltering Mississippi summers worth it, it's a big, red garden tomato. Growing up, my mom introduced me to a perfect summer snack. A big plate of ripe tomatoes with salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. It doesn't get any better!
Well, except for maybe a super duper BLT! We loved Ina Garten's California BLT's so much, we've eaten them probably 4 times since I blogged about them. Last night, I decided to put a new spin on the recipe...plus I needed to use up that leftover aioli!

Honey-roasted BLT's with red pepper aioli

6 slices white bread (Pepperidge Farm Hearty White), toasted
9 slices center cut bacon
2 Tbsp honey
1 avocado, sliced
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 large, or 4 small tomatoes, sliced and sprinkled with salt and pepper
mayo


Preheat oven to 425. Place bacon slices on a rack on top of a baking sheet. Drizzle each slice with honey. Bake at 425 for about 20- 25 minutes, until brown and crispy. Remove from oven and drain on paper towels. Spread mayo on bread slices to taste. Arrange 3 slices bacon, 2-3 tomato slices, 3-4 avocado slices, and 3-4 pieces lettuce on each sandwich. Top with remaining bread slices, cut in half and serve with red pepper aioli as a dipping sauce.

Yummy!