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...