I’ve never really been a cranberry sauce person.  It wasn’t particularly common to have at our family Thanksgivings, and canned cranberry sauce is not my thing, anyway. On top of that, I’m not really a fruit-with-my-meat kinda gal, as you know.  Still, there are plenty of people who love cranberry chutneys and sauces, and I wanted to give a homemade version a try.  And, with hosting our first Thanksgiving,  this is the perfect time. (Not to mention that, thankfully, cranberry sauces can be made ahead so I don’t  have to think about it on the day-of.)

This sauce is really delicious. Would I personally eat it on my turkey? Eh, I don’t know. I’m still not a fruit/meat person.  But I would gladly take a few spoonfuls on the side.

I love the combination of the fruits in this.  It was just a tad too sweet for my tastes, although Tom thought it was perfect.  I might cut down the sugar by a  tablespoon or so next time. It does call for a little more sugar than other cranberry sauces, but it also has to compensate for a tart apple added to the mix.   The amount of cinnamon and cloves was perfect. I’d definitely recommend this for your Thanksgiving table, if you  haven’t found a sauce you like yet!

Apple-Orange Cranberry Sauce

Williams-Sonoma
Makes about 3.5 cups

1/2 orange
1 tart apple (I used granny smith), peeled, cored & diced
3 cups (one 12-oz bag) fresh cranberries
1.25 cups (scant) sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves

Squeeze the juice from the orange and set aside.  Remove and discard the membrane from inside the orange rind and cut the rind into a small dice.  Put in a saucepan with 2 cups of water and boil for 1o minutes.  Drain.

Pick through the cranberries and discard any soft ones.  Add the cranberries, apple, orange rind, sugar, cinnamon and cloves to a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan partially.  Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, the apple is tender and the cranberries have burst, 10-15 minutes (mine took more like 15-20 before the cranberries burst and the sauce thickened).

Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and cool for an hour before serving, or cover and refrigerate, bringing to room temp before serving.

There are few things I like better to make on Sundays than soups and stews. OK, actually, there really isn’t anything I’d rather make, though roasts are right up there.  I could easily eat soup every single day of my life and never get sick of it.  The bonus is it’s  usually not too terrible for you (assuming  you aren’t making a very creamy soup) and is so incredibly easy to make.  The dutch oven/stockpot does all the work for you.  The combinations are endless, too.

I’d remembered a recipe for ribollita from Ina that I had wanted to make, but when I saw Giada’s version, I decided to go with it, instead. I was definitely not disappointed. This soup was so hearty and flavorful.  And any soup that calls for putting half a roll of bread into your bowl is a  hit in my book, especially because that means I can eat the other half of the roll, on the side. :)

I used bacon instead of pancetta in this recipe because I had half a package sitting in my fridge.  To compensate for the fattier bacon (and because I think the amount of oil is a little excessive anyway), I reduced the amount of olive oil to a tablespoon.  Combined with the fat the bacon had rendered, it was the perfect amount.  I also increased the amount of broth in this and next time, I would definitely reduce the amount of spinach.  I have that reflected in the recipe below.  I love spinach but 1 lb. was just too much for this amount of broth and it definitely was not all necessary.  It made the soup a little too thick and well, too spinach-y.

This was a really tasty, really comforting soup that I will absolutely make again.  The leftovers were just as fabulous even without the bread.

Ribollita

Makes 4 large or 6 smaller servings
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 lb. bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, divided – 2 minced and 1 whole
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 parmesan rind
1 (heaping) Tbsp. herbs de Provence
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
salt and pepper
4-6 ciabatta (or other) rolls, halved lengthwise
olive oil, for drizzling onto bread
parmesan, for serving

Heat a stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil and once hot, the bacon. Cook until the bacon has rendered most of its fat and become slightly crispy.  Reduce the heat to medium, and then stir in the onion, carrot, 2 cloves of minced garlic & saute until tender.

Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute before adding the diced tomatoes and chicken broth.  Add the bay leaf, parmesan rind, herbs de Provence, cannellini beans, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the spinach and simmer for about 10 more minutes, reseasoning to taste if necessary.

Preheat the broiler, and drizzle a little olive oil over each halved roll.  Stick under the broiler until toasted. Immediately rub each piece of bread with the whole garlic clove.

Place half a roll in the bottom of each bowl, and then ladle the soup over it. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve immediately.

I haven’t really had any of the pregnancy craving clichés.  I don’t send Tom out at midnight for ice cream, I don’t make strawberry jelly and potato chip sandwiches, and I haven’t started inhaling things I typically find repulsive, like mayonnaise.  I have been craving acid, though.  But, this isn’t really out of the ordinary for me.  I’ve always loved pickles, I like anything with citrus, and I eat my french fries with malt vinegar. And, that bag of salt and vinegar chips Tom came home with one day from the grocery store most certainly did not go to waste.

As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I would love it.   Potatoes and vinegar are a match made in heaven.  Add to that the fact that these take no time to prepare and helped me use up the ridiculous amount of potatoes in my kitchen, and we had a deal.  I broiled these potatoes rather than grilling them because it was so much easier and had the same effect. I didn’t have fingerlings, so I used russets which worked perfectly fine.  I did add a little more vinegar than the recipe called for in order to cover the potatoes so they would all cook evenly.  These were so easy and tasted great  - a healthier riff on salt and vinegar chips and a great side dish for a lot of meals!

Grilled/Broiled Potato Slices with Salt and Vinegar

Serves 4
Marth Stewart

1 lb. potatoes, cut into 1/4″ slices
2 cups white vinegar (or enough to cover potatoes)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt and pepper

Make sure vinegar covers potatoes in a medium saucepan, and then bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until just fork tender, about 5 minutes.  Let potatoes cool in the vinegar for 30 minutes.  Drain well.

Preheat the broiler.  Toss the potatoes with oil, salt and pepper. and place in one layer on a broiler-safe pan.  Broil until crispy and browned on top, just a few minutes, rotating the pan if necessary.  Sprinkle with additional coarse salt before serving.

Or, a big ol’ plate of comfort food.

I was between so many recipes for this month’s In the Kitchen challenge. Apparently, Nigel eats some crazy delicious food in November. I narrowed down my choices and asked Tom for help, but…he was no help. So, I went with this recipe because I had many of the ingredients already on hand.  Plus, mashed potatoes have become a new food group for me.

This chicken is actually very similar to chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, in that it roasts alongside copious amounts of garlic that get nice and sweet during the long cooking process.  I really liked smashing the garlic into the pan sauce/gravy because it gave it such a great flavor.  And who doesn’t like garlic and cheddar? No sane person, that’s for sure.

Nigel actually roasts potatoes alongside the chicken AND serves this with mashed potatoes. Even though I had like 8 lbs. of potatoes to use up, that still seemed a little unnecessary, so I just went with the side of mashed.  I didn’t really make Nigel’s recipe for mashed potatoes, because I never use a recipe for mashed potatoes.  Plus, I did have some buttermilk I wanted to use up and love it in mashed potatoes. So, I just added the cheddar to them to make them cheese mashed potatoes, like the recipe.

Because an opened bottle of wine doesn’t really get used up these days, I decided to just use some vermouth we had on hand instead. This lent even more sweetness to the gravy, which I really enjoyed.

This was such a delicious, comforting dish. There is something wonderful about a roast chicken on a Sunday night (well, any night, but they seem to fit better on Sundays, don’t they?) and you can never go wrong with mashed potatoes, cheese, or garlic. Never.

Roast Chicken with Cheese Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Gravy

Adapted from Nigel Slater

1 whole chicken (about 3.5 lbs.), giblets removed & saved
4-5 bushy sprigs of thyme
2 Tbsp. softened or melted butter
2 heads of garlic
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 onion, cut in half
2 bay leaves
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup vermouth or dry white wine
your favorite mashed potato recipe (that serves 4-5) OR 5 large potatoes, 4 Tbsp. butter and half a cup of milk (Nigel’s recipe)
3 oz. mature cheese such as Wensleydale, Lancashire, or cheddar, grated
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.*  Remove the giblets from the chicken and rub the bird all over with the butter, salt, pepper, and some minced thyme.  Stuff the cavity with a few more sprigs of thyme. Place the bird upside down in a roasting pan (feel free to use a rack, I did).  Cut the heads of garlic in half horizontally and nestle them next to the chicken. Place the chicken in the oven.

Once the chicken has been roasting for 45 minutes, flip it and roast for another 45 minutes or until cooked through (check the temperature at the thickest part of the thigh).

Meanwhile, start the gravy and your mashed potatoes. In a saucepan, combine the giblets, carrot, onion, bay leaves and water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes (or longer).  Make the mashed potatoes by peeling and cutting the potatoes and placing them in cold water. Bring the water to a boil and then cook until potatoes are just fork tender. Add warm milk and butter to your liking or to Nigel’s specifications. Stir in the cheese.

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing. As it’s resting, finish your gravy. Place the roasting pan on your stove over moderate heat. Add the vermouth or wine, and 2/3 cup of the giblet stock.  Bring to a boil, pressing the garlic cloves with a wooden spoon to squash them. Season to taste. Serve the gravy over the chicken and potatoes.

*I actually cooked at 425, but had a 5 lb. chicken so the cooking time was about the same (a little less actually, at about an hour and 20 minutes).

I don’t really know what the stats are on my saved items in Google Reader, but if I had to guess, I’d say nearly a quarter of them come from Smitten Kitchen.  Everything Deb makes looks so delicious.   But remember what I said about needing reminders for making things I’ve already saved?  Well, thankfully, a year after I saved these David Leite pumpkin cupcakes from SK, Bridget at The Way the Cookie Crumbles blogged them, and I was reminded once again how much I wanted—no, needed—to make them.  The fact that this recipe won out on the very esteemed Crumbly Cookie test kitchen only reiterated that fact.

Unfortunately, even after seeing the recipe two times, I still managed to read it wrong.  I was thinking about halving the recipe since I had half a package of cream cheese in my fridge.  Well, of course, the day I was going to make these I realized that the recipe called for 2 bricks of cream cheese, not just one, meaning I only had enough to quarter the recipe.

Rather than getting 4 or 5 cupcakes, I decided to make mini cupcakes from the quartered recipe.  I got about 16 minis, every one of them fanfreakingtastically delicious.  The cupcakes were nice and moist and spicy, without being overly sweet.  The maple syrup was a great addition to your standard cream cheese frosting and complemented the cupcakes beautifully.

The only change I made to the recipe was not really quartering the cloves because it’s  hard to quarter 1/8 of a tsp, and plus I really love cloves. I’d say I ended up using a little over 1/16 of a teaspoon.  Also, for the mini cupcakes, I reduced the baking temperature by a little and baked these at about 325.  It took about 11 or 12 minutes for these to cook through.

Rather than retype the recipe, I’ll just have you go to the original recipe here.

Ah, the avocado.  Just one more of those foods I didn’t used to like.  What was I thinking!? Smooth, buttery avocado goes on nearly everything from sandwiches to adorning your favorite enchiladas.  But, for me, the best application of the avocado is the most famous–guacamole.

I re-tried avocados (well, guacamole) relatively recently.  A few years  back I was in Whole Foods and they had samples of chips and guacamole.  So I tried some.  And then I tried some more.  I couldn’t believe how much I loved it.  And for the record, I still think Whole Foods makes some delicious guacamole.

Guacamole is ridiculously easy & quick to make, as long as your avocado is ripe.  (If you want your avocados to ripen a little more quickly, put them in a paper bag at room temp.)  I personally prefer a chunky guacamole with tomatoes in it, but of course you can omit those from the recipe below if you are one of those crazy tomato-haters! :) This doesn’t make a huge batch of guacamole so if you’re trying to serve more than a few people, you should definitely double it.  We used it to top some Tex-Mex burgers (in place of the chipotle ketchup) and it was a good amount for 4 burgers (or 2 burgers with a little left over for some tortilla chips).

Guacamole

Printer Friendly Recipe

1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup minced onion (preferably red but use what you have)
1/2 – 1  jalapeño (depending how spicy you want it), seeds and ribs removed, minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup seeded and diced tomatoes
juice of half a lime
salt and pepper

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit (I like to whap my knife against it and then pull it right out).  Scoop the avocado out and into a bowl.  Mash it with a fork and then add the onion, jalapeño, and garlic and mash a little more (to your desired consistency).  Stir in the cilantro, tomatoes, lime, and salt and pepper to taste.

I know, I know. Rick Bayless recipes are becoming the new goat cheese recipes on my blog.  But, what can I say? When every recipe I’ve tried has been so simple to make and so good, how can I not keep going back to Mexican Everyday?

I don’t make enchiladas very often because even though they’re not hard to make, they are  fairly time-consuming to assemble.  One thing this recipe definitely taught me is that heating the tortillas in the oven, especially since it’s already heating to bake the enchiladas, is much easier than frying or heating each individual tortilla over a burner.  I didn’t cook my chicken the night before making this as I had initially planned, so I would say that, start to finish (cooking the chicken to actually sticking the enchiladas in the oven), was about an hour (then add to that the baking time).

This recipe was quick and quite tasty, but I have a lot of notes about it, which I decided to put at the end rather than here.  I don’t flatter myself – I know not everyone reads my really exciting and incredibly witty introductions.  Don’t let the notes fool you. These were good enchiladas. Did I think there were a few problems with the amounts?  Yes. Would I change a thing or two next time? Yes.  But the point is, there will be a next time.

Red Chile Enchiladas with Chicken and Melted Cheese

Adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

4 medium (about 1 oz. total) dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded & torn into flat pieces*
2 fat garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. canola oil, plus extra for the tortillas
2 cups chicken broth
12 corn tortillas*
salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 generous cups (about 8 oz.) coarsely shredded cooked chicken*
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mexican melting cheese like Chihuahua, quesadilla, or asadero
1 small white onion, cut into rings, for garnish (optional)
Cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Set a small or medium skillet over medium heat and once it’s hot, toast the chile pieces a few at a time, pressing them against the hot surface with a spatula until aromatic and lightened in color underneath–about 10 seconds per side.  Transfer the toasted chiles to a blender, and add the garlic, tomatoes and juices, cumin and black pepper. Blend to as smooth a consistency as possible.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Set a mesh strainer over the pan and pour in the sauce. Press through the strainer to remove bits of chile skin. Then cook, stirring until the sauce is reduced to the consistency of tomato paste, 5 to 7 minutes.* Pour in the broth, reduce the heat to medium low and summer for 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with sugar and salt (Bayless says about 1.5 tsp. but I used closer to .5 tsp).

Brush or spray both sides of the tortillas with oil and then stack in twos on a baking sheet. Bake  just long enough to make them soft and pliable, about 3 minutes. Remove fro the oven and cover with a towel to keep warm.

Spread 1/2 cup sauce over the bottom of a 13×9  baking dish, and stir another 1/2 cup sauce into the chicken. Lay out a warm tortilla, top with a portion of the chicken and roll up. Lay seam side down in the baking dish. Continue filling and rolling the rest of the tortillas and ladle the remaining sauce over the enchiladas* and sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake 10-15 minutes, until the cheese starts to brown. Garnish with onion rings and cilantro if desired.

*Recipe notes:

I used 5 guajillo chiles, and I’m glad I used an extra one. Next time  I will use 6.

Typically, 4 oz. of raw chicken will yield about 3 oz. cooked. So, I made this recipe with roughly 12 oz. of raw chicken. However, I still did not have enough chicken to fill 12 enchiladas and only got 8. I would definitely recommend using at least pound of raw chicken, probably closer to 1.25 lbs., if you want to get 12 enchiladas.

I roasted my chicken and seasoned it with salt, pepper, a little cumin, and a little oregano.

Not sure if I have a weak blender, canned tomatoes that had less juice than the normal or what, but this sauce was hard to push through a strainer. Eventually I did get it all through there but it took some serious elbow grease on my part. Also, for me, the sauce needed to cook closer to about 10 or 11 minutes (not 5-7) before becoming the consistency of tomato paste.

I had extra enchilada sauce, but if I made 12 enchiladas, it would have been the right amount.

For weeks I’d been needing to replace some herbs/spices and the list kept growing longer. Finally on Sunday, I made it to The Spice House.  I’d been out of cinnamon for a couple weeks and as soon as I got home, I wanted to bake a fall dessert (which has to include cinnamon, of course).  My original thought was to make pumpkin cupcakes, but I forgot I was out of a particular ingredient.  My mind went to blondies–the easy, default dessert–but I didn’t have any chips or anything to stir in.   Then, I remembered the apples I had, and became sold on making blondies with chopped apples and cinnamon.

I’ve made blondies quite a bit, and tend to use a few different recipes, including ones from Mark Bittman &  Cook’s Illustrated.  What I like about Mark Bittman’s blondie base (besides the fact that they produce delicious blondies, of course) is that it only makes an 8″ square pan–perfect for a small household–and the ingredients are easy to remember – 1 of everything.   I end up making these on a whim often just because of the ease of the recipe and preparation. I did adapt the “1″ rule a bit  below, though (adding a little baking soda and swapping out some of the vanilla extract for almond).

These were so good!  Ooey gooey blondies that tasted like fall.  Mmm.

As I tend to do with most glazes, I accidentally added too much milk & then didn’t feel like adding more sugar to make it drizzle better. :) So of course if  you want to make these prettier, just keep adding sugar (and then if you’re like me, add too much and then have to add more milk and start the WHOLE thing over again.. ;).

Apple Blondies

Blondie base adapted from Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything
 Printer Friendly Recipe

1 cup brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1  medium apple, peeled and diced
2/3 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
milk or cream

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease an 8×8 pan.

Mix together the brown sugar and butter. Add the egg, vanilla and almond, whisking until just combined.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Add that to the butter mixture, folding with a spatula at the end so as not to overmix. Fold in apples and walnuts. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, and smooth the top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioners sugar and maple syrup, and drizzle in milk until you get the consistency you want.  Drizzle over slightly cooled blondies.

I love Google Reader, but one of its biggest problems is the ease with which I can star/favorite posts.  Since half the feeds I subscribe to (ok, maybe more like 2/3…) are food related, I wind up saving hundreds of recipes, 98% of which will never get made.

Sometimes, I just need a reminder, though.  I had favorited this recipe from Mark Bittman back in the day, but when it came up again thanks to the post on Proceed with Caution, I took it as a sign that I needed to make this, and soon.  No forgetting this time!  I love bulgur, I love cannellini beans, and I love leafy greens so I was sure to love this. And I did. This was super simple to make, tasted great, and was really comforting. It makes a great vegetarian dish, or a side to a protein, and there is a good chance you  have all the ingredients on hand (or if you don’t just be like me, and change the recipe).

I altered the recipe quite a bit, mostly to make it easier on myself. I used canned beans and some leftover diced tomatoes I had in the fridge, crushed red pepper instead of fresh, and spinach instead of arugula since that is what I  had on hand.  When I read the recipe ingredients, and then when I saw it in the bowl, I knew that it would benefit from some cheese so I shaved a few slices of Pecorino Romano onto it.

I’m glad to scratch off a recipe from the very large to-try pile, and glad it was a hit, too!

Cannellini Beans with Tomatoes, Bulgur, and Arugula  (Spinach)

Adapted from Mark Bittman

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup coarse bulgur
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 Tbsp. fresh minced rosemary
2 cups spinach
shaved parmesan or romano (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Put oil in a medium to large saucepan over medium heat.  Once hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add the beans, tomatoes, bulgur, broth, red pepper, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium-low heat until tomatoes have broken up & flavors meld, adding more broth to make it as soupy as you like.

Add the spinach and continue to cook, just until it wilts.  Adjust the seasoning if necessary, and then serve with some shaved parmesan on top of desired.

Alright, I’ll admit right off the bat that this recipe was a bit of a cop-out for me.  Normally when I cook from In the Kitchen I try to make something that I may not think about making myself.  This is not one of those things.   I use tahini yogurt dressing like other people use ketchup.

But having just gotten back from vacation and still easing my way back into cooking, this was a perfect recipe to try.   At first, a ham and bean dish from the book caught my eye because it looked so comforting.  Now, I am NOT a ham person.  I mean, I will eat it if it’s there, but never on my own volition. And like I said, I like to make things I normally wouldn’t make, which is why that dish stuck out.  But where does a person get not-a-lot of ham? I certainly wasn’t going to buy a whole ham and though I’m sure they sell large pieces somewhere, I didn’t know where. And I was too lazy to find out.  So that recipe will have to wait for another time.

As for the eggplant, it’s no surprise I liked the eggplant this way since I like tahini-yogurt sauce. The thyme was a nice addition to the dressing, since I don’t normally use it.  One issue I had with the eggplant was the peel. Whenever I make eggplant, I always peel about half of it (basically in a striped pattern) and I wish I would have done that here because there was a bit too much…chew? for me.

Roast Eggplant with Tahini

Adapted from Nigel Slater

1 eggplant
2.5 Tbsp. olive oil
ground cardamom
2 heaping Tbsp. plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. tahini paste
1 tsp. fresh minced thyme
a couple of squeezes of fresh lemon juice
a drizzle of olive oil
2 Tbsp. pine nuts
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400. Slice the leafy ends off the eggplant and then slice it in half lengthwise. Cut eat half into two pieces, and then cut each of those pieces into 3 short/fat lengths.  Place in a baking dish and toss with the olive oil, some ground cardamom, salt and pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the yogurt, tahini, thyme, lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper to taste. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant.

After the eggplant has roasted, plate and drizzle with the dressing and toasted pine nuts.