Cassie’s Ruminations

Thanksgiving Menu

Well, turkey day is almost here, and Shaun and I have a lot to be thankful for this year. We’ve been in our own home for over a year now, I’ve got a great job with Boeing, we have Emma to brighten our lives and crack us up on a regular basis, Shaun did great on the LSAT and is working on law school applications, and all seems to be going well. We’ve worked hard for our success, and we look forward to another great year as we forge ahead with our lives and our dreams.

It looks like it will just be the two of us for Thanksgiving dinner this year, but we both love the meal and the meaning, so we’re still going all out and cooking a feast. We’ll be up to our eyes in tasty leftovers 😛

Here’s the menu:

Veggie tray to snack on (carrots, pickles, cucumber, olives)

Maple brined turkey with pan gravy
Sourdough dressing
Roasted potatoes with garlic
Chipotle smashed sweet potatoes
Roasted brussels sprouts
Homemade fresh cranberry sauce
Homemade yeast rolls

Chocolate pumpkin pie

I’m adding a bit of maple syrup to my usual turkey brine this year. We’ll see how we like it. The dressing is a family favorite from my mother. The chipotle smashed sweet potatoes are an experiment this year from an Alton Brown recipe. The roasted brussels sprouts have been posted before and are a great green side dish to complement the meal. My cranberry sauce gets a nice little kick from a splash of Cointreau. Rolls round out the meal and serve as sandwich vehicles for later in the day. Finally, we’re experimenting with the standard pumpkin pie this year – I’m not yet sure if we’re making it all chocolate or doing half chocolate and half plain pumpkin. If we go half and half, I’ll also have to decide whether to do layers or do marbling. Stay tuned to find out what we end up doing 🙂 I’ll link all the recipes as I get them posted after Thanksgiving day. If you must have a recipe before then, just let me know and I’ll send it your way.

Posted in Food, Holiday Cooking, Ramblings | 1 Comment »

Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie

This is another great warm and comforting meal for a chilly day. Today was pretty nice, actually, but this still hit the spot 🙂 It’s really easy to change this recipe up too: use beef broth and beef chunks for a beef pot pie, use up leftover thanksgiving turkey, or top with biscuits instead of pie crust, for example.

Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie
Makes 6 hearty servings

1 quart chicken broth
2 large carrots, sliced
2 medium white rose potatoes, cubed
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
⅔ cup frozen green peas
⅓ cup butter
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs, cubed
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
⅛ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp dried rubbed sage
⅓ cup all purpose flour
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust (either store bought or your favorite homemade recipe)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a sauce pan, combine the carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms. Cover with the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are just turning tender. Add the frozen peas and return to a boil. Turn heat to low. In a large deep skillet on a different burner, melt the butter over medium heat and add the garlic. Sauté for about 30 seconds until golden and fragrant, then add the chicken and seasonings and brown on all sides. Add the flour. Stir to combine, making sure to coat all the flour in the butter, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the roux is bubbly. Ladle in the chicken broth and vegetables, stirring thoroughly after each addition to incorporate, and simmer over medium low heat until the sauce is thickened. Taste the mixture and adjust seasonings if necessary. Pour the chicken mixture into a deep dish pie plate or a 9 inch by 13 inch casserole dish. Place the crust on top. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Posted in Food, One Dish Meals, Poultry | 1 Comment »

Garlic Bread

This is a quick and easy garlic bread. I served this along with my spaghetti sauce over pasta. It completed a lovely hearty meal for a chilly rainy day.

Garlic Bread
Serves 8

1 loaf of french bread, about 1 lb weight
4 tbsp salted butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, pressed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the bread in half horizontally and lay it open, cut sides up. Melt the butter, press the garlic into the bowl, and stir to combine. Spoon the butter mixture over the bread. Bake for 15-20 minute or until the tops are getting golden brown on the tips. Slice lengthwise and serve warm.

Posted in Bread, Food, Italian, Sides | 1 Comment »

Spaghetti Sauce

This hearty recipe is handed down to me from my mother and was a staple in the house while I was growing up. She’s allergic to onions, and so always used zucchini instead for the veggie base, and I think it’s a great flavor. When I was very little, I couldn’t quite say “spaghetti,” so this was dubbed “skabetti sauce,” and thus it always will be 🙂

This is a great cheap and easy meal that can feed a crowd. It also freezes amazingly well. Just reheat on the stove top with a touch of water in the pan. I’ve served it here over spaghetti noodles with garlic bread.

Spaghetti Sauce
Makes about 3 quarts

1 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, pressed
1 lb ground beef
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
1 lb zucchini, grated
1 #10 can diced tomatoes (about 12 cups total – equivalent to about 3½ 28-oz cans of diced tomatoes)
1 6-oz can of tomato paste
1 tsp sugar

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or small stockpot. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and just starting to turn golden. Add the meat and stir. Add the herbs and spices and brown the meat. When it is nicely browned, add the zucchini and stir to combine. Let the mixture cook until the zucchini is translucent and wilting down.

Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and sugar and stir well. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to medium low. Let simmer for at least half an hour. Taste and add more oregano and basil if desired. Let simmer for at least 5 minutes after any addition to allow the flavors to mingle, then taste again. The sugar really balances the flavors in the sauce without tasting sweet, so if your sauce is missing something undefined, make sure that you didn’t skip the sugar.

Serve over pasta or bread.

Posted in Beef, Food, Italian, Pasta | 1 Comment »

Stir Fried Peas and Mushrooms

This was a quick veggie side dish to go with some potstickers and rice. It’s very simple, but easy to add to as well. Next time I’ll probably add some garlic and a splash of oyster sauce.

Stir Fried Peas and Mushrooms
Serves 4

12 oz snow peas
8 oz whole button mushrooms, quartered
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil

Heat the oils in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until nicely browned and starting to turn tender, about 3 minutes. Add the peas and stir to combine. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the peas are crisp-tender and the mushrooms are done.

Posted in Asian, Food, Sides, Vegetables | No Comments »

Basic Risotto

This is a very basic risotto recipe adapted slightly from the back of the arborio rice jar. It only called for 3 cups of broth, and I found that wasn’t enough. I also omitted the onion (it called for 0.5 cup of chopped onion) and added garlic instead. The type of rice you use for risotto is important – the arborio type will become tender and creamy and perfect while other kinds won’t plump up as well. I enjoyed this very much, but Shaun wasn’t much of a fan of the texture. I served this as a side with some galbi and sautéed yellow squash.

Basic Risotto
Serves 4 as a side dish

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup arborio rice
4 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper

In a saucepan, heat the broth, letting it simmer over medium low heat. In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat in the oil. The grains will appear translucent after this. Add one cup of the broth to the rice and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir occasionally. When the broth is mostly absorbed, add another cup of broth. Continue this process until all the broth is gone and the rice is tender. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve hot.

Posted in Food, Italian, Rice | 2 Comments »

Oatmeal Cake

This wonderful oatmeal cake is from a recipe that I found on Lori’s “My Wooden Spoon”, a fun blog filled with good food. Go check out the recipe there 🙂

I baked it in a 9″ x 11″ pyrex baking pan rather than a 8″ x 11″ casserole, and it took mine closer to 45 minutes to fully bake. I used about ⅛ cup of powdered sugar in the icing and poked holes in the cake with a toothpick to let it sink into the cake. This is best served warm, but it’s still great the next day.

Posted in Baking, Cakes, Desserts, Food | 1 Comment »

Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks

This was an off the cuff meal that turned out pretty well. I served it with steamed jasmine rice.

Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks
Serves 3

6 chicken drumsticks, about 2 lb
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp sake
1 tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground ginger

Mix together the marinade ingredients in a large zip top bag and add the chicken drumsticks. Mush around to coat and let marinate for at least half an hour and up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the chicken drumsticks on a rimmed baking sheet with any excess marinade. Cook for about 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F. Baste with the marinade in the pan about halfway through the cooking time. Serve with rice.

Posted in Asian, Food, Poultry | No Comments »

Get out there and vote!

If you have not yet exercised your right as a US citizen to vote in your local, state, and national elections, get out there and do it – today is the last day to get absentee ballots in the mail or dropped off at a collection center, or, if you prefer, and your area has polling stations, go vote in person! Read up on the candidates, ballot measures, and issues, make some informed decisions, and let your voice be heard.

Posted in Ramblings | No Comments »

Buttermilk Cornbread

This is a slightly sweet and tangy cornbread that goes equally well with chili or with some honey for dessert. I regularly make this with either powdered buttermilk and water or with plain yogurt, so don’t skip over this recipe just because you don’t have buttermilk on hand.

Buttermilk Cornbread
Makes 9 servings

Ingredients:

4 tbsp butter
⅔ cup white granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 inch square pan with non-stick spray or put a tablespoon of butter into a 10 inch cast iron skillet and pop it into the oven to melt the butter while you mix the batter.

Melt the butter. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and the melted butter. Add the eggs and beat until well mixed. Add the buttermilk and baking soda and stir to combine. Stir in the cornmeal, flour, and salt until just blended. Lumps are just fine. Pour the batter into the pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cut into nine squares (3 cuts on each side) or 9 wedges and serve.

Variations:
• Add a 4 oz can of green chiles to the batter
• Add ½ cup of corn, either fresh or frozen that has been thawed and well drained.

Posted in Baking, Bread, Food | No Comments »