leftover bird + orzo soup

November 24, 2011Andrea

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I hope you are all enjoying a leisurely morning of coffee and cooking with loved ones. We are about to embark on our meal prep, after a bit of time invested last night. Oh, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is magical...in case you were wondering. :)

I have a day-after recipe for you this morning; a hearty, veggie-filled soup that uses your leftover turkey meat as well as the carcass. We're all about using the whole animal around here, and fresh stock is truly the best base for any soup you can make. So chop some extra onions, celery, and carrots today and stow them away in a ziplock bag in your refrigerator. You can even make the stock tonight to keep things really simple tomorrow. Because tomorrow is all about relaxation and dirtying as few dishes as possible, right? :)

Again, Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for so many things this year, including each one of you for continuing to read and share your comments here at Bella Eats. Have a wonderful holiday, all!!!

Leftover Bird + Orzo Soup

for the stock:

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)

3 large carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)

3 ribs of celery, chopped (about 1 cup)

water

1 turkey or chicken carcass

for the soup:

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)

3 large carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)

3 ribs of celery, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 garlic cloves, minced

10 cups of stock (if you have less than that, add water. more, simmer it until it reduces)

2 bay leaves

3 large sprigs of thyme

(1) 15-oz can of diced tomatoes, drained

2 cups leftover chicken or turkey, chopped or torn into bite-size pieces

1 cup dried orzo

3 large handfuls of swiss chard leaves, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces

salt + pepper

method:

First, make the stock. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the bird carcass and enough water to mostly cover, about 16 cups. Bring everything to a boil and then drop the heat to medium-low, letting the stock simmer for 2-3 hours until full of flavor and reduced to 8-10 cups. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, and discard the bird carcass and all vegetables. Let the stock cool completely before refrigerating if you're not going to use it the same day.

Clean the pot, and start again with heating the oil and sautéing the second batch of onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. After 3 minutes, add the stock, herbs, tomatoes, and leftover meat. Bring to a boil and drop to medium-low, letting the soup simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the orzo and continue to simmer until tender, another 10 minutes. Add the swiss chard and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt + pepper and serve, being careful to remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.

categories chicken, soup
tags chicken, leftovers, orzo, soup, thanksgiving, turkey

sweet potato bread pudding

November 18, 2011Andrea

And here it is friends: recipe number 2 of 5 in 5 days...my very favorite sweet potato recipe yet. Oh. Yes.

Its no secret around here that I like bread pudding. There are already two variations here on Bella Eats, and I have no doubt that there will be more in the coming years. When trying to come up with a new sweet potato dish this year (the marshmallow-topped, super-sweet casserole just doesn't do it for me) bread pudding popped into my head and nagged and nagged until I did a quick internet search to see if anybody else had tried it yet. Of course, I found a great recipe at The Kitchn (they've done everything already, haven't they?!?) and decided to try it out and tweak it if needed. Not surprising, it was perfect. Even after I cut the recipe to 2/3s (who does that?!?). If you don't have an 8x4 round soufflé pan and want to use a 9x13 instead, pop on over to The Kitchn for their proportions.

Seriously, I hope you all try this recipe for a holiday meal this season. It would be great served right alongside the turkey, or drizzled with the caramel sauce for dessert. So delicious.

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Caramel Pecan Sauce

serves 8

based on this recipe from The Kitchn

For the Bread Pudding:

1 large garnet sweet potato (about 1 pound)

butter (for your baking dish)

(1) loaf day old Challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

4 eggs, lightly beaten

⅔ cup sugar

⅓ cup maple syrup

2 tsp molasses

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of allspice

pinch of salt

1-⅓ cups heavy cream

1-⅓ cups milk

For the Sauce:

1 stick butter

½ cup pecan halves

1 cup dark brown sugar

⅔ cups heavy cream

Method

Peel and cut the sweet potato into 2-inch chunks. Steam until tender (about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool.

While the potatoes steam, generously butter a 8" round by 4" tall soufflé dish. Or, a 9x9x2 baking dish would work, too, but your baking time may be a little less. Place the bread cubes in the dish.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla, spices, salt, milk, and heavy cream.

Once the sweet potatoes are cool, mash or puree them until smooth. Add them to the egg mixture and blend thoroughly. Pour the mixture over the bread and press down the bread with the back of a wooden spoon to ensure all the bread cubes are soaked in the custard mixture. Let sit for about 20 minutes or up to 4 hours (refrigerate if it will sit for that long) while you preheat the oven to 350℉.

Place the bread pudding in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the edges are browned and the custard is set.

To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the pecans and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar and stir continuously until smooth. Add the cream and stir to combine. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the mixture is reduced to a thick sauce.

Serve pudding warm with the sauce drizzled over top.

categories dessert
tags bread pudding, dessert, sweet potato, thanksgiving

butternut squash risotto

November 17, 2011Andrea

Thanksgiving is just one week away. One week! So shocking. I have a list of recipes queued up and ready for you all, all dishes that would accompany a roasted turkey beautifully. In order to get them out to you in time for your big trip to the grocery store, I am going to march them out day after day through Monday. 5 recipes in 5 days. I do believe that will be a new record here at Bella Eats!

I am starting with a Fall staple in our house. Butternut squash is the very first Autumn ingredient that I buy each September, always in anticipation of this recipe. If we were hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house again this year I would absolutely put this creamy dish on our menu, and can't quite figure out why it has never made it there before. I think it would make a great substitute for the sweet potato casserole that typically winds up on the table. Especially because I just discovered my favorite sweet potato dish ever, and its a dessert, and I don't think I could take two sweet potato courses in one meal. Don't worry, I'll be sharing that one too.

I tried something new this time, adding mushroom broth to the risotto instead of standard vegetable. We loved the earthy depth it added, and have permanently altered our recipe. If you don't have mushroom base, vegetable or chicken broth is good too.

Butternut Squash Risotto

serves 4 for main course, 6-8 as a side

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash, about 1.5 pounds
2-3 tbsp butter, divided
8 fresh sage leaves
1 medium onion, diced, about 1 cup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-½ cups arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
6-7 cups broth made with better than bouillon mushroom base (vegetable if you don't have it)
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt + pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Lay the halves cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Place a thin sliver of butter inside the bowl of each half, and another on the flat part of the squash. Place a small sage leaf over top of each sliver of butter. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh pepper. Roast the squash for 20-30 minutes, until a fork can pierce the flesh with only a bit of resistance.
Remove the squash from the oven and set aside to cool until you can handle it comfortably. Use a small paring knife to peel the skin from the squash, and dice it into ½-inch chunks. Set aside.
Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and let sauté for about 3 minutes, until it is starting to soften. Add the garlic and the rest of the sage leaves and sauté for an additional 3 minutes. Add the arborio rice and stir to combine for 1 minute, until the rice starts to crackle. De-glaze the pan with the white wine, stirring to get any brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the squash and stir so that it is evenly distributed with the rice.
Add broth one ladle at a time, stirring constantly so that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan, and only adding the next ladle when the previous has been absorbed. Continue until all broth is gone and rice is creamy, about 25 minutes.
Add the remaining butter (about 1 tbsp) to the pan, along with the parmesan cheese, and stir until distributed evenly. Salt and pepper to taste.

Charlottesville and Richmond folks...Relay Foods beat me again! Richmond, your one-click recipe is here, and Charlottesville yours is here.

categories grain, vegetarian, dinner
tags butternut squash, risotto, thanksgiving

a place at the table

November 23, 2009Andrea

Across the country cookbooks and magazines have been poured through, pages dog-eared and marked with post-it notes of all colors as folks finalize their Thanksgiving menus. Lists are made, non-perishable foods have been purchased and trips to the grocery for fresh veggies and dairy products have been scheduled. Sweet potatoes are tucked away in dark pantries, waiting for hands to scrub, peel and cube them to boil, roast, mash or bake on Thursday.

Growing up, sweet potatoes were never an exciting part of our Thanksgiving menu. They made the occasional appearance and never left much of an impression on me. Brian and I have hosted Thanksgiving twice now since being married, and only once have they made it on our table after a guest offered to bring them with her to dinner. Its not that I have anything against the orange-fleshed tuber, in fact I purchase them throughout the year to eat baked and topped with steamed broccoli, kernels of plump corn and a generous sprinkle of sea salt. Its just that, traditionally, I enjoy them in savory form rather than sweetened as they are in most Thanksgiving recipes.

Not wanting to give up just yet, I decided to give sweet potatoes a try again this year. Originally I planned to find a savory recipe to test, but elected instead to give a sweet recipe another shot; to stick with tradition for at least one more year before abandoning the concept entirely. My momma sent me a classic version that she insisted I had liked in the past, one that she assured me was much more enjoyable than the soupy, marshmallow-topped dishes I described from my own memory.

The potatoes are boiled, mashed, whipped and sweetened, then smothered with a crumbly streusel-like topping before being baked until golden brown. The result is neither soupy nor pasty, is in fact pleasantly fluffy with the contrasting crunch of sugared pecans. It is quite sweet, so much so that I would probably categorize it as a dessert rather than a side, although my momma tells me that when paired with other savory bites on a Thanksgiving plate it is altogether balanced. No matter when it is served, this casserole deserves a place at the table.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (4 large or one 29-oz can)
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), melted
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Topping

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), melted
1/2 cup flour
1 cup pecans, chopped

Method

If using raw sweet potatoes, peel them as best you can and chop them into small chunks. Boil for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender but not falling apart. Mash until nearly smooth.
Mix in eggs, butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt. Add cream slowly and blend until fluffy (use whisk attachment if using a stand mixer), stopping before potatoes become soupy.
Spoon sweet potato mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Preheat oven to 350*.
Mix together topping ingredients in a small bowl. Spread over sweet potato mixture.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, until topping is deep golden brown.

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

2009 has been a tough year for many. Even though we've hit speed bump after speed bump, I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving:

Our family and very close friends, all of whom are so incredibly supportive of Brian and I.
My employers, for pushing through and doing all they can in a difficult time.
Brian, my love, who always knows how to make me smile when things get tough.

What, or who, are you thankful for this year?

categories dinner, recipes, vegetable
tags casserole, sweet potato, thanksgiving

even better

November 18, 2009Andrea

I’ve never really considered Thanksgiving dinner to be “The Meal of the Turkey”, like so many do. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a well-cooked bird. Especially when it smokes all day on the Big Green Egg after having soaked in a sweet-salty brine for the twelve hours prior. I always take a modest piece, allow my cranberry juice to run underneath and turn the flesh a rosy pink, then cut it into small bites that I bury amidst forkfuls of fluffy mashed potatoes. Its an enjoyable piece of the Thanksgiving tradition, one that I gave up the year I was a vegetarian and admit that I did miss, although not as much as I would miss some of the accompaniments were I to ban cranberries, or potatoes, or pie (heavens what a tragedy that would be!) from my diet. GB Cass-1

When I stand at the buffet table and survey the offerings laid out before me on Thanksgiving Day, it is all of the other “supporting” or “side” dishes that I get really excited about. The homemade rolls, the roasted vegetables, the tart-sweet cranberry sauce, the stuffing composed of spicy sausage and earthy sage, the fact that I can choose to pile two different types of potatoes on my plate - one sweet with a topping of pecans (recipe to come) and the other mashed with chunks of celery root. And of course, the green bean casserole. My absolute favorite dish on the table (aside from the desserts, which are a whole other story). GB Cass merge 1

For most of my life the green bean casseroles of Thanksgiving came from the recipe on the back of the French's French Fried Onions container. It is quick, simple and perfectly delicious. When I told my momma that I'd found a wholly from-scratch recipe in the New York Times that I was planning to test out before the big day she simply asked "why?!?", assuring me that my readers wouldn't want to abandon the tradition of mixing Campbell's cream-of-mushroom soup with frozen green beans and popping the foil top on the red and white cylindrical canister filled with crunchy bits of onion. Why would you stray from a recipe that has proved itself reliable year after year? Because, friends, this version is even better. GB Cass-4

It seems tedious, I know, to make your own cream-of-mushroom soup for this casserole when you can simply whip out a can opener and have what you need in a mere 30 seconds. And maybe frying up your own crunchy onions seems like too much trouble as well when somebody has already packaged them up and made them available at grocery stores across the world. But with a little forethought (the mushroom soup can be made up to 24 hours in advance) and only 60 seconds to fry your onion rings, you'll have a dish worthy of supporting the star of the show. Just don't be surprised if the turkey gets upstaged... GB Cass-5

Green Bean Casserole

recipe from Joaquin Baca, via The New York Times serves 8 This recipe is easily cut in half and baked in a smaller dish. Ingredients

1 lb button mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellos)
2 small red onions, chopped
4 oz butter (1 stick)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs (I used panko)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 pearl onions, thinly sliced

Method

In a food processor or blender, combine 1/2 the mushrooms and both onions. Blend until a smooth paste forms, and set aside
In a large, wide saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the remaining mushrooms and turn the heat up to high. Cook while stirring often, until the mushrooms release their liquid and start to crisp at the edges.
Add garlic and thyme and stir for about 30 seconds. Add mushroom-onion paste and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes. Add cream and stock, and salt and pepper to taste. At this point the mushroom mixture may be cooled and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and fill another bowl with ice water. Drop the green beans in the boiling water and cook until bright green and just tender, about 60 seconds. Drain and immediately plunge the beans into the ice water. Drain well.
Preheat oven to 375*. In a large bowl combine green beans, mushroom mixture, almonds and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Transfer to a 9 x 13 baking dish and pack down the mixture to level it. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs.
Bake, uncovered, until beans are tender and top is lightly golden, 35-40 minutes. If you wish, place under the broiler for the last couple of minutes to really crisp the top.
To garnish, heat oil in a non-stick skillet until it shimmers. Place flour in a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add sliced pearl onions, toss to coat and fry in oil until golden, 30-45 seconds. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle on finished casserole.

In Other News...

Remember this pie?

Well, I've submitted it in the Bon Appetit Blog Envy Bake-Off, which Bon Appetit actually invited me to participate in! Exciting stuff, and you all can help me to make the finalists list if you visit this page and vote for my recipe in the pies/tarts/pastries category. Any support you can send my way is much appreciated! And if you're looking for a unique and delicious holiday dessert, my Plum Pie with Lemon Almond Crust could be just what you're looking for...

categories dinner, vegetable
tags casserole, green bean, mushrooms, thanksgiving

turkey day review

November 28, 2008Andrea

I hope everybody had a simply fabulous Thanksgiving! Ours was full of amazing company, fantastic food, lots of wine and tons of laughter. We had a fabulous time hosting and are so grateful for our wonderful friends who helped us to have an amazing day. I started the morning with a 3-1/2 mile run/walk with Lucy to try and get the energy out of her in preparation for our company. She has a tendency to get pretty hyper when we have people over, so I wanted her to be as mellow as possible. We ran about 1-3/4 miles of the total distance, which was great for both of us. I haven't run much with her, especially since her surgeries this summer, so it took awhile to get our pace right but then she was a champ. When we got back I had a big bowl of cereal with 1/2 cup Kashi H2H, 1/2 cup Back to Nature Maple Nut Medley, 1 banana, sprinkle of pom seeds and 1 cup Silk soymilk.

Then, I jumped in to help Brian prep our big T-Day dinner! In this case, I feel that pictures are definitely worth more than words, so here's a recap of our day... Morning Preparation dinner rolls

nana's apple crisp (recipe coming soon!)

veggies to roast

country bread and sage dressing

turkey!!!

Our guests arrived while the turkey was smoking and the veggies were roasting. We worked on munchies for a couple of hours... Munchies white sangria with mango and star fruit

cheese, fig spread, crackers, olives, etc.

And finally, the feast!!!

Our guests with Brian...

Our guests with me...

Such an amazing day we had!!! I haven't had a chance to read all of your Thanksgiving posts...but I can't wait! I'm hoping to play catch-up tonight and this weekend. Ok, quick recap of today's eats. Breakfast: We got up this morning to shop, luckily the stores we wanted to go to didn't open 'till 8am anyway so we were able to sleep 'till 7:30. I grabbed 1/2 a Clif Mojo PB Pretzel bar and a banana to chow on in the car (sorry...no pics). After shopping for a few hours and finding some incredible deals, we went to Bodo's Bagels for a real breakfast. I had eggbeaters, muenster and tomato on a whole wheat everything bagel.

I also went to the running shop this morning to report my test runs to my coach. I'm still having some foot and knee pain with the inserts we put in my shoes so he actually gave me a pair of shoes out of the store to try out with the training group tomorrow, no charge!!! He says if they work I can come back in and pay for them tomorrow, and if they don't we will try something different. How great is that?!?!? Late lunch/dinner: Leftovers!!! I decided I'm not counting my calories for yesterday or today, its just too hard and I'll get back on track tomorrow. No biggie. We munched on some cheese and crackers and fig spread while our t-day eats heated in the oven. Not all of this though, don't worry!!! :)

My leftovers plate.

One of my lovely dinner rolls.

And a winterbock from Star Hill, a local brewery.

Turns out I wasn't as hungry as I thought. Here's what was left when I was totally stuffed.

But an hour later I was ready for apple crisp...

Whew!!! That was quite the recap. I hope that everybody has a lovely Friday night...we are laying low and recovering from yesterday's festivities. Stay tuned for Nana's Apple Crisp recipe!

categories baking, breakfast, dinner, lunch
tags thanksgiving

1 day to go...

November 26, 2008Andrea

Its the day before Thanksgiving!!!!! Are you all as excited as I am?!?! With only one work day between me and some amazing smoked turkey, I think its time for a bit of reflection about what we have to be thankful for... Its a bit of a long story, but I promise to get to a point. Last night I had a great chat with my momma. We’re going to be apart for Thanksgiving this year, which is hard for both of us, so we were chatting about plans, menus, family etc. I was telling her about the blogging community and how impressed I am with all of you that are participating in the Thanksgiving Challenge. My mom and stepdad are big foodies, so they completely understand big grocery bills and mine and Brian’s unwillingness to compromise on the kinds of food that we eat. We don’t want to compromise, but we still feel guilty about how much money we spend. This year, my parents decided to help somebody less fortunate than all of us to have a happy Thanksgiving. My grandfather is living in a nursing facility near my parents’ home. My mom is so grateful to the nursing staff for everything they have done for him, and she and my stepdad decided that this year they wanted to do something to give back. She talked to the director to find out if there was anybody working at the center that was having a hard time and could maybe use a bit of help this year. The director called her back with the name of an 18 year old woman working in the kitchen at the center for $7.50/hour. The woman’s mother recently had a stroke and was unable to work, and her father had recently lost his job in this economic downturn. At 18 years old, making $7.50/hour, this young woman is the only provider for she, her mother and her father. My mom went to Publix and got a gift certificate large enough to cover everything the young woman would need to provide Thanksgiving dinner to her family. When the director presented the young woman with the gift, she burst into tears and said “Now we can have a Thanksgiving. The only food we have in the house is peanut butter”. After hearing this story I was reminded again of how generous and thoughtful my mother is and how lucky I am to have her as an influence in my life. It really got me thinking about how we can make small sacrifices in our own lives and make a huge difference in someone else’s. For me, the ultimate show of thanks is to be able to help someone less fortunate than yourself. Brian and I are scheming about ways to do just that in December, so stay tuned... On to training: During my lunch hour yesterday I went to the running shop to talk to my 10-miler training program coach. He is amazing, and took about 45 minutes out of his very busy day to talk with me about the issues I am having with my left foot and right knee. He examined my shoes, took the insoles out of the shoes and examined them, examined the calluses on my feet (ew!) and had me test out several pairs of new shoes. Because my current shoes only have about 150 miles on them and are still in good shape, he decided to have me try some inserts in them to help determine whether or not I needed more or less support in my shoe. He wanted me to go for a test run and come back to the shop on Friday to report in. So, after work Brian and I drove over to UVA campus to go for a run. I love running around campus, its so pretty and well-lit and active, and the terrain is perfect. We did almost 2 miles, and it felt fantastic!!! My foot did hurt a bit and I made a bunch of mental notes to talk to my coach about, but other than the foot everything was great. It was one of those fabulous runs where everything seems to click and you feel smooth and strong and like you could keep going for miles. I loved it. On to food: Dinner: Brian made veggie chili!!! Oh how I love chili.

He used:

1 yellow bell pepper
5 carrots
5 celery stalks
1 onion
1 can cannellini beans
1 can kidney beans
2 cans diced tomatoes

And his special chili seasoning (we make it all at once, and use about 1/2 per pot of chili. the rest is stored in an airtight container in our spice cabinet).

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried, minced garlic
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

We served it over brown rice curly-cue pasta. There are many things in life that make me happy, and curly-cue pasta is definitely one of them.

Dessert: One beautiful medjool date. Yum.

Breakfast Today: Oikos vanilla yogurt with fresh raspberries. This was my first time trying the vanilla, I like that its not too sweet. Honey is still my fave though. I also had a slice of pumpkin cranberry bread with almond butter.

Lunch Today: Trying to make room in the fridge, although this didn’t help too much. I made a salad with broccoli slaw, cucumber, orange bell pepper and the last of my roasted red pepper hummus, about 4 tbsp. I’m also going to heat up some Amy’s Vegetable Soup...I was bummed I didn’t have any bean soups for some protein. :(

Snack Today: Another piece of pumpkin cranberry bread with almond butter. I’m pleased to announce that this bread is still wonderfully moist and yummy 4 days later!

Turkey Day Peek!!! I braved Whole Foods yesterday on my lunch hour (or lunch 2.5 hours as it wound up being...) to pick up the fresh ingredients we need for our meal. On the menu...Roasted Veggies!!! I love roasted veggies, can't get enough of them. This is always the dish that Brian and I offer to make at holidays because it ensures that there will be plenty of veggies on our plates. This year we will have

beets
brussels sprouts
carrots
onions
asparagus
broccoli
parsnips
grape tomatoes

I can't wait. What are you all making for Thanksgiving this year? Happy Wednesday!

categories breakfast, dinner, lunch
tags chili, dates, oikos, recipes, thanksgiving

quickity quick recap

November 24, 2008Andrea

I'm so sad that I missed my morning Blog post! :( My day started with a faulty alarm which resulted in me getting up 45 minutes later than I was supposed to. Brian had custody of the camera (and thus the memory card) for a site visit this morning so I wasn't able to download my pics until afternoon, and by then I was completely swamped at work. So, my apologies. I'll give a quick recap because, again, I have lots of T-Day prep to do tonight! Breakfast: Oikos plain yogurt with fresh raspberries, slice of pumpkin cranberry bread with almond butter. Look familiar?!?!

Lunch: Whole wheat pita stuffed with 2 tbsp roasted red pepper hummus, broccoli slaw and cucumber slices, and an Amy's Lentil Soup.

Snacks: Pink Lady apple and 1/2 a Clif Mojo PB Pretzel bar.

Dinner: Baked sweet potato with edamame, corn and broccoli (and 1/2 tbsp earth balance buttery spread).

Exercise: There was none. Today was a run day but I didn't have a chance to go to the running shop on my lunch break and I really didn't want to risk hurting my foot anymore. Tomorrow the running shop is my priority and hopefully I will be on the road tomorrow night! So, running around like a crazy woman doing chores and helping B with projects for a few hours will have to count... Turkey Day Peek!!! Last year Brian found this amazing stuffing recipe on FoodNetwork.com, Country Bread and Sage Dressing. It was so incredible, I wish I had pictures but amazingly enough I don't. Luckily, we've decided to recreate the magic and serve it at T-Day 2008...so, stay tuned! My favorite part is that it has hot Italian sausage in it, which adds a wonderful spicy flavor. We are using our favorite sausage ever from Babes in the Wood, which I've written about before so I won't bore you again with their cool sustainable and humane methods. Ok, sorry that was short and not nearly as exciting as last night's peek... Have a great night!

categories breakfast, dinner, lunch
tags hummus, oikos, sweet potato, thanksgiving

saffron tomato soup and gourmet "grilled cheese"

November 23, 2008Andrea

First of all, congrats to all of the BSI "winners"!!!! And of course, the big winner, my cousin Meghann with her Pumpkin Pecan Crusted Chicken!!! WooHoo! Thank you Lindsay for a great BSI week, what a tough decision you had to make! All of the recipes looked amazing! So a quick note, in the name of accountability (the whole reason I started this blog in the first place!). I forgot to mention this morning that I had a piece of bacon with my breakfast. Eek! Gasp! I know, naughty. But soooooooo good. Who could resist when Brian brought this plate to our breakfast table for his own morning meal?!?!?

Anyway, after posting my BSI recipe this morning I dashed off to a 75 minute vinyasa yoga class. It was amazing. One of the best classes I've been to in the last month, taught of course by my favorite instructor Hilary. She is fantastic. I got such a great total-body strength workout...I could feel my abs screaming at me an hour afterwards and know I'm going to be sore tomorrow...whippee!!! :) BTW, does anybody know of any good yoga reads? I really want to learn more about the philosophies so that I can take more from my practice...any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Lunch was leftovers from dinner last night, Dal Saag and Vegetable Masala on some white rice. Yummy!

I had lots of cleaning and errand running to do this afternoon in prep for Thanksgiving. There is still so much to do!!! Poor Brian, he's been working his booty off to finish projects around the house... For dinner I made one of our favorite recipes, Saffron Tomato Fennel Soup. I found it in my Self Magazine 3-1/2 years ago and we've made it many times since, it is SO GOOD!

ingredients

saffron threads

saffron tomato fennel soup The best partner for tomato soup is of course grilled cheese, so I decided to try a very slightly healthier version. Instead of pan-frying the sandwiches in butter on the stove top, I decided to bake them at 400* on our pizza stone in the oven. Brian picked up this beautiful loaf of rustic white whole wheat bread.

I sliced it thin and put the slices in the oven for about 8 minutes (on a low oven rack), flipping the slices after 4 minutes. Once the bread was slightly crispy, I rubbed a garlic clove across both sides of each slice. This gives the bread a wonderful garlicky flavor.

I roasted some red bell pepper slices for about 20 minutes at 400*.

Then assembled my little sandwiches with some Taleggio ca d'Ambros cheese...basically a nutty brie. Yes ladies, this is real, full-fat cheese. I'm sorry, but I can't compromise with my cheese. I. love. my. cheese. Luckily the sandwiches were small and I only had one. And, I added veggies. That counts for something, right?

And a glass of white wine (because I had to open it for the recipe!), plus about 1/2 this while cooking...

And now.... Turkey Day Peek!!! I haven't had any time to elaborate on what we're doing this year because we have been so busy getting ready for guests (and I've been BSI-ing...). Brian and I are hosting Thanksgiving for a group of our friends who live far from family (like us!) and weren't able to get home this year (like us!). We love to cook, and have the experience of hosting one Thanksgiving last year for all of our parents. This year, we are providing the turkey, stuffing, mashed 'taters, roasted veggies and homemade dinner rolls. We've asked our friends to each bring a side dish or two, along with a bottle of wine. Which means LOTS of food and LOTS of wine...!!! I'm super-excited, and have so many things that I want to share but I still have such a long list of chores to accomplish tonight and its already after 10:30!!! :( I'll give one little hint though...we smoke our turkey for most of the day, after brining it in a special Alton Brown brine all night, on our Big Green Egg. Ever heard of a Big Green Egg before? You can read more about it here, but basically it is "Derived from an ancient clay cooker called a "kamado"...The EGG is the most unique barbecue product on the market, with unmatched flexibility and capabilities that surpass all other conventional cookers combined. It is a smoker, a grill and an oven and you can cook literally any food on it year around, from appetizers to entrees to desserts." In laymen's terms...its freakin' awesome. Here are pictures from last year, when Bri and his dad cooked our Thanksgiving 2007 turkey on it:

Sooooo good...I'm drooling right now in anticipation. That's it for T-Day peeks for now, I hope to add something each day until Thursday! Alright, on to chores. Have a great night!!!

categories dinner
tags cheese, soup, thanksgiving, yoga

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