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ginger recipes
Thinking about this is making me hungry for our favorite gingerbread cake. Your friends should be around to smell the cake while the cake is baking, which will build the anticipation. Whip your cream about 10 minutes before the cake is done. Cream should have a small amount of sugar. The best part of the experience of eating this cake, is to cut and serve the cake immediately after you take it out of the oven. The hot cake will melt the whipped cream. What is not to like about this cake? Here is a link to one of many recipes that will work. But the important part is to serve the cake while hot and with real fresh whipped cream.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/gingerbread-cake-recipe/index.html
Snickerdoodle help!
@ec-washington - The butter should be good quality as in Land O Lakes and room temperature. I have tried all butter, but get a puffier cookie when using half butter and half Crisco. The recipe I use is from Betty Crocker and this recipe also calls for cream of tartar. Wishing your brother well.
Travel food
@dhorst -I agree with the frozen water bottles in the cooler. Also, be sure to pack a paring knife, salt, the bottle of peppercorns with it's own grinder, and a couple of forks. Plan your rest stops at apple orchards, wineries and the local supermarket or butcher shop. Any food left from dining out can be enjoyed a few hours later if you have a cooler to keep it in. Foraging for food while traveling is great fun.
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Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
Our family has enjoyed a salad made with arugula, pears, pecans and blue cheese. Lots of flavor without being heavy with calories. We do a version of this without the prosciutto.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/arugula-and-prosciutto-salad-with-pears-blue-cheese-and-pecans-recipe/index.html
Does your set of china include the little salad plates? Toss the greens, arrange on a plate with sliced pears, and then crumble the blue cheese over the top.
ginger recipes
Thinking about this is making me hungry for our favorite gingerbread cake. Your friends should be around to smell the cake while the cake is baking, which will build the anticipation. Whip your cream about 10 minutes before the cake is done. Cream should have a small amount of sugar. The best part of the experience of eating this cake, is to cut and serve the cake immediately after you take it out of the oven. The hot cake will melt the whipped cream. What is not to like about this cake? Here is a link to one of many recipes that will work. But the important part is to serve the cake while hot and with real fresh whipped cream.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/gingerbread-cake-recipe/index.html
Snickerdoodle help!
@ec-washington - The butter should be good quality as in Land O Lakes and room temperature. I have tried all butter, but get a puffier cookie when using half butter and half Crisco. The recipe I use is from Betty Crocker and this recipe also calls for cream of tartar. Wishing your brother well.
Travel food
@dhorst -I agree with the frozen water bottles in the cooler. Also, be sure to pack a paring knife, salt, the bottle of peppercorns with it's own grinder, and a couple of forks. Plan your rest stops at apple orchards, wineries and the local supermarket or butcher shop. Any food left from dining out can be enjoyed a few hours later if you have a cooler to keep it in. Foraging for food while traveling is great fun.
What do you use maple syrup for?
My favorite would also be the homemade buttermilk pancakes with butter and maple syrup. I also have made a similar Maple Vinaigrette, which is tasty over a salad of greens, apples and walnutes. Maple syrup is delicious in a brine. Our family loves this method of roasting sweet potatoes with maple syrup. This has become our favorite side at Thanksgiving.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Maple-Glazed-Sweet-Potatoes-233163
Cook the Book: BBQ Jalapeño Poppers
We made these a few weeks ago. The teenage boys in our family help assemble the poppers, becuase the poppers get eaten as fast as we serve them. One of the many recipes we have tried from Ree's blog.
Cook the Book: 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks'
ThePioneerWoman is a favorite, along with Serious Eats. I love coming here.
What desserts do you crave?
I am craving a slice of the Dutch apple pie I made last week. We shared the pie with company, so I ate only a slice and a half. I soooo want another slice of that pie.
Eating out in Minneapolis area?
If you are looking for someplace for lunch and if the sun ever comes out again, I would recommend the scenic drive to Monte's Steakhouse in Faribault. I was there a few weeks ago for lunch and had the best hamburger I have ever had while eating out. Enjoy your birthday ( and maybe the fall colors if we have any leaves left this weekend.) I am guessing their steak is good, too.
http://www.montessteakhouse.com/
Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table
A quick saute of Roma tomatoes and garlic in olive oil, served over angel hair pasta with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Buttermilk
Homemade Ranch dressing is based on buttermilk. My favorite use is pancakes or waffles. Emeril has a recipe for fried chicken using a quart of buttermilk in the marinade. I have found I can use buttermilk a week or two beyond the sell by date on the top of the carton. Be sure to shake before measuring.
What's your favorite cake?
Cream cheese frostings require refrigeration, so if you are looking for a layer cake easy to transport, I would go with German chocolate cake with the traditional cooked coconut/pecan frosting. So yummy.
Cookie Spreading Panic
I agree, you need to be careful which shortening you use. Even using butter only can give inconsistent results, such as melted or too soft butter will yield a cookie that spreads. Also, cheaper butters have extra water whipped into the butter. I use only Land O Lakes butter and get consistent results without chilling my dough. If cookies are spreading more than you like, stir in extra flour. The cooking baking divas, Martha Stewart and Betty Crocker, both specify part butter and part vegetable shortening in cookies such as Snickerdoodles and Peanut Butter. I've tried using all butter in these recipes without much luck. If you want your peanut butter cookies to keep the fork criss cross shape, you have to use part vegetable shortening.
Dinner's Ready! Wednesday 10/7
I am wondering if there are any Serious Eaters out there who eat their main meal at noon? I am retired and living on a farm in the midwest, where I often fix our larger meal of the day at noon. Today I used the last of my garden's Roma tomatoes and basil from my son's MPLS garden. I made a lovely sauce for the fettucinne purchsed earlier this summer from the Sunrise Bakery in Hibbing, MN. This evening it will be something light - perhaps popcorn - while we watch the Twins beat the Yankees.
Cook the Book: 'The Craft of Baking'
My favorite dessert is the chocolate birthday cake my granddaughter decorated for me this weekend.
What's for dinner tonight - 9/30
My husband dug potatoes this afternoon. I am fixing skillet scalloped potatoes - recipe on this site. I will heat a ring of bologna and slice one of my remaining tomatoes. Happy Anniversary to Jerzee and Mr. T. Tomorrow is my birthday, so I am looking forward to the leftovers from tonight's dinner.
What's for dinner tonight???
I picked one of my remaining tomatoes, which I sliced to top a burger. I am eating tomatoes twice a day while they last.
Cook the Book: 'Gourmet Today'
My first cookbook was a collection of recipes from our church, followed by Betty Crocker.
50+ baked potatoes
I have never liked the flavor of baked potatoes held for a long period of time before serving. I would not invest more money by adding butter or cheese to try rescue these spuds. I have found you can only make twice baked potatoes from freshly baked potatoes that are still warm. Cold potatoes do not mash. At best, I vote for American or Homestyle fries or the frittata. For American Fries, heat a thin layer of oil in your favorite fry pan over high heat. Toss in the chunked potatoes (and some chopped onion, if you like) and do not disturb until brown. Stir once, add salt and pepper, then drain on paper towels. Serve with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce.
I would not feel guilty if you need to toss the potatoes. If you consider the cost and extra calories of butter and cheese to try make these palatable, you are better off to throw them out.
What fat do you use in pie crust?
I have been using Crisco for years with the recipe from Betty Crocker. I find it easy to work with and I get consistent results. We recently rendered the lard that came with the half hog we had butchered for our freezer. I found working with lard to be difficult, plus I was not happy with the porky taste even though I had a very flaky crust. @eeels is correct. Pie is a special occasion dessert, so I don't think there will be health consequence being we eat so little of it.
Cook the Book: 'Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon'
I love bacon becuase it makes everyone smile when I serve it.
Cook the Book: 'Dishing Up Vermont'
Iowa, home of Maid Rites
Cook the Book: 'Bite-Size Desserts'
A small fudgy brownie, dusted with powdered sugar.
Funeral Food
This is a lovely collection of stories and traditions. For my mother-in-law's funeral, we served turkey over biscuits, lefse, and platters of fresh fruit. She had been part of a circle of women at our church who made lefse for many years. For the funeral lunch her friends got together and made lefse. The family gathered together in my kitchen the night before the service and helped pull the meat off the roasted turkeys for the creamed turkey. My mother-in-law was known for her hospitality and cooking, so we felt our menu was a fitting tribute. Lefse is usually only served at holiday meals, so it was special to serve the Norwegian treat at her funeral.
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
I just made a braised turkey with a citrus and vanilla compound butter for my blog and it was perfectly moist and didn't require brining (which I'm not a big fan of because it changes the texture of the meat).
The compound butter recipe is here:
http://wickedgooddinner.blogspot.com/2009/11/wicked-good-thanksgiving-compound.html
With braising success, I'm thinking of using a Coq au Vin Blanc technique with the turkey on Thanksgiving Day. I haven't written a recipe for this yet, but there's a coq au vin blanc recipe from Food Network:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/coq-au-vin-blanc-recipe/index.html
I also flattened the turkey by cutting the breast bone, which cut the cooking time almost by half.
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
We were so delighted by this sweet/blue/white potato + beet + sunchoke dish that we're planning to make it for Thanksgiving:
http://onepot.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/sweet-potatoes-yam-blue-potatoes-beets-sunchokes/
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
At my house, people would revolt if we did not serve broccoli gratin with mustard-cheese streusel. Recipe is here:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Broccoli-Gratin-with-Mustard-Cheese-Streusel-107297
We add extra cheese and cream and use good quality dry and prepared mustards to amp up the dish. The best part is that the broccoli and the streusel can be prepped separately the night before and the whole thing can be assembled to bake in about five minutes.
In my view, if you really want to switch up Thanksgiving, ditch the turkey and go for a crown roast of pork! We stopped serving turkey about three years ago and do not regret it (nor do we regret the Cuban sandwiches that come from the pork the day after)!!
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
Congrats on breaking out! It sounds like you are looking for new twists on traditional dishes. always fun.
Here are a few I have used and enjoy:
Salli's Sweet Potato Biscuits (via Martha Stewart)
Pumpkin with Mascarpone and Pecan Pralines
Cranberry Sauce with Cointreau and Cloves
Wild Mushroom Tart - as an appetizer (from Gourmet via Epicurious)
My turkey recipe is laden with pork fat and deglazed with Chardonnay, though I have linked to it here for those who are interested in that sort of thing (like me!). If you want to make my recipe, talk to me about the brine, as I change it up every year and the result is dramatically different each time).
Also, here is a link to some wonderful, garlicky rustic mashed potatoes with skins (it is part of a T-day leftovers/shephard's pie post). So good!
I love talking turkey! Let us know what your menu ends up looking like, or if you need more ideas.
Cheers!
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
Whats wrong with tradition? I look forward all year for those special dishes like grandma used to make. I will save my new modern food for other meals and savor the old standbys, I love so much............... coco but PS: good luck Mr. Guy, Thanksgiving is family and friend day and being together will make any food taste yummy, your dinner will be great!!
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
Have you looked over this brussel sprout thread? Lots of great recipe ideas for this fall favorite though my own preparations are my favorites! (smile)
Cauliflower roasted in the oven is also a winner. My favorite recipe has apples, onion, dried cranberries, and dill. Come to think of it, brussel sprouts could probably substitute here as well. As a food network fanatic myself this roasted cauliflower recipe of Dave Lieberman's has a bit of an Italian flair but it's also delicious and simple.
On the soup side, I'm sure you can find (on FN) some recipe for butternut squash soup with apples, although I like it with pears better. Rachael Ray's cauliflower soup is something I look forward to making every year. I leave out the half and half and parmesan cheese and it's still delish! Lately I've been obsessed with the three sisters and I'm sure you could you could make a nice squash soup with hominy and red and black beans to make a perfectly appropriate Thanksgiving harvest soup.
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is corn pudding and I have just posted the recipe to my site, and will continue to post Turkey Day ideas. I love cooking the big meal too; it's become my favorite holiday, even with all the dishes. Good luck to you and Happy Thanksgiving.
(I have a Southern Pecan Pie on the site as well that makes a great dessert!)
www.therunawayspoon.com
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
One Thanksgiving I did a real South Texas meal - turkey with mole, roasted veggies - sweet and white potatoes, onions (peeled), bell and poblano peppers, sprinkled with toasted pecans at the end, a corn pudding with jalapenos, and a salad loaded with cotilla cheese and pomegranate seeds. All our guests loved it, but the kids moaned and groaned all the following year; so needless to say, that was never repeated - even though they are native Texans.
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
Two family members have just dropped out of my Thanksgiving, after I already ordered a 18 lb natural free-range turkey from a local farm. So the most non-boring dish I'll serve may have to be a cake that says, "Glad you couldn't be here, jerks! More delicious turkey for us! Mmmmm!" Which I will photograph and email to them.
Or not. I made Martha's creamed spinach a few years ago and that was a big hit.
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
Another thought, after skimming FN this morning. Michael Chiarello's Autumn Panzanella is a proven hit and can be tweaked to suit most food preferences.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/autumn-panzanella-recipe/index.html
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
The tomato onion tart sounds good. Our variation drops the tomatoes and pairs butter-sauteed wild mushrooms, thyme and a touch of cream with the carmalized onions for the filling.
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
you like cheesy??? me too..
To me these are main courses, but for you they may work as side dishes:
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese - you could make it with Pumpkin too if you rather
Pumpkin Risotto - I make it using the risotto mix from Archer Farms (Target brand) and reheats beautifully if you need to make it in advance for a crowd.
and for dessert - a cheese-based, lots of condensed milk, no egg needed Sweet Potato Flan...
Not-Boring Thanksgiving Recipes?
these all look great- love that salad recipe, and i think i may go for the onion-tomato tart.
and chew on that- what a trove of ideas! thanks!
ginger recipes
I think cookies would be awesome but as a ginger lover, I can't tell if cookies will deter a ginger hater or not. I think maybe soup would be a good way to go: Ginger Pumpkin Bisque.
ginger recipes
Try these Molasses Ginger Cookies - they are TO DIE FOR!
http://eatrunread.blogspot.com/2009/09/literary-bite-perfect-mile.html
ginger recipes
You're welcome @jammin83! I haven't one in a while but isn't it good to know that we can make them at home?
Snickerdoodle help!
This is an interesting thread. ALL of my cookies come out flat, and I've never been able to figure it out. I use only butter, always room temp, and I cream for 3 minutes with a handheld mixer. America's Test Kitchen FAmily Cookbok says you should no longer feel the grains of sugar in properly creamed butter, but I have never managed to make them disappear--does that sound right to you all?
My cookies TASTE great, but sometimes I wish they were a little thicker to bite into.
ginger recipes
This is crazy delicious. Makes you want to cry. Seriously.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Ginger-Cheesecake-108255
ginger recipes
WOW! I just ate ginger scones at Teaism this morning and was thinking the whole time about how I had to find a recipe to make them myself. I had no idea the recipe was already floating around out there on food network! Thanks @Otabenga!
ginger recipes
Oops! Link for the rhubarb ginger jam is --->here
ginger recipes
Interesting challenge to make something that tastes of ginger for someone who doesn't like ginger's taste! Here are my fave ginger recipes:
1) Peppery ginger cookies --really easy and a favorite of my cousin who LOVES ginger
2) Rhubarb ginger jam --great with crostini and goat cheese
3) Ginger scones --from Teaism, a favorite eatery in DC
4) Peach ginger jam --I use Amanda Hesser's recipe from her cookbook but this one is close enough
ginger recipes
Tofu in a sweet ginger sauce. http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/recipes/Tofu_in_Sweet_Ginger_Sauce.htm
Snickerdoodle help!
A couple years ago I was making snickerdoodles when I discovered I was out of flour, I used cake flour instead - and it makes light fluffy cookies. I still follow the recipe as is, just substitute the cake flour...
ginger recipes
I use ginger a lot in savory dishes, but I also like candied ginger in sweet recipes. Cheesecake with gingersnaps crust and candied ginger. In fact candied ginger in muffins might be the ticket.
Don't forget ginger ale with whatever sweet you make (Polar makes one with natural ginger. Probably others have real ginger as well).
Ginger has a pronounced lemony aroma, so you might try it in your favorite lemon-flavored dessert.
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Our family has enjoyed a salad made with arugula, pears, pecans and blue cheese. Lots of flavor without being heavy with calories. We do a version of this without the prosciutto.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/arugula-and-prosciutto-salad-with-pears-blue-cheese-and-pecans-recipe/index.html
Does your set of china include the little salad plates? Toss the greens, arrange on a plate with sliced pears, and then crumble the blue cheese over the top.