Oh those lovely buttons!

I love, love, love mushrooms.  They are earthy and meaty and are just so lovely in stews, sauces and soups, without adding a lot of unneeded calories. But some days you want decadent and my ultimate favorite decadent way to enjoy mushrooms is stuffed. Stuffed mushrooms can get really over-dramatized, especially in the restaurant world. The other day I visited an unnamed establishment and the mushrooms came out to the table drowning in a puddle of oil. I was so sad I didn't even want to eat them. And for love's sake, hold the lobster and shrimp and oysters please. I like simple and quick and yummy.

A Spiced Life

I love spices. I have nearly 40 spice jars and numerous other bagged bulk spices that I don’t have matching jars for yet. Back before I started cooking more ethnic foods, my life was without spice beyond that of black pepper and granulated garlic.  It was a boring life. And then I met curry and my life changed forever, and then it changed again when I met masalas. And I could never go back. 

But before all that, every year at Christmas, I would get a small glimpse into what must be paradise for those who love spices. I loved (and still do) the crispy, peppery, little gingersnaps, and the pungent fruit cake laden with nuts dates and candied fruits. I could eat them both the whole holiday season long - for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

But there comes the sensible question each year when it we begin to bake our Christmas cookies - how many types of cookies should we make this year? And since I don’t actually have my own army, the answer should not be in the double digits although my initial list always begins there.  Then I have to whittle down the list to the must haves based on family vote and then I’m left inwardly skulking because the cookies I really want but definitely do not need get struck from the list. I don’t skulk for long because it is very difficult to skulk when your kitchen smells of butter, brown sugar and spices.

So this year I thought to myself, why not cheat?  I don’t cheat very often, but sometimes you have to and so I did. I smooshed two recipes together to make a singular spicy, fruitnutty cookie that is chewy and pairs perfectly with my morning coffee and my evening tea and isn’t bad at snacktime with a glass of milk either.

 

Let it snow Cookies!

Handmade gifts, including home cooked gifts really exemplify the giving nature of the holiday season. When mass produced items eclipsed lovingly created gifts, something of Christmas was lost forever. That’s why I bake. It is my way of putting me into my giving. Christmas is one of the greatest times for people who do not cook to get into the kitchen and try their hand at something. It also is a time for experienced cooks to get in the kitchen and prove their salt worth.

This it the perfect time for you to involve your children and your families in creating something that says you are important to me. It is a time to bond and for many it can be very educational. Sugar cookies are a wonderful opportunity for parents to tell the Christmas story, selecting nativity cookie cutters that are in the shapes of Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wisemen, Baby Jesus, donkeys and camels. Jewish parents can purchase Hanukkah cookie cutters in the shape of a menorah, torah, chai, dreidle, star and shofar. African American parents can purchase cookie cutters in the shape of a chalice, fruits and vegetables for the Masao, a candle holder, corn, and gifts for their Kwanzaa celebration and serve them a on straw mat. And by now I’m sure you’ve got the point.

My recipe is eggless due to the food allergies in my family, but the benefit is that you little ones can play with and eat as much of the dough they want without worrying about contamination from uncooked eggs. I also use real butter in my sugar cookies.  It’s an obsession of mine.

Aldfre-don't

When I think of alfredo sauce, I start sweating in anticipation of all the work it’s going to take to walk off those calories.  Butter, Parmesan cheese, heavy cream…what could be more indulgent? A flourless chocolate torte with ganache? Yep. But even that has less calories per serving than most purchased alfredo sauce served over pasta. But it’s so good!!!

When you indulge in alfredo at a restaurant, you could easily find yourself consuming all of your daily calories, if not more, in a single sitting. If you eat out at a good Italian place only once a year then there really isn’t a problem.  You need to indulge sometimes, and date night really isn’t the time to think about your diet; have fun! But if you find yourself wanting alfredo more often than that then it’s time to think about how to put this decadent dish on a diet, and I have the solution – mockfredo.

I don’t often suggest using margarine, but in this case, it is needed to reduce the caloric load. Then instead of cream, you have skim milk and a low-fat or fat free cream cheese to keep that creamy texture. I would never take away the cheese, so it’s still there, but not as much as I would use for the real deal.  Made this way, it has only 1/3 the calories and a big punch of flavor that makes you feel like you’re doing something naughtier than you really are. And it’s super simple.  It’s made first in a blender and then warmed in the microwave to prevent the oil in the cheese and sauce from separating and then served over pasta - Gnocchi is my favorite for this dish. It’s delectable, but don’t take my word for it!

Why did the chicken cross the rice paddy?

During the late 17^th century and early 18^th century rice production in the South Carolina Low County was nearing a peak with slave trading and holding as its silent partner.  The slaves of the deep south hailed from exotic heavily spiced West Africa, West Indies and the Spice Islands to name only a few. For all they left behind, they brought with them the memories of their homelands and the knowledge how to cook off the land.

There are many dishes that we owe to the memories of the slaves that were ported to our shores. One that I love is Chicken Bog. This dish consists of just the scraps that the slaves were allowed that were not good enough for the slave holders and their families - the skin and bones of chicken, rice from the rice paddies or bogs, salt and pepper. The bones and skin were set to simmer while the slaves were in the field, when they returned the bones were removed any precious meat reserved, the rice added and in 20 minutes a hot mixture was done that was heavily peppered then served hot.

You will find this on menus all over the low country.  They serve it for fund raisers, at church socials, and sunday dinner. Today we have the luxury of having more than the bones and skin of the chicken. We have a whole chicken, an onion and a few stalks of celery. But I don’t want to travel too far from the classic version so we will stop there - and to tell the truth, in all it’s simplicity, there really is nothing more needed.

Is it a fruit or a vegetable?

What is Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Pie? I honestly can’t remember a single Thanksgiving since I was a child that this traditional favorite hasn’t found it way onto my plate - for breakfast and dessert. Traditional pumpkin pie really doesn’t deserve any tweaking because it is just fine the way it is. But then again, if I didn’t tweak then I just wouldn’t be me. I have included the original that is probably in every mother’s recipe repertoire. And then I have included my spicy version as well. And pumpkin is a fruit! Imagine that! Enjoy!

Hunny! Where did you get those fabulous pearls!?

A good southern girl always had a nice set of pearls, or so I’ve been told. I don’t. But I do have a great Creamed Pearl Onion recipe for you! I never had Creamed Pearl Onions until I was an adult, but I can imagine that my grandfather would have loved them. We didn’t grow a lot of onions in our garden, but grandpa devoted quite a few rows of his meager garden to the lovely ladies.  

When we would visit, he would get so excited showing us his gardening successes that he would grab hold of a bunch or two and rip them out of the ground and then start munching. I always assumed they were quite crunchy (read: gritty) and passed on the snack. His excitement was understandable. He lived on some of the sandiest land in our community, and if you could get anything to grow, it was time for celebration. My grandmother coaxed a few of her rose bushes to produce buds each year and she was about as proud of those roses as my grandfather was of his onions.

Grandpa would send us home with a few of the onions and my mom would simply wash them and serve them raw with our summer lunches.  They were quite sweet, with just a note of pungency. That’s why, when a friend of ours in NY made us Creamed Pearl Onions, I just knew they would be good, and they were.  This year my husband is making them as his addition to our Thanksgiving meal. We use the frozen onions, because peeling that many little fresh onions would make me postal, and who needs that at Thanksgiving? They simmer in butter for a bit to cook and then you make a béchamel sauce, with a little herb added and you are done! What could be easier?

Under Sweet Potato Duress

Sweet potatoes are about a southern as grits. You can bet that if there is a celebration, that there will be a sweet potato casserole somewhere. Although my youngest daughter has never even crossed the Mason Dixon, she is a firm believer in this tradition as well, so every year, without doubt, Grandma Net’s Sweet Potato Casserole is her choice to make for Thanksgiving. It is creamy and sweet, and should be served as dessert, but somehow makes it on the table for dinner instead.

Over the years, changes have been made.  We have life threatening egg and nut allergies in our family.  I can’t remember for certain if there were eggs in the original version, but do I know for a fact that there was a pecan streusel topping that was my favorite that for years has been omitted. I’ll include it for you though! I think the filling is so rich that it really needs to be offset with something other than marshmallows, but that is my daughter’s favorite, so we have compromised and just put a single ring around the edge of the big marshmallows and left the center open.

Not-Your-Mother’s Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole in my husband’s family is sacred.  You do not mess with the green bean casserole. I do not buy into these types of allegiances, and feel that if you find a better tasting way to prepare something, then by all means.  While I am pretty certain that the majority of his family members still do not subscribe to my line of thought, this green bean casserole has been accepted with praise and that is good enough for me. Baby steps!

I really don’t like canned green beans, but for a casserole, I think that texture and flavor is pretty trademark and cannot be avoided, so I still use the canned frenched beans. I also think the trademark fried onion topping is also expected, I kept them, if only so that the family could recognize the dish. There are sautéed sweet onions and mushrooms, green beans, a slightly tangy sour cream béchamel sauce and lots of cheddar cheese, plus the traditional crunchy onion topping.

Prime Time!

I really don’t like turkey. I think that most turkeys that are cooked for Thanksgiving are butchered the first time at the slaughter house, and then they are butchered again on Thanksgiving in the kitchen, and that is not counting the actual carving of the turkey at the table.

I have been married for 15 years, and I know that I have made 3 turkeys that have been perfect. The white meat was juicy and not dry, and the dark meat was still juicy, it was flavorful and tasted like seasoning as well as turkey and it was cooked thru. Every year that I was successful I had brined my turkey. It is time consuming and then there are the leftovers. If you don’t like turkey, then leftovers really aren’t all that fun to be creative with.

Last year I forwent the turkey, which I understand is sacrilege to some. But if you recall my post from yesterday, if it doesn’t make the list of favorites, then it doesn’t have to be made just because it is traditional. Make new traditions! Last year we did a country ham, and this year I am doing prime rib. I made my first prime rib last year at Christmas and my husband is still talking about it, so I thought it was time to go there again. And the best part - leftovers, if there are any, are eagerly awaited.

I strongly advise that if you are intending on roasting any meat, including turkey and prime rib, that you invest in a digital thermometer that can be left in your meat that you can program for the internal temperature that you are looking for.  If you have a thermometer that is circular that has general reads of rare, done, well done, you are going to be sorely disappointed with your finished product. If you have a thermometer that is not oven safe, then you will have to keep poking at your meat, putting more holes in it letting all the good juices run out. If you buy it at a specialty cooking store this gadget will run you upwards of $60.00 but if you go to a restaurant supply store, you can get it for around $25.00. That’s a deal!