exit, pursued by bear

Mark Bittman makes me feel bad.

Nothing like the Dining & Wine section of The New York Times to make you feel guilty about what you're eating, drinking or cooking: "Skip the Marshmallows and Give Heartfelt Thanks" by Mark Bittman

{"Sweet Potato Gratin With Ginger and Orange Zest"}

From the article:

WE’VE all been to Thanksgiving dinners where the cook or a guest reveals, with absolute and utter pride, his or her special version of sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top. We’ve all ooh-ed and aah-ed, because, indeed, it’s a lovely dish. And I suspect most of us have dug in eagerly, but then never taken more than a bite or two. I cannot think of a greater injustice done to a fine ingredient than to permanently associate it with that recipe.

You can't think of a greater injustice? Gee, thanks Mark. I'm going to take my marshmallows and go home ... and stick them on top of some sweet potatoes. So there! Pbbbth!

But for those of you who are looking to quash the dreams of those around you who are clinging to the past, here is the recipe for "Sweet Potato Gratin With Ginger and Orange Zest." I'm sure it's delicious.

Actually, knowing me -- next year I'll be on some big fancy-schmancy kick. The Times has a yummy list of recipes and some great resources and articles as part of their "Featured Topic: Thanksgiving." What would we do without their liberal sensibilities, I ask you?

Definitely check out "Now, the Side Dishes: Quick and Simple or a Bit More Complex" -- it has six great recipes of side dishes for a menu that satisfies two different impulses: "[s]ome cooks want a simpler game plan, while others are looking to trick out the meal with a few challenges and a little luxury." So, there are two versions each of stuffing, potatoes and a vegetable side dish: "[o]ne version is ingredient driven and straightforward. The other is more complex, in both technique and ingredients."

{Illustration by Teresa Fasolino for The New York Times}

Their offerings?

• Brussels Sprouts With Mustard, Apples and Caraway
• Savoy Cabbage Slaw With Applesauce Vinaigrette and Mustard Seeds 
• Potato Mousseline
• Roasted Fingerling Potatoes With Dried Figs and Thyme
• Bread Stuffing With Black Pepper and Vinegar 
• Sourdough Dressing With Truffle Butter and Candied Chestnuts

And not a marshmallow in sight!

holiday feasting.

Next week marks the first time in several years that my parents have hosted Thanksgiving for our family. I cannot tell you how excited this makes me -- my mother is a phenomenal cook. This year, I've been asked to bring an appetizer and make some sort of sweet potato dish. I feel like sweet potatoes and/or yams haven't traditionally been a part of our standard, traditional Thanksgiving repertoire, but who am I to complain?

{A sweet potato, via Wikipedia}

I don't really know much about sweet potatoes, other than that they're not yams, and don't really have that much experience either eating (other than sweet potato fries + chips) or cooking them ... so this will be a bit of a learning experience for me.

For whatever reason, I've decided to take an "old-fashioned" approach and look for some of the more retro/traditional/home style American recipes for my contributions. Now, as you might remember -- my mother isn't American, she's English, so Thanksgiving is a bit of a learned behavior for her. So she generally shuns things like green bean casserole and candied yams, because they are largely unknown to her, she didn't grow up with them -- these types of dishes were typically provided/brought by other members of my family.

{file under: "things not typically produced in my mother's kitchen}

Since I believe I'm the only one who has been tasked with a side dish, I have decided to shoulder this responsibility, as I know my mother, if left to her own devices, will produce something delicious, but probably not from a recipe found on the back of a bag of marshmallows or can of french fried onions.

So, in addition with my responsibilities of sweet potatoes and appetizers (oh! and cranberry sauce, which I volunteered for since it's so. flippin'. easy.) -- I have decided, unbeknownst to my mother, to make a green bean casserole. And, to continue my theme of throwback style Thanksgiving, I'm going to try this recipe for "Old-Fashioned Candied Sweet Potatoes" (how terrible can it be, it's been blessed by Whole Foods!). With marshmallows, of course.

{"Candied sweet potatoes" from flickr user fuzuoko}

Although, if I were to continue down this path and honor the true retro stylin' intentions ... my cranberry sauce should probably arrive at the table looking like this:

{"Cranberry In A Can" from flickr user LarimdaME}

Respect the can. Cranberry sauce has appeared for years on our table in this exact form. I'm curious about these all important questions ... horizontal or vertical? Upright or on its side? Intact or neatly, uniformly sliced? Retaining can shape or hastily chopped up to resemble homemade?

However, I LOVE cranberry sauce ... so I will dutifully make it from scratch, which is seriously the easiest thing ever: Homemade Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce. So yummy. Nom, nom, nom.

Are you a lover of all things turkey day related? What are your favorite dishes?

chicken with mushroom cream sauce

I finally made this fabulous recipe last night - I think I've been meaning to make it for a good six months or so:

{Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce, photo + recipe from Simply Recipes}

I had planned on just doing something with leftovers last night -- but with the weather being chilly, this just sounded so good. The hubs was working late, too -- so I had more time than usual to prepare dinner -- this also gave me some extra time to run by the store after work.

The recipe itself is a little time-consuming, although not prohibitively so, but it's absolutely worth it. I've caught myself daydreaming about the leftover chicken several times today. There were, however, a few mishaps along the way:

1. I almost sliced the top of my left thumb completely off while dicing onions. I literally felt the knife cutting into my thumb - gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
2. I completely burnt the heck out of the yellow rice I was making (since I wasn't paying attention to it on the stove), resulting in the hubs and I ending up with about a spoonful of rice each. (I will serve yellow saffron rice with just about anything, it's that good, so it was very disappointing to have such a sad amount of rice.)
3. The onions were slightly undercooked therefore kind of cold and chewy.
4. I don't have a small roasting pan, so I had to use my turkey roaster, which seemed like a bit of overkill, pan size-wise. Plus that thing is a beast to clean.

Anyway, four very enthusiastic thumbs up from us on this dish (or rather three + one somewhat poorly bandaged thumb). Looking forward to making this again - I may try it with some boneless pork chops next time.

pumpkin project, part 2.

{"Spell-binding" by James Baigrie for Good Housekeeping}

"For a no-fuss fall centerpiece, heap bewitching, beribboned sugar pumpkins in a rustic bowl. To make: Attach double-stick tape to lengths of black, orange, and white patterned ribbon, then wrap around each squash."

And, if you're looking to bring your love of all things pumpkin into the kitchen, here are a few suggestions:

"Iced Pumpkin Cookies" from all recipes via angry chicken. These look delish:

{photo via all recipes}

Even more pumpkin recipes here and here.

smells like fall ...

{"Acorn Cakelet Pan" from Williams-Sonoma - $36}

Cornbread muffins, banana or pumpkin bread would be lovely baked in this little pan. I just love the little "cakelets" -- so cute!

And I can't forget about the pumpkin-related bakeware at W-S ...

{"The Great Pumpkin Cake Pan" from Williams-Sonoma - $32}

 
{"Pumpkin Harvest Loaf Pan" from Williams-Sonoma - $29.95}

Now I'm desperate to do some fall baking :o)

sweet!

first caramel apple of the year!

Yum. We just got these at work today. Does that mean they're in stores now?