Cranberry sauce is a staple at the Thanksgiving table. Some people like the jellied cranberry sauce while others prefer a more homemade, chunky sauce full of plenty of whole cranberries. I love the homemade kind of cranberry sauce. I cook the cranberries just long enough so that most burst and turn into sauce but still enough remain whole to give the cranberry sauce some texture.
I add port wine and orange juice to my cranberry sauce so there are a few flavors dancing around the dish. You can add more or less sugar depending on how sweet or tart you like your cranberry sauce. I like it a tad more on the sweet side because I feel that it balances out the flavor of the turkey and stuffing.
Cranberry sauce can be made several days in advance and kept in the refrigerator. I take out the cranberry sauce an hour or so before dinner so it is not too cold when served. I like it chilled but not cold.
This cranberry sauce also makes a great gift for friends around the holidays. You can jar it and wrap a ribbon around it before dropping it off at a friend’s house.
Carrots are rich in beta carotene, vitamin K1 and potassium. They also taste great and are beautiful to serve as a side dish. The bright orange color brightens up any dinner plate. I particularly like to serve glazed carrots with chicken or turkey which is why I am sharing this recipe a week before Thanksgiving. The other great thing about this glazed carrot recipe is that you can make it a day or two ahead of time and warm it up in the microwave or in a covered dish in the oven and they will be perfect.
The trick is to roast them in a hot oven so that they become caramelized. I add Tumeric to my recipe because I love the way the yellow Tumeric brightens the dish even more plus Tumeric is so good for you so I try to add it to my cooking whenever I can. So here you have carrots AND Tumeric in the same dish. It’s like a power dish of YUM!
Thanksgiving is around the corner and I wanted to come up with an alternative to the traditional roasted turkey. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good, tender roasted turkey and I have a great recipe for one but it’s also fun to mix it up a bit.
I wanted to come up with a recipe that would combine several of our Thanksgiving favorites into one dish. I decided to experiment with a kind of Turkey Wellington. The idea was to wrap a boneless turkey breast in cranberry stuffing and then wrap it in puff pastry. A take on a classic Beef Wellington.
Beef Wellington was first created in England many, many years ago. It is a classic dish that my mother would prepare for the holidays. Classic Beef Wellington is made with Filet Mignon, Mushrooms, Prosciutto and Puff Pastry. It is absolutely delicious and I will be sharing my Mom’s recipe at a later date. It is a great dish to serve on Christmas or Christmas Eve.
I wanted to come up with a Thanksgiving all-in-one dish and I loved the idea of wrapping the Turkey Breast in puff pastry. Kind of like wrapping a delicious flaky biscuit around turkey. Instead of mushrooms I put a layer of stuffing which I mixed with dried cranberries. I let the dried cranberries simmer in the chicken broth to soften before mixing in the dried cubed bread. I really don’t want you to be intimidated by this recipe. You can absolutely use a store bought stuffing mix like Pepperidge Farm or you can make your own. I wanted this dish to come together fairly easily and look fantastic on your Thanksgiving table.
So I went to the supermarket across the street from my apartment and they did not have the puff pastry I was looking for so I decided to buy a box of pie pastry. You can absolutely use ready made pie pastry for sweet or savory dishes. I did roll it out a little so the pastry would fit around my Turkey Breast. I also decided to use Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix in a bag. I happen to love this stuffing, as did my mom. Of course we would also make homemade stuffing every Thanksgiving but there is something absolutely delicious about this mix in a bag. So we would make both. The other thing I would like to mention is that this beautiful fancy looking dish is very affordable. The total of all my ingredients was just over $30. The recipe can feed 6 people so you are looking at a cost of $5 per person. You can serve the Turkey Wellington with some gravy and sautéed string beans on the side or whatever side you like and you have a beautiful meal to serve your friends and family.
It is important to chill the turkey for a half hour after you wrap it in the stuffing. This will make it easier for you to wrap it in the puff pastry. Please make sure that you buy puff pastry and NOT phyllo dough. The two are similar but are not the same. Phyllo is much flakier than puff pastry and will not work well with this dish. After rolling out the puff pastry I also cut out some leaves out of the puff pastry and rolled a long string so I could make a vine shape on the top of the Turkey Wellington. I think this is a nice touch and makes for a pretty presentation on your holiday table. This is not difficult to do and only requires a knife to cut out the leaf shape. You do not need any special equipment. When you bake the Turkey Wellington the puff pastry may crack a little. This is perfectly fine and helps to show the authenticity of your dish. I think the cracks are beautiful and organic. You made it after all! Cooking is a fluid, natural process and you should not obsess over perfection. Save perfection for baking. Baking is much more precise and leaves less room for error.
Turkey Wellington
I think this recipe is a big crowd pleaser. The turkey stays juicy when baked in the puff pastry and the combination of the different flavors are amazing. This recipe says “home” to me. It is perfect for Thanksgiving or any other Fall or Winter evening.
Cheesy, Creamy and Delicious Homemade Mac and Cheese
Thanksgiving is coming up and I wanted to share a great mac and cheese recipe to complement that delicious turkey you are going to make. Homemade macaroni and cheese is the perfect dish to serve at your dinner. This recipe is simple and quick to prepare. The results are infinitely better than any boxed mac and cheese you can buy. Mac and Cheese must be cheesy and creamy with just the right amount of crunchy buttery bread crumbs on top. This is a decadent dish and needs have the right ratio of sauce to macaroni. You don’t want it to be too soggy. I like to use sharp cheddar cheese in my macaroni and cheese but you can feel free to experiment with other cheese that you like. Try mixing in gruyere or mozzarella for an added layer of flavor. You can also mix in some crumbled crisp bacon into the macaroni right after adding the cheese sauce. This will give the dish a little smoky flavor. My recipe calls for a bit of evaporated milk. I think that the evaporated milk really helps make the sauce creamy and delicious. Mac and cheese can be baked and eaten right out of the oven but is also great reheated the next day. I recommend making a big dish so you can enjoy it now and later. Try serving leftover mac and cheese with a big salad the next day. In many of my recipes I pair arugula salad when I am serving a dish that is creamy. The peppery bite of the arugula helps to cut the creaminess of any dish. The two compliment each other. I think that this is the best mac and cheese recipe. It’s a great pot luck dish and perfect if you are feeding a larger group and want to be able to make something ahead of time.
keep whisking slowly until it starts to thicken – about 5 minutes
add dry mustard, salt and pepper
mix in shredded cheddar cheese
pour mixture over macaroni and gently mix
pour macaroni into baking dish
mix panko bread crumbs with melted butter and grated parmesan. Blend until crumbs are all covered with melted butter
spinkle over macaroni and bake in oven for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden
Notes
Mac and cheese is all about the cheese. Do not buy pre shredded cheddar or grated parmesan. Take the time to grate the cheese yourself. This will result in a creamier , meltier mac and cheese
Ah, the cupcake. A perfectly sized single serving dessert usually eaten as a child. Why should kids have all the fun? I have added coffee, a little spice and some brandy to these cupcakes which make them ideal to serve at your next grown-up dinner or holiday. These cupcakes also work well served bite sized. Just use a 24 cup cupcake tin and reduce baking time in half. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top before serving or some edible gold stars.
Butternut squash is a sweet and savory squash that is in season in the Fall. When in peak season you do not have to do much to create a wonderful soup or filling for ravioli. Butternut squash is very good for you and is rich in vitamin A and potassium. I love to combine fresh sage with the squash. The flavors work very well together. I also like the salty crunch that bacon adds to the soup but you can absolutely leave it out. I do not use any cream in this recipe because it does not need it. You want the vibrant flavor of the squash to shine through. This soup can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I promised my friend Michelle a soup recipe this week since the weather is getting colder in New York. She’s a busy woman so I knew it had to be easy to prepare, healthy and delicious. I think this recipe fits the bill. Let me know what you think.
Place flesh side down on baking sheet lined with parchment
Roast for 45 – 55 minutes until fork tender
Cook bacon until crispy, crumble and set aside
While squash is roasting saute chopped shallots in olive oil until translucent
When squash is done use a spoon to sccop out squash into a blender or mixer
Add sauteed shallot, vegetable broth and all the rest of the ingredients
Puree until smooth
Reheat when ready to serve
Croutons
Pour olive oil into mixing bowl
Add chopped rosemary
Toss brioche cubes in oil
Season with black pepper
Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown
Notes
You can add more chili powder to the soup if you like a little more heat. To serve, heat up soup and pour into bowls. Sprinkle crumbled bacon and croutons on top. I suggest frying some fresh sage leaves to garnish the soup with.If you would like to keep the soup vegan you can substitute olive oil for the butter and leave out the bacon.
