Italian Side Dish with a Pumpkin Twist

Italian Side Dish with a Pumpkin Twist

This recipe comes via Jyll Everman and Food and Wine. Jyll did this demonstration on Fine Cooking promoting BelGioioso cheese. I made put some of the stuffed shells in a dish with marinara sauce and some in a dish with a savory pumpkin sauce from Food and Wine. This is a great dish anytime but was really nice just before Thanksgiving.

Stir together the following ingredients

* ricotta cheese

* frozen spinach, squeeze out excess water and chop

* pine nuts

* 1 egg

* parmesan cheese

* fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh

* flat leaf parsley

* S&P

Boil pasta shells al dente.

Stuff the shells

Spread either marainar or pumpkin sauce in the bottom of a pan.

place the stuffed shells on top.

Dollop sauce on top of the shells.

Cover with foil and bake. 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Broil for a few minutes.

Top with flat leaf parsley.

Savory Pumpkin Sauce

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium red onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh sage

One 15 ounce can pumpkin puree

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 

plus more for serving

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onion, garlic and sage and cook over moderately low heat until the onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor. Add the pumpkin puree and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape the pumpkin puree into the pot and cook over moderately low heat until hot. Mix in the mascarpone and the 1/4 cup of grated cheese.

Cranberry, Sausage and Apple Stuffing

Cranberry, Sausage and Apple Stuffing

This recipe is from allrecipes

Next time I make it I plan to add chestnuts in honor of my mom!!!!!

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1/4 cup butter
• 6 cups coarsely chopped leeks
• 3 tart apples - peeled, cored and chopped
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 4 teaspoons poultry seasoning

• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 12 cups white bread cubes, baked until slightly dry (NOTE: I make a loaf of bread)
• 1 1/3 cups chicken stock
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook and stir sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, crumbling coarsely, for about 10 minutes. Remove sausage to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Empty pan of grease.
2. Into the same pan melt the butter. 
3. (NOTE: it takes a lot of chopping and super great to have a good chopper inthe kitchen with you.)
4. Add the leeks or onions, apples, celery and poultry seasoning; cook until softened, about 10 minutes. 
5. Add the rosemary, dried cranberries and cooked sausage. 
6. (NOTE: I made it to this point and waited until Thanksgiving morning to combine with the bread cubes,)
7. Mix all with the dried bread cubes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Moisten with the chicken stock.
8. NOTE: I don't stuff the turkey. I put in a large roasting pan and baked in a covered buttered casserole at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes to brown top. I do this while the turkey rests.

Raw Corn and Radish Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing

Raw Corn and Radish Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing

This recipe is from Food and Wine

This is delicious and has become one of my Thanksgiving side dishes.  Sadly

there are people who do not like radishes and won't even try it. I don;t think you really taste the radishes.  In addition to tasting amazing, it looks so pretty.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 4 ears of corn) (NOTE: I was able to find fresh corn but need to remember to freeze some during the summer for Thanksgiving)
6 medium radishes, halved and thinly sliced crosswise. (NOTE: I have used black radishes and they are beautiful as well)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

 

Step 1 
In a blender, puree the lime juice, jalapeño, honey and cumin. With the machine on, add the oil. Season with salt and pepper. 
 

Step 2  In a large bowl, toss the corn with the radishes, parsley, red onion and dressing. Season the salad with salt and pepper, transfer to plates and serve.  

     

Mama Parsley's Cranberry Compote

Ellen and Harry Parsley are special friends of Claire's.  They own Silver Stag Winery on Napa, CA.  Claire passed on Ellen's recipe in 2017 and I have been making it ever since.

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp orange juice

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp vanilla

Cook in medium pan for approximately 5-7 minutes. 

When berries start to pop, mash together. 

Cool and serve.

Thanksgiving 2019 - Cabin

November 2019, our first Thanksgiving while living at the cabin!!! Thank you to Tim and Judy Dailey, John Dailey and Lorraine Dailey for celebrating with Mike and I. 

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving week. After picking up the turkey on Monday I slide my kayak in the water. It was a balmy 45 degrees melting the ice that had formed earlier in the month.

On Wednesday we got about 5 inches of snow.

The next couple of days were spent working and preparing for the Thanksgiving feast. I could not have done it without the companionship and excellent chopping skills of Lorraine.

THE MENU

• We started with Champagne, of course! 
• Appetizers: Wonderful cheeses that Lorraine and John picked up in Monroe, WI. Cranberry salsa with cream cheese. 
• 18# Amish turkey from 41 Market. Thank you Jim.
  I bought the turkey on Monday and massaged with a dry brine on Monday evening. I used this dry brine recipe from Kitchn. I roasted the turkey upside down in a convection oven.  It was the best turkey ever!!
  
  
  
  
• Cranberry, sausage and apple stuffing  Next time I want to add chestnuts in honor of my mom.😇
• Raw corn and radish salad with spicy lime dressing. I new favorite Thanksgiving side dish. I love the zesty flavors.
• Sweet potato casserole is a must for Thanksgiving dinner.
• Cranberries are king at my house.  I serve 3 different options:
  **Jellied cranberries from a can.  A must have for Claire and Mike.
  **Cranberry Salsa. I serve some over cream cheese as an appetizer and include a bowl of the salsa as an option.  It's a favorite of mine.
  **Cranberry relish.  Mama Parsley's Cranberry Compote:
• Mashed potatoes contributed by Tim and Judy
• Dessert options:
  Apple pie. No one likes pumpkin pie in this crew.
  Raspberry sherbert with wine sauce and berries. Thank you Jacques Pepin

Friday was a perfect day for burning.

AMAZING FLOUR-LESS BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

https://www.skinnytaste.com/amazing-flour-less-brownies/
from skinnytaste

Claire recommended this recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 14 oz canned low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon oil
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk, or dairy, skim
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground coffee or instant coffee
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided (Hershey's)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• Grease a nonstick 9 x 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
• Blend the black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, sugar, oil, almond milk, balsamic, baking soda, baking powder and coffee in the blender until smooth and pour into a bowl.
• Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips until combined.
• Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownies.
• Bake the brownies until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 32 minutes.
• Allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing them into squares.

NOTES

Adapted from Roasted Root.