ENTERTAINING: The Grinch!So, I sewed up this Grinch Costume! Well sort of. I bought the slippers, gloves and mask. The mask is really scary but it was scarier at first. It had yellow teeth and yellow eyes which made it too demonic. So, I found some paint at about 2 in the morning before the party and painted them white. A bit better. Not much but worth the effort. I sewed the green furry pants and the green furry neck cover. I had a red fleece hoodie but I cut the hood off and cut off thte hand pouch. Then I sewed on all those medium sized pom-poms. It came out perfectly. My twin club's Holiday Family party was a Grinch theme. Merry Grinchmas! Thank God one of the moms volunteered to wear this very hot costume.
 PHOTOGRAPHS: Twas the Night Before Christmas
PHOTOGRAPHS: Red Peppers
RECIPE: Foie Gras Bouchees
Foie Gras in Puff Pastry Bouches
Makes 18
2 9” x 12” sheet puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 anjou pear
1 cup framboise liqueur
½ block rougie foie gras
Pour the framboise into a high walled saucepan. Bring to a boil. Be careful and stand back, the liqueur might ignite it the walls of the saucepan aren’t high enough. But, if it does, just let the alcohol burn off. Lower heat to a simmer and reduce to 1/4 cup.
To make the bouches, place puff pastry on cutting board. With 1 ½” biscuit cutter, cut 18 rounds and place on a baking sheet. Cut another 18 rounds then with a ¾” biscuit cutter or apple corer cut the center out of the rounds to make rings. Place the rings on top of the rounds and press together. Brush the pastry with egg wash. Prick the center, not the rings, with a fork all over it. Place the baking sheet in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400 F. Once it reaches temperature, place the baking sheet in oven for 10 minutes. Take out of the oven. Reduce temperature to 350 F. Pierce the center again with a fork and push the center down. Place back in the oven for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and core the pear. Slice into 1/8-1/4” pieces. Cut rounds with the small biscuit cutter or the apple corer. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and push the pear rounds into the center of the puff pastry bouches. Place back in the oven for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the foie gras into thin slices and cut into rounds with the small biscuit cutter or the apple corer. Take the bouchees out of the oven and place the foie gras rounds on top of the pear. Place on serving platter. Drizzle with framboise syrup. Serve.
RECIPE: Pate with Fig Puree
Pate with Fig Puree
Makes 36
36 Mini toasts
1 block Rougie Foie Gras
3 tablespoons Fig Puree
Place the mini toasts on serving platter. Slice the foie gras thinly, about 1/8” thick, into squares that will fit onto the mini toasts. Place squares of foie gras onto the mini toasts. Drizzle 1/4 teaspoon of fig puree on top of each foie gras mini toast. Serve.
RECIPE: Roast Pears
Roast Pears
RECIPE: Roast Goose with Pears
Alsatian Goose with Pears
Serves 6
1 12-pound goose
Salt
Pepper
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 orange, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
8 Pears, peeled, each cut into quarters
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cup William Pear Liqueur
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon flour
Preheat to 325°F. Remove giblets and neck from cavity. Pull out any lumps of fat. Using a sharp fork, pierce the skin of the goose all over. Place the fork almost parallel to the skin so the skin, not the meat is pricked. Rinse goose inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle inside and out with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon ginger. Make a few slits in the skin place garlic slices into slits. Place the carrots, onion, and celery into the body cavity. Truss the bird. Place goose on rack, breast side up, in large roasting pan. Place the orange slices on top of the bird.
Roast goose 1 1/2 hours, basting occasionally with drippings and remove some of the excess fat that has dripped down; reserve 6 tablespoons fat. When the wings begin to brown, cover with tinfoil. Turn goose over, breast side down. Cover the wings with tinfoil. The roasting pan will have accumulated lots of fat; spoon the fat into a metal bowl and reserve. Roast another 1 1/2 hours until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F. Let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. The temperature will increase to 180°F.
Meanwhile prepare the pears so they can be roasted with the goose for one hour. Toss pears and lemon juice in large bowl. Pour 6 tablespoons goose fat into large baking dish. Place the pears in baking dish and toss with fat. Add sugar, 1/2 cup liqueur and remaining ginger to pears; toss. Bake pears alongside goose until very tender and golden, about 1 hour. Spoon the pears into a serving dish with a slotted spoon to reserve as much liquid as possible. Pour liquid into a saucepan, add stock, remaining liqueur. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half a cup. Sprinkle in flour while whisking and continue to cook a few more minutes so it is slightly thickened. Serve goose with caramelized pears.
RECIPE: Christmas Ham
Glazed Ham Recipe
EVENT: Round Up - Fall Salads - RecipesI am so very sorry that this round up was so late. Life got seriously in the way! My husband is feeling much better and is doing really well so far. I had two holiday parties to organize and they went off without a hitch. Then I myself collapsed with a cold for a few days. Now I am back to blogging a bit and thought I best get this round up, well, rounded up.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this little event. There all look delicious and I want to try them all!
Blog: A French Foodie in the City
Recipe: Warm Rattes Salad
Aurore, brings us a potato salad with a simple vinaigrette. I had never heard of the Ratte Potato from France. To me it looks like a fingerling potato and from her description it sounds like one too. But you know that there are loads of little differences in all things on this bountiful earth.
Blog: Kitchen Inferno
Recipe: Autumn Salad of Mesclun with St Andre and Hot Walnut Dressing
Mickey has made a salad that I could eat all the time. You just have to mention St. Andre cheese and I drool. I like to eat it with pears after supper. But now I am going to have it for supper.
Blog: Eat Drink Talk
Recipe: Salad of Red Grapes, Feta, Rosemary and Pumpkin Seeds
Jennifer does not have an actual blog but she runs a cooking school in England. She has made this delicious sounding salad. She says that "the combination of the sweet grapes, the salty feta
and the rosemary might seem unusual but it really should be tried. It's especially delicious if the pumpkin seeds are still warm when you assemble the salads."
Blog: Cooking in Westchester the flavorful, spicy way
Recipe: Persimmon, Apple Salad with a Ginger Lemon Vinaigrette
Rinku has made a salad with Persimmon, a quintessential fall fruit. I bet the ginger lemon vinaigrette rounds out the smooth musky flavor of the fruit.
Blog: Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity
Recipe: 1,000 Calorie Salad
Dolores who mentions the salad making pitfalls on Top Chef makes what she calls her 1,000 calorie salad. I had to laugh because I love this kind of salad. Toasted nuts err, I mean candied nuts and all the fixings!
Blog: Savoury Snack
Recipe: Pink Fingertip Salad
Amanda made a scrumptious Beet & Feta Tabbouleh salad. A classic combination of flavors. The sweet beets and the sharp Feta are a perfect match.
Blog: Küchenlatein
Recipe: Pear Coleslaw Salad
Ulrike made a delicious coleslaw in which she added pears. This is a very inventive addition which I will have to try as soon as I can.
Blog: Jumbo Empanadas
Recipe: Roast Beet Salad
Brilynn joins us in the love of beets during the fall. I like the idea of adding fennel seeds to salad. That would add a nice twist.
Blog: Up the Creek without a PatL
Recipe: Wilted Spinach with Warm Bacon Dressing
Pat makes a salad that I would call comfort food. When it is a really cold fall day and you are thinking it could be winter but the calender says it is still fall, then this is the salad for you.
Blog: Gluten-Free By The Bay
Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash, Marconna Almond and Pomegranate Salad
By The Bay roasts up some squash for this salad and sprinkles pomegranate all over. Marconna Almonds are sometiems hard to find but they are worth it.
Blog: Married ...with dinner
Recipe: Pear and Arugula Salad
Anita made one hearty salad but did not care for it which is surprising coming becuase it sounded delcious. But she made a new salad and came up with something she really liked, I think adding the guanciale is what did it. EVENT: Fall Salads UpdateHello Everyone,
The Fall Salads Round up will be a bit delayed. My husband suddenly had to be rushed to the hospital last week. We just found out that he has diabetes. So I have not been able to keep up with the blog at all as you can see. I also have been taking care of my two sick children, bronchitis and ear infection. And then of course, I got a fever and a bad cold and a sinus infection so I am trying to crawl out from under it all.
I am very excited to go through all the recipes and do the round up but it will take a couple of days. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
xo Gabriella EVENT: Fall Salads At Reluctant Housewife
The chill is in the air. Well maybe not in Southern California on most days. But I do remember the bliss of putting on a warm, thick sweater a pair of jeans and going for a nice walk in the country or down the streets of New York City to meet up with some friends for brunch on the weekend.
I know that many of us had fun with the Summer Salads at Reluctant Housewife - and the three large recaps: Round Up1 Round Up 2 Round Up 3 a few months back and wanted to bring us all together to share some of our favorite Fall Salads.
If you would like to participate in this event please email me at: msgabriellatrue @ aol dot com by Sunday, December 3 with the following information and I will post a round-up a few days later. Within your blog, please be sure to include a link to My Life As A Reluctant Housewife and this Fall Salads Event within your entry.
The name of your recipe
- The permalink URL of your ice cream entry
- Your name
- Your blog’s name
- Your blog’s front page URL
. Thanks!
ON FOOD: Thanksgiving Menu
Brine Roasted Turkey with Herb Butter
Candied Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon
Creamy Lima Beans
Maple Cranberry Sauce
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Puree of Sweet Potatoes
Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Parsley and Sage Stuffing
Turkey Gravy
Toasted Pecan Pie
Sour Cream Apple Pie
Perfect Pumpkin Pie
PHOTOGRAPHS: Three Thanksgiving Pies
Toasted Pecan Pie
Sour Cream Apple Pie
Perfect Pumpkin Pie
RECIPE: Candied Sweet Potatoes with BourbonCandied Sweet Potatoes
Serves 8
3 lb large sweet potatoes, peeled
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground ginger
1/4 to 1/3 cup bourbon
2 cups marshmallows
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut each potato half lengthwise into fourths. Steam potatoes on a steamer rack set over boiling water, covered, until just tender, 10 to 15 minutes, then cool, uncovered. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart shallow baking dish.
Simmer brown sugar, butter, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bourbon to taste. Drizzle syrup over potatoes and bake in middle of oven, basting occasionally, until syrup is thickened, about 1 1/4 hours.
Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned.
• May be made without the marshmallows 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheated and then add marshmallows and baked RECIPE: Brine Roasted Turkey and Herb ButterBrine Roasted Turkey
1-12 pound turkey
Brine:
1 gallon cider plus 2 cups
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup whole allspice
6 bay leaves
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup kosher salt
Herb Butter:
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
Basting Broth:
3 cups chicken stock
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
6 fresh sage leaves
Glaze:
2 cups cider
1 stick unsalted butter
Stuffing:
Celery
Onion
Carrots
Apples
Brine: Bring 1 quart of cider and brining herbs to a boil. Add salt and sugar and stir until dissolved. Turn off heat and add and the rest of the cider, reserving 2 cups and 1 gallon of water. Chill until cold. Place turkey in brining bag in refrigerator.
Herb Butter: In a food processor, blend all the ingredients.
Glaze: Boil cider in saucepan until reduced to ¼ cup, about 15 minutes. Whisk in butter and cool completely.
Basting Broth: Bring to a boil and simmer a bit until slightly reduced and vegetables are soft.
Cooking the Turkey: Preheat the oven to 425° F. Remove turkey from the brine, rinse, dry with paper towels. Separate skin from breast pipe in the Herb Butter. Rub the remaining butter all over the outside of the bird. Fill cavity with chopped vegetable/fruit stuffing. Truss the bird. Place bird on a rack in the roasting pan. Pour broth into the pan. Roast for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 375° F and cook about 12 minutes per pound. (144 mins/2:10 min)If the turkey is browning too fast, place tin foil over the bird. Baste the bird every 30 minutes and brush with the glaze. Continue to roast until thermometer inserted into innermost part of thigh registers 175°F and the juices run clear. Take the bird out of oven, cover with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. RECIPE: Sour Cream Apple Pie
Sour Cream Apple Pie
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lb Granny Smith apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round (1/8 inch thick), then fit into a 9-inch metal pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and crimp edge decoratively. Chill shell 30 minutes.
While shell chills, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
Whisk together eggs, sour cream, vanilla, 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a bowl until smooth. Peel and core apples, then cut into wedges slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. Arrange apples in pie shell, then pour sour cream mixture evenly over them, coating all apples.
Bake pie 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake until filling is puffed and golden and apples are tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
While pie bakes, stir together remaining 1/3 cup sugar, remaining 1/3 cup flour, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture forms small clumps.
Remove pie from oven and increase oven temperature to 400°F. Crumble topping evenly over top and bake until sugar is melted, about 10 minutes. Cool pie on a rack at least 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
RECIPE: Toasted Pecan Pie
Toasted Pecan Pie
3 cups pecans about 3/4 pound, divided
6 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups dark corn syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coarsely chop 2 cups pecans and reserve. Spread 1 cup pecans on rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until nuts are aromatic and darker in color, about 12 minutes. Cool, then grind nuts finely in processor. Maintain oven temperature.
Roll out crust on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round and place crust to 10-inch-diameter pie dish. Fold overhang under, forming high-standing rim. Crimp edges decoratively. Freeze crust 20 minutes. Whisk eggs in large bowl until frothy. Add sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla, salt, and ground toasted pecans; whisk until blended. Mix in chopped pecans. Pour filling into crust.
Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is puffed and set (center may still move when dish is shaken), about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool at least 3 hours. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
ENTERTAINING: Thanksgiving 04
In 2004 the boys were just under 6 months. So it had been a very long time since I had really done a whole "to do". I really needed some "Me" projects. So I picked a big Thanksgiving dinner. I made the table cloths, did up a major meal, made a lovely flower arrangement and so on and so forth. It was a very special first Thanksgiving for our family.
I know we started with my squash curry soup and then moved on to a traditional Thanksgiving feast. I did make a failure of a dish that I had gotten from one of the food magazines. It was a sweet potatoe torte. It was revoltingly sweet. It also burned a bit but that was probably the best tasting part of it.
ON FOOD: Thanksgiving Quote - Sarah Hale“Pie, which is formed of the choicest parts of fowls, enriched and seasoned by a profusion of butter and pepper, and covered with an excellent puff paste, is, like the celebrated pumpkin pie, an indispensable part of a good and true Yankee Thanksgiving” – Sarah Hale, 1827 ON FOOD: Thanksgiving Quote - Folk SongFor pottage and puddings and custards and pies our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies; We have pumpkin at morning and pumpkin at noon, If it was not pumpkin, we should be undone.- Early American Folk Song RECIPE: Parlsey and Sage Stuffing
Parsley Sage Stuffing
Serves 6
1 to 1 1/2 sticks of butter
2 1/2 white or yellow onions, chopped
1 cups celery, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
salt and pepper
1 1/2 loaves of bread, a day old
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Break the slightly dry bread into big pieces. Add onions and celery and cook over medium low heat until soft. Add parsley, sage, salt and pepper. Place bread in a large bowl and pour onion mixture over and combine until the bread is covered. Place in a shallow roasting pan and cover with foil. Place in oven with the turkey for 30-45 minutes. Be careful not burn the bottom.
Tip: The bread should be a day old so it absorbs more liquid. If you forget to place the bread out the day before so it dries out, simply cut or break the bread into pieces and place into a preheated 300°F oven on a baking sheet for 10 minutes.
ON FOOD: Thanksgiving Quote - Harriet Beecher Stowe"The making of pies at this period assumed vast proportions that verged upon the sublime. Pies were made by the forties and fifties and hundreds and made of everything on the earth and under the earth". - Harriet Beecher Stowe, Oldtown Folks ENTERTAINING: Thansksgiving 05Last year we had a very simple Thanksgiving. The boys were too active to be spending much time decorating or cooking. So I just had a very simple table setting. The menu was filled with my Thanksgiving repetoire. I rarely deviate. The only deviation is to add more dishes but keep the my classics.
 RECIPE: Turkey Gravy
Good Old Gravy
Makes 4 Cups
1 cup white wine
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
3 tbs water or stock
deglazed juices
While the turkey is resting, deglaze the pan on top of the stove by using some of the stock. Pour out all the contents from the roasting pan and strain the pan juices and remove the fat. Place the pan back on the stove and melt the butter, pour in the strained liquid. In a small dish, combine flour and water and mix until a runny paste forms, add more water if needed. Add the paste, wine and rest of stock to the pan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it is very thick and brown. Watch it carefully so that it does not burn.
WEEKEND BABY BLOGGING - WBB#24
My mom was in town and she took us all to Knott's Berry Farm. It was a total blast. Timmy loved this little ride and so did Xander. I know Xan does not look like he loves it but you see he is very busy trying to figure out how the lock on the arm works. My mom and I went on some of the big rides and had so much fun. I think the Silver Bullet roller coaster is the most fun! I could ride them all day long.
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