Monthly Archives: November 2009

Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

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Well, I’m the last one to cross the Thanksgiving finish line.  You see, my mom flew in from Kansas and didn’t arrive until Friday, so the family get together and the big feast didn’t take place until Saturday.  While you were enjoying all those fabulous leftovers, I was happily slaving away in the kitchen.

My meal really isn’t all that blog-worthy as everything on the table was pretty traditional; turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted sweet potatoes, dressing…BUT, I do want to pay homage to some blogger friends out there who inspired some new twists to my Thanksgiving buffet this year.  Thank you for these Thanksgiving recipe ideas for side dishes.

First of all thanks to Dave over at My Year On The Grill for his appetizer inspired Cream Cheese topped with Chipolte Raspberry Sauce.  Delicious flavors Dave, thanks for the idea.   You can see that dish in this post by clicking HERE.   I’ll be serving this one over and over all year.

OMG, I found the best dinner roll idea over at Pioneer Woman Cooks.   I purchased Rhoades Frozen Rolls and prepared them according to directions, when done and still warm, slathered them with plenty of butter, and sprinkled them with coarse cabernet flavored sea salt and chopped fresh rosemary.  Holy rolly.  Take at look at these by clicking HERE.

And this great little idea from Donna over at My Tasty Treasures.  Cranberry Pineapple Mini’s These are really good, easy and can be prepared in advance.  You’ll find these on my Thanksgiving table from here on out. Plus my mom was reeling of this clever idea.  Reeling mom’s are a good thing. Take a look at this recipe HERE.

And then there is this delicious appetizer stuffed celery sticks from my friend Vickie in Montana.  This is Vickie’s impressive photo, not mine.  My camera didn’t seem to make an appearance the whole meal.  You can find her recipe HERE.

How obnoxious is this…”Lucy I Think You’ve Got Some ‘Splainin To Do”…or at least some organizing.  I don’t think you could find room to slide even one single carrot in that refrigerator.

So anyway, sorry to hold everybody up,  I think we can officially start talking about Christmas food now!  :-)

Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes…Thank you bloggers.

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Just Grilled – Noble Pig

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Welcome to the 4th Installment of Just Grilled.  The purpose of this series is to introduce to you to some blogger folks out there that I’ve run across that have inspired me, are incredibly interesting, informational and so entertaining that I can’t pass up the chance to introduce them to you . Hopefully you’ll make some new friends along the way.

I’d like to introduce you to Cathy over at Noble Pig. Noble Pig is one of the first blog sites I found when I first started blogging in May. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened up her site and found she and her family were moving to Oregon to start-up their very own vineyard/winery.  First of all I love Oregon, I love wine, and especially Oregon Pinot, love Oregon food and knew I would thoroughly enjoy following her journey.  Icing on the cake: She can cook up a storm, and shares some really great recipes with beautiful mouth-watering photos . I have added a new folder in my inbox named “pig” and its chocked full of her recipes that I’ve saved.   I can’t wait to taste and toast with friends the first bottle of Noble Pig Pinot Noir that I’m able to purchase from them.  I’ll be able to say “I knew them when”….

I think my favorite post of hers was her Grilled Chicken.  I followed this recipe exactly to her instructions and it was absolutely delicious and the recipe fool-proof.  I also loved her Slider’s post, another great “find”.

So with all that said, Cathy, would you step to the microphone please.

Name:  Noble Pig

City: McMinnville, Oregon

Blog url: http://noblepig.com

How long have you been blogging: Almost 2 years

Six words to describe the food you like to cook:  Buttery, yummy, rustic, creamy, fattening and fun

Six words to describe you: Driven, goal-oriented, happy, never-sleeps, fast-paced and fun

Proudest moment in the kitchen: Making the perfect Snickerdoodle

Most embarrassing moment in the kitchen: Using salt as sugar in a cake

Rules of conduct in your kitchen: Everything goes

Favorite ingredient: Butter

Most overrated ingredient: I really, really don’t know, I think they all have a place to shine.

Favorite local ingredient: Hazelnuts

  Weirdest thing you ever eaten: Chocolate covered ants

Favorite kitchen gadget: My onion goggles

Everybody loves it when I cook: Sliders

Favorite all-time restaurant: The Kitchen in Sacramento

Favorite Cookbook: Martha Stewart Cookies

What music do you like to cook by: Christmas Carols

If I owned my own restaurant, I would name it: Noble Pig Grill

What famous person would I love to invite over to lunch (living or deceased): Robert Mondavi

If I were President who would I appoint as my Chef:  I cannot even choose, I can’t

In my opinion my best blog post was:  I don’t now if it is the best, but it’s definitely the most popular http://noblepig.com/2008/04/01/an-unfair-advantage.aspx

So thank you Cathy in Oregon and to all my readers, please pay a visit to Noble Pig at www.noblepig.com you won’t be sorry.

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Warm Chanterelle and Berry Salad with Cheddar

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A few weeks ago, I was sent samples of dried mushrooms from the very generous and food blogger friendly Marx Foods.  You can visit their website at http://www.marxfoods.com

 

I was very proud of my first creation because it was delicious and all mine. Proud because I’m good at following recipes but not good at creating.

With 1/2 of the bag of dried Chanterelles still on my counter, I decided to make a version of a salad I found in Food and Wine.  I love this salad.  Delicious and crazy healthy.

Continue reading →

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Giada’s White Bean Chili

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This just may be the best White Bean Chili I’ve ever had – EVER!

The odd combination of the flavors march right up the aisle, all the way to the altar, and to everyone’s surprise, and without much ceremony, join in holy matrimony.

Giada served this up a couple of months ago on Giada at Home.  I went to foodnetwork.com, bookmarked the recipe and vowed to give it a try. Continue reading →

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Just Grilled – Plain Chicken

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Welcome to the 3rd issue of “Just Grilled” The purpose of this series is to introduce to you to some blogger folks out there that I’ve run across that have inspired me, are incredibly interesting, informational and so entertaining that I can’t pass up the chance to introduce them to you . Hopefully you’ll make some new friends along the way.

newbannerTHANKSGIVING

Steph and her three cats are the owner/authors of Plain Chicken. She lives in Alabama, is an accountant by day and chef by night.

I think the look of her blog is just fabulous. I love the cartoon animals and the colors are so crisp and fresh and the blog easy to read. She takes great pictures and consistently sends us some fabulous mouth-watering recipes.

I couldn’t decide on a favorite post of hers, it’s a tie between the

Barbeque Pork Tenderloin Sliders

Sausage Pinwheels

Fondant Cake

and Flipflop Cakes

I think you get the picture – too many good recipes come out of that kitchen.

So Steph is you would sit down at the microphone please:

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Name: Stephanie Parker

 City: Birmingham, AL (a.k.a. The ‘Ham)

Blog url: http://www.plainchicken.blogspot.com

How long have you been blogging: 2 years this month! I am still working on my photography, but it is coming along.

Six words to describe the food you like to cook: Simple, easy, quick, flavorful, chicken.

Six words to describe you: Shopping, traveling, cooking, animal & Auburn Tigers lover.

Proudest moment in the kitchen: Making my first Fondant cake!!!

Most embarrassing moment in the kitchen: I let my husband pick a recipe for dinner and he picked chicken spaghetti. It turned out to be the worst thing I ever made. It made with chicken, spaghetti, tomato paste and Velveeta cheese. It was just a sticky pile of goo. We still talk about how bad it was.
Rules of conduct in your kitchen: Try at least one new recipe a week and don’t be afraid to make the recipe your own. Have fun – you can always order pizza.

Favorite ingredient: Chicken – of course!

Most overrated ingredient: Organic foods – I know a lot of people swear by organic, but I just don’t trust what I am getting unless it is from a local source.

Favorite local ingredient: Silver Queen corn – I love homemade creamed corn.

Weirdest thing you ever eaten: Calamari – I am not a very adventurous eater – the weirdest thing I’ve ever eaten would be probably just normal for other people.

Favorite kitchen gadget: My Kitchen-Aid Mixer – couldn’t live without it.

Everybody loves it when I cook: Desserts – I give cakes and cookies away all the time. I am very popular at the office for that very reason.

Favorite all-time restaurant: Hamilton’s in Auburn, AL – we go there with my parents before Auburn University home games. The food is great; their Fried Green Tomatoes and Shrimp made the Top 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama list. The atmosphere is the best – everyone is having fun!

Favorite Cookbook: That is hard – I get most of my recipes online now. If I had to pick one it would be Southern Living Homestyle Cooking. It has tons of recipes from readers and local cookbooks.

What music do you like to cook by: I love to cook to Michael Buble, top 40 and Christmas music is a must at the holidays.

If I owned my own restaurant, I would name it: 2 tsp (Two Teaspoons) – It is a combination of my husband’s and my initials and there are only two of us.

What famous person would I love to invite over to lunch (living or deceased): Michael J. Fox – I’ve had a crush on him for over 20 years!

If I were President who would I appoint as my Chef: Guy Fieri – he goes to the best places on Diners Drive-ins and Dives and I would love to have him recreate some of those wonderful dishes. It also doesn’t hurt that he seems like a lot of fun.

In my opinion my best blog post was (provide url link):

Either my Snicker’s Cheesecake that is made with Greek Yogurt
http://plainchicken.blogspot.com/2009/10/snickers-cheesecake.html

Or my Artichoke Bread post
http://plainchicken.blogspot.com/2009/10/artichoke-bread.html

Both are good and simple recipes and the pictures turned out great.

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So there you have it, I thought the interrogation was fun.  Thanks to Steph for being my 3rd raked over the coals, grilled blogger!  And readership, please don’t hesitate to take a look at www.plainchicken.blogspot.com  you’ll be glad you did.

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Crab Salad Recipe with Avocado and Asparagus

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Look at all of these beautiful, fresh and healthy ingredients.  I’m trying to eat as healthy as I can before the month-long food gorge begins in a couple of weeks.  And believe you me, I plan to whole heartedly participate in the Holiday food festivities.  :-)

Whole Foods has been having what they call a “One Day Sale”.  Each Wednesday they offer a very good “deal” and alert you to what is on sale by email the day before.  I don’t know if they are doing this at all locations, but if you have a Whole Foods near you, you might want to sign up for their newsletter and receive these notifications.  I’ve been loving the sales.  This week, Crab legs for $9.99/lb.  Prompting this crab salad recipe with avocado and asparagus.

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Beautiful Pea Shoots

This is a new recipe for us, and we loved it.  Also, easy as can be.

  • 1 lb thick asparagus
  • 7 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 6 medium basil leaves
  • 1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 3 1/2 oz pea shoots, trimmed
  • 1/4 cup salted roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
  • 1 lb jumbo lump crab meat
  • 2 Hass avocados, each cut into 8 wedges

1. Cut tough ends off asparagus and throw away.  Slice asparagus tops into 1 inch chunks.  Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Blanch the asparagus in the boiling water until just heated through, 10 seconds. Drain and transfer to the ice water to chill; drain well. Pat dry and transfer to a bowl.

2. In a blender, blend the oil, lemon juice, basil, shallot and 1/4 cup of the parsley. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.

3. Add the pea shoots, pistachios and the remaining 1/4 cup of parsley leaves to the asparagus. Toss with half of the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with crab meat.  Serves 4

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And enjoy!  Not a great photo, but this is a beautiful salad.  We served this with Rosemary Sourdough bread from Whole Foods.  DEE-licious little meal.  This meal was adapted from Food and Wine.

Crab Salad Recipe With Avocado and Asparagus…It’s What’s For Dinner.

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