after giving much thanks and seeing much family on thursday (but eating little turkey or stuffing), i decided it was time for thanksgiving part deux.  the main thanksgiving meal we celebrated was serving dual purpose as a 20th wedding anniversary celebration.  thus, instead of the traditional fare, they opted for prime rib and wedding cake.

now, i’m not one to argue with prime rib, but it’s hard for me to forgo turkey on the day affectionately known as turkey-day.

so, after purchasing a 12 pounder for .49 cents/lb I set off to cook my first bird.

We ended up with copious amounts of turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing (from homemade bread, no less) and gelatinous turkey gravy.

a succussful feast, if i do say so myself.  which will reapear in various forms on our dinner table for the next week or so.

no pictures or recipes today, although i can brag on myself that everything was done from scratch (i even produced a pumpkin pie earlier this week from a sugar pumpkin…far too much work but it was kind of fun).

i attempted to follow the recipe of elise for baking the turkey breast side down to seal in the delicious juices.

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000037moms_roast_turkey.php

but, true to form, i neglected to read the cooking instructions to repeatedly turn down the oven temperature (so our bird was roasted at 400F for 3.5 hours) surprisingly it didn’t do too much damage!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

as i spend the day toiling away with math concepts, i am reminded of a joke our old med chem teacher started the semester with.

“a man was informed by his physician that he had only one day to live and was asked how he would like to spend it.  the man  replied “i want to spent this last day in an organic chemistry class”.  shocked, the physician asked why.  to which the man replied “it will be the longest day of my life.”

cue rimshot

i’ve never been too enamored with pork (except for bacon, which is really just salt in meat form). i don’t know exactly what the turn off is, the cooking smell, or fear of trichinosis, but i rarely opt for it in the meat aisle. recently i saw a recipe for pork chops with a mushroom and onion sauce, and it just felt right.

pork chops with mushroom and onion sauce

4 lean pork chops with/out bone
Salt and Pepper
one medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced in large slices
1 cup white wine (I used a wine, that was predominately chardonnay)
2 tsp corn starch

1) season the chops on both sides with salt, pepper, Cook in heavy skillet over medium heat. when done, remove from pan and keep warm.

2) add onion and cook through until translucent. may add a few Tbsp
of wine if needed for moisture.

3) Add corn starch to stock or wine and whisk until smooth. Add
liquid mixture into skillet all at once to deglaze pan, lifting any
bits of pork, onion, or mushroom from bottom of skillet. Cook until
sauce reduces and thickens. Pour over chops.

Serves 4

This was really great! I served it with a mixture of wild and brown rice (cooked, as always in the rice maker), and a light salad.

to finish off the running theme of what we had to eat on saturday, an ongoing exercise in self gratification at my ability to produce three meals in one day.

dinner wasn’t nearly as fabulous as lunch, but we did have leftover breakfast (apple crisp) for desert (this time topped with ice cream).

this is a (somewhat) healthier dish than the version i used to make while living in the college dorms. back then, with only a microwave to cook with, and meal plan allowing 10 meals a week, i had to get creative. I used to load up on the flavored rice side dishes that you could buy at the grocery store. all you had to do was add water and cook in the microwave. To add some flavor and substance (and stretch the side dish into a meal for two) I would add a can of beans and a can of tomatoes (or rotel, to spice it up). Here is my updated/healthier/slightly more homeade version.

Rice + Beans + Tomatos = Good

a few cups cooked rice (brown for us)
1 can tomatos
1 can beans (I prefer kidney or black beans)
2 TBS chili sauce
1.5 TBS cumin
salt to taste

Mix above ingredients on stove top until heated through. enjoy!

This is a great meal when we have leftover rice from the previous night’s dinner. This takes around 10 minutes to prepare from recipe ideation to plating the food. While not the most fancy of meals, it’s easy and substantial. And it can easily be reheated the next day with some feta cheese sprinkled on top for a great lunch!

since i’m still rolling in pride at producing three separate meals on saturday, i think i’ll continue milking that for all it’s worth. today i give you, saturday’s lunch! for starters we had hummus and my version of samosa/eggrolls. this was served with a light salad and tofu-broccoli stirfry(ish).

HUMMUS AND TOASTED TORTILLA

1 can garbanzo beans
1 TBS olive oil
4 garlic cloves (this can be shrunk to your desired garlic level)

2 tsp tahini sauce
salt to taste
chili sauce to top
tortillas

blend the beans, olive oil, tahini, garlic, and salt either in a food processor, or in my case, using a blending wand (or any other blending method you see fit). top with chili sauce and serve with toasted tortilla slices (i toasted them using a grill pan).

this appetizer/side dish is a huge money saver to make at home instead of purchasing. i estimate this cost less than a dollar to make, but i would normally pay three to five dollars at the grocery store.

SAMOSA/EGGROLL THINGY

a few cups mashed potato
left over odds and ends (in this case pork, could use any cooked veg or scallions would probably be nice)
a few TBS hot curry powder
Yogurt to form usable consistency
egg roll wrappers
oil for light frying

mix potato, odds and ends, curry powder, and yogurt. spread small amount on each egg roll wrapper and roll. lightly fry in olive oil and drain on paper towel. serve with yogurt, dill, and salt dipping sauce.

i realize this recipe is somewhat ridiculous with it’s ‘odds and ends’ and unusable measurements. my apologies. this was just one of those dishes where i had a lot of random ingredients, improvised, and it all turned out alright. i even ended up freezing about six of these to snack on later.

TOFU-BROCCOLI (NOT EXACTLY) STIRFRY WITH BROWN RICE

extra firm tofu
broccoli
1 tsp chili sauce
2 TBP soy sauce
1 tsp chopped/diced fresh ginger root
3 garlic cloves diced
cilantro, finely chopped
brown rice

fry the tofu in a little olive oil to firm it up. why the tofu fries, steam the broccoli (or saute), mix the remaining ingredients to form a sauce. when the tofu and broccoli are done (yes, i know the broccoli is overcooked, but we like our food mushy here) cooking toss with sauce (add more of chili sauce or soy sauce for desired consistency/heat). serve over brown rice (i cheat and use a rice cooker, stove top rice is one big skill i have yet to master).

this is a pretty quick meal to put together if the samosa thingy’s are produced the night before. although, compared to making fried dumplings these come together in a snap. I served the meal with a nice balsamic topped salad (got to get that fiber in).

Today, I put together three actual meals. Not something that occurs too often in this household. I’ll start with our breakfast dish. Not the healthiest, but the apples were local as was the whole wheat flour.

recently i’ve been trying my hand at making apple crisps. since apples are so affordable right now, and cranberry’s are coming into season i threw together an apple cranberry crisp for breakfast. i still haven’t quite figured out how to make the topping super crispy, but this is a pretty good (albeit sweet) way to start the weekend.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

3-4 medium apples
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberrys
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon

peal and chop the apples and mix with the cranberry’s and most of the sugar. Place the fruit in a ovenable casserole dish. mix the remaining ingredients and top the fruit. bake at 375 F for 40 minutes. Top with fresh whipped cream.