Posts Tagged ‘autumn’

As I type this, I keep hearing “The Final Countdown” by Europe in my head, which thanks to Arrested Development, plays mentally whenever something epic is happening in my life.

Thanksgiving is like the Superbowl of any home cook. We lay it all on the line. We  usually cook for more than we’re used to. A wider array of palates. Kids are involved. Adults are involved. You have to write timelines. Utilize every inch of kitchen space. Work together.  It’s like a marathon of cooking and I go at it headfirst.

This Thanksgiving was the same, yet different. The past few years I’ve been responsible for the turkey and a few sides, collaborating and cooking with my mom. But this time around my sister DeAnna and I (the cooks of the family) took the reins, cooking for our family, plus her in-laws, at her house. We divvied up dishes and responsibilities, and I took on the stuffing because frankly, I could just have that for Thanksgiving and be happy.

I’ve had this recipe saved for over 2 years, just waiting for the chance to make it. I love and adore my mom’s stuffing, but it’s very traditional and I’ve been dying to make something a little different. I knew this could be it – just a slight twist on the classic flavors with a few interesting additions. You’ve got bread and celery and stock, but you’ve also got leeks (my addition), bacon, and cashews. When I saw this on Smitten Kitchen I loved it for it’s onion-receptacle (which I ended up nixing for its fussiness), but really wanted to pursue it for its flavor profiles. And thankfully, I did. The cashews add such an awesome salty, layered flavor and texture, and seriously, leeks and bacon have never been bad before, and they’re definitely not bad here.

I also included the recipe for pink fluff, a Jones family tradition we have both on Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s like white trash Bavarian Strawberry Cream with Jell-O and Cool Whip instead of gelatin and cream – a recipe from my mom’s step-dad we all indulge in every year.

So Happy Thanksgiving to all, enjoy the (enormous) amount of photos below and the holiday!

Quick look at what we’ve got going on right now…

Inspiration (the Bon Appetit cover – not The Shining).

Bacon… glorious bacon, for the stuffing.

The best yeast rolls in the entire world.

Full post later, but I just wanted to check in and wish all my fellow Yankees a happy turkey day filled with food, fun, friends, and family.  Enjoy the day!

Cooking for one can be tricky.  Most people I know who live by themselves end up snacking for dinner simply because the idea of making a recipe that serves four is either too expensive, time-consuming, or they worry about having leftovers.

I’m not afraid to have a week’s worth of a certain dish around or spend hours making something, but more than often I like to whip things together for dinner 3 out of 5 weeknights, usually fitting the breakfast taco or wedge salad bill. But then you can find recipes like this which gives us singular cooks all hope.

I’ve had this recipe sitting around a bit because not only was it sold as a 15-minute soup, it was designated a “Cooking for One” recipe in Everyday Food, which naturally caught my eye. Throw in the fact I’ve eaten conference food, Lunchables, and far too much Diet Coke in the past few days… well, let’s just say I was craving something vegetable-packed, healthy, and satisfying.

One last thing – I’m in the running at Bon Appetit’s Blog Envy Bake Off for my chocolate pumpkin cheesecake squares and would send thousands of hugs and kisses out if you could take a few seconds to go vote for me and all the other fantastic blogs and recipes listed. It’s a really fun contest with so many great entries, I’m just excited to see my blog amongst them. You do have to register to vote, but trust me – it’s worth it!

Vote Vote Vote!

Happy Halloween, everyone! This is my favorite day of the year and despite being in a near diabetic coma based on the amount of caramel apple suckers I’ve eaten lately, I’m still managing to chow down on these amazing confections I made yesterday for work.

I was going back and forth all week about what to make, debating between silly bat-shaped cookies and spiders with black licorice legs, or just going with some really good fall flavors and adding my own dark sense of humor. Thankfully I chose the latter because in the end, you can make these cupcakes any time and they’re still amazing, with or without Halloween frills.

The recipe for the cake is actually from my college’s cafeteria (yes, really!). One of the most beloved things in our caf were these pumpkin bars with this incredible cream cheese frosting and when I was a senior I got the recipe so I could recreate them even after graduating. Super moist and pumpkin-y without being overwhelming with the most perfect whipped cream cheese frosting… gah. I just love them. So here they are, and I send a warm thanks and Happy Halloween to the cafeteria ladies of Cornell, who happily gave me this recipe ages ago and I just now get to share on this All Hallow’s Eve.

As for the frosting, I wanted to combine my two favorite flavors with these cupcakes, so it was either pumpkin cake with apple cider frosting, or vice versa.  Since the Cornell pumpkin cake called to me, apple cider cream cheese frosting it was.  It’s super easy and quite possibly the tastiest frosting I’ve ever had. Just reduce some apple cider (get the best you can find) and pour the syrupy, reduced goodness into some cream cheese frosting.  Voila, Halloween perfection!

Fall flavors are back with a vengeance! Well, not so much a vengeance as a delicate “ahem” with this dish. I made this for Valentine’s Day last year when my former roommate Beth and I had a fun single-gals dinner and drinks night. Beth was in town this past weekend and somehow this lasagna got brought up in conversation, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since (thanks, Beth!). Thankfully the flavors are über-autumnal and since I’m a big fan lately of making a dinner on Sunday I can literally eat all week, this fit the bill perfectly.

This lasagna is deliciously deceiving. You hear lasagna and you think mountains of cheese, meat, pasta, sauce, etc. But this vegetarian version is actually pretty light and delicate (well, as delicate as lasagna can be) and not that bad calorie-wise. Sweet and savory butternut squash puree and basil béchamel is layered with yummy fresh pasta sheets and mozzarella cheese to balance it out. I think it’s best served with a nice bitter salad, like endive or raddichio, dressed simply with good balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.