Monthly Archives: November 2011

Southern Living Festive Crostini

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My friend recently requested more appetizer recipes, and I aim to please. Appetizers and I have a complicated relationship. Or maybe dysfunctional is the word I am looking for? Everyone loves appetizers — myself included — but as a hostess, I have to stop myself from yelling to guests, “ENOUGH! You will spoil your appetite!” I have also been the guest who has had trouble resisting the appetizers, only to have dinner roll around and quietly think, “Oy, I’m so full. I sure wish I didn’t have to eat more food right now.” But let’s assume you and your friends possess a healthy adult-level of self control. If that is the case, I highly recommend this recipe. And if it’s not the case? Well, you’ve been warned.

My friend Susie shared this recipe with me back in 1999, and I’ve been making it every year since. It is perfect for the holidays with its red and green color. There are certain old millennium aspects of this recipe (dried tomatoes, canned black olives) that I’ve modified, but feel free to stick to the original if you prefer. I usually make the cream cheese/feta mixture and the tomato/olive mixture ahead of time, but I am a little obsessive like that.

Festive Crostini, Southern Living, December 1999

Yield: 30 Appetizers

Ingredients

  • 1/2 (3-ounce) package dried tomatoes (I use jarred tomatoes, so if you do, skip the boiling water)
  • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
  • 1 (16-ounce) baguette, cut into1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 2 garlic cloves, divided
  • 1/2 (8-ounce) package fat-free cream cheese, softened (fat-free? NEVER!)
  • 1 (4-ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 (2.5-ounce) can sliced ripe olives, drained (I use sliced Kalamata olives)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Soak tomatoes in 1 1/2 cups boiling water 30 minutes; drain. Chop tomatoes, and set aside. (You can also use jarred sun dried tomatoes, well drained.)

Place bread on a baking sheet.

Bake at 400° for 10 to 12 minutes or until toasted.

Cut 1 garlic clove in half. Rub bread slices evenly with cut side of garlic.

Stir together cream cheese and feta cheese until well blended. Spread about 1 teaspoon cream cheese mixture evenly on each bread slice.

Mince remaining garlic clove. Stir together minced garlic, tomato, olives, and parsley. Spoon over cream cheese mixture.

Thanksgiving 2011

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Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted–a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul. –Rabbi Harold Kushner

I started a long post outlining the many things for which I am thankful, and then I realized each one of those things deserves way more than two or three sentences. There were so many things on my list, and that’s a lot of words for Thanksgiving morning when we have turkeys to cook and pies to make. so I scratched that idea. I couldn’t possibly do justice to my family, friends and numerous blessings in anything shorter than a dozen pages. High class problems, indeed.

But I did want to take a moment to acknowledge you, my blog readers. Thank you for indulging “my little project” conceived while on vacation in Vermont this summer. I can’t tell you how much your positive comments, encouragement and support mean to me. I know your time is valuable, and taking a couple minutes out of your day to hear what I have to say or share your thoughts enriches my life more than you’ll ever know.

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. — Albert Schweitzer

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dawn’s Fabulous (Cheater) Brownies

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Sshhhh, I’m going to share with you my secret recipe stolen from The Cake Mix Doctor. No, come back! It’s really good, I swear!

Do you need a fairly no-fuss dessert for a crowd that expects a little more out of life? You’d sooner die than bring anything store bought and yet a boxed mix usually says, “Eh, I’ve stopped trying.” You’ve come to the right place. All of the pizazz, half of the work!

This has been my easy razzle-dazzle go-to brownie recipe for years. It always elicits rave reviews, and you’ll almost be embarrassed receiving compliments over something so easy. Almost…

The key is to use a quality brownie mix, and Ghirardelli Brownie Mix (Double Chocolate) is the only mix I will use for this recipe. I can’t vouch for awesome results if you decide to buy another brand.

Raspberry Swirl Brownies from Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn

Ingredients

I package Brownie mix (remember, Ghirardelli Double Chocolate)

8 T (one stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup water

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with vegetable oil. Set aside.

Place brownie mix, melted butter, water, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are incorporated, about 50 strokes. Pour into prepared pan and smooth out with rubber spatula. Drop raspberry jam by teaspoonfuls onto the batter, and with dinner knife, swirl the jam into the batter. Scatter chocolate chips and pecans evenly over the top. Place in oven.

Bake until the outer two inches have formed a crust, 23 to 27 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack 30 minutes before cutting.

When your friends ask, tell them it’s a family recipe from your Mom Mom.

The Limoncello Project, Part 2: Pour Some Sugar on It

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The day has finally come to retrieve the limoncello we started in October from the basement and bring it up into the daylight of the kitchen. It had turned a shade of yellow that resembled a urinary tract infection, but we didn’t let that dampen our enthusiasm. This step was supposed to be reasonably easy, but it turned out making “simple” syrup was not so simple for me. I am always amazed at how I can master something like Julia Child’s Reine de Saba, and yet things like simple syrup and hard boiled eggs can elude me.

Following the directions verbatim, the syrup just never seemed to thicken. Here are the recipe’s directions:

“In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and water; cook until thickened, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Let the syrup cool before adding it to the Limoncello mixture. Add to the Limoncello mixture from Step One.”

Do you see the word boil in there anywhere? I don’t. And yet every other simple syrup recipe I Googled started with adding sugar to BOILING water. So down the drain went batch number one, and back to the drawing board it was! Other than that little snafu, this was quite an easy step, and a nice excuse to catch up with my friend.

We couldn’t help ourselves, we had to try just a wee little spoonful of our lovely concoction, and boy was it good! In another twenty days or so, we will strain and bottle, just in time to share some holiday cheer.

Product Review: Traders Point Creamery Whole Milk Yogurt

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Any dummy knows you don’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry, but today I had no choice. I just spent a grueling two hours making butter with second graders for Pilgrim Day at school, and the one saltine cracker spread with germ-infested delicious homemade butter which I ate just wasn’t enough for me. I was starving and wanted to head home to refuel (and maybe nap) but I knew — oh, I knew — that each passing hour from here on out would be crazy with Thanksgiving Madness at the supermarkets. Shopping hungry was the lesser of two evils.

As we’ve established, I’m a sucker for packaging. Also, certain words really get me, too, words like “creamery” and “grass fed.” And a real glass bottle with a pink lid? Powerless. The rational part of my brain didn’t even care it was paying seven bucks for yogurt, because it was made from happy grass fed cows from a real creamery, see? Well played, marketers. You got me again.

But sometimes luck goes my way, because I really love this stuff. It is so fresh and creamy with just the perfect amount of yogurt tang and sweetness. I can’t wait until tomorrow so I can have some more! I bought the wildberry flavor today, and next time I plan on getting the plain because the website recommends sweetening it with…wait for it…maple syrup! My favorite sweetener! It’s like they know me!

Verdict: Pricy but worth every penny. Grass fed, people.

Fine Cooking Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Rosemary

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Brussels sprouts excite me! I love that for so much of my life, I avoided them like the plague. Their gross, gassy smell, their spongy, soggy texture, their bland flavor…blech! There are few things I wouldn’t eat, but brussels sprouts were on that short list. Were on that list. Now they top my list of favorite foods. And I love that! I love that even as a forty-something woman, I can still change my mind, still discover new things to love, still discover I don’t hate the things I thought I once did. What else will change about me? The things I think I know about myself today will change in the future, and I am reminded of this fact every time I am enjoying brussels sprouts. What can get more exciting than that?

The very first brussels sprouts recipe which won my heart was this one, first published in the November 2002 Bon Appetit, Brussels Sprouts with Pearl Onions in Horseradish Cream. I have made this and recommended this often, always to rave reviews. I was considering that recipe for Thanksgiving, but then I came across this one from the September 2011 Fine Cooking, Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Rosemary.

I made this last night, and it was phenomenal! I mean, what couldn’t be phenomenal if covered in enough cheese and cream and bread crumbs and butter? Even if you are not a big brussels sprouts fan, I hope you will try this. I have a feeling this could win over even the most reluctant brussels sprout eater.

Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Rosemary by Juli Roberts

Ingredients

1-1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed
2 large shallots, halved
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
3-1/4 oz. (1-1/4 cups) finely grated Gruyère
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cayenne
3/4 cup panko
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. In a food processor fitted with the slicing blade, slice the Brussels sprouts and shallots.
In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter until it begins to brown and smell nutty. Set aside 1 Tbs. of the browned butter in a medium bowl.

Add the Brussels sprouts, shallots, 2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper to the pan and toss to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the Brussels sprouts and shallots begin to soften and brown in spots, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Meanwhile, in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, Gruyère, nutmeg, cayenne, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Heat until the cheese is melted, whisking occasionally, about 4 minutes. Do not boil. Add the sauce to the Brussels sprouts, carefully stirring to combine.

Add the panko, Parmigiano, rosemary, and a pinch of salt to the reserved butter and mix thoroughly. Top the sprout mixture with the panko mixture.

Bake until the crumbs are browned and the Brussels sprouts are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 to 8

This is what the brussels sprouts and shallots look like after six minutes in the pan.

On the plate and ready to convert more haters to lovers!

Ask Mom Mom: So You’re Hosting Thanksgiving

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This week, Mom Mom was asked a question in person. All the more fun!

I ran into a friend at school the other day, and she shared that she was hosting her first big Thanksgiving for about twenty people and could use some advice/hand holding/Xanax. Like most people would be, she was a little anxious about…well, about the whole production of it all. Thanksgiving is not for sissies. Most people forgive and forget a bad meal on any given Tuesday, but Thanksgiving? That one stays with you. However, with a little planning and preparation, this can be one of your greatest victories.

Luck favors the prepared, darling. — Edna Mode, The Incredibles

Step 1: Menu Plan

This may seem obvious to some, but I am sure others are saying, “Turkey, stuffing, what plan?” NOW is the time to sit down with your food magazines or your DVRd Food Network shows or Google and DECIDE EXACTLY what will be going on your table.

Part A of this plan is deciding what category of food you want, and Part B is deciding which recipes you will use or which relatives you will ask to contribute. If I were hosting 20 people, my plan would look like this:

Light Appetizer (nothing to upstage my hard work)

Bread/Rolls

1 standard green vegetable

1 adventurous green vegetable

Corn

1 stuffing with sausage

1 vegetarian stuffing

Cranberry sauce

1 mashed potato dish

1 sweet potato dish

Turkey

2 pies

2 other desserts

Wine, Beer

Soft drinks

Coffee/tea

Once you’ve gotten all your food listed, it’s simply a matter of choosing your recipes. Remember, no need to be a martyr! If (and only if) your guests have offered to contribute, you can certainly shorten your list by delegating. Desserts are a good one to farm out. And if a trusted guest/cook can help you knock a potato off the list, all the better! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments, and I promise I will try my best to guide you.

Do the bulk of your shopping for non perishables the Friday or Saturday before Thanksgiving, and the earlier in the morning the better. Each passing hour, things get exponentially more crazy. But as bad as it will be on those two days, it will only get worse, so refer to your shopping list and knock out every single item you possibly can (soda, beer, wine, cheese, etc.) I am a huge fan of off-hours shopping, so shopping really early or really late helps preserve my sanity. Save your fresh vegetables and any other last minute items for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. In a perfect world, you will have very little left on your list by that point.

Step 2: Logistics

This is a boring and often overlooked step, but let me assure you that it’s every bit as important. Make sure each one of your guests has a place to sit down and a proper place setting. It doesn’t have to be fine china, crystal or silver — warehouse clubs like BJs and Costco have nice quality disposables that are neutral enough to blend with your good stuff. If at all possible, give each guest a seat on a real chair and a real table rather than a sofa and coffee table. Sure, it’s fine to put your grandmother and the real dining room table and your eight year old at the fold-up card table, but to have some guests sit at a real table and others jockey for space on the sofa seems rude and unfair. Take the time to map out where people will be sitting, and if there is not obvious space available for everyone, tell them ahead of time where you expect them to eat. There is nothing worse than people with full plates in hand nomadically shuffling from room to room looking for an open spot to sit down. Everyone deserves a spot, and it’s your job to make sure they have one.

Step 3: Turkey, fresh or frozen?

This is a matter of personal preference. I have done both, and believe it or not, fresh has never come out significantly better. People are passionate on this subject, and I’m sorry, but I can’t take a firm stand based on taste. Obviously a humanely-raised-locally farmed-Montessori-educated-vegan-fed turkey is better for variety of reasons, most of which allow you to feel morally superior, but from a culinary standpoint? Eh, not so much in my book. Preparation is everything.

And by preparation, here is your reminder to order your fresh turkey N O W, especially if you require something in the neighborhood of 20 pounds or more. Don’t expect to waltz into the supermarket the Monday before Thanksgiving and pick up your 20+ pound turkey. It will be known as The Year You Made Two Twelve Pound Turkeys if you don’t plan ahead. There are a variety of turkey calculators online. Use them! You will be able to plug in your specifics and plan accordingly. For example, 15 adults and 5 kids who are big eaters would require a 26 pound turkey. If that turkey is frozen, it will take six and a half days to thaw in the refrigerator. Needless to say, these are not details you can just work out three days before Thanksgiving. Spend a few minutes today thinking about this.

Step 4: The Set Up

Start cleaning your house (or have someone else clean it for you) the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and leave the minor last minute touch up for Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday night, set the table(s), move furniture to accommodate more tables, inspect/dust folding chairs, make sure table cloths are clean and fit. Inspect your china/crystal/silver and make sure it is clean and polished (or at least clean and sanitary). This always takes more time than you think it will, so do it the night before and save yourself some stress. I have been that person in cashmere and pearls cleaning a toilet while the first guest rang the doorbell. Learn from my mistakes.

Step 5: Food Prep

Bright and early Thursday morning, I like to go through each recipe and measure and chop ingredients ahead of time. It’s so much easier to make a stuffing with fourteen ingredients when they’ve all been prepped and measured and put into neat little baggies.

This is also the time where you fine tune your game plan and assign oven space. Before I got a double oven (and even some years after) I would use the oven of my neighbor across the street who would always travel during Thanksgiving. Most friendly neighbors are happy to lend you their ovens or refrigerators if they’re away, so that’s an option to consider. If not, you just have to work it out. It’s like a bad math problem: Sally has a turkey in the oven at 325 for five hours and it has to rest for 30 minutes. Once the turkey is out she has two dishes to cook, one at 375 for 30 minutes and one at 350 for 40 minutes...

The time to solve this sixth grade word problem is not when your guests have arrived and you’re drinking wine. Make your schedule with a sharp mind and a clear head, and stick to it accordingly.

Step 6: Enjoy your guests, enjoy your blessings

Take time to enjoy the day. Some of my best memories are of having Mom Mom and Pop Pop in my house for Thanksgiving. They were so happy and proud of all my hard work and enjoying their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids surrounding them. Watching the cousins play, seeing family from near and far, even if it’s just that one day a year, is so important. It’s a great honor to provide a venue for your family to gather, enjoy good food, and count their blessings. It is a big job, yes, but it is always worth the effort. Be thankful you are up to the challenge.

Fine Cooking German Chocolate Cake

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This summer Ed got us a subscription to Fine Cooking Magazine. He bought the June issue on a whim and liked it so much he decided to subscribe. I am sure he had the best of intentions. Now, I realize subscribing to a cooking magazine without consulting your spouse is not like buying a car without consulting your spouse, but it felt like a big deal to me. I take my food magazines very seriously, and I’m really only loyal to two: Cook’s Illustrated and Bon Appétit. Inviting another magazine into our home is serious business. I just didn’t know about this and needed some time to adjust. Part of it, too, is the name. Fine Cooking? Seems a little pretentious, no? It reminded me of the SpongeBob episode featuring “Fancy Living Digest.” In fact, I’ve taken to calling it “Fancy Cooking” in my head.

But like all change, I warmed up to it after a few months. Sure, the lasagne recipe is six pages long, and recipes like that will always annoy me, but you can’t be all things to all people. It almost seems like a cross between Cook’s Illustrated and Bon Appétit, both cerebral and high quality, so as usual, Ed was on the right track. Once I stopped being mad at the magazine and started to actually read it, I found quite a few intriguing recipes I look forward to trying.

Yesterday I made their German Chocolate Cake featured in the December 2011/January 2012 issue. First things first, this cake was 100% WORTH THE EFFORT. If you like German Chocolate Cake, I highly encourage you to try this one. In fact, I dub this The Best German Chocolate Cake I’ve Ever Eaten. I consider myself a solid but not advanced baker, so this was definitely one of the fussier and more elaborate cakes I’ve ever made, but I don’t think any advanced skills are required as long as you are patient, read the recipe thoroughly and follow directions carefully. I have documented my pictures and notes below the recipe.

German Chocolate Cake by Alice Medrich, Fine Cooking Dec 2011/Jan 2012

For the cakes
4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened; more for the pans
4 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (up to 70% cacao), coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup boiling water
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. table salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

For the coconut-pecan filling
7 oz. (about 2 cups) sweetened, shredded dried coconut
4 large egg yolks
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. table salt
6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1-1/2 cups pecan halves, toasted and coarsely chopped

Make the cakes

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Grease the sides of three 9×2-inch round cake pans with butter and line the bottoms with parchment circles.

Put the chocolate in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Let stand for several seconds and then whisk until the chocolate is dissolved. Set aside until cool to the touch before mixing the batter.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Whisk the eggs in a small measuring cup.

Beat the butter for a few seconds in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed. Add the sugar in a steady stream and then beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl as necessary, until the mixture is lightened in color and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Still on medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time, taking a full 1-1/2 minutes to add them all. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and beat just until blended. With the mixer turned off, add a quarter of the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated. Add a third of the buttermilk and mix until blended. Repeat, each time adding another quarter of the flour, then a third of the buttermilk, until the last of the flour is added. Scrape the bowl as necessary and mix each addition only until it is incorporated.

Divide the batter among the pans and spread it evenly. Bake, rotating the pans and swapping their positions, until the cakes just start to pull away from the sides of the pans and spring back when very gently pressed with a finger, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in their pans on a rack for 10 minutes.

Run a knife or small spatula around the edges to separate the cakes from the pans. Turn the cakes out onto the rack and peel off the parchment. Cool completely.

Make the filling
Spread the coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350°F, stirring every 2 minutes, until golden-brown, about 10 minutes. Scrape the toasted coconut onto a sheet of waxed paper and let cool completely.Whisk the egg yolks with the evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a heavy-duty, nonreactive 4-quart saucepan. Add the butter. Set over medium heat and stir constantly with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom and corners of the pot. When the mixture starts to boil, adjust the heat so that it boils actively but not furiously, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the coconut and pecans. Let cool completely.

Assemble the Cake

Put one cake layer on a cake plate. Spread a third of the filling over the top of the cake, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Top with a second cake layer. Spread with half of the remaining filling. Put the third cake layer on top and cover it with the remaining filling. Leave the sides of the cake exposed. Serve at room temperature.

Sifting the flour onto a piece of waxed paper was my first hint this cake might be a little high maintenance, and it’s when the carpal tunnel first started to kick in. Do not skip this step!

It’s really important to get the right level of heat and constant whisking for the filling so it is the perfect consistency. If your wrist didn’t hurt you before, it will now!

Add the toasted coconut and toasted pecans and let cool and thicken. It may not look pretty, but this is the most delicious filling I have ever eaten.

While this cake didn’t turn out cover-model beautiful, it was perfect in every other way.

p.s. Ask Mom Mom is taking a break this week. Is it because someone can’t find her old-school notebook with this week’s column in it? I’ll never tell.

p.p.s. Sorry to my subscribers for the flukey phantom Cake2 post earlier. I am still playing around with my new phone and attempted to upload a photo to WordPress, and I didn’t mean to publish anything. Oops!

November Gratitude: Mom Mom’s Fur

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Mom Mom had a sense of style that is hard to adequately describe, but some words which come to mind are: sparkle, glitter, razzmatazz, festive and loud. She was about as subtle as one of Trump’s casinos, and usually favored the same color palette. Naturally, animal prints were a lifelong wardrobe staple season after season, leopard being a favorite choice, whether in a bathing suit or a fur coat. Mom Mom didn’t need Kim Kardashian or Rachel Zoe to tell her leopard was fabulous.

I don’t know the story of this coat, or even if it has a story, but I do remember Mom Mom wearing it, hugging her tightly and coming eye to eye with the embossed gold buttons. She didn’t wear it a lot, and it was socked away for years, but I definitely remember her wearing this.

When Mom Mom died, as her eldest granddaughter, I inherited this lovely coat. Well, it was more like, “WHO wants THIS THING?” and I jumped all over it, much to the surprise of my conservative aunt and my animal rights activist sister. I should note — before anyone mails me buckets of blood or calls me hateful names — that I love animals, too, and I would never spend money on fur (okay, maybe from a consignment store, but not brand new). If the label is to be believed, it IS real fur, but I can’t imagine actual leopards were killed. I’m thinking it must have been the fur of some poor low-brow animal who was dyed leopard, but I can’t say for sure. One of these days I will try to find out, but it really doesn’t matter to me.

For a fairly conservative dresser, I sure hit the ground running with Mom Mom’s coat. I debuted it a couple years ago at my Mad Men party, and since then it has been everywhere with me. Being a mostly stay-at-home-mom, that means the Acme and school conferences and Chick-Fil-A. The black satin lining began to rip more and more, and finally I determined it was time to replace it. I can’t say why, exactly, but I was drawn to choosing either red or emerald green for the lining this time. It just seemed like a Mom Mom kind of a choice.

I picked up the coat from the tailor yesterday, and it looks great! I am so grateful to have had a grandmother who was ahead of her time fashionwise, and whose warmth I can still feel when I’m wearing her fur. I only wish she could see me wearing it.

November: The Month of Gratitude and Organization (Gluttony Optional)

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Happy November! I hereby declare this the month of Gratitude and Organization. Why, yes, I do sometimes fancy myself Oprah, why do you ask?

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. It’s all about everything I believe in: family, gratitude and comfort food. I have hosted Thanksgiving more times than I can count (and often for no less than 20 people), but this year is a rare and admittedly welcome year off for me. We will be traveling a mere five minutes away to the home of one of my favorite hostesses, so I know Thanksgiving will be in good hands. It also means my family will be spared my Annual Thanksgiving Mental Breakdown, which usually ends with me crying, “Never again!” or “WHY do I do this to myself?” or “WHEN will I learn?” But in the end, it’s like childbirth: difficult but exhilarating, and always, always, always worth it.

I will be sharing some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes with you this month, most of which come from the mack daddy of all Thanksgiving cooking magazine issues, the much-lauded November 1999 Bon Appétit. And I’m sure I will be trying some new stuff as well, because I can never resist an appealing Thanksgiving recipe. Send me your favorites!

In addition to recipes, I will also be sharing my journey of household organization, starting with my kitchen utensil drawers. I would love to hear if any readers have utensil drawer organizational solutions. I have two deep drawers and lots of utensils, so my first step will be throwing out or donating anything that hasn’t been used in the last two years.

I will leave you with pictures of my two unorganized drawers, pictures which may evoke words like hoarder or mental illness, but rest assured, I am working on this today.

p.s. Note the three cat food lids. Our cat died in 2005. RIP Lulu.