It was just one of those snowy days. The roads were crummy, and I went out and did all of my errands that required driving as early as possible. When all was said and done, around seven more inches of snow had fallen… just what we needed on top of the 28 inches of snow that we’ve already had this month.
But, it was an excuse to hole up and do nothing at all once the errands were run. This, of course, meant raiding the refrigerator for lunch, and luckily we had just the thing to do the trick. Pulling out the Prosciutto, some cheese, some mustard and some bread, we were pretty happy not being able to head out for the day. This is something that we usually serve as an hors doeuvre, but it made a great lunch.
Sometimes simple is best!
Popularity: 55% [?]
12.29.2007
by Irene
Category Lunch
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The pumpkin pies are done! But, to quibble, I feel the need to point out that they are not pumpkin pies. They are butternut squash pies.
Thanks to my involvement in a terrific CSA, I learned years ago that good pumpkin pies… aren’t. In fact, often the canned pumpkin that one buys in the store is not pumpkin either. There are a lot of advantages to making pies with butternut squash rather than pumpkin. First, it just tastes better. Also, it has a much better texture - no stringy stuff! I don’t even process or mash the squash. It is the perfect texture for pies simply by roasting the squash for an hour and scooping out the innards.
And here the pies are, below. Those of you with eagle-eyes will note that the crusts are not homemade. I admit it, while I simply can not bring myself to make a pumpkin pie with canned pumpkin, by the same token I simply can’t see making a pie crust from scratch. First, I don’t like to do it, and second, I don’t see a difference in taste, mainly because I suck at making it. (Bad Foodie!).
I make up for it by adding cream cheese to the pie, making a really nice cross between a pumpkin pie and a cheesecake.
Recipe (makes 2 pies):
- 20 ounces cream cheese
- 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 packed cups roasted butternut squash
- 5 eggs
- A pinch of salt, and cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger to taste (I say to taste because I really load it up on the cinnamon, and most people would not use as much as I do).
Bring all ingredients up to room temperature, making sure that the cream cheese is very soft. Blend cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add 14 ounces of milk, blending to ensure smoothness. Add the rest of the milk. Add squash, then eggs. Spice to taste.
Pour into prepared pie shells. I used one regular pie crust, and one graham cracker pie crust. Be warned, you very well may have extra mix left over. I throw the leftover in ramkins or a small baking dish and bake it up for a crustless pumpkin pie-like snack.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes.
Popularity: 55% [?]
11.21.2007
by Irene
Category Desserts, Thanksgiving, Traditions
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One of the side dishes that disappears fast at our Thanksgiving table is the Cheese Sauce. In many ways, it is really a side of a side dish, served up alongside the broccoli and cauliflower, though I will note that in reality it gets poured over almost everything on the plates, very much like a gravy. I make a lot of cheese sauce for Thanksgiving, using 1 cup of butter, 6 cups of milk, and over 13 cups of cheese.
I can already here the cries of “Holy Heart Attack, Batman, that’s a lot of dairy!”. But I’ll point out the following:
- There will be around 25 people for dinner.
- We are from Wisconsin, after all.
- I use chicken stock in addition to milk in a relatively futile effort to lighten the sauce up a bit.
- There is usually some left over, which people fight over even more than the leftover turkey.
- It is Thanksgiving… get over it.
Here’s the evidence:
Cheese sauce is a great dish to make in advance, which I did, stored in a crock pot, and put in the refrigerator. On Thanksgiving it will be brought out and warmed in the same crockpot, which makes it an effortless and mindless thing to deal with in the uproar.
Recipe:
- 2 sticks butter (1 cup)
- 2 cups flour
- 6 cups milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 8 cups cheddar cheese
- 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- powdered garlic, onion, mustard to taste
- salt, white pepper, paprika to taste
In a very large stockpot, melt the butter over low heat. Add flour, a little at a time, whisking to avoid lumps. Once well mixed, cook over low heat for several minutes to cook out the flour taste.
Slowly pour 2 cups milk into flour mixture, whisking constantly to ensure smoothness. Once smooth, add the rest of the milk more rapidly, still whisking. Add the cream cheese and allow to melt. Continue to add the rest of the cheese, whisking as you add so that it melts consistently. Once all the cheese is added and melted, use the chicken stock as needed to thin to the right thickness.
Taste the sauce before adding salt, as the cheese can be salty. Add all spices, to taste.
Popularity: 54% [?]
11.21.2007
by Irene
Category Ain't Wisconsin Grand?, Thanksgiving, Traditions
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I’ll start with a quick look behind the scenes. You see this picture? Yes, the picture on the left. The Thanksgiving-oriented picture. Yes, that one.
This blog gets literally hundreds of hits a day around this time of year from people who are searching for this picture. Oh, they don’t know that this is exactly the picture that they want - at least, not until they see it. But once they see it, they come here to grab it. By the hundreds.
But that is beside the point of this post. It’s that time of year again - Thanksgiving. Some people have a nice, quiet dinner at home. Some people go to their eccentric great-aunt’s house. Others gather at the parents house. And still others go and have a respectable, civilized dinner out.
But not here at Cuisine Capers. Instead, we are descended upon by around 25 very hungry people (give or take one or two, depending on how things work out). And, I’ll point out, they are very hungry people who can eat a lot of food.
So, here’s the menu:
- 28 pound fresh turkey
- 15 - 20 lbs of mashed potatoes
- Gravy
- Wild rice and Italian Sausage stuffing
- 7 Layer salad
- Peas with pancetta and pearl onions
- Cauliflower and broccoli mixture
- Cheese Sauce
- Black-eyed Peas*
- Okra*
- Southern Cornbread*
- Green Bean Crap**
- Multitudes of dinner rolls
- Pies, pies and more pies
I’ll be chronicling the prep along the way, if all works out.
Notes:
* Black-eyed peas, okra and cornbread are all a nod to the southern roots, courtesy of my father who is from Hot Springs, Arkansas. No one but my father will eat the okra (pronounced O-KREE in my family), but most of us will eat the cornbread and the black-eyed peas.
** Green Bean Crap is typically called Green Bean Casserole in most families. In my family, we’ve changed the name in honor of my sister-in-law Laurie, who, after being assigned this dish to bring a couple of years in a row cried in horror, “No, not that grean bean crap!” after being assigned it yet again. Needless to say, she will be bringing the green bean crap for the rest of her natural life to every family gathering we have.
Popularity: 25% [?]
11.20.2007
by Irene
Category Cooking For A Crowd, Thanksgiving, Traditions
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Last night, dead tired, I tumbled into bed somewhat early. I picked up a book for a little bedtime reading. It just happened to be this book:
Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen
Read more about this book here…
I wasn’t awake for long… just long enough to become obsessed with his recipe for breakfast quesadillas. And the obsession was still there this morning. I had little in the house to appease the obsession, so I made a quick trip to the grocery store.
I suspect that I am not unique. I believe that most people who cook often look to cookbooks for technique and inspiration, not for actual recipes. And this recipe gave me lots of inspiration, though I didn’t follow it in practice. Here’s what I did:
- store bought southwestern seasoned hash browns (can be found in the dairy case)
- two chorizo links, diced
- 4 flour tortillas
- shredded cheese
- 2 eggs, fried
- Salsa
Preheat oven to 425. Brown hash browns in pan. While hash brown are browning, dice and saute chorizo.
Lay 2 tortillas out on a baking sheet. Cover with shredded cheese. Spread the hashbrowns and chorizo on tortillas. Sprinkle shredded cheese over mixture. Place tortillas on top.
Brush tortillas with olive oil, and place in 425 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes, until crisp.
Top tortillas with fried eggs, salsa and cheese, to taste.
Bobby uses bacon in his quesadilla. I decided that if I was going to make a southwestern quesadilla, I was going to use chorizo. I think it added a nice spice.
Additionally, I cheated. I’m sure that homemade hash browns stuffed between the tortillas is the way to go, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go through that effort, so I made due with store bought hash browns.
And still, it turned out great, but incredibly filling.
Popularity: 32% [?]
11.04.2007
by Irene
Category Books, Breakfast, Recipes
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