[Guest Post] Thanksgiving with Cornbread Dressing by Michelle Rebecca

 

 Try a Taste of the South This Thanksgiving With Cornbread Dressing

As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s time to start planning the perfect Turkey Day menu. You may put a lot of thought into trying new twists on favorite side dishes and desserts, but what about your stuffing? If you automatically make the same herb-bread stuffing every year, you may want to consider a classic Southern dish: cornbread dressing.

Making cornbread dressing is not so different from making bread stuffing, and cornbread, turkey and gravy make a delicious and memorable combination. This is a traditional Southern recipe that is easy to make and a delight to the taste buds. You and your guests may love it so much you’ll need to invest in used accugrade equipment to shovel it onto everyone’s plates!

Traditional Southern Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients

6 cups crumbled cornbread

3 cups soft bread crumbs

4 ounces butter

2 cups chopped onions

2 cups chopped celery

3 to 4 cups chicken or turkey broth

1 tablespoon dried sage

1 ½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In large bowl, combine cornbread and bread crumbs.

In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion and celery in butter until soft. Add to and combine with bread mixture. Add enough chicken or turkey broth to moisten. Add seasonings and beaten eggs, blending well. Spread dressing mixture in large, shallow roasting pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Although the traditional Southern way to prepare and serve dressing in outside of the bird, you can also stuff your turkey with it if you wish. In fact, the only difference between stuffing and dressing is where you put it. Putting stuffing into cavity of the turkey can give it a moister and richer flavor, although there is always the worry of possible salmonella contamination. If you stuff your turkey, just make sure the temperature in the center of the stuffing reaches 165 F.

Some Flavorful Twists

The beauty of a simple recipe like this is that it’s easy to add in other ingredients and make it your own. Try adding chopped, cooked sausage – either hot or mild – or cooked ground sausage. Other meats liked cooked ham or bacon are also delicious.

Other great add-ins include various fruits and nuts, such as chopped apples, raisins or cranberries. Try adding toasted nuts such as pecans, pine nuts or walnuts for great texture and flavor. Also, feel free to experiment with herbs like fresh parsley, cayenne or rosemary. Add what appeals to you and you’re sure to have a hit.

Michelle is a blogger and freelancer. She’s written about almost every topic under the sun, and loves constantly learning about new subjects and industries while she’s writing. In her spare time she enjoys spending time outdoors with her dogs. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.

[Guest Post] On Making Chicken Liver Pate by Qiana Di Bari

chicken liver, whipped

Chicken liver. Don't get grossed out. I don't mess with innards too much either, but I do enjoy a good chicken liver pate every now and then. And I only eat them out. So, this week, when I went through my ritual of boiling a whole chicken, and inspired by my girl Tamar Adler and her Everlasting Meal , I set the livers aside. 

chicken liver, raw

Gross at first glance, I know. But things got better very quickly: I seasoned them with salt and pepper and seared them in a dab of butter and removed them from the pan. 

chicken liver, pan seared

Then I diced a small shallot and threw it in to the same pan with red wine, to deglaze it and pick up all those little pieces of goodness left behind.  

chicken liver, smothered in red wine and shallot marinade

I whipped it all together in the blender with a few springs of thyme and a spoonful of water for just a few seconds and let it set in the fridge for about thirty minutes, for the final product that you saw at the top of this post. Good enough to eat by the spoonful or spread on a rip of bread, this home made pate is a little bit of decadence in the middle of the daily grind.

Bio

Qiana Di Bari is a music business manager turned mom, wife and restaurateur. You can follow the tastes and travels of her modern, multi-culti family at http://www.lafamigliadibari.comor @qiqs.

[Guest Post] Buttermilk Biscuits and Strawberry Jam by Qiana Di Bari

We had some strawberries in the fridge that were losing their luster, in perfect condition for a simple jam. Jam needs a medium and there is nothing better than buttermilk biscuits. Bingo! Breakfast. 

My simple versions of both are loosely based on Epicurious recipes. Perfect for a spring weekend, thirty minutes is all you'll need. 

Buttermilk Biscuits 

yield: Makes 6 biscuits

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon milk or cream for brushing biscuits

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a bowl. (I got a little help from Jada and Michele here.) 

Blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. 

Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until a dough just forms (dough will be moist).

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead gently 6 times. Pat out dough on a floured surface with floured hands, reflouring surface if necessary.  

I went old school and used a simple tea cup to cut my biscuits. 

 

Transfer as many as you can make with your dough to a greased baking sheet, arranging them 2 inches apart, and brush tops with milk or cream. 

Bake until pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature.

 

On to the strawberry jam. You can make this while the biscuits are baking. It takes about the same time. 

Strawberry Jam 

yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound fresh (or frozen, thawed) hulled, quartered strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, coarsely grated
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine 1 cup hulled, quartered strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar in a large heavy skillet. 

Stir in 1 peeled, coarsely grated large Granny Smith apple. 

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring and breaking up strawberries, until sugar dissolves. 

Simmer until jam is thickened, 10-15 minutes. 

Stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. 

Transfer to a bowl or jar; let cool. 

Bio

Qiana Di Bari is a music business manager turned mom, wife and restaurateur. You can follow the tastes and travels of her modern, multi-culti family at http://www.lafamigliadibari.comor @qiqs.

[Guest Post] Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake by Sarah

 

Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

From Sarah @ The Sweet Life

Thesweetlifeonline.blogspot.com

 

I have to admit, I used to have a sort of prejudice against desserts catering to dietary restrictions, disbelieving in the potential goodness. Oh was I wrong. This is one of my favorite desserts I have ever made. Ever. The chocolate hazelnut cheesecake is so rich and creamy and pure. But wait there's more, it's also healthy!

Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

gluten-free, soy-free, sugar-free, raw, vegan

Crust

1 cup hazelnut meal

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp raw cocoa powder

3 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 pinch sea salt

The best pan to use for this recipe would be a Flexi-pan or other type of silicone mold. Otherwise a spring form pan works great. If you're very brave and don't have a Flexi-pan but want individual cheesecakes, use a muffin pan, lightly oiled. It will take a little tlc to get the cheesecakes out, but you can do it! This recipe would fill a 9" spring form pan or about 12 individual molds.

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor until it starts to come together. Press the crust into the bottom of desired pan, about 1/4 inch thick.

Set aside while you making the filling.

The Filling

2 cups raw cashews, soaked and rinsed

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp hazelnut butter (peanut butter works too)

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup water

2 tsp salt

In a food processor or mixer blend together cashews, maple syrup, water, and salt. Mix until totally smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary. Add cocoa powder, hazelnut butter and coconut oil to cashew mixture and blend all together, scraping down again, until mixture is uniformly combine.

Spoon or pipe filling on top of crusts. Stick cheesecake in the freezer until solid all the way through (at least 2 hours for individual cheesecakes, 4 for large cheesecake).

Once frozen remove cheesecake from pan. If using silicone mold, they will easily pop out. If you have a muffin tin, run a sharp, hot knife around the edges of each cheesecake, flip tin upside down and give it a few good whacks again the counter. They could start to slowly side out at this point. Be patient, gravity is on your side. If a few minutes have past and the cheesecakes are still refusing to drop, use a lighter to heat the bottom of the tin briefly; the heat will help release the cake.

Place cakes in the refrigerator and make the chocolate sauce.

 Chocolate Sauce

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup cocoa powder

Mix ingredients together with fork. Scoop a little onto cold cheesecake. Place back in fridge and let sauce harden.

Top with hazelnuts. Serve cold.

Cucumber with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce

Cucumber with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce

If you don't like to eat fresh cucumber, this recipe give you another perspective to savour cucumber.

This dish looks simple but there are more steps than normal stir-fry as I steamed the cucumber to soften it before pan-fry to obtain a "grilled" type of texture. I have added worchestershire and red cooking wine to add on more flavors to the cucumber. If you prefer the cucumber to be more crunchy, shorten the time of steaming or just pan-fry it longer.

It can be served as a Chinese dish or a Western appetizer or as a side.

Ingredients

1. 300g of Cucumber (Deseed and cut into stem look alike)
2. 1 tablespoon of Garlic (Chopped)
3. 2 teaspoon of Red Cooking Wine (eg. Brand Virginia Dare)
4. 2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
5. Salt
6. 2 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Preparation

1. Place Cucumber in steam-proof container, sprinkle Salt on it and steam for approx 10 minutes to soften the cucumber
2. Dry the Cucumber with Paper Towel

Steps

1. Add 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil in hot pan
2. Pan-fry Cucumber for approx 1 minutes, scoop it out and place it aside for later use
3. Add 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil in hot pan
4. Add Garlic and stir-fry for approx 1 minutes (before it turn brown)
5. Turn to low heat
6. Add Worcestershire Sauce and Red Cooking Wine and stir to mix well
7. Pour Sauce over the Cucumber or you can turn off heat and add cucumber into pan to stir to mix well

Serve while Hot or Cold.

Good as a Side or Appetizer to go with a Main Course, or as a Finger Food in a party!

Baked Potato with Sour Cream and Bacon Bits

Baked Potato with Sour Cream and Bacon Bits
(Thanks to Jude who took this photo during the lo hei session)

Ingredients

There is no hard and fuss rules on the ingredient quantity for this recipe, it depends on your preference. Good to have more bacon bits thou' =)

1. Potato or Mini Potato for Party
2. Sour Cream
3. Chives (Chopped)
4. Coarse Black Pepper
5. Bacon Bits (eg. Brand Hormel)
6. Rosemary (eg. Brand Masterfood)
7. Parsley (eg. Brand Masterfood)

Steps

1. Washed Potato thoroughly
2. Boiled Potato - you can use a fork to test it doneness (if the fork can go throu', approx 15 minutes), once done, drain off the water
3. Cut the Potato into half, and scooped out some portion of the potato, leaving space approx 1.5cm thickness overall for a solid base to fill up Sour Cream mixture
4. Grease baking pan and put potato into preheat oven (200 degree celsius, approx 15 minutes)
5. After 10 minutes, test if potato is fully cooked and adjust timing accordingly if required.
6. Once fully cooked, remove them from oven
7. Add Sour Cream, Bacon Bit, Chives, Black Pepper, Rosemary, Parsley and Salts into a mixing bowl and mix well
8. Fill the Potato with the mixture.

This can be serve Warm or Cold (chilled it).

Good to go with Roast Chicken or as a Side or Cold Appetizer or Finger food in a party.

Tips & Comments:

• Boiled potato 1st then baked - This is to shorten the baking timing.
• You can add butter on Potato that just came out from the oven for a better taste.