Tagala-what??

Good evening everyone! It's hard to believe that it's December 7th already isn't it? It seems like this year has just flown by and now December is shaping up to cruise on past too! It was almost a month ago already that we saw Curtis Stone give his cooking demonstration at the Iowa Food & Wine Expo. Since that time, Maggie has been patiently waiting to try her hand at cooking the dish we saw Curtis make in person. Tonight, the wait is over -

The Recipe:  Tagliatelle with Crab, Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, and Chili
Original Recipe Found In:  Food.com / As Seen By Curtis Stone

What You'll Need:

3/4 Cup Light Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves (Crushed then chopped)
1/2 Red Chili Pepper
9 Ounces Cherry Tomatoes
1 Onion (Small)
10 Ounces Fresh Tagliatelle (Or Fettuccine Noodles)
9 Ounces Fresh Crab Meat
1 Tablespoon Flat Leaf Parsley (Chopped)
2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice

Good evening everyone!  Tonight, we're doing another recipe inspired by the Food and Wine Expo.  You got a little sample of this dish a couple of weeks ago when Tyler posted a video of Curtis Stone making this dish.  My version is slightly different, but all the same principals apply.  Oh, and did I mention neither of us have had crab before?  This will definitely be an experience tonight!  Let's begin:


Pour the olive oil into a deep, heavy frying pan and heat until shimmering.  Add the garlic, chili, and onion.  Allow the garlic and chili to infuse for three minutes then remove and discard the chili.  If you don't want your dish to be super hot from the chili, add a dash of red pepper flakes or red pepper seasoning in place of the chili.  Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes, until they begin to soften and the oil takes on a golden orange hue.  

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the tagliatelle and cook for three minutes and return to saucepan. Remember, since the noodles are fresh, the cooking time is greatly reduced. Mix the crab with the tomato mixture over a medium heat and cook briefly, stirring gently, until just warmed through. Since most packaged crab is already cooked (via flash steaming) all you really have to do is heat the crab. Season with salt and pepper - and a splash of white wine, just  enough for seasoning.

Add the sauce to the tagliatelle and stir off the heat for one to two minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, add a squeeze of lemon juice and a little of the parsley and serve immediately, topping each portion with a further sprinkling of parsley.  Enjoy!


The End Result:

As Maggie mentioned, neither of us had tried crab in our lifetime. I have tried other forms of shellfish and found myself to be indifferent to them. Don't hate them, don't love them. That's sort of where tonight's dish falls. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. If you are a big fan of crab or seafood in general, you're going to love this dish. The crab's flavor infuses with the garlic, onion and tomatoes to create a very flavorful (and aromatic) dish.

If you're like us, however, and are not all that fond of crab - you're simply going to enjoy the dish (As I put it - "It's good, but I wouldn't order it off a menu") After all, crab is the dominant flavor in the dish and if all you can muster when someone says crab is 'meh' then you're probably not the target audience for this particular recipes. Sometimes you win, sometimes you make a great dish that your audience doesn't exactly have taste buds for. Tonight, Maggie hit on the latter.

That's all we have for you this evening. I will be taking to the kitchen tomorrow evening with a dish that I'm very eager to try. It should be interesting (as always right?) so be sure to stop by tomorrow night to see what I've got cooking. Until next time,

~Cheers

Around The Culinary World

Good morning everyone! I know it's much earlier than usual, but welcome to Monday at Out Of The Culinary. When your work schedule goes to heck - I work six days this week, 45 hours. In fact, the hours for me over the next three weeks are: 45, 45, 47. Yeah.... - as I was saying, when your work schedule goes to heck, you have to make the best of what time you have. So, here we are.

Alas, there wasn't too many huge stories this past week in the culinary world. The Senate did get the ball rolling on some legislation that will make a big impact on food safety - but that's the only revolutionary story this week. However, we still managed to dig up a few interesting reads for everyone's inner foodie. Here's what's going on in the culinary world for December 6th, 2010.

As I mentioned, this past week the Senate approved a measure to drastically change the way food is inspected and processed in the United States AND from other countries importing foods into the US. In the past, foreign foods were not subject to the same USDA standards that US foods were. There are a lot of improvements to safety and regulation in this bill - check out the full details right HERE

Speaking of food safety - the Huffington Post has put together a list of the 9 most major food safety 'boo-boos' This should give you an idea why that legislation mentioned above is needed! Check it out HERE

Wine is one of the most confusing culinary companions for many at home chefs out there. What wines go with this dish? Why do some bottles have screw tops and not corks? How the heck do you store this wine? Or, 'Hey, why is there junk floating IN my wine!?' The answers to those questions and more are right HERE

With 2010 drawing to a close, the major news outlets are making a lot of 'best of 2010 lists' for just about everything. More pertinent to us, the cooking crowd, is the list of 2010's best cookbooks. Amazon has their list, so does the Washington Post and NPR. I figure if a book appears on every list, it must be a good one...looks like I've got some shopping to do!


There you have it, that's what's shaking and baking in the culinary world for December 6th, 2010. Maggie and I each have a recipe this week (with our hectic schedule, we can't really fit three full blown recipes in this week - we will be cooking, just not sharing one day! - Sorry!) Luckily for you, both of these recipes are fantastic culinary creations - we're both excited to share our dish this week. It should be a lot of fun. Be sure to stop in tomorrow to see Maggie take to the kitchen and Wednesday to see what I've got cooking. Until then,

~Cheers

Creating New Recipes & Inventing New Words - It's A Good Night!

Good evening everyone! Every once in awhile, I run across a cooking technique that fascinates me. It can be the way something is prepared, an ingredient combination or even just a region's particular cuisine. If it's something new and inventive - I want to try it, taste it and master it. It's the type of person I am - some call it obsessive and detail oriented - I say 'scholarly'

I've run across another technique that has me fascinated. Ever since trying some of our Thanksgiving dishes, I've been intrigued with the combination of neutral or sweet dishes and overly spicy toppings. The sweet potato casserole was built upon sweet potatoes' natural flavor - but featured a nice dose of cumin and cayenne pepper. The result was an incredible blend of flavor - neither sweet nor spicy, but rather something totally new. Tonight, I'm tackling two new recipes that work on the very same foundations. Here's how they turned out:

The Recipe: Daybreak Chicken*
Inspiration From: Jaime Magazine - August/September 2010 Issue

What You'll Need:

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

*This recipe originally appears in Jaime Magazine as 'Pork with paprika, oregano and mustard'. However, I don't like pork (or I should say, pork doesn't like me). I decided that the foundation was still there for a good dish and simply changed the meat to chicken. I changed the name as well - since I'm well documented as being opposed to lazy recipe names - I like my name (which comes from the brilliant orange color the chicken has when you first marinade it - which looks like the sky at daybreak)

The Recipe: Chili Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

What You'll Need:

2 Large Sweet Potatoes
Black Pepper
Chili Powder


To Make The Chicken:

Begin by mixing the oregano, paprika and dijon mustard together in a small bowl. Mix everything well until the sauce turns a bright orange color. Spread the sauce evenly over two chicken breasts, making sure to cover both sides. Allow the breasts to marinate in the sauce for about 10 minutes (in the refrigerator) before cooking.

The sauce is certainly noticeable 

After 10 minutes, set a grill pan on high heat and add a dash of vegetable oil to the pan. Once the pan is searing hot, place the chicken breasts in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, making sure to flip the breasts halfway through. Using an instant read thermometer, check the chicken to make sure the temperature has reached 160 degrees. If not, return the chicken to the grill pan and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how far away the chicken was from that magical 160 degree number.

If desired, you can mix up another batch of the sauce to serve on top of the chicken. Simply spoon a little excess sauce on each breast and enjoy!


To Make The Sweet Potato Wedges:

This recipe is about as simple as it can get.

Begin by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. Peel and slice your sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch slices. I found that using a mandoline makes the easiest work of this. Place the sweet potato wedges on a greased baking sheet and season the potato wedges with pepper, a pinch of chili powder and a drizzle of olive oil. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and completely tender.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Sweet potato wedges - just add heat

The Results:

Mouthwatering isn't it? 

As I mentioned in the opening, when you blend a naturally sweet flavor or even a neutral flavor with a spicy seasoning - the result is an amazingly complex harmony of flavor. The chicken was bursting with an amazing, almost BBQ like flavor. The sweet potatoes, meanwhile, tasted neither sweet like the potato or spicy like the pepper or chili powder. A middle ground, that I've dubbed 'swicy' is where the true flavor existed.

Tonight's recipes are fantastic in more ways than one. First, both dishes tasted great - which is obviously the most important aspect of any recipe. Secondly, both dishes were incredibly easy to make. Finally, each dish was very heathy - no butter, sugar or extra additives, just natural, delicious flavor.

That's all we have for you this week! As always, thank you for stopping by and checking out what we've cooked this week, Maggie and I appreciate all of the support and encouragement we receive from friends and family regarding the blog. We will be returning on Monday with another trip around the culinary world, so be sure to stop in then to see what is shaking in the news for that week. Until Monday,

~Cheers

Chimichurri - Hard To Spell, Easy To Enjoy

Good evening everyone! Tonight, we're trying something that every single Food Network fan has always secretly wanted to do. You know how it goes, while you're watching your favorite chef cook up something delicious on TV you're thinking to yourself 'that looks easy...I should try that!' Alas, most people never give those recipes a go. Either they feel they cannot handle the dish or they simply forget about it and move on to their everyday lives.

After seeing this recipe cooked right before our eyes at the Food & Wine Expo a few weeks ago, we decided that we needed to try our hand at the dish. After all, we saw it made, got to smell its delicious aroma - we just didn't get to taste it. Tonight, that changed. Maggie put on her ambitious pants and tracked down a version of the dish we saw made right in front of our eyes. Here's how her experience went:


The Recipe: Grilled Flat Iron Steak With Chimichurri Sacue
Original Recipe Found In: Planetgreen.com

What You'll Need:

3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2/3 Cup Sherry Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
4 Tablespoons Chopped Basil Leaves
1 Tablespoon Chopped Oregano Leaves
3 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
2 Tablespoons Minced Shallots
3/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 1/2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1-2 (1 Pound) Flat Iron Steak(s) (Extra Steaks For Extra People...Obviously)

Hi everyone!  As Tyler mentioned, we saw a similar (not exact because we didn't get all the recipe specifications at the expo) chimichurri demonstration whilst we were attending the expo.  As we were hit by the delightful smell, I leaned over to Tyler and said "I gotta make that."  I immediately searched on my phone's web browser for a chimichurri recipe - it pulled up this one.  I was quite pleased that I not only found a recipe right then and there, but I was also really eager to create it myself.


To start, combine the olive oil, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, shallots in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until well blended, but not pureed (should look like a thinner version of pesto.)  Add a 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the crushed red pepper and give it an extra pulse.  Remove one cup of the chimichurri sauce from the processor into a bowl, cover, and place in refrigerator.

Season the steak with salt and pepper on both sides and place in a large baking dish.  Add the remaining chimichurri sauce and cover.  Refrigerate for at least two hours and up to 24 hours (just a FYI, I marinated the steak for 18 hours.)

Once ready to cook, take the steak and remaining sauce out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for an half an hour.  Brush the excess sauce off the steak(s).  Preheat a grill pan to medium heat and set the steak(s) in.  Cook for six minutes on the first side.  Rotate the steak 45 degrees (1/4 of a turn) and cook for another six minutes.  Turn the steak over and cook for an additional six minutes, with another 45 degree turn for six more minutes; this should result in a medium-rare steak (if you like it well-done, more time should be allotted about 2 to 3 more minutes per side.)  Once cooked, lay the steak on a clean cutting board and allow it to rest for five to seven minutes.  Slice the steak into two inch wide strips.  Serve with extra chimichurri sauce and a side of white rice and enjoy!

The End Result:

As we mentioned, we never actually got a chance to taste the dish the first time around - but judging the end result simply on its flavor alone I'd have to say this was a successful recipe. The chimirchurri sauce holds a fantastic and complex flavor that blends superbly with the steak. All it takes is a little time to marinate - although you don't have to let it marinate as long as Maggie did - and a few basic ingredients. This one is certainly worth an attempt for the 'follow along at home crowd'. Stop just watching recipes made on TV (Or reading about them on your favorite blog!) and try one every now and again. You just might surprise yourself.

That's all we have for you this evening. I'm in the kitchen tomorrow night, so be sure to stop back tomorrow evening to see what I've got cooking. Until then,




~Cheers

Pumpkin 'Pie-Cakes'

Good evening everyone! It's Tuesday and it's beginning to feel a lot like winter out there. It snowed (lightly) for nearly the entire day today. Thankfully, there wasn't anything to be had for accumulation but the fact that those nasty little white snow flakes were in the air was enough to bring the ugly thought of winter into your mind. On nights like tonight, all you really want is something warm and comforting - something to fill you up and leave you content. Two weeks ago, Maggie came across a recipe that seemed like it was sure to do just that - leave you full and content. Unfortunately (for her) we had the Thanksgiving themed week of recipes and then a week off from the blog. She has been patiently waiting to unleash this creative little dish for two weeks now - I can't hold her back any longer - I'll turn it over to Maggie so she can finally share her dish: 

The Recipe: Pumpkin Pancakes With Cinnamon Brown Butter

Original Recipe Found In:  Taste of Home Magazine-October/November 2010

What You'll Need: 

1/2 Cup Butter (Cubed)

1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/2 cup Chopped Pecans (Toasted) 

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

2 Eggs

1 1/3 Cups 2% Milk (2% Preferred, Can Be Substituted For Any Form) 

3/4 Cup Canned Pumpkin 

1/2 Ricotta Cheese

Hi everyone!  Hopefully you got to spend some time with your loved ones during the last week.  Our mini five day vacay was filled with delicious food and we got to see both of our families, which was wonderful.  This recipe comes off the heels of any Thanksgiving dinner.  If you happened to make pumpkin pie, which we did, and there was extra canned pumpkin - this recipe is for you!  Not only do you get to use leftover items, but you make a very warm and filling breakfast/supper!

To begin, melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan until golden brown, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is typically the stage before 'burning butter' so keep a close eye on it!  Add the maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Remove from heat and stir in the pecans. Set the dish aside. 

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.  In another, medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, pumpkin, and cheese.  Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened and combined. 

Drop the pancake batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle (or an electric griddle, if you have one.)  Turn the pancakes when bubbles begin to form on top.  Cook until the second side is golden brown.  Serve with the brown butter.

The Results: 

A tasty little dish if I do say so myself. As it has been well documented on the blog before, I am a pumpkin fan. If a dish has pumpkin in it - I'm all for it. So, Maggie wasn't exactly playing to a hard audience to begin with! That being said, this dish was a pleasant surprise. Subtle pumpkin flavoring blended beautifully with a light brown sugar & cinnamon touch. Well worth an attempt for you amateur chefs who like to follow along at home. As a side note, these little buggers puff up quite nicely - they are very fluffy and very filling - so be forewarned that your eyes may be bigger than your stomach! 

My idea for this recipe would be to pour the batter into a belgian waffle maker. Sprinkle that bad boy with some cinnamon and a dash of butter. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We'll save that one for another day. 

That's all we have for you this evening. Maggie is back in the kitchen tomorrow night to try her hand at a recipe that we saw demoed at the Food & Wine Expo a few weeks ago. We never got a chance to taste the dish - so there is still an element of uncertainty as Maggie goes into the kitchen tomorrow night. Either way, it should be fun. Check back tomorrow evening to see how everything turns out. Until then, 

~Cheers

Around The Culinary World

Good afternoon everyone! It's the start of a brand new week. One that sees the end of the Thanksgiving holiday and ushers in the beginning of December and the Christmas season. The temperature is dropping and it probably will not be too long before we start seeing large, white, fluffy flakes falling from the sky. Yuck.

It's what you get when you live in the midwestern US, however, and the fact that we've reached November without any snowfall (yet) is an accomplishment by itself.

With the start of the new week comes our newest feature - 'Around The Culinary World' where we share interesting news articles and tidbits about the culinary world and cooking in general. We received a good response from the debut of this feature last week - so we plan to keep it running for the foreseeable future. Without further ado - here's this week's 'Around The Culinary World'

The USDA is considering approval on a new type of genetically modified food. This time, the apple gets the star treatment. This particular offset of the humble apple is 'anti-browning' meaning that when you slice the apple it won't brown. You can get the full details HERE. In my opinion, genetically modified foods should be approached with caution. It just seems too early, to me, to know for sure if they truly harmless. This article mentions the concern growers have if these modified apples begin to pollinate with normal apples. The developers assure us that nothing will happen - but until we can say with 100% certainty that it WON'T happen - I'll take a wait and see approach. Frankly, I don't think genetically modified foods should be approved without 100% certainty that there will be no side effects.

You may have heard that the unemployment benefits of many long term unemployed are expected to expire this week. How does this change the culinary world? Food banks are anticipating seeing increased demand and decreased supplies for the coming months - during a time when they are already stretched too thin by high demand. It's an interesting and eye opening article. You can check it out HERE .

Apparently the bad economy isn't stopping some people from spending lavishly - the Associated Press has a story about a Macau billionaire who dropped $330,000 on two white truffles. The truffles, weighing in at nearly 3 pounds combined are from Tuscany and Molise. That's a lot of money for some fungus. Read the full details HERE.

Is rich, pure chocolate one of your guilty pleasures? It might not be - at least not in the way you expect. According to the European Union, there is no such thing as pure chocolate. Read the full details HERE.

And finally, in the "I can't make this stuff up" category for today - a French farmer is in trouble for feeding his ducks...marijuana. Yup. Now I've heard it all. The farmer has a great reason for it though - I bet the cops don't here this one everyday - check out the farmer's reason and the full story HERE.


There you have it folks, that's what's happening around the culinary world for November 29th, 2010. Maggie and I have a full week of recipes planned - after taking a nice long week off for Thanksgiving we're ready to get back to cooking again. Maggie will be cooking Tuesday and Wednesday and I'll be finishing off the week on Thursday. Be sure to stop by tomorrow evening to see what Maggie has cooking. Until then,

~Cheers

Around The Culinary World

Good evening everyone! It's a new week here at Out Of The Culinary - and it's the debut of a new feature on the blog. We've been debating a long time about what to do with our Monday posts. We've tried ingredient lists, special features and recipe lists. Nothing has caught our fancy though, and so we've continued to brainstorm.

Tonight, we're trying out our latest idea - Around The Culinary World - the premise of which is simple. Throughout the week, I read many interesting stories regarding cooking, ingredients, cooking techniques - etc. I've decided that a nice way to share some of these more interesting stories would be to gather up the best of the week and post them on the blog on Mondays.

So, without further ado - here's our first trip 'Around The Culinary World'

The Huffington Post has put together a collection of celebrity chefs' (serving on the Macy's Culinary Council) top picks for Thanksgiving. The article has simple tips and (more importantly) some nice turkey day dishes from some of the culinary world's greatest minds. Our personal favorite? Emeril Lagasse's Caramelized Cane Syrup Sweet Potatoes.

As a bonus - the Huffington Post also has the best Thanksgiving cocktails - for those who like to add a little alcohol to the turkey day table.

Once every five years, Congress convenes to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act. This is the act that determines what goes into school lunches - including what constitutes as a serving size and the requirements that are necessary to a 'healthy meal'. It has been well documented by Jaime Oliver, Rachael Ray and even the First Lady - Michelle Obama - that our current Child Nutrition Act standards are low and do not serve the greater good of children everywhere. Debra Eschmeyer has a great editorial on the Child Nutrition Act, including what needs to happen to start children on the path to healthier lifestyles. More information on this act can be found: HERE

You may remember hearing the stories about Domino's Pizza and the USDA conducting 'government double speak' by promoting a healthy lifestyle, while also promoting Dominos and running ads encouraging the consumption of clogtastic cheese products.  - the worst part? The Dominos ads were being funded with tax payer money! - It had the tea party crowd up in arms - government run amok! Well...it turns out that the original author of that article needs to learn a thing or two about fact checking - since the main fact his entire premise relied upon...isn't true. Read the REAL story HERE.

Finally, something a little more entertaining and lighthearted. There is an alcoholic beverage on the market that can help you digest your food after a big meal? Interested? Intrigued? Disgusted? Either way - check out the article originally from Liquor.com HERE.


There you have it dear readers. Our trip 'Around The Culinary World' for Monday, November 22nd. I have to say, this is my favorite Monday feature to date. I think we may have a winner here.

With that begin said - it's time for Maggie and I to sign off for the week. Yes, alas, this is all we will have time to share for the entire week. With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, Maggie and I will be traveling for most of the week and will not be around our kitchen to cook. (I am cooking during the holiday - just not on the blog). Rest assured we will return on Monday, Novemeber 29th with a new set of recipes. Until then, have a happy Thanksgiving and as always,

~Cheers

Turkey Day Finale

Good evening everyone! It's the end of Thanksgiving week here on the blog - as usual, Maggie and I are off (I.E. not cooking) on Fridays, so we are simply sharing two more interesting and potentially useful dishes to place on the table this turkey day. What was on the menu for the two amateur chefs? Quiznos! On to tonight's recipes:

The Recipe: Candied Sweet Potato Casserole
Original Recipe Found In: The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2nd Edition: Every Recipe from the Hit TV Show With Product Ratings and a Look Behind the Scenes

What You'll Need:

8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
5 Pounds Sweet Potatoes (About 8 Medium) Peeled, Cut Into 1 Inch Cubes
1 1/2 Cups Packed Light Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Water
1 1/2 Teaspoon Table Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Cups Pecan Halves
1 Egg White, Lightly Beaten
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Pinch Ground Cumin

Begin by melting the butter in a large dutch oven over medium to medium high heat. Add the sweet potatoes, brown sugar, water, salt and black pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover. Cook, stirring often, until the sweet potatoes are tender (a paring knife or fork is the best indicator for this - if it slips into and out of the sweet potato with little resistance, they are tender) - this should take about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the pecans, 1/2 cup brown sugar, egg white, 1/2 teaspoon of table salt the cayenne pepper and the cumin together in a medium bowl. Set this mixture aside.

Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 450 degrees. Pour the potato mixture into a 13 X 9 inch baking dish. Spread the topping over the potatoes and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pecans are toasted and crisp. Serve immediately and enjoy!


The Recipe: Dinner Rolls

I've found that there are many, many, MANY options out there for dinner rolls. From Pillsbury to scratch, the options are endless. For those who truly enjoy cooking - or want to try their hand at some fresh dinner rolls, we've found these recipes to be both easy to follow and well tested - meaning you won't have to worry about Thanksgiving dinner smelling of 'roll smoke'!


The Options:

Taste Of Home has a recipe for dinner rolls that are sure to end up soft and fluffy like a pillow!

Food Network has one of the simplest and easy to follow homemade roll recipes we've seen!

Pillsbury's own website offers up some creative deviations for their canned rolls - for those looking for excitement without getting overly adventurous.

Cooks.com has a user posted recipe (that has been reviewed and verified) that is receiving rave reviews.


That's all we have for you this week. Here's hoping you found a recipe or two to try in the kitchen for the coming holiday. Maybe you found a little motivation to go out and try something new this year - get creative and have so fun. At the very least, here's hoping you at least enjoyed reading our experiences with the traditional turkey day favorites. One quick note to our family back home - don't worry about replicating the pumpkin pie recipe - I will be brining those to dinner myself! Until Monday,

~Cheers

Golden & Delicious

Good evening everyone! It's day three of Thanksgiving week here at Out Of The Culinary! So far, we've covered turkey (two forms) pumpkin pie and mashed sweet potatoes. By now, if you just followed our recipes, you'd have a nice little Thanksgiving table going. Tonight we're sharing another two recipes (one we cooked - one just to share) that will help balance that table out even more.

It was Maggie's night to take to the kitchen, and she was originally planning to tackle some form of stuffing recipe. However, as we researched stuffing we found that most major chefs panned cooking the stuffing with the turkey (as it ends up drying out the bird while the stuffing cooked.) In addition, a lot of our food resources panned the dish altogether - siting its boring flavors and predictable nature on the Thanksgiving table. In its place, some other forms of flavorful bread were offered up. We settled on one particular form of bread this evening that is sure to delight any turkey day dinner guest.

The Recipe: Golden Corn Bread
Original Recipe Found In: The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2nd Edition: Every Recipe from the Hit TV Show With Product Ratings and a Look Behind the Scenes

What You'll Need:

4 Tablespoons (1/2 Stick) Unsalted Butter (Melted)
4 Large Eggs
1 1/3 Cups Buttermilk
1 1/3 Cups Milk
2 Cups Yellow Cornmeal
2 Cups (10 Ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt

Hi everyone!  Naturally, I wouldn't think corn bread would be part of a Thanksgiving dinner table, or maybe I was raised in a corn bread-less Thanksgiving world.  But since Tyler and I have started our own family, perhaps we can make corn bread a holiday tradition...or maybe I'm really hungry and just want to eat it now (it has to cool for an hour... which it's doing while I type this)...  Anyhow, to the recipe!


First, grease a 9x13 pan with butter and preheat an oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs together, then whisk in the buttermilk and the milk.

In a separate, bigger, bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.  After mixing the dry ingredients, push the combination up the sides of the bowl and make a well in the center and pour the wet ingredients into the well.  Whisk all the ingredients together until just combined.  Stir in the melted butter.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.  Bake until the top is golden brown and the edges have pulled away from the sides, 30-40 minutes.  Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before eating, about one hour.  Serve with butter and honey and enjoy!

The End Result:

 This cornbread is built for the Thanksgiving table. It's very spongy and absorbent - which means it sucks in butter and honey quite nicely (making it a nice standalone dish.) The nice part of this absorbent nature is that the bread is also great for mopping up gravy and dunking into soup (if you're the type that has soup on turkey day). It's a great standalone dish with the potential to be a great turkey day sidekick - I.E. the perfect Thanksgiving companion!


That's not all we have for you tonight - our recipe to share is a Thanksgiving staple (that I find to be putrid...but to each his/her own.)

The Recipe: Quick Green Bean Casserole
Original Recipe Found In: The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2nd Edition: Every Recipe from the Hit TV Show With Product Ratings and a Look Behind the Scenes

What You'll Need:

3 Large Shallots (Sliced thin)
3 Tablespoons Unbleached All-Purpose
5 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
10 Ounces Cremini Mushrooms (Sliced 1/4 inch thick)
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Medium Onion (Minced)
2 Medium Garlic Cloves (Minced)
1 1/2 Pounds Green Beans (Trimmed)
3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Bay Leaves
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
3/4 Cup Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

Begin by tossing the shallots with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and 2 tablespoons of flour in a medium bowl. Meanwhile, heat (on medium) 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a 12 inch skillet or dutch oven until shimmering - just shy of smoking. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and crisp - this takes roughly 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the shallots and the oil to a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Wipe out the skillet / dutch oven and return to heat. On medium high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil along with the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stirring occasionally - cook until the mushrooms are well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set aside.

Wipe out the skillet / dutch oven. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat, then add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the edges begin to brown, about 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour. Toss in the green beans, thyme and bay leaves. Next, add the cream and chicken broth. Increase the heat to medium high and cover the skillet. Cook until the beans are tender, but still crisp at the center, about 4 to 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook, uncovered, until the green beans are tender - an additional 4 to 7 minutes. Off of the heat, discard the bay leaves and thyme. Sprinkle with the shallots and serve!


There you have it. Delicious cornbread and green bean casserole (That's as close as you're going to get to having green beans in any recipe on this blog, dear readers, I cannot stand green beans and will not cook with nor eat the little buggers). Tomorrow we have two more recipes to share, to round out Thanksgiving week - although we will not be cooking either of them. So, in a sense, that's all we have for you this week - cooking wise. We're still sharing recipes up until tomorrow night, so be sure to browse by tomorrow evening to see the final two turkey day dishes. Until then,

~Cheers

I'll Have The Pie!

Good evening everyone! It's another cold and windy day here in the metro - but it's not snowing or spitting freezing rain and the forecast looks to stay that way for the foreseeable future - that means it's a beautiful day!

Tonight, we're continuing Thanksgiving week by tackling another staple of the holiday table - in fact, this dish may be just as popular (if not more so) than the feature dish. Tonight's recipe is pumpkin pie.

There are many challenges when it comes to making pumpkin pie. The first is to develop and soft and flaky crust that isn't overly dry or overly tough. On top of that challenge, you also have to make a light, fluffy and flavorful pie filling that won't dry out or cook unevenly. These challenges have led many to turn to store brand pies and 'instant mixes' to satisfy their pumpkin pie urge during the holiday season. Hopefully, with the help of my recipes tonight - the need to go to the store and buy a subpar pumpkin will be erased. My pumpkin pie recipe this evening so straightforward and easy to follow - and the best part is, you likely have not tasted a better pumpkin pie in your lifetime. (Okay, maybe you have, but this one is in the top 3 anyway!)

The Recipe (s): Fool Proof Pie Dough & Pumpkin Pie
Original Recipes Found In: The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2nd Edition: Every Recipe from the Hit TV Show With Product Ratings and a Look Behind the Scenes

Fool Proof Pie Dough
What You'll Need:

2 1/2 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter - Cut into quarters
1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening (Chilled)
1/4 Cup Vodka*
1/4 Cup Ice Water

* Now, I'm sure the first question that comes to your mind is, "why vodka?" The problem with many pie dough recipes is that they are low on water - this lack of water helps the crust stay softer after baking. However, the trade off is that the dough is very tough to roll out and manipulate. Adding more water to the dough allows the dough to be easily manipulated and rolled, however, as you can imagine the trade off is that the crust becomes very tough and dry. The good folks at America's Test Kitchen discovered that vodka is the perfect solution to this problem. How? Well, I'll quote directly from their explanation:

"While gluten (the protein that makes crust tough) forms readily in water, it doesn't form in ethanol, and vodka is 60 percent water and 40 percent ethanol. So adding 1/4 cup of vodka and 1/4 water produces a moist, easy-to-roll dough that stays tender because the alcohol vaporizes in the oven, leaving the final crust with only about 6 tablespoons of water. This dough bakes into a crust that is tender, flavorful, and that rolls out easily every time." 

For this recipe, the vodka is essential to the tender texture and adds no flavor to the final dough. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE WATER for the vodka. You absolutely must use vodka in this recipe for the dough to turn out. This recipe makes a double batch of the pie dough - however, the excess dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or stored in the freezer until you need to make another pie. Simply allow the dough to thaw completely before using out of the freezer.

Begin making the dough by processing 1 1/2 cups of the flour, with sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Next, add the butter and shortening (you may have to add both in sections - not all at once - depending on the size of your food processor). Process until everything is incorporated and the mixture is forming thick clumps.

Scrape the dough down the sides of the processing bowl and back on top of the blades. Add the other 1 cup of flour to the dough and pules until everything is evenly incorporated (roughly 5 to 7 pulses). Transfer this mixture to a medium bowl and add the vodka and ice water (straining out the ice first!) Stir and press the dough with a rubber spatula until the dough begins to stick together. (The easy way to tell you are done stirring is when the dough looks like traditional dough - up until this point, the dough has been very mealy and separated - once it joins, it is ready.)

Divide the dough into two even pieces. Place each piece of dough on a section of wax or parchment paper and work the dough into a 4 inch disk. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Before rolling the dough out - let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes to soften. After this time, roll the dough into a larger circle - just slightly larger than the circumference of the pie plate you are using. Drape the dough over the plate and work it in - making sure there are no pockets or air bubbles. Form the top of the crust with your fingers or with a fork - whatever your preference may be - and turn your attention to making the actual pie.

Pumpkin Pie
What You'll Need:

1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Whole Milk
3 Large Eggs, Plus 2 Large Egg Yolks
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Can (15 Ounces) Pumpkin Puree
1 Cup Candied Yams (Drained)
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

Begin by adjusting your oven rack to the lowest position. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Next, using two layers of aluminum foil, cover your pie completely. Add pie weights to the center of the aluminum foil (this keeps the dough from rising during the early cooking stages) and cook on the heated baking sheet (in the now 400 degree oven) for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and the pie weights and return the pie to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and golden brown. Transfer the pie crust to a wire rack until the filling is ready. (Be sure to keep the filing and the pie crust cooking times close together - the pie works best when both the crust and the filing are till warm when added together.)

While the pie crust is cooking you can turn your attention to making the filling. In a large bowl, whisk the cream, milk, vanilla, eggs and egg yolks together. Set aside. Next, bring the pumpkin puree, yams, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to a simmer in a large saucepan. Over medium heat, stir the mixture constantly (making sure to mash the yams while stirring) until the mixture becomes thick and slightly shiny. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes (which is great - because that's how long the pie crust takes!)

Off of the heat, whisk in the cream mixture and stir until everything is combined. Using a large strainer, pour the mixture into a medium bowl. Use a spoon or ladle to push all of the liquid through the strainer. This helps keep the strings from the yams and other larger impurities from making their way into the pie. Whisk the newly strained mixture and then pour it into the still warm pie crust.

Return the pie to the oven, on the same baking sheet as before and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and cook for another 20 to 35 minutes. (These first 10 minutes of high heat prevent the cream mixture from curdling inside the pie filling.) After 20 to 35 minutes, the outer edges of the pie should be set and the center should still have a little 'play'. If the pie still seems a little 'jiggly' return it to the oven for another 5 minutes. Once the sides are set and the center registers 175 degrees on an instant read thermometer - transfer the pie to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool at air temperature for  2 to 3 hours before serving. Serve with whipped topping (optional...or not, depending on how seriously you take your Cool Whip!)


But that's not all we have for you this evening- since we have so many recipes to share, we will be posting two per day. The second dish tonight is a not so traditional take on a traditional Thanksgiving dish - mashed sweet potatoes.

The Recipe: Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Original Recipe Found In: The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2nd Edition: Every Recipe from the Hit TV Show With Product Ratings and a Look Behind the Scenes

What You'll Need:

4 Tablespoons (1/2 Stick) Unsalted Butter, Cut In 4 Pieces
2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Pounds Sweet Potatoes (2 to 3 medium) Peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch tick slices

Begin by melting the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in the cream, sugar and salt. Next add the sweet potatoes and cook, covered, stirring occasionally for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.

Once soft, remove the pan from heat and mash the sweet potatoes with a masher or transfer them to a food processor and pulse until fully mashed. Serve immediately with a dash of salt and pepper to taste. (I think this may be the easiest side dish recipe we've ever shared!)


The Results:

First, the pumpkin pie - We try not to make claims that we can't back up. When I said earlier that this may very well be the best pumpkin pie you have ever had, I meant it. Top to bottom, this recipe produces the one of the best pumpkin pies I have ever tasted (Top 3 I would wager, I've had one or two professionally made pumpkin pies that I would not but behind this one.) The crust is soft, flaky and perfect and not too dry - not too moist. The filling bursts with amazing pumpkin flavor - a beautiful combination of spice and sweetness. The filling is also fluffy and light - rather than thick and messy.

The mashed sweet potatoes may be my favorite sweet potato recipe. This recipe allows the natural flavors of the sweet potatoes to run this dish - sweet, creamy yet just a little bit 'nutty'. The potatoes themselves are light and fluffy - and with a dash of butter on top are simply the greatest turkey day side dish you can make. The best part is that the recipe is so undeniably simple! 35 minutes of cook time and ta-da!

That's all we have for you this evening. Maggie takes a crack at a Thanksgiving recipe tomorrow evening, so be sure to stop back tomorrow night to see what dish she's cooking. Until then,

~Cheers

Gobble Gobble

Good evening everyone! It's a not so beautiful Tuesday here in the metro - but it's not snowing (for now) and the temperatures are above freezing, so I'm not complaining! More importantly, it's the start of Thanksgiving week here at Out Of The Culinary!

While every family has different traditions for turkey day, the one common denominator for most families is turkey. Roasted, deep fried, grilled - whatever your cooking preference, 99% of homes have some form of the gobbler on the table for Thanksgiving dinner. (NOTE: the 99% statistic is something I completely made up and in no way should be counted as a real statistic)

Turkey: Some are more stylish than others - but they all look good on the table in November 

With that being said, we thought there was no better way to kick off the Thanksgiving week on the blog than by sharing a turkey recipe! Now, as we touched on last night - Maggie and I don't have the means (financially or waistline wise) to purchase and eat an entire 12 - 14 pound turkey just for the sake of the blog. So, we are sharing a classic roasted turkey recipe today, from our good friends (that we haven't actually met - but I'm sure we'd get along very well) at America's Test Kitchen. We are also sharing what was on the menu for ourselves this evening - roasted turkey breast.

Let's get started with the full recipe from America's Test Kitchen

The Recipe: Classic Roast Turkey
Original Recipe Found In: The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2nd Edition: Every Recipe from the Hit TV Show With Product Ratings and a Look Behind the Scenes

What You'll Need:

2 Cups Table Salt
1 (12 - 14 pound) Turkey
2 Medium Onions (chopped coarse)
2 Medium Carrots (chopped coarse)
2 Celery Ribs (chopped coarse)
6 Sprigs Thyme
3 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter (melted)
1 Cup Water


The key to a juicy, tender turkey on Thanksgiving has been sought after for many, many years. There are countless methods available to the home chef, all of them promising the best, juiciest turkey you've ever had. From bags, to deep friers, every technique has it's successes...and it's failures. The method that the professionals all agree upon, however, is brining.

Now, if you're wondering what brining is - you must me new to the blog (Hi!) as we have gone into full detail about brine and the brining process countless times before. If you need a refresher course - check here, here and here. I'll sum up brining the way Cook's Illustrated describes it:

"Simply put, the brining solution flows into the meat , distributing moisture and seasoning. In our testing, we found that while a turkey roasted straight out of its package will retain about 82 percent of its total weight after cooking, a brined turkey will retain about 93 precent of its total weight after cooking - and thus be moister and more flavorful." 

It can't be made any more clear than that. If you want the best, moist turkey on Thanksgiving - you have to give the turkey a bath in brine.

To begin, dissolve the salt in 2 gallons of cold water (in a large container). Submerge the turkey in the brine, cover and refrigerate (or in a cool place, with the temperature below 40 degrees) for 4 to 6 hours.

Next, set a wire rack on a large baking sheet. Remove the turkey from the brine and dry well (make sure to get the cavity as well!) Place the turkey on the wire rack and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. This process, know simply as drying, allows the turkey's skin to dry completely, resulting in crisp skin and not a loose flabby out layer. If you are a fan of the turkey skin, you'll want to adhere to this step. Obviously, you can skip step 2 and simply begin cooking once the brining is complete - just be prepared to loose some of the crisp nature of the skin during cooking.

Adjust your oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a v-rack roasting pan with heavy aluminum foil and poke several holes in the foil. Spray the foil with vegetable oil.

Toss half of the onions, carrots and celery in a medium bowl with melted butter. Place the coated veggies inside the turkey. Tie the turkey's legs together with cooking twine and tuck the wings underneath the body. Place the rest of the vegetables in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Pour 1 cup of water into the roasting pan. Brush the turkey breast with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter and then place it, breast side down, in the v-rack. Brush the remaining portions of the turkey with another 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

Roast the turkey for 45 minutes. After this time, remove the pan from the oven and baste the turkey with the juices from the bottom of the roasting pan. CAREFULLY rotate the turkey 1/4 of a turn so that the thigh/leg side is now facing up. If you used up all of the liquid from the pan, add an additional 1/4 cup of water now as well. Return to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes. Once again, carefully rotate the turkey so the other thigh/leg side is up. Baste and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Finally, rotate the turkey so the breast side is up, baste and cook until the thickest part of the breast reaches 160 to 165 degrees and the thickest part of the thigh registers 175 degrees. (30 to 45 minutes)

Remove the turkey from the oven. Gently tip it to pour out the juices from the cavity into the roasting pan (especially if you want to make turkey gravy later on!). Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and allow to rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes before carving (this allows the juices to return to the meat - preventing you from spilling all of that hard work out onto the cutting board.)


Now, for those who are cooking for one or two this Thanksgiving, or for those who happen to save the turkey breast for a separate meal -

I did a little searching for a smaller sized turkey recipe over the past few days when I made a very interesting discovery. On one of the more popular user submitted recipe sites, Epicurious, I found a recipe that had a good idea - but if executed how it was originally instructed, it would end up a disaster. After some creative altering - I created a nice, smaller sized turkey themed dish.

The Recipe: Roasted Turkey Breast With Mustard Pan Sauce
Original Recipe Found In: Epicurious.com - but adjusted so much that it's an original now

What You'll Need:

2 Tablespoons Honey Mustard (If you lack honey mustard simply add 1 Tbs honey to dijon mustard!)
1 Tablespoons Chopped Tarragon (1 teaspoon dried - approximately)
2 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Boneless, Skinless Turkey Breasts
2 Pounds Baby Potatoes (Red preferred - halved)
2 Cups Thinly Sliced Leeks (One small onion works as a substitute)


Begin by mixing 2 tablespoons of the honey mustard with 1 tablespoon of tarragon (1/2 teaspoon if you are using dried tarragon) and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place your turkey breasts on a well greased baking sheet (cooking spray works the best for this).

Thanksgiving dinner: small scale

Season each breast with salt and pepper and cover with the mustard mixture. Cook in the lower 1/3 of the oven at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss your sliced potatoes (adjust the preparation of the potatoes for the type you are using - if you have red baby potatoes - simply halve and them and leave the skin - if you are using russet - remove the skin and quarter - etc. use your best judgement) with the leek (or onion) 1 tablespoon of tarragon (1/2 teaspoon dried) and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Spread the potatoes out on a second (well greased) baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.  (I chose not to use potatoes tonight due to the fact that the current potatoes under our cabinet were growing their own potato patch - oops! Probably not the best things to use! We went with corn instead...)

After the first 15 minutes, place the potatoes on the rack in the top 1/3 of your oven and cook, mixing occasionally for 15 to 25 minutes. Monitor the turkey breast after 15 minutes, making sure to check the temperature often - you are shooting for 165 degrees at the thickest part of the breast - once you reach that temperature you are ready to enjoy!

The Results:

Fantastic! The tweaks that I made (more on that below) and the original flavor pairing concept all blended into a perfect sweet yet somewhat spicy turkey dish. The turkey was incredibly juicy and tender (even without brining!) as well, which was a surprising bonus.

This recipe could have been a disaster had I followed the original instructions. The original dish called for 5 tablespoons of tarragon - which, if you are familiar with tarragon, you are aware that it is a very strong spice. 5 tablespoons is a ridiculous amount - especially given the small scale it was being used in.

Secondly, the original recipe recommended cooking the turkey breast for over 1.5 hours! Now, anyone with any cooking common sense can deductively reason that if a whole turkey takes 1.5 to 2 hours - two turkey breasts should not take nearly as long.

I could tell that the concept was correct - honey mustard with a hint of tarragon had the potential to make a good marinade. However, my inner chef had enough experience to say "something doesn't seem right here". Sure enough, a quick click to the comments section proved my suspicions correct. The comments were all in the vein of 'cooking time is way too long' or 'That is simply too much tarragon' or my personal favorite 'I don't think this recipe was tested before being published'. Bingo. There in lies the fault of these quick 'community' recipe sites that are starting to boom all over the internet (and it's why we don't use those recipes) anyone, and I mean anyone is allowed to share their recipe with the world - which is fabulous - BUT and it's a big but, there are no editors or tasters. These places aren't America's Test Kitchen where a recipe is tested dozens of times until it's perfect - it's not even Jaime Magazine where a professional chef is sharing his recipe. These sites are not even Food Network Magazine or Bon Appetit where at least the user submitted recipes are tested before being published. Nope. Untested and untried recipes are simply tossed out and published for all the world to try. Sometimes that's great...sometimes, you end up with blackened turkey coated in way too much tarragon.

In the end, I ended up adapting this recipe to my own preferences because it was still a good idea. Mustard tarragon turkey with red potatoes sounded like a great dish. The execution and directions on the site were - to say the least - not accurate nor useful, but the concept  was there for the taking and the rest (I.E. the cooking) came down to my own experience. It's a cautionary tale - if you feel that your cooking sense is high enough to detect 'bad directions' by all means, go out and explore these sites. If you are still in the novice "I only do what the recipe says" range - I'd recommend sticking to published, trusted (and tested) recipes.

As much as I love my wife - my little cooking partner - I know without a shadow of a doubt that this recipe (or ones similar) would have nailed her - even with all of her experience. Recipes such as these have in the past. When one of her dishes doesn't turn out, I usually ask "How much of ingredient X did you use?" She responds "well 3 tablespoons... " I retort "3 Tablespoons! Holy cow! Didn't you think that was too much?" She'd reply "Yes, but that's what the recipe said to use" As you can tell, we've been down this road a few times! (And in her defense, she is getting better at adapting on the fly). It just goes to show, don't just follow - think it through and create the dish in your head - if it seems wrong - do some research. It just might keep supper from going up the chimney!

Or worse...

That's all we have for you tonight. Thanksgiving week continues tomorrow night with a turkey day classic that is almost as synonymous with the holiday as turkey itself. Be sure to stop back tomorrow evening to see what we've got cooking. Until then,

~Cheers