Bowl of Berries

Ok, t-minus 3 days! It’s going to be a busy week for me as I work tomorrow and Wednesday night, the fam comes in town Wednesday night, dinner is at my house on Thursday with my fam and Scottie’s Mom (his Dad is in Chilie- I promise I didn’t leave him out!) and Friday I may do a bit of shopping but would be happy with just sleeping in and eating before heading to the mall that night to work- I know you are jealous!

So my Mom requested that the Thanksgiving menu not be butter laden and my sister and her vegetarian ways have prevented me from adding bacon to all of the sides. But have no fear- the turkey is still being fried and there will still be butter strategically placed throughout the meal

So here is my menu:

Brie and Fig Jam Crostini

Apple Cider Brined Fried Turkey
Mashed Garlic Potatoes
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Whiskey Glazed Carrots
Mac and Cheese for my sister (ok and me!)
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Deviled Eggs
Homemade Rolls

Pumpkin Cheesecake- requested after my last post!
Spice Cake with Orange Glaze -because I realized I made cheesecake for Easter when we cooked for Scottie’s parents- I don’t want his Mom to think I only make cheesecake!

I may roast some green beans as well as I am getting that in my weekly produce shipment and I will probably use them in a turkey pot pie for leftovers…yum!

So what is on your menu?

I made this cheesecake a couple weeks ago for my Jaycee fund raiser and it received rave reviews so I wanted to post it for my records and your enjoyment.  I have made pumpkin cheesecakes before but this one is dense and rich with just enough pumpkin flavor and spice. It is very much a New York style cheesecake and with 4 packages of cream cheese I am sure you can understand.  I really love this crust also, it really sets it apart from other recipes with the addition of crystallized ginger and pecans, it lends a lovely crunch and when you get a bit of the ginger it’s a nice surprise.  I used the Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Snaps (aka crack snaps- because you can easily get addicted!) and they worked quite well.  I reduced the crystallized ginger a bit because the cookie have some already and I didn’t want to overpower the crust.  Scottie did a fantastic job of forming the crust to the pan

So if you haven’t decided on your Thanksgiving dessert I would highly recommend this one.  It can easily be made a day or two in advance, wrapped tightly and kept in the fridge.  I also think this comes out quite beautifully, no large cracks to speak of.  I did the trick of opening the oven a bit after the recommended bake time to let some hot air out and slowly cool the cake.  Then I pulled it out after about 15 minutes of cooling and left it on a rack to cool completely in the pan.  After an hour or so I removed it form the pan, wrapped it and placed it in the fridge…a perfect pumpkin cheesecake.  But even if it’s not perfect, a crack is nothing a bit of fresh whipped cream can’t cover

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

For crust:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 9 ounces)
1 cup pecans (about 3 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For filling:
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
5 large eggs
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Grind cookie crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, and ginger in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter; using on/off turns, process to blend. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; press onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake crust until set and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on low speed to incorporate each addition. Add flour, spices, and salt; beat just to blend. Beat in vanilla. Transfer filling to cooled crust. Bake until filling is just set in center and edges begin to crack (filling will move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool 1 hour. Run knife around sides of pan to release crust. Chill cheesecake uncovered in pan overnight.

The Aftermath

This Sunday I thought it would be fun to have a bunch of people come over and cook an entire Thanksgiving meal…from scratch. No I was not drugged or bribed to do it…it was all in the name of charity. The guests brought donations for The Heifer Project, link here, and in return they got full bellies. Not a bad deal.

So I took this as an opportunity to practice some new recipes for Thanksgiving, since I have to work at the tea shop the day after Thanksgiving (yey for retail!) Mom and Dad are coming down to Raleigh to celebrate. Scottie fried two turkeys and I made all of the sides including homemade rolls and desserts. I woke up at 8am, started cooking, took a few hours to pick up some flowers and wine, then back to cooking until the first guest arrived at 4:10pm…an hour early! Did I mention my dining room table collapsed while we were trying to open the leaf, yeah…and broke my awesome lasagna pan…and scratched my floor. But no meltdown for me! It was quite a milestone, Scottie was proud of me. Nonetheless, Scottie and I went into Dinner Impossible mode and got it done, dinner was served by 5:30pm. Only 30 minutes late but there was wine and football so the guests were happy.

The menu included:

Fried Turkeys
Sweet Potato Casserole
Creamy Herbed Potatoes from the Pioneer Woman
Giada’s Ciabatta and Pancetta Stuffing
Glazed Carrots from the Pioneer Woman
Sauteed Kale from Simple Recipes
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Homemade Rolls

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pie (recipes in another post)

Everything was a hit, especially the stuffing which surprised me, but I guess anything with bacon is a good thing. The turkeys were also perfect despise an initial oil overflow, Scottie made it work and I am so appreciative of that!

Below are a few of the recipes I tried, all with great results so I am excited to try them again!

Sautéed Kale with Smoked Paprika
From Simply Recipes

1 lb fresh kale, carefully rinsed, stems and center ribs cut away and discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (also sold as Pimenton), sweet or hot
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
Salt

1 Bring a large pot (4 qts) of water to a boil. Add a Tablespoon of salt to the water. Add the chopped kale. Cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2 Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the smoked paprika and crushed red pepper. Add the kale and sauté for several more minutes. Sprinkle on more salt and smoked paprika to taste.

Creamy Herbed Potatoes
From the Pioneer Woman

4 to 5 russet potatoes
1 stick (1/4 pound) butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
8 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk (half & half works, too)
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped sage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice potatoes very thinly.
Add butter to a large skillet over medium low heat, When melted, add diced onion. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add cream cheese to the pan and stir to melt.
Pour in cream and milk, stirring to combine.
Season with plenty of salt and pepper, then add chopped herbs.
Place potatoes in a buttered baking dish. Pour contents of skillet over the top.
Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for 45 minutes, or until bubby and…bubby. Allow potatoes to sit 15 minutes before serving.

Whiskey-Glazed Carrots
From the Pioneer Woman

2 - 3 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into thick circles
1 stick (1/2 cup…1/4 lb) butter
1/2 cup Jack Daniels or other whiskey
3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

Melt 1 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add carrots in two batches, cooking for 60 to 90 seconds each batch. Remove from skillet.
Pour in whiskey and allow to evaporate 30 seconds.
Reduce heat to medium, and add remaining butter.
When butter melts, sprinkle brown sugar over the top.
Stir together, then add carrots to skillet.
Cover, and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Remove lid and add salt and pepper. Continue cooking until carrots are done and glaze is thick, about 5 more minutes.
Pour onto a platter and serve immediately. Sprinkle with chopped chives if desired.

A couple weeks ago I had a full Saturday off from all jobs and no housework to do…a miracle I know!  Scottie said I could chose to do whatever I wanted.  My eyes lite up and my mind was racing.  Do we go to Chapel Hill and roam around Franklin Street?  Do we go to Smithfield and go outlet shopping?  Do we go to the Farmer’s Market and buy way too many vegetables?  I decided I wanted to stay close to home and try some new restaurants and explore Cameron Village.

I also wanted to have brunch but few places serve it on Saturdays and I didn’t want to do to the usual Brig’s or bakery type place. So after a quick Google search we found Poole’s Diner,  which I had heard about for dinner but never for brunch. So we made our way downtown and almost missed the converted old school diner on McDowell street.  You really have to be on the lookout for this or you will miss, there is no gawdy signage, just a simple logo etched on the front door.  We arrives around 11am or so and this place is TINY and they don’t take reservations.  Luckily there is plenty of bar seating so we decide to grab a few stools by the front door.    This place is chill.  You come here to take your time, enjoy the coffee, people watch a bit, catch up on the paper, don’t come here for a quick meal…this is slow food…and I loved it!  The menu is on various blackboards throughout the place, I have read that some people don’t like this but I think it adds to it’s charm and reinforces it motto of fresh, local food.

We both started with coffee and I had to try the BIG biscuit, which is true to it’s name, this thing is mammoth and has a nice whole grain texture.  Paired with butter and fresh apple butter, this thing is meant to be shared, unless you plan to not eat brunch, which would just be stupid.  The menu has classic omeletes and hashes but with many twists.  After much thought I went with the lamb hash with poached eggs and hollandaise.  Scottie went with the chicken and waffles, two perfect dishes to share in my opinion.  I ordered the last hash, which I was offered $50 to give up by another diner, hell no my mind was set and I now have validation that it is good.  A few minutes later our entrees arrive and wow….just wow…I was in love.  The lamb was tender and pulled apart quite easily, the edges were nicely carmelized and were paired perfectly with the runny yolk and creamy sauce.  The potatoes were certainly the supporting role and were not anything special, if a bit under done.  Regardless, I am glad I kept this dish.  Scottie’s dish was also very nice, two lightly fried chicken breast, and a waffle both drizzled with local honey…yum.

Overall, a fantastic meal.  I would not hesitate to come back and try another round of brunch or try to get in or dinner, which I can now see can be a challenge.

We perused Cameron Village, not buying anything which surprised me, but I am trying to not buy as much these days.  We then went up to North Hills as we never seem to go during the day when shops are open.  Again we didn’t buy anything but nothing really grabbed my attention.  We planned to cook dinner that night but I suggested we stop by Coquette for  a drink and an appetizer.  It had only been open about a week or so, so my expectations were rather low but I was in the mood for something different and French food sounded yummy.

I will mention that the weather this day was perfect, the sun was out, it was warm for an October day but still quite pleasant.  The large windows/doors of the restaurant were open and the sun was setting which made the sky this beautiful pink color.  We ordered cocktails at the bar and looked over the menu.  We decided on steak tartare and escargot and pomme frites, a few small plates that would satisfy us until dinner.   They brought over some fresh bread and butter which were divine.  The butter was sprinkled with salt which I LOVED.  Then came our dishes, right off the bat I could smell the garlic butter in which the snails were swimming in.  YUM!  I haven’t had these in a long time and these were great.  The steak tartare was quite substantial and had a nice flavor of whole grain mustard.  Later the manager/owner/who knows came by and asked how we liked it, stating they just changed the recipe.  We both approved and commented that the portion was huge for an appetizer.   The pommes frites were slim shoestrings fried with a side of both ketchup and a garlicky aioli, quite good.  I had to laugh because they were served in the mint julep cups from “South”  a good way to recycle

The dishes were really nice and we ended up ordering more drinks and enjoying the atmosphere a bit longer.  I would definitely go back and try a few more dishes.  I really enjoyed sitting at the bar and would probably sit at the bar again or near the front of the house as it seemed a bit less formal.

We decided against cooking dinner since we were still full from Coquette and ended up at a wine bar downtown which isn’t even worth mentioning because I was not at all impressed so I will save my words :)  But Poole’s and Coquette were certainly winners!