Happy almost- New Year!

Mr. Foodie and I had a wonderful Christmas. It was more low key than in years past, but we enjoyed it. It is finally starting to feel like winter here in Florida. It was hot and humid on Christmas, but today it is in the 30s outside. It will be in the 50s/60s around noon. I have to say that I love living in Florida because we don't have to deal with snow and sleet, etc.

Mr. Foodie and I didn't have any money to buy gifts this year, not even for each other. Our families were still very generous and gave us many things. My Mom picked out shirts and sweaters for me that I love. She also gave me a cute PJ set that I am wearing right now. My Mother-In- Law got us the cutest Christmas ornaments ever. She always gives us at least one ornament each year. It is a very special tradition that I love. She gave us two black cat ornaments with our Cat Names on them "Southpaw" & "Katalina." She ordered them from Bronners.com.

Another favorite gift is from Mr. Foodies grandparents: Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking: Volume Two. I am so excited to read this cookbook and try a few challenging recipes. My new kitchen item came from my Sister who got me mini Cocottes from Le Creuset. They even came with a little cookbook with great recipes. I am also excited to try those as soon as I can.

I had better get back to studying. I take the Series 7 next Tuesday.... I feel I am prepared but I must keep studying to make sure. Happy Tuesday! I am very thankful for such a wonderful family and all of the great things I have in life.

Christmas Dream List

This year we don't have any extra cash to buy gifts. In order to satisfy my shopping cravings I thought I would create a dream Christmas list.

1. Dean & Deluca Parmigiano Reggiano Whole Wheel Cheese

2. Classic Di Porchetta

3. Milano Diamond Leaf Band Ring

4. Micropave' Diamond Earrings

5. Princess Cut Diamond Bracelet

6. Burberry Check and Leather Headband

7. Hermes Scarf

8. Lady Dior Leather Top Handle Bag

9. Pair of Tiffany candlesticks

10. Tiffany Diamond Bow Brooch

11. 2 Round Trip Upper Class Virgin Atlantic flights to London

12. 3 month Sail Boat Charter in the Virgin Islands

The Cranberry

Fresh Cranberries are my favorite thing about fall/winter. They are nutritious and taste great at the same time. Here are some of my favorite ways to use Cranberries this year.

Spicy Cranberry Sauce with Pinot Noir - I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit!

Cranberry Nut Bread - We are obsessed with this recipe. We have made it 6 times (not kidding).

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake - This was pretty good, but not spectacular. Whipped cream is a must to cut the sweetness of this cake,

This morning I made oatmeal with cranberries and pecans. I stirred in a handful of fresh cranberries in the boiling water before adding the oats. They made it taste really unique and also made the oatmeal turn pink! This would be a fun idea if you had kids.

Happy Holidays! Our Christmas Tree is in the house but hasn't been decorated because we have to get new lights. Once we get the lights and ornaments on the tree I will share some photographs.

Thanksgiving

I am so busy studying for my new job that I don't have time to post. Here is a picture of my Thanksgiving table.

Last Day

Today is my last day at my current job. A very exciting day indeed. I start the new job on Monday, so not much of a break for me!

I had a great time last night b/c my Friend "L" is in town. She cam over after work and Mr. Foodie and I made dinner for her. We make Chicken Tikka Masala, which I have posted about on this blog before. Such a great dish! Cooks Illustrated is always the best.

I went to World Market today with my 10% coupon and got chestnuts for my Thanksgiving stuffing and spices. They had a special buy 3 get one free on their organic spices which is pretty awesome!

I am so ready for this day to be over with...

A less-stress Thanksgiving

Here are my tips for a Less-Stress Thanksgiving:

1. Prepare all decorations the weekend before.

2. Polish all silverware and glassware a week before the big day. I have stainless steel flatware and I use a little vinegar and water (50/50 mixture) to keep it looking sparkling clean.

3. I purchase my turkey the Saturday before Thanksgiving to make sure I get the perfect size, and also to ensure adequate defrosting.

4. I do my Thanksgiving food shopping at several stores. I try to buy all of the dry goods on Monday before the big day. I do all of my last minute shopping on Wednesday or Tuesday evening. This is when I buy all of my fresh herbs and produce.

5. I scan all of my recipes to see if there are any specialty food items that are not carried at my local stores. For example, the turkey brine calls for Crystallized Ginger which cannot be found at Publix.

6. On Wednesday I purchase fresh flowers and make any arrangements. This year I am going to hollow out a pumpkin to use as a vase for my flower arrangement.

7. The weekend before I do the major house cleaning projects. Make sure to look at your base boards, blinds, look for fingerprints on doors, etc. I also clean out my refrigerate about a week before to remove any out of date items to make room for Thanksgiving food.

8. Iron all tablecloths and napkins in advance. This year I am making my own napkins and napkin rings. Once complete I will post photographs.

9. Plan your seating arrangements. Create place cards if using. I created place cards with fall themed scrapbooking decorations.

10. Decide on all recipes at least a week in advance. Confirm with guests if they will be bringing any specific items. Set the time for guests to arrive.

11. Determine your wine and alcohol needs. I am making a special cranberry and orange sherbert punch to be served before and after the meal. Make sure you have enough wine for all guests.

12. If serving coffee with dessert, ensure you have adequate mugs, 1/2 and 1/2, sugar, coffee, etc. We do espresso/cappuccino and also plain coffee.

13. On Tuesday I choose cooking vessels for each dish I will be preparing to ensure I have everything I need and don't need to purchase anything else prior to the big day. I know this may sound like a bit too much, but I detest scrambling in my cabinets to find a dish.

14. I use my laundry room to store items that are crowding the kitchen. The washing machine/dryer provides a large surface for temporary storage. For Example, my Kitchenaid stand mixer has a permanent home on my counter top (as well as my toaster oven). After I finish using these appliances on the day of I move them to the laundry room for storage.

15. Entertainment: We create a slide show and have it running on the television. We also create a playlist for pre-dinner, dinner, and post-dinner enjoyment.

16. How to gather with multiple families: Mr. Foodie and I host his family for Thanksgiving dinner. Afterwards my family joins us (my Mom cooks for my family) and they all come over for dessert. This way everyone gets to see each other on Thanksgiving. We also get the added bonus of having multiple desserts!

17. Use cute paper Thanksgiving-themed plates and napkins for dessert to reduce the number of dishes.

18. Make - Ahead: I am doing several things ahead of time this year.
- I am making my cranberry sauce on Wednesday. It tastes better the next day...
- I am making my creamed spinach on Wednesday up until the point of baking it in the oven on Thursday.
- Make ahead gravy is easy.

19. Try to use all of your resources. I have one oven and 4 burners. I am trying to use other kitchen appliances to lighten the load. This year I am making the mashed potatoes in the crock pot. This is great for three reasons: 1. No stove top boiling/kitchenaid mixer. 2. Less dirty dishes. 3. Keep them perfectly warm until ready to serve.

20. Create an oven-schedule. Dtermine everything that must go into the oven on the day of, and schedule accordingly. Remember that resting the turkey once you take it out of the oven is essential. Don't be afraid to let is set, covered with foil for at least 30-45 minutes before carving. It allows the juices to re-distribute themselves, and lets you bake the last minute items and make gravy.


I hope you can use at least one of my ideas above to make your Thanksgiving dinner a sucess.

Absolute Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

We made this turkey recipe last year with exceptional results. All of our guests raved about the moist and tender turkey and excellent flavor. It was heralded as the best turkey ever! I would like to share the recipe with you in order to inspire your own Turkey masterpiece.

Good Eats Roast Turkey

Ingredients
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey [we use a much large turkey b/c we have many guests, and enjoy leftovers]

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Directions
2 to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Cross Stitch

This is the bread cloth I created for my Thanksgiving table this year. The letters are in dark purple to match my dining room, and napkins I am sewing.

Jobs

I have great news to report. After months of searching I have landed a new job. I start on 11/23 as a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. I am looking forward to the challenge. This is a great opportunity to take my career to the next level. I am also excited about helping people achieve their financial goals.

I start off by spending two months studying for the Series 6 & 7. I am confident I can successfully pass the tests. I will then spend time training here at home and out of town. Mr. Foodie has been very supportive through the process. I don't know what I would do without him.

Good luck to anyone out there looking for a job. I know it is hard, but just keep trying. Good things come to those who work hard.

Handmade Holidays

About a month ago I purchased a sewing machine from costco.com and have since fallen in love with sewing. I have made a Jaguar print apron with black accents, and a Fall-themed table runner shown in an earlier post.

I am the type of person who must have a goal/purpose/task to keep me occupied. The sewing machine has been my saving grace through the past few stressful months.

For my Thanksgiving table I am making Dark Purple napkins, and napkin rings made out of the same cloth as my table runner. I hope to start cutting the fabric this evening. I have already washed/ironed the fabric so all I need to do now is start cutting and sewing. I am going to make 8 napkins. My dining table seats 8 people so I am making an entire set.

I also stitched a bread cloth for my table. It has a cornucopia on it and says Happy Thanksgiving along the sides in dark purple thread. I would be posting more pictures but unfortunately my Nikon lens is in need of repair and I haven't sent it away yet. I need to get on that so I will have it for the holidays!

Dinner...

Tonight Mr. Foodie and I tag-teamed dinner and the result was spectacular! We baked on dish, and put the other in the refrigerator for another night. We will definitely be making this on again.

This recipe is another great one from Simplyrecipes.com

Sausage, Spinach, Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

Ingredients

• 1 12-ounce package jumbo pasta shells
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 large egg
• 16-ounces ricotta cheese
• 10-ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, chopped further (or 10 ounces chopped fresh spinach)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 28-ounce can tomatoes with herbs, including the liquid, tomatoes broken up (or your favorite tomato or pasta sauce)

• 2 9x13 shallow baking dishes

Method

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 teaspoon salt per quart of water). Cook the pasta shells according to the instructions on the package. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.

2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking up the sausage into smaller bits. Cook sausage until cooked through, and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute more. Remove pan from heat.

3 Beat the egg lightly in a large bowl. Mix in the ricotta, chopped spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, basil, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and sausage mixture. Fill each cooked pasta shell with some of the ricotta, spinach, sausage mixture.

4 Spread 1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes over the bottom of each of the baking dishes. Arrange the stuffed pasta shells in the dishes. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.

At this point you can make ahead, to freeze (up to four months) or refrigerate before cooking. (If freezing, cover with foil, then wrap with plastic wrap.)

5 Heat oven to 375°F. Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese, bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.

Serves 8.

Cranberry Walnut Bread

I love cranberries. This fruit is my favorite thing about fall & winter. I am always searching for inspired recipes to incorporate fresh cranberries. My favorite food blog, SimplyRecipes.com has been a great resource for amazing recipes. Below is the recipe for Cranberry Walnut Bread, adapted from the Simply Recipes original recipe.

Cranberry Nut Bread

Ingredients
2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped cranberries
1 Tbsp Vanilla
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp grated orange peel

Method
1 Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2 Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped cranberries and walnuts to coat with the flour mixture.
3 Mix together orange juice, butter, egg, and orange peel. Add to flour, cranberry, nut mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just blended.
4 Pour into a greased 9x5 or 8x4 loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes or until done (a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
5 Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
Serves 8.

Table Runner

My latest sewing project: a fall-colours table runner for my Sideboard. This project cost me about $8.00. I absolutely love this fabric.

Butternut Squash Bisque

Last night I made one of my favorite fall soups: Butternut Squash Bisque.

The recipe is adapted from "The Whole Food Cookbook" that I purchased a few years ago. This is one of my favorite cookbooks b/c it contains accesible recipes that can be made on a weeknight. It also emphasizes healthy choices and the use of unique/healthy ingredients.

Recipe:
2 to 3 lb butternut squash, peeled, and cut into 1 inch cubes.
1 Onion - Chopped
4 Carrots - Peeled and Chopped
1 inch piece of Fresh Ginger Minced

Saute in a large stockpot with EVOO for about 5 minutes.

Add 2 quarts of stock or water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 40 minutes. Add a bunch of chopped parsley and puree' with a stick blender. Add fresh ground nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

I also added a little hickory smoked salt for more depth of flavor.

Wish List

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Work has been crazy lately, but today I have some free time so why not do something fun. In an effort to ease boredom I have decided to create a Christmas wish list for myself. Here goes...


Handled Cheese Wire from Fantes

Krups Fast-Touch Coffee Mill, Model 203 Recently reviewed by
CooksILlustrated for excellent spice grindining abilities. I have been using whole spices recently, and I need an efficient way to grind them.

New Cooling Racks. I have two that are starting to rust and look bad/are too small. CIA Bakeware 12-Inch x 17-Inch Cooling Rack

All-Clad Stainless 4 quart Saucepan

Jacksonville

A fellow blogger out there, Jacksonville Reviews, posted her new review of a restaurant called Taverna in San Marco.

I can't wait to visit with friends. We are going out of town this weekend (our Chicago trip) but when we get back we HAVE TO VISIT!

Once I finalize the Chicago trip plans I will be posting them here on the blog. I will also be posting a full trip report once we get back.

I recently discovered an awesome website chow.com. I am sure EVERYONE else out there already knows about it, but I didn't. They have tons of Chicago message boards to take advantage of. They also have boards for many other places. Check it out if you plan on traveling anytime soon and are an obsessive foodie like I am.

Inspiration

Happy Monday to the world. Not much to report today but I wanted to share an inspirational statement from my co-workers desk calendar....

"Don't waste your life in a job that doesn't express your heart. Remember the greatest things in life are not things. Meaning is far more important than money. Figure out what you love to do - what you have a heart to do - and then do it."

This is what I am working towards every day.

Coat Rack

Anyone out there have a coat rack? I think I have found my small space entry-way decorating solution. This coat rack is a lovely bright orange color and would look great in my house. It's only $79.95 from CB2(Crate and Barrel spin-off store).

Plans

The next time Mr. Foodie and I have some free time we are going to make this:

Candied Bacon Ice Cream Photo and Recipe courtesy of http://www.davidlebovitz.com

Oklahoma

Going to see Oklahoma this Friday night with Mom and her parents. Mr. Foodie bailed on us b/c of the bachelor party so we will have to enjoy it without him. I have the house to myself this weekend. I am looking forward to it. Clean and peaceful. Just me and the cats! I have plans on Friday evening, and then the Jaguar game on Sunday. Sunday is our first home game of the year. I really hope we win this time. I am also hoping to be 2-0 in Fantasy after the weekend.

This weekend I am going to take my cross-stitch to get framed. I am thinking a silver-antique looking frame would be nice. I also hope I get my sewing machine delivered before the weekend so I can practice using it. I did some sewing when I was a kid, but it has been a long time. I am planning on using it to make napkins, place mats, and maybe a runner for our table. I could also make pillow cases. I don't know about making clothes. Maybe pajamas for me and Mr. Foodie. Who knows? I am going to sign up for a class through Joann fabrics. I will report back on my progress.