The Best Laid Plans

Well, I started this blog with every intention of at least a weekly update, but have been awfully preoccupied of late. Not to worry, we've still been eating well.

I have in the freezer the second helping of Pumpkin & Chicken Enchiladas - I'd like to use it this week (ever since putting this baking dish in the freezer, I have reached for it countless times), but am not hugely looking forward to having these again. The first time around, I thought I really liked them, but each time I ate them (maybe three servings in that casserole), they weren't as good as the last time. But - since I have cooked A LOT this past weekend, I am thinking I'll have to suck it up.

We had a fantastic holiday weekend. My parents came from Nashville to join us, and we had some friends stay overnight on Saturday night. The weekend was filled with good food.

Our thanksgiving menu consisted of turkey and dressing (I am the only Southerner I know who does not make cornbread dressing), gratin potatoes, cranberry sauce, cheese puffs, and green beans. Everything tasted great, though we still have enough cranberry sauce to enjoy with every meal for the next month - guess I should have cut that one in half or more! I even thought the gravy turned out well. I was also celebrating a birthday that day, and had my favorite cake for dessert rather than a pie.

Chocolate Velvet Cake

1- 4oz pkg Bakers Germans Sweet Chocolate
6T butter
3T all purpose flour
3 eggs, separated
4T sugar

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat, stir in flour, blend in egg yolks one at a time.

Beat egg whites until foamy, gradually beat in sugar, continue beating until soft peaks form.

Gently fold in chocolate mixture, blending throughly.

Pour into a greased & floured 8" cake pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until tester inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack. Top with Chocolate Glaze.

Chocolate Glaze:
Melt 1- 4oz pkg Bakers Germans Sweet Chocolate and 3T water over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in 3T butter, cool to thicken if desired.

This cake has been my top birthday dessert choice since I was about nine years old (as my mother is fond of telling anyone who will listen!) We had a great early dinner, followed by an early bedtime, since eating a HUGE meal at 4pm made everyone about to pass out by 7... :)

Friday, I made some delicious scones (I substitue dried cherries and almonds for the cranberries and walnuts) for breakfast, along with eggs and bacon. Saturday, when our friends came to visit I knew we'd be going out to dinner, so I decided to make a tasty lunch. I planned to have paninis with chicken, provolone, and spinach grilled on my new griddle (Thanks, mom!!) along with a beet, avocado, and pink grapefruit salad that looked amazing (I love grapefruit and have been wanting to try my hand at a salad which includes it). Unfortunately, upon getting the beets out on Friday night to roast, I discovered I'd waited just a liiiiittttle too long to use them. So, plan b was the sandwiches along with just a simple salad. Thank goodness for the salad, since I didn't know MP's buddy's girlfriend was a vegetarian - OOPS. I think we were able to make a veggie version of the panini that she enjoyed...though I need to learn to ask first, so that I make sure everyone can enjoy our meals. Finally, this morning, we had eggs, bacon (none for the veggie!), and my trusty blueberry pancakes.

I can't believe over the whole weekend, not one picture of our meals were taken...but hopefully I can get back on the wagon here!

I am hoping to sit down this afternoon and figure out what very fresh and light meals we can eat for the next week or so, since I have never felt so full. Perhaps the beet salad is just what we need (hope MP doesn't read this :))

Mystery Squash #2

Back in this post I showcased some mystery squash I'd picked up at the farmers market. I decided to bust out the second one for a very tasty looking dessert that I'll serve to some friends we're hosting for dinner tonight.

Creamy Pumpkin Rice Pudding

Ingredients

2/3 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
2/3 cup Pumpkin Puree, or canned pumpkin
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 medium red apple and/or green pear, cored and thinly sliced (1 cup)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
2 Tbsp. honey


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In small saucepan combine water and rice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring once.

2. In medium bowl combine eggs, milk, Pumpkin Puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Stir in rice and 1/2 cup of the cranberries. Pour mixture into 1-1/2-quart straight-sided deep baking dish. Place dish in baking pan on oven rack. Pour boiling water into baking pan until water comes halfway up sides of baking dish.

3. Bake 30 minutes; stir. Bake 35 minutes more or until outside edge appears set. Remove dish from oven. Cool slightly on wire rack.

4. Meanwhile, in bowl combine remaining 1/4 cup cranberries and boiling water to cover. Let stand 15 minutes; drain. Just before serving, toss together apple, walnuts, honey, and cranberries. Spoon over pudding. Serve warm. Makes 6 servings.

5. To store, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.



Last night, I roasted this mystery squash to substitute for the pumpkin. I yielded more than I'll need, so I'm guessing some pumpkin bread is also in our future :)

Oh, and if you're wondering what else is on the menu? Well, I typically get more ambitious when hosting dinner on Saturday or Sunday, as there's a lot more time to plan, shop and cook. But, with tomorrow being Halloween, we had to get together with our friends tonight, so I am going with a tried and true standby.

I am sure I have mentioned my favorite cookbook before, which is simply a collection of recipies from the Everyday Food magazine. I have never received this magazine before, though I have given subscriptions to it often as gifts (great gift idea for someone who loves too cook, but is also realistic about time committments in the kitchen!). This cookbook is full of flavorful, easy recipes, often with many ingrediants that most anyone who cooks regularly will have on hand. Many of the recipes also have some nutritional information included in an index (for those times when we're counting calories).

Anyway, tonight, I'll serve Braised Chicken with Mushrooms & Oven Baked Polenta

Ingredients
4 - 6oz boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts (or Pork Cutlets)
Coarse salt, and ground pepper
2T olive oil
1 lb white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 1/2 in thick
4 garlic cloves, havled
1/2 c dry white wine
1 3/4 c reduced sodium chicken broth
2T chopped fresh parsley (more for garnish)


Directions
1. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with 1/4 t each of salt and pepper. Heat 1 T of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken; cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

2. Add the remaining 1 T oil to the hot skillet. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and 1/4 t of salt. Cover; cook over medium heat until the mushrooms release their juices, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid. Cook over high heat, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden, 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Pour the wine into the skillet, cook, stirring, until evaporated, 1 minute. Add the stock and parsley; cook over medium-high heat until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has reduced, 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Return the chicken to the skillet. Cover; simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve the cutlets and polenta topped with the mushrooms and a drizzle of the cooking liquid. Garnish with additional fresh parsley.

Oven Baked Polenta

Ingredients

3/4 c cornmeal
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 c milk
2T butter
1t fresh marjoram (or 1/4t dried)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. In a lidded baking dish, whisk together 3c water, cornmeal, 1 1/4 t salt, and 1/8 t pepper. Cover and bakefor 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

2. Remove from the oven, and add the milk, butter and marjoram, and whisk briskly until smooth. Serve immediately.


Getting hungry already!