A Photo-Diary of my Thanksgiving

(I'm apologizing now for the grainy images. my parents don't understand the importance of good lighting in their living room, apparently)


Roasted Pear & Goat Cheese Salad


Pumpkin Dinner Rolls


Membrillo (aka Quince Paste)


Caramel Apple Pie and Pumpkin Ice Cream


Baked Macaroni and Cheese


Acorn Squash, Leek, & Apple Soup with Apple Cider Creme Fraiche

for all parties interested, I did make the pie crust from scratch. and yes, it was mindblowing.

Recipe: Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Today's Thanksgiving recipe comes from an old issue of vegetarian times. The concept of baked macaroni and cheese is not new to me, but this recipe is!

ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat penne pasta
1/2 lb spinach leaves
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

directions:
preheat oven to 350 degrees. spray a 9x11 baking dish with nonstick spray
cook penne according to directions on package. drain and set aside.
in a large pot, cook spinach over medium heat until wilted. drain and chop coarsely
in a large saucepan, whisk together olive oil and flour for two minutes over medium-low heat. gradually add milk and continue to whisk for five minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken.
remove saucepan from heat. add penne, spinach, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. stir until evenly coated, then transfer to baking dish. sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp of parmesan cheese on top.
bake 45-60 minutes, or until the top begins to brown.

serves 6

Recipe: Winter Squash, Leek, & Apple Soup

today marked the start of my marathon of thanksgiving cooking with this soup. I won't lie...it was an all-day event making this soup. it wasn't difficult, it just took a long time to roast the squash. in the end, though, my taste test proved that this soup is worth the time.

ingredients:
4.5 lb of winter squash, halved with the seeds removed (I used acorn squash)
1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and quartered (I chose a pink lady apple)
1 Tbs olive oil
2 medium leeks, white parts only, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
2 pinches ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 bay leaf

directions:
1. preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place squash cut-side down and apple quarters in large baking dish. Add one cup water, cover, and roast 35-40 minutes, or until squash is tender. Allow the squash to cool then scoop the flesh out from the skin.
2. heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 pinch of pepper. cook 3 minutes or until leeks begin to soften. stir in garlic and wine, then cook another 3 minutes, or until pot is nearly dry. add squash, apple, vegetable broth, remaining salt and pepper, and bay leaf. bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat uncovered for 20 minutes. remove bay leaf, then puree with immersion blender until smooth and creamy. cook over low heat for 15 minutes.

as I type this post, I am roasting two sugar pumpkins for various thanksgiving recipes to appear in the future.

Make It or Buy It?

blog readers, I am having a dilemna.

with thanksgiving rapidly approaching, I am preparing for a marathon of cooking and baking. One of the things I'm preparing is a caramel applie pie. my main concern with this dish is whether or not to make the pie crust from scratch.

I'll admit that with the exception of key lime pie, I have no experience with baking pies. I made the crust for my key lime pie from scratch, but considering all it involved was crushing graham crackers and combining it with some melted butter, it was a little different.

My mom swears by trader joe's pie crusts, and I have been guilty of using frozen pie crusts when I make quiche. but considering this is thanksgiving, should I go the extra mile and make the crust from scratch or cut myself some slack and buy a pre-made one?

Reflections, Part Two

One of the questions I am asked most frequently is where my love for cooking comes from. The detailed answer is finally revealed tonight, as I sit in a classroom avoiding the gusty winds outside...

in 2007 I spent my fall semester studying in various parts of France. Each region was a different learning experience for me. Nantes taught me that I can, in fact, navigate a city by myself. The Pyrenee Mountains taught me that I do not like being in solitude for extended periods of time, while bringing out my artistic side. Paris taught me how to love food.

My host mom in paris was a simple woman. She was divorced and lived with her long-term boyfriend and daughter in a beautiful apartment in the asian district of paris. her mantra was that her favorite thing after a long day of work was to change into her nightgown and cook. Though her love for cooking did not transfer into my love for vegetables, a compromise was reached over seafood. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that I did not succumb to mercury poisoning from all the salade nicoise I ate.

Three years later, I am no longer a pescatarian, but my host mom's love for cooking left an imprint on me. She loved to share her food, and so do I. She may love a good coq au vin, but I'll take a red lentil curry cooked to perfection any day of the week.

my inner artist brought to life.

Reflections

i still have yet to make a new recipe, thanks to work and school taking over my life. however, this weekend I have the joy of playing host to a friend from college as she makes her way back to her home state of Michigan.

After a long day spent in the city we came back to my apartment to make some dinner, which was a quasi-pizza (tomato foccacia bread topped with cheese, broccoli, fresh basil, and tomatoes) and salad. while buying groceries, we decided to rent a red box movie and ended up with Julie and Julia.

Many of you don't know this, but this movie is very dear to my heart for many reasons. one reason being that it was one of the influences for this blog. granted, im not cooking my way through a cookbook, but the drive to share my passion for food is there.

I am glad that this blog has come this far since I started it. I've had nothing but wonderful feedback from all my readers, which makes me happy for two reasons: 1) it lets me know that people are reading this and that I am not writing it for the sake of writing, and 2) these recipes are being put to use.

with thanksgiving around the corner, I'm gearing up to make several contributions to this year's dinner. so far, Im planning to make a caramel apple pie and a pear & goat cheese salad. I will probably also make a sweet potato, leek, and apple soup. I've already made a pumpkin ice cream for one of the desserts. look out for recipes!

BIG NEWS!!!!!

As many of you, my main foodie passion lies in baking. Don't get me wrong, I love a fantastic homemade indian dish as much as the next foodie, but I have a deep respect for the art and science of baking the perfect cake. So imagine my excitement when a friend reached out to me and offered to pay me to bake her some brownies!

Earlier that week I had baked some brownies for a meeting we had to work on a group project. When she tried the brownies, she immediately told me that they were amazing and that I should sell them. Later on, I posted on facebook that I wanted to hold a bake sale to pay for horseback riding lessons and asked if anyone wanted to buy some brownies from me. She messaged me and asked if I could make some for her in two days. Naturally, I said yes!

There is a bakery around the corner from my apartment that is hiring for a salesgirl position. I am tempted to drop off my resume and see what happens...