Thanksgiving

Every year I make the pies for Thanksgiving.  I always make too many pies and this year was going to be no different.  I had a hard time decided on a pecan pie recipe so I made two.  Yes, two pecan pies!  One was my grandma's recipe and the other was a Cooks Illustrated recipe.  People who want a slice of pecan have to have one slice of each pie because I'm very curious to see what they think - and I won't tell them which pie is which.

Buttery, sugary, pecan goodness....

Pecan pie #1:

Pecan Pie #2:

The pumpkin pies asked to pose next to pecan #2:

And all five pies... two pecan, apple, and two pumpkin.

Oh, apple pie, how I love you...

Bennett and his mommy made a great, kid friendly appetizer.  A 'turkey' with cheese and grape skewers for feathers, an apple beak, bell pepper 'wobbler' and grape eyes!

And the real turkey.  Yum.

And no Thanksgiving is complete without Prudence the pitcher.  She loves to stare at you with this nasty face while you stuff yours. 

And the pecan pie taste test 2012 was a success!  I was amazed... everyone preferred my grandma's recipe (basically all butter) to the much lighter colored Cooks Illustrated recipe.  Both pies were phenomenal but they each had their own strong points.  Grandma Charlotte's pie won overall for texture, taste and flavor.

Below is grandma Charlotte's winning pecan pie recipe.

Pecan Pie, courtesy of Charlotte Smith

3 slightly beaten eggs

1 c. sugar

1 c. light corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 c. pecans

1 1/4 c. melted butter

Combine eggs, sugar and syrup, vanilla, salt.  Put nuts in unbaked shell and add filling.  Bake at 400 for 10 min and at 345 for 40min.

Greek Turkey Burgers

Today I was craving a burger, but with a kick.  I used bits and pieces from a few different recipes and came up with a really great end result.  Highly recommend!  Serve with some fries or boiled or bbq'd corn on the cob and you've got a flavor packed meal.

1/2 c. greek yogurt

1/2 english cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated

2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. chopped mint

1.5 lbs ground turkey (or lamb)

2/3 c. crumbled feta cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

red onion, sliced in to rings

tomato, sliced (optional... I'm not a tomato fan)

Mix yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, 2 Tbsp mint, with dash of salt and pepper in bowl and set aside.

Mix turkey, cheese, 1 clove garlic, remaining mint, salt, pepper in another bowl.  Divide in to four patties.

Grill patties until done and transfer on to hamburger buns.  Top burgers with sauce and onion and/or tomato slices.

*Make Ahead - you can make the sauce and patties the night before serving.  I think the sauce gets more flavorful the longer it sits.  Just stir it well before serving.

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

T and I get to visit the Picasso exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum in the exhibition's final week as well as a very anticipated dinner at Chez Shea tonight.  So, to make life a little more easy for my mom while she babysits, I made lettuce wraps. 

This recipe can be made in advance and is great for a party appetizer (if you don't mind a little mess while guests assemble their own wraps).  I'm a big fan of ginger, and ginger is what really makes this dish stand out.  It isn't spicy, just very flavorful.  Both our 3 year old and 1 year old couldn't eat it fast enough.

If you aren't in the mood for a lettuce wrap, serve over rice, or wrapped in a tortilla with some shredded lettuce.

I'm not sure I would necessarily serve this as a complete dinner, but would be a fun lunch.

Turkey Lettuce Wraps
1 lb ground turkey
1 head iceburg lettuce
5 stalks of celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. white wine
1 small can sliced water chestnuts, diced

Clean lettuce and set aside. Stir together soy, wine, ginger and garlic in small bowl.

Meanwhile, brown the turkey and season with a little salt and pepper. Once the turkey is about done add the celery and water chestnuts. After about 1 minute, add the soy sauce mix.

Stir and continue to cook until turkey is done.  At this point you can let cool and store in airtight container in fridge for later use, or scoop in to your lettuce and wrap.

 
Sprinkle some powdered ginger or red pepper flakes on top if you need a little kick!

Sights and Smells of Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving.  The atmosphere, the sights, the smells, and eating as much as you possibly can.  Just a few pics of my favorite Thanksgiving things...

Pumpkin:

  Apple:

 Pecan:

Goody 'jars' for guests to take home.  A Bruschetta mix. 

 Turkey!

 My dessert plate.  Yes, I had one slice of each pie!



Turkey Burgers with Carmelized Onions

Tonight I was craving turkey burgers with carmelized onions.  Similar to the ones featured on burgers at Geraldine's Counter.  Sweet with a slight tang.

And with a little guess and by gosh I made carmelized onions so tasty that neither Tony or I put any condiments on our burgers.  Heaven.

Jodi's Carmelized Onions, enough for 2 burgers

1 large red onion, sliced in rounds

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

dried oregano, dried thyme, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper

Melt butter with olive oil in pan over medium heat.  Add onion and cover. Let the onions sweat for a good 5-10 minutes.  Keep an eye on 'em though... if they start to brown too quickly, turn down the heat.

Uncover onions and sprinkle a scant amount of oregano and thyme and keep cooking, tossing frequently. After a few more minutes add 1-2Tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar to the pan and stir.  Use this added liquid as a chance to scrape up any bits of onion that have cooked to the pan.  Add kosher salt and a tad of ground pepper and continue to cook/carmelize for another 15-20 minutes.  (Taste one of the onion pieces after about 20 minutes of total cooking to see if you need more salt - you want these bad boys to have flavor!)

Serve hot, and place directly on your burger patty.

My only regret with this recipe?  Not using two onions as I could have slathered twice as much on my burger!

Jodi's Secret Turkey Burgers, serves 2 adults and 1 kiddo

1 package ground turkey (usually they're around 20 oz or so)

diced red onion - 2-5Tbsp depending on your love for onions

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp each: dried oregano and dried thyme

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Breadcrumbs - I only occasionally use these if I feel like the meat isn't holding up.  I'll add about 1/4-1/3 cup.

Mix all above ingredients together and form in to two large patties and one kid sized patty.  Cook on the grill and top with swiss cheese in the final minutes of BBQ'n.  (I personally prefer a nice white cheddar, like Ford Farm's Coastal Cheddar.  The Coastal has a great tang and a crunch to it! - you can usually find at Costco)

Blackberry Pie

Tonight we had our friends Cam, Anne and baby Savi and Nick, Steph and little Matt who just turned 1 year old over for dinner. It was so much fun that I forgot to take a picture of the kiddos! Blake had fun sharing his toys with Matthew, and Savi enjoyed lounging in her parents' laps. Steph and Anne both brought amazing dishes that we paired with my all time favorite turkey burger recipe. To finish off the meal we enjoyed fresh made blackberry pie with the berries from the cabin and vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Now here is where I become my grandma.  I don't really have a recipe for the pie, I just learned the end flavor I want to create by watchin her make this pie with freshly picked blackberries from the cabin.  So here are the basics, but add more/less depending on taste...

Blackberry Pie

4 c. fresh blackberries

1-3 Tbsp flour (depends on how juicy they are - more juice, more flour)
1 c. sugar (more or less depending on how sweet/ripe the berries are)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (you can also add a bit of zest for a citrusy hint)
1 Tbsp butter
2 discs of rolled pie dough

Line pie pan with one rolled pie dough. Gently combine blackberries, flour, sugar and lemon juice and pour into pie shell.  Top with chunks of butter and cover with second pie dough.  Cut little steam vents on top pie crust. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 and back for another 30 or so minutes.  Basically, you want the top crust nice and browned.