One more post...WTF? Happy Day Before Thanksgiving!

I know it seems as if someone (me) who mocked those with Blogs wouldn't post very often, but I'm feeling like I probably need to since tomorrow is one of my favorite holidays.  If we didn't have to go anywhere it would probably be better, but at least the weather will be nice for the weekend.

I'm not much of a dessert person, but I made cookies the other night for dinner and while the batter (rolled in plastic, in the fridge) isn't lasting very long, the cookies were quite tasty - if I do say so my damn self...

Big Daddy's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350°
Cover cookie sheet with Silpat

Dry Ingredients:
2 1/4 Cups Flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Sift flour, salt and baking soda and set aside

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks)
3/4 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
In a stand mixer (KitchenAid) cream together butter, sugar and vanilla then add eggs one at a time and cream until soft.

With the mixer on low, combine Dry ingredients with Wet, a little at a time until completely mixed.

Mix in with a wooden spoon:
1 1/2 Cups Semi-Sweet Morsels or chopped chocolate bar
1 Cup Quick Oats 

Let batter sit in fridge for about an hour until it firms up a little and balls up easily to the size of a ping pong ball.  Dough can be rolled in a 2 in. roll and stored in the freezer wrapped in wax paper and/or plastic wrap.  To serve, just slice off pieces about 1/2 in. thick and bake.

Place balls of dough on the Silpat covered cookie sheet and bake for 12 min. until edges brown.  Remove from oven and let sit for about 3 min. then serve or put on a cooling rack until completely cool.  Personally I prefer to eat them while still warm with a glass of milk...Indeed!

An hors d'oeuvre recipe a good friend just shared with me...

Cranberry Chutney

5 Cups fresh cranberries (about 1¼ bags) or

(Recipe calls for 4 cups cranberries (1 bag) and 1 cup raisins – I use extra cranberries and no raisins)

2 Cups packed brown sugar

1 Cup water

¼ Cup lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground clove

1 teaspoon finely diced onion

¼ Cup slivered almonds (toasted in oven at 400 for about 2-3 minutes)

Put all ingredients in large sauce pan, bring to boil, reduce heat simmer for about 35 minutes.

Baked Brie

Large Brie wheel or 2-3 small ones

Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets

Egg, beaten

Wrap Brie with pastry sheet.  Cut excess pastry and seal by pinching seams. (make sure to seal or the cheese will ooze out)

Brush with egg wash

Bake in oven at 375° – 400° until golden brown and crusty (about 20 –30 minutes) 

Let baked brie stand for 30 minutes (minimum) prior to eating otherwise the cheese will be too soft and will ooze out all over the plate.

Serve with crackers or crostini and chutney.  Delicious!

Again, not a baker or dessert person per se, but I found a recipe for a "Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie" that looks and sounds amazing, so I think I'll try it...

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Adapted from 'Joy the Baker'

Crust

2 Cups Gingersnap cookie crumbs

2 Tbsp brown sugar

Pinch of Salt

1/2 stick (4 T) unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake

1 lb. (2 blocks) cream cheese, at room temp

1 1/3 Cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 lg. eggs, at room temp

1/2 Cup plus 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream

1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Caramel

1/2 Cup sugar

2 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

1/3 Cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 tsp salt

Place two racks in the upper and bottom third of the oven.  Preheat oven to 350° F. You'll need a 9-in. pie plate and a 9x13in. pan for boiling water.

To make the crust:

Place cookies in the bowl of a food processor and grind to a fine crumb, add brown sugar, salt and butter.  Toss together, moistening all of the gingersnap crumbs.  Pour mixture into a 9-in. pie plate and press with fingers until sides and bottom are evenly coated with crust.

Bake for 10-15 min until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool while making the cheesecake filling.  Reduce oven temperature to 325° F.  Place a tea kettle of water on the stovetop to boil.  Boiling water will be added to the 9x13in. pan and placed under the baking cheesecake. 

To make the cheesecake filling:

In the bowl of a stand mixer (KitchenAid) fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 3-5 min.  Beat in salt and vanilla until well incorporated.  Add eggs, beating one a time until creamy and smooth.  Slowly beat in cream, beating on medium high until creamy. Add lemon zest if using.

Pour Cheesecake mixture into the prepared cheesecake crust.

Place 9x13 in. pan on the bottom rack of the hot oven.  Carefully pour in hot water and fill to 1/2 full.

Place cheesecake on the upper rack.  Bake for 50-60 min. until cheesecake is browned and puffed.  When cheesecake is puffed and doesn't have loose jiggle in the center, turn oven off and use a towel to prop the oven open slightly.  Let cheesecake rest for another 45 min. in the cooling oven.  Remove from the oven and cool completely, for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.

While the cheesecake cools, make the caramel so it can cool as well.

To make the caramel:

Add sugar, water and corn syrup to a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring once or twice.  Bring to a boil and allow to brown.  Once sugar has browned to a medium amber color, remove from heat and immediately add heavy cream and butter.  Mixture will boil and foam.  Stir well. Add salt and stir well to incorporate.  Caramel may seem thin...that's ok.  Place in a bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.

Pour the cooled caramel over the cooled cheesecake, return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Sprinkle with a dash of Kosher salt or specialized sea salt, then slice and serve.

Cheesecake will last for up to 4 days, well wrapped in the refrigerator.

Ok, I'm done with the recipes for a while.  But who really knows how long.  I need to try a couple of these first...

A New Record?

This will be my 4th post in one month...WOW!
Yeah, not too terribly spectacular but it works for now.
I'm trying to stay working diligently through the end of the day as we approach Thanksgiving, but there really aren't a lot of people, especially the ones I talk to, around.
Thought I would include my recipe for my Green Bean Casserole:

Green Bean Casserole

Sautee in melted Butter and olive oil (until onions are soft and shrooms have cooked down):

½ diced onion

1 clove diced garlic

½ lb. mushrooms, sliced thin

White wine

Then, add:

2 cans French Cut Green Beans - drained

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

½ container of French’s French Fried Onions

Mix well.

Top with the remainder of the can of French’s French Fried Onions.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (25 min. covered, then remove lid for the last 5 min.)

I'm thinking it would be fun to put together a Cookbook of some sort, I'll have to think of a great name for it...maybe 'Big Daddy's Kitchen'?  That one's taken by a blog, but we'll see. Not a real cookbook from what I can tell...

I need to work on a soup that's easy and amazingly grubbin'.  There was a meatball soup Lauren and I put together, I'll have to find the recipe and give it a whirl.

Turkey Countdown - T minus Seven...

Turkey Day - One week away!

I honestly have no idea where the year has gone already.  Seems like it was just summer, and now it's snowing outside - that reminds me, I left my Rosemary plant outside last night...it's not doing very well, so we'll see if this kills it or invigorates it a little.

I do enjoy Thanksgiving, after all it is a holiday that revolves around family, football and food...the three "F's".  Usually we go to my Mom and Dad's for dinner with the extended family.  We need to be there about an hour early to make the gravy and help carve the bird(s).  I'm kind of known for my gravy and my green bean casserole (it's a variation on the basic, but I saute garlic and onions with white wine and add my own touch to things).

Anyway, about five years ago I began brineing my birds at home and suggested to my Mom that she do the same.  I don't think I'll ever prepare a turkey in another way...fresh, moist, and delicious! What leftovers there are reheat perfectly and what is used cold is super moist and tender...YUM!

Here's what I do (still haven't figured out how to do this with a Convection Oven yet, so this is with a regular oven):

Brined Roast Turkey

1  14-16 lb. Frozen young turkey

Brine:

1 cup Kosher salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 gallon vegetable stock
2 Bay leaves

1 Tablespoon black peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries

1 gallon heavily iced water

Aromatics:

Season salt and pepper

1/2 onion - large chunks

4 Rosemary sprigs 

4 Sage leaves 

4 Whole garlic cloves

1/2 lemon

1/2 stalk celery or celery tops

How to:

2 days or so before cooking:

Begin thawing bird in a refrigerator/cooler not to exceed 38°F.  If necessary, put bird in a large (5 gal) bucket/plastic (food grade) bin and run cool water over submerged bird until thawed (usually about 3 hours or so).

Combine the salt, sugar, stock, bay leaves, peppercorns and allspice in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Stir to dissolve solids and bring to a boil.  Remove brine from heat, cool to room temperature and refrigerate.

The day before cooking:

Combine the brine and iced water in the large bucket.  Place the thawed turkey, breast side down, in brine.  If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully covered in the liquid. Cover, and refrigerate for 8 to 20 hours, turning the bird once halfway through brining.

The day of cooking:

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Remove bird from the brine and rinse both inside and out with cold water.  Discard the brine.

Place the bird on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan or sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Lightly use Season salt and pepper inside the cavity of the bird, then stuff with onion, rosemary, sage, garlic, lemon and celery.

Lightly use season salt and pepper on the outside of the bird, then tuck wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on the lowest rack in the oven at 450°F for 25 minutes.  Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Set thermometer alarm to 160°F.  A 14-16 lb. bird should require a total of 2 - 2 1/2 hours of roasting.  Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes before carving.

I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving as much as I'm going to!

Is this Hell, or is it just me?

Day one of November Hell week (well, it will probably be a two day event). Not all that bad since it gives me the opportunity to get a head start on the rest of the country and company.  I'm dragging a little tho.
The weekend went pretty well:
Friday was the Company Anniversary Party - 5 years, wow! Just to think that I started 3 years ago is a trip.
A lot of shit has gone on since then...liver shutting down, getting sober, re-assessing of my life, brutal and rigorous honesty, reduction in income with a promotion and a team, dissolving of said team and now the potential for unlimited income...all in 3 years.  The next three have to be better...
Saturday was all about stuff at the casa - went out to lunch, blew millions of leaves into 3' high piles up against the fences on the North and South ends of the yard, pizza for dinner, and trying to clear the DVR with Jules, then started to prep for my Sunday Big Book Discussion at Suncrest.
Time change for Sunday, fall back an hour and all. Finished the discussion, meeting, shopping, clean at the studio then had Cody over with Lauren for dinner.  I made my favorite Pot Roast Recipe:

Jar Pot Roast

Yield: 6 to 8 servings 

Active Time: 20 minutes 

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, freshly ground pepper to taste 

1 denuded short rib or boneless short ribs, 3 to 5 pounds 

3 carrots, peeled and chopped 

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 

3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped 

1 leek, white and light-green parts coarsely chopped 

1/2 bulb of garlic, cloves smashed but unpeeled 

1 bay leaf 

1 cup sherry 

3 to 4 cups chicken stock 

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Directions:

Set rack to the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dry beef with paper towels, season with salt and pepper.

Set a Dutch oven on high heat until it is very hot; add oil and heat until just smoking.

Sear beef until it is a deep, rich brown, about 3 to 5 minutes a side.

Remove beef from pot; discard all but a teaspoon of fat.

Add sherry to pot and reduce by half, about 4 minutes, while scraping up flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon.

Put all vegetables into pot and cook until slightly soft, about 5 minutes.

Add bay leaf and beef, with any accumulated juices, then pour on chicken stock until the beef is three-quarters covered. Cover pot with tin foil or a tight-fitting lid and place in oven. Check after 15 minutes to make sure liquid is simmering lightly; adjust heat as needed. Continue cooking for a total of three hours.

Allow the meat to cool in the liquid. When cool, degrease, either by using a degreasing pitcher or by chilling in the refrigerator and removing most of the hardened fat from the surface of the liquid.

To serve, place a colander over a large bowl. Remove meat from liquid. Strain the liquid, pressing down on vegetables to remove all the juice. Discard vegetables. Return the meat to the liquid and reheat. Cut meat into portions and place each in a pasta dish; spoon a generous portion of the braising liquid around the beef. Top with a spoonful of caramelized onions and a roasted carrot. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with Horseradish Cream.

I totally forgot the Horseradish Cream though, dammit!

Anyway, today I got here at 5:40 am and won't leave until probably 6:30 pm...long, fucking day!  I'm getting a lot accomplished though.

Not sure what to have for dinner, probably stir fry.  We'll see.

Already November? WTF?

Halloween yesterday...and no chili leftovers to be found...damn!
I would have thought that 9 lbs of meat would at least last a little while but every year I'm surprised for some reason.
Another recipe that is requested a lot is my Bloody Mary Mix:

SILVER FOX BLOODY MARY MIX

 Recipe can be cut in half very easily…

 2 large cans Tomato Juice (just the basic Campbell’s Tomato Juice)

1 Ten oz. bottle Worcestershire Sauce

1 Ten oz. bottle A-1

10 shakes Tabasco (to taste)

10 shakes Celery Salt

1 tsp. Horseradish (to taste)

Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Juice of ¼ fresh lemon and lime (to taste)

In a one gallon container, shake all ingredients listed above until well mixed.  Serve over ice with your choice of accompaniments:

- Pickled Asparagus

- Celery stalks

- Stuffed green olives- bleu cheese, pimentos, garlic, etc.

- Lemon wedge

- Lime wedge

- Whatever else sounds good…

This mix is great with regular Vodka, but goes very well with a citrus or pepper Vodka also.


Whenever I can, I'll post some stuff that has worked for me/us and is pretty damn tasty if I do say so my damn self.

Jules met me today to have lunch after we picked up the Tahoe at the dealer.  We went to Mimi's - OK food, I remember the French Onion Soup being better and the French Dip w/onions, peppers and shrooms was OK.  Julie liked her chopped salad.  Food was marginal, but the company was spectacular and it was great to do that again with my beautiful wife.
Tonight is the Onset Financial Anniversary Party at Jupiter Bowl.  The last few we have been to have been fun, and I don't expect anything less this evening.  Can't tell you how much better it is to arrive, attend and leave these events SOBER!  Holy shit, what a difference!