I’ve been intrigued with recipes I’ve found recently in some of those beautiful cookbooks with lots of pictures, for fruit preserves that include liqueur of various kinds.  I decided to make some myself, but being pathologically unable to follow a book recipe, I improvised this one–and got the double thumbs up from my family this morning when I served it on top of our Pannekoeken with Egg-Nog.  The combination of the slightly boozey/rummy flavor of the syrup combined brilliantly with the egg-noggy flavor of the pannekoeken, and made it Special-times-Twelve.  Try it–this syrup is very easy to make and can!

Rummy Apple Cider Syrup

• 6 c. unsweetened apple cider
• 6 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. rum

Sterilize 9 half-pint canning jars and let them sit upside down on a clean towel until you are ready to fill them.  Also sterilize the lids and rings and keep them in a bowl of very hot water until ready to use them.

In a stock pot, heat the apple cider until it comes to a boil.  Add the sugar all at once, and stir continually to dissolve the sugar. Keep stirring and allow it to come to a boil.  Let it boil hard for 1 minute, then turn the heat down.  Continue stirring as it simmers for 10-15 minutes more.  Allow the syrup to thicken slightly.  Add the rum, and stir for another 4-5 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Pour or ladle it into the jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace, then put the lids and rings on.  Tighten the rings until just tight.  Process the jars in a hot-water bath for 15 minutes.  Remove the jars from the bath and allow to cool on a wire rack overnight.  The lids should make a popping noise as the jars seal.  Check to be sure all the lids are tightly sealed–if you can press the center of the lid down, it hasn’t sealed, and should go in the fridge until it gets used.  Store in a dark, cool place.

This syrup will go well with pancakes or waffles, on pannekoeken, or on ice cream.  You might come up with other creative uses for it (breakfast oatmeal? or over yogurt?) It also makes a great hostess gift for Christmas parties–dress it up with a ribbon or a paper doily under the ring, and put a fancy label on it.

Laura

“We should make pannekoeken for breakfast tomorrow morning,” says my husband.  It’s Friday night, and Saturday morning breakfast usually is a leisurely affair of more-than-usual specialness.

“Sadly, we have no milk,” I say, watching the last quarter cup disappearing down an 11-year-old’s gullet.

“We do have some egg-nog left,” offers my 8-year-old.

We all goggle at him.  Genius!

And genius it was, indeed.  I took my usual recipe for Pannekoeken, and substituted egg-nog for milk, and…..it was incredible! If you are looking for a super special breakfast for Thanksgiving morning, or the morning after, here it is.  We added to the out-of-this-world heavenliness by serving it with a sprinkling of muesli and a drizzle of Rummy Apple Cider Syrup.  You could also serve it with real maple syrup, or raspberry jam, or warm chunky applesauce.  You can go really over the top with some whipped cream.  I guarantee it will be luscious and wonderful!

Pannekoeken with Egg-Nog

• 4 eggs
• 1 c. egg nog
• 1 c. flour
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 TBSP butter

Use a heavy skillet with high sides or a Dutch oven.  Melt the butter in the pan and swirl it around so that it covers the bottom of the pan and goes part way up the sides.

Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl until smooth, then pour the batter into the pan.  Bake at 400ºF for 20-30 minutes until the pannekoeken puffs up high around the sides and the sides turn nicely brown.  The center will look a little moist still, because some of the butter will be on top.

When the sides are browned, remove from the oven and serve immediately. (The center will fall so that the pannekoeken looks a bit like a bread bowl.) We cut it with kitchen scissors into 1/4’s.  If you want it to look fancier, you can use the individual disposable foil tart pans–one batch can be split between 4-6 pans. These will cook more quickly, so keep an eye on them–about 15 minutes or so.

Enjoy this special breakfast!

Laura

Almost 22 years ago, I met my in-laws for the very first time. Dave had already prepped me for the fact that his mom is an excellent cook. To be honest, I don’t recall what entree she served me for that very first dinner, but I remember well her cheesy potato casserole. Every special occasion at the home of my in-laws was marked with this cheesy potato casserole.

One summer, Dave and I were instructors for a wilderness program; this job had us backpacking out in the mountains all summer long and eating back-country cooking. Occasionally we landed back in civilization for a few days and we lived for “real food.” Each break we raced down to his parent’s house and ate ourselves silly. (I’d recount actual quantities, but I would be too ashamed to admit to eating that much food in one sitting.) I do remember, however, that Dave and I ate ourselves about three-fourths of the way through a cheesy potato casserole once, just the two of us.

To this day, this casserole will provoke people to sneak out of bed in the middle of the night to scarf the leftovers out of the fridge before anyone else can get to them the next day. Are you hearing how much I LOVE this dish? I’m not a big potato fan, but this one does it for me.

DELICIOUS POTATO CASSEROLE

• 8 medium to large potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (I usually use just 1/2 can)
• 1 pt sour cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp curry powder(if desired)
• 1/2 c. green onions sliced, use some tops
• 2 c. grated sharp cheese
• 1/2 c. corn flake crumbs or soft bread crumbs

Bake potatoes in jackets until done. When cool, skin and grate. Melt the margarine or butter, blend in soup. Fold in sour cream and onions. Fold the potatoes, cheese, and sour cream mixture. Fold gently. Sprinkle with corn flake crumbs–dot with butter..sprinkle with seasonings. (I usually melt 2 T. butter, add corn flake crumbs and sprinkle over top). Bake uncovered 45 min. Can make a day ahead and refrigerate.

BK

We’re moving the furniture around a bit here in the Kitchen. One of the unintended consequences is that occasionally we disconnect a power cord or forget to plug in a lamp. If you notice a link that doesn’t work, please let us know immediately. We’ll apologize profusely and fix it right away. You can leave a comment for us or email us at mysisterskitchen@gmail.com. Thanks for understanding!

Barb

Garlic mashed potatoes are another traditional holiday side dish. I don’t generally freeze this (and I’m not sure if I could…but if you happen to have an opinion, please share!) I DO usually make this two or three days ahead and just pop it in the oven on Thanksgiving Day.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Cook 5 lbs potatoes with 2 tsp salt in 4 cups water
Drain and mash. I usually do this in my kitchenaid mixer as well.
Add:

• 6 oz cream cheese
• 2 T. finely minced garlic (I like to use grilled garlic cloves that I’ve minced)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cups milk

On Thanksgiving Day :
Spread potatoes in greased baking dish; bake in oven at 350° for 45 minutes.

Barb

My family (this is Laura speaking) travels to another town for Thanksgiving most years, and since we are traveling the furthest, we are usually put in charge of non-sloppy dishes that travel well:  the appetizers and the bread.  And because the kitchen at my sister-in-law’s house is full of bustling preparation for the Big Meal, I try to keep the appetizers fairly simple.  So here are the appetizers I’m planning for this year’s festivities:

•Little phyllo cups that will contain either hummus or artichoke dip (found the phyllo cups on sale at the grocery store, and the hummus and artichoke dip pre-made at Sam’s Club–doesn’t get easier than that.)

•A bowl of carrots (we have a LOT of carrots from our CSA farm at the moment!) and mini bell peppers, with a bowl of ranch dressing on the side

•A selection of entertainment crackers with slices of Emmenthaler and Italian Truffle cheese (all from Sam’s.)

So who has other great appetizer ideas?  Please feel free to share your plans.

LB

The trickiest thing about hors d’oeuvres is spelling it. I often revert to just saying “appetizers!” Sometimes, the next trickiest thing about them is remembering to plan for them. Today, if you realize that you haven’t even thought about ideas for appetizers because all your attention has been on preparing The Bird for Thursday, here are a couple of ideas from my 16 year old son, Nate.

Quick, easy hors d’oeuvres

• Crackers and Cheese: Arrange on a plate
• Crackers and Tuna: Mix the tuna up with some mayonnaise and chopped celery. Serve with a small knife to spread the tuna on the crackers
• Vegetables and Dip: Cut up carrots and celery and arrange on a plate with a small bowl of ranch dressing to dip
• Apple slices and peanut butter
• Tortilla roll-ups: Spread a flour tortilla with cream cheese. Layer lunch meat and cheese. Roll up tightly and slice into little spirally wheels.
• Tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole: we always keep a package of frozen ready-made guacamole (from Sams Club) in our freezer for emergencies that involve hors d’oeuvres.
• Bowls of nuts and pretzels

The point of hors d’oeuvres is not pretentiousness. Hors d’oeuvres act as a focal point that gather people in to start interacting with each other and anticipating dinner!

Enjoy!

Barb

Sixteen years ago, I grilled my first turkey and have never looked back. I can’t sing the praises enough of grilling the Thanksgiving turkey. First, you save a lot of oven space that you always need on Thanksgiving for all the other dishes. Second, the meat is moist and has a faintly smoky flavor. Third, grilling a turkey goes much faster than roasting one in the oven. Fourth, the gravy from the drippings of a grilled turkey tastes like nothing else–just amazing.

I’m discussing this today because grilling a turkey involves….well…your grill. Be sure to have a fresh tank of propane or a goodly supply of charcoal on hand for grilling, as the grilling takes a few hours of heat. Meanwhile, here’s what you’ll need to grill YOUR turkey.

I always buy a great big aluminum roaster pan to grill my turkey in. (Note: you must put the turkey in a pan on the grill. If you place the turkey directly on the rack, a great conflagration will ensue, possibly even involving a visit from your friendly neighborhood firefighters.)

About 5 days before cooking the turkey, I take it out of the freezer and put it into the fridge. Information on poultry safety is all over the web and I’m not going to write it out all over again. Make sure that you don’t let your turkey defrost on the counter for two days. That is dangerous. Let it defrost in the fridge for a couple days or in a sink full of very cold water for a couple hours.

On the morning of the day you plan to cook your turkey, take it out of the fridge and put it into a clean sink. Retrieve the neck, giblets, and whatever else you might find stashed inside the bird. You can cook those giblets and the neck up to serve or set them aside in the fridge to put into the stock later. Rinse out the turkey and pat dry with paper towels.

Place the turkey into the large aluminum roasting pan. Make sure that the roaster pan is sitting on top of a second, sturdy pan, like a heavy duty cookie sheet. You will be carrying a fully loaded turkey out to the grill and those aluminum roasting pans just aren’t that sturdy. The cookie sheet or even a board will give the pan the support it needs for that quick walk to the grill.

Quarter a couple of onions and stuff those inside the cavity of the turkey. Then cut 3 or 4 carrots into thirds and put those into the bird as well. These will not be eaten–in fact, are not SAFE to be eaten–but they will infuse the turkey with some good onion-y flavors and will also keep it very moist. If you’re so inclined, throw in a handful of whole garlic cloves and a quartered apple.

Prepare a marinade from the following items:

• 1 bottle of wine (white or red will be up to you. When I prepare the turkey for our church dinner, I will probably substitute apple or cranberry juice because I know of a few people who need an alcohol alternative.)
• 3 T. minced garlic
• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. white vinegar
• 2 T. rosemary

Mix all these things together and pour as much as you can into the cavity of the turkey. After you tie the legs back up and set the turkey down, the marinade will run out and that’s okay. When you put the roaster on the grill, you want about 2 inches of marinade in the bottom of the roaster. As the turkey cooks, some of this marinade will boil off. Replenish it with the rest of the marinade or with water. You will be watching to make sure it doesn’t cook dry.

Check the doneness of the turkey by checking the temperature. You can do this a number of ways. If you can get one of those little pop up thermometers that pop up when the turkey is the correct temperature, those are probably the handiest. A quick read thermometer works well. You can’t leave it in the meat, but you can slide it into the meat and get a temperature pretty rapidly. A regular old meat thermometer that sticks into the turkey and stays there also works nicely. The temperature that you’re watching for is 185°. This is the safe temperature for cooked turkey.

After you stuff the onions and carrots into the turkey and drench it in marinade, completely cover the turkey with foil. It might take more than one sheet of foil to seal around the entire bird. You also might need to replace the foil if it works loose or gets torn during the cooking process.

Once the bird is prepared, take it out to the grill. I have used a gas grill for this process, so I’ll give instructions for that. I know that the directions for cooking with charcoal will be a little different. I lower the rack inside the grill as far as I can, so as to fit the turkey into the grill and get the cover closed. Some years, the bird I cook is so big that I end up taking out the lava rocks and just setting the roaster pan on the lower racks. The grill lid MUST close though.

I usually start the turkey out on a medium high heat. It won’t take long before the marinade starts bubbling. You want to keep it simmering and almost boiling. If it boils too vigorously, it can end up boiling over the edges of the pan and you lose a lot of marinade that way. After about an hour, you can start using a turkey baster to squirt the marinade over the turkey. Replenish the marinade as the level drops. How long you cook the turkey will depend on how large it is.

For the last hour or so, I usually loosen up the foil a bit so that the turkey can get golden brown. I don’t take the foil off completely because I want to keep some steam going around the bird. When the thermometer (stuck into the thickest part of the turkey breast but NOT touching any bones) reads 185° it’s time to turn off the grill. Getting the turkey off the grill and onto a sturdy cookie sheet or board might take two sets of hands and a LOT of pot holders.

Take the turkey inside and let it sit for about 15 minutes. When you carve the turkey, throw out the onions and carrots immediately. If you’re making stock, you can put the onions and carrots into the stock because it will be boiling for hours. Do NOT serve these veggies. Any other bits of the turkey that you don’t want to serve or eat later can go immediately into a stock pot to make stock from once you’ve cleaned the carcass.

After you’ve carved up the turkey, there should still be some wonderful drippings in the pan. You can make gravy from these drippings that tastes just heavenly. Not only will you have marinade in those drippings, but you’ll have lots of turkey juices (and butter if it’s a Butterball.)

I’m reserving the right to come back and edit this post…It’s hard for me to remember every single step of something that I do 3 or 4 times a year, every year, so I might have forgotten something.

Enjoy!

Barb

This weekend, I received an email from my young friend, Molly. Molly is the same age as my oldest son and she is already a great cook. She offered to share two of her signature recipes for the Thanksgiving season with us and I’m delighted! Since I’ve never made Chestnut Dressing to accompany a Thanksgiving turkey, I was very excited to learn  more about this. Molly writes:

This stuffing recipe is one that I found in a “Taste of Home” cookbook about 7 years ago. I was fourteen at the time, and it was my first attempt at making stuffing. My family loved it, and I have been in charge of the stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner ever since! I like this recipe since it starts with the basic stuffing recipe, but add the chestnuts and stuffing and you have something special!

Chestnut Stuffing

• 1 pound chestnuts
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 package (16 ounces) bulk pork sausage, cooked and drained
• 1 package (16 ounces) crushed seasoned stuffing
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 cup water

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring 2 qts. of water to a boil. Cut an “X” in each chestnut; drop into boiling water. Return to a boil; cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; peel outer shell and inner layer. Coarsely chop chestnuts; set aside. In a large skillet, saute celery and onions in butter until tender. Transfer to a large bowl; add sausage, stuffing, and chestnuts. Add broth and water; toss to mix. Place into a greased 9×13 pan, covered, and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 10 minutes until the top is browned.

This is truly my favorite dish at Thanksgiving, and I always look forward to making it on Thanksgiving morning. I find that the chestnuts add a slightly sweet flavor, and a bit of a crunch. It’s fantastic!

Thanks, Molly! I’m excited to live in a  part of the country  where chestnuts are common enough  that people gather them up and share them with friends! I have been warned by a different friend that it’s very important to make sure that you’re not gathering buckeyes because those are poisonous.

If you want to make this a vegetarian dish, leave out the sausage and substitute vegetable broth or warm water for the chicken broth.

Barb

I found a recipe for Victorian stuffing in my Rodale Basic Natural Foods Cookbook, which I received as a wedding present 18 years ago. I was looking for a recipe that was slightly different than the usual stuffing, and this was lovely. I did make a few modifications, though. I still love it–the chestnuts and mushrooms add a lot to the texture, and the nuts are GREAT. And by the way, I can’t say enough good things about the Rodale book–I’ve worn it out over the years, and some of my family’s favorite recipes come from it.

Victorian Turkey Stuffing

• 1 jar of shelled chestnuts, chopped (I found them at Trader Joe’s)
• 1 large loaf of crusty French or sourdough bread
• 1 c. chopped fresh parsley, preferably the Italian variety, with large leaves
• 2 tsp. ground sage
• 1 tsp. black or white pepper
• 3/4 c. butter
• 1 1/2 c. chopped celery, including the leafy tops
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1/2 c. chicken stock (or more if needed or desired)
• 2 c. mixed nuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Combine bread, parsley, sage, and pepper in a large bowl.
In a large skillet, melt butter. Sautée celery, mushrooms, and onions for several minutes until tender. Add to bread mixture and toss to mix. Gradually add stock to moisten, tossing as you go. You may need to add more stock, depending on what type of bread you use. Toss in chestnuts and mixed nuts and mixed.

Put into a large lightly greased casserole, and bake for 20-30 minutes.