Winter Squash or Pumpkin Pie

Recipe from The Joy of Cooking

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes One 9-Inch Single Crust Pie

I was inspired to make this pie after tasting it at a pie contest.  I thought it was just downright scrumptious.  I bought a huge squash at our community-owned co-op, Lost RiverMarket & Deli that had been grown at the local community garden.  I roasted it and had enough pulp to make about ten pies!  Make this for your next holiday meal with family and friends and you all will be very happy!

2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin or winter squash

1 ½ cups rich cream

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

Unbaked Pie Shell (Perfect Pie Dough), well chilled

Preheat oven to 425F.  Mix all the pie ingredients well together in a bowl and pour into the unbaked pie shell.  Bake for 15 minutes at 425F.  Then reduce the heat to 350F.  Bake another 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Wild Rice and Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries and Pine Nuts

Serves 10

Recipe from Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

The combination of wild rice and wheat berries makes a hearty dish that’s filled out with dried cranberries, diced apple and buttery pine nuts. The citrus vinaigrette is really delicious and could be used for other salads too. This dish is perfect for a holiday or fall party because the salad can be made up to a day in advance. It would be especially yummy served along with roasted turkey, chicken or pork. As you can see this salad turned out to be quite eye appealing as well.

Salad

¾ cup wheat berries, rinsed

1 cup wild rice

1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt

2/3 cup dried cranberries

½ cup thinly sliced celery

1 crisp apple, peeled and diced (Add this just before serving, if making in advance or the apple will turn brown)

½ cup minced flat leaf parsley

¼ cup pine nuts (I toasted these in a dry skillet.)

Citrus Vinaigrette

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

grated zest of 1 orange

½ cup fresh orange juice (It took two small oranges for this)

2 Tablespoons raspberry vinegar (The recipe said you could also use Champagne, rice or balsamic vinegar, but, I haven’t “husband-tested” these yet)

1 Tablespoon finely minced shallot

2 teaspoons honey

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water and the wheat berries to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes.  Add the wild rice and salt to the pot.  Bring to a boil again, lower the heat, then simmer and cook, partially covered, for an additional 50 to 55 minutes or until both grains are cooked.  Many of the wild rice grains will have split somewhat, but they will still have a little bite.  The wheat berries will be plump and slightly chewy.  Drain well.  Stir in the dried cranberries and let the mixture cool completely.

Meanwhile, put all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a lid and set aside until it’s time to serve the salad.

In a large serving bowl, combine the cooled grains and cranberries with the celery, apple and parsley. 

Just before serving, shake the jar of vinaigrette well to combine.  Pour over the salad, mix will and top with the pine nuts.  Serve at room temperature.

Raisin Pumpkin Twist

Pumpkin Raisin Twist toasted and served with scrambled eggs drizzled with
hot sauce,  cherry tomatoes, avocado, and chicken sausage.

Makes 1 loaf (16 servings)

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Nov/1996

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

If you've got leftover canned pumpkin from Thanksgiving, why not make this lovely bread?  It tastes fabulous with a spot of hot tea.  This bread is especially easy to make if you've got a dough hook.  Just let your mixer do the kneading.

¾ cup canned pumpkin

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange peel

1/3 cup orange juice

3 Tablespoons sugar

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large egg

3 cups all-purpose flour (divided)

1 package active dry yeast

1½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

¾ teaspoon Kosher salt

¾ cup raisins

1 Tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

In a large mixing bowl combine 1½ cups flour, yeast, and pumpkin pie spice.  In a saucepan heat and stir orange juice, sugar, butter and salt until warm (120° to 130° F) and the butter is almost melted.  Add the warm mixture to the flour mixture; add the egg and pumpkin.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl constantly.  Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.  Stir in orange peel and raisins.  Using a spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flower as you can, from 1¼ to 1¾ cups.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in the remaining flour to make moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total.)  Shape into a ball.  Place in a greased bowl; turning once to grease surface.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 30 minutes.) 

Punch dough down.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  Lightly grease a baking sheet (or use parchment paper.)  Set aside.  Shape each portion into a thick rope about 16 inches long.

On the baking sheet, line up the ropes, 1 inch apart. Starting in the middle, braid by bringing the left rope underneath the center rope; lay it down. Then bring the right rope under the new center rope; lay it down. Repeat braiding to the end. On the other end, braid by bringing the outside ropes alternately over the center to the center.  Braid the ropes loosely so the bread has room to expand.  Press the rope ends together to seal.  Cover and let rise until nearly double (about 30 minutes.)

Brush milk onto the loaf.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Bake in a 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until done.  If necessary, cover loosely with foil in the last 10 to 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Cool on a wire rack. 

Nutritional Information Per Serving:  142 calories; 3 grams fat (1 gram saturated fat); 13 mg. cholesterol; 131 mg. sodium; 26 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 3 grams protein

Cranberry Vinaigrette

Makes about 1¼ cup dressing

Recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

You don’t have to limit yourself to making desserts and sauces with cranberries. This vinaigrette is perfectly balanced with tartness of the cranberries and the sweetness of fresh orange juice and a bit of honey.  And, what a lovely rosy color that looks great with any green salad!  This vinaigrette would make a really nice dressing for a holiday party salad (Thanksgiving, Christmas or Valentines Day.) Lost River Market & Deli has everything you need to make this delicious vinaigrette.

2/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, picked through

6 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

12 Tablespoons olive oil

Honey or maple syrup, to taste 

Bring the cranberries and orange juice to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.  Remove pan from the feat, cover, and let stand until the berries have softened, about 5 minutes.  (Add a few more minutes if using frozen cranberries.)  Transfer to a blender or food processor and cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

Process cranberry/orange mixture, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper until smooth.  With the machine running, pour in the olive oil and process until thoroughly combined.  Add honey to taste and process again.

The vinaigrette can be chilled in an airtight container for 4 days.

Serving Suggestion:  You can also serve this dressing with steamed asparagus or green beans, poached salmon, or combine ¼ cup vinaigrette with ½ cup mayonnaise and 2 finely chopped celery stalks and toss with 5 cups cooked turkey or chicken for a salad.

How to Make Brown Stock (Step-By-Step)

So, you've made a fabulous turkey for your holiday feast. Maybe you tried the Husband-Tested Recipe for Roast Turkey. Don't throw out the carcass just yet. You'll be able to make a really flavorful stock with it which you'll be able to use for soups and sauces. 

First, take the meat off the bones and use for salads, sandwiches and soups. Place the carcass on a rimmed baking sheet. Add a couple of carrots and a halved onion. (No need to peel them.) Add a couple of celery stalks. Cut a whole head of garlic in half crossways. (No need to peel it either.) Place half of it on the sheet pan, but set aside the other half to put in the stock later. Drizzle some olive oil over the carcass and the veggies. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Heat the oven to 425 F. Pop the pan in the oven and roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the carcass is toasty brown and the veggies are brown and tender.

Have a very large pot ready to go. Place all the roasted veggies and the roasted carcass into the pot. Place the sheet pan on top of the stove. Add a bit of dry sherry or white wine, about 1/3 of a cup. Turn on the heat and using a spatula, scrap up the browned bits.

Place all the roasted veggies, the roasted carcass and the browned bits and liquid from the sheet pan into the pot. Add enough water to cover the carcass and veggies. Add the other half of the head of garlic, a few whole peppercorns, and a couple of whole cloves. To make it really nice, add a few dried porcini mushrooms and a bay leaf. You can also put in a couple more carrots, celery stalks and another onion. (No peeling needed.) If you have fresh herbs, you can add those as well, but it's not necessary.

Bring to a boil and then lower the heat. Simmer 3 hours over low heat. (By now your house will smell quite wonderful.) Turn off the heat and let the stock come to room temperature. Pour stock through a large sieve set over a heatproof bowl; discard solids. Place the stock in the fridge to chill. Fat will come to the top and solidify. Skim the fat off the top and discard. Cooled stock can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen several months in airtight containers.

Now that you have a fabulous stock, you'll be able to use it for soups, stews, dressing, sauces and gravy; anything calling for chicken or turkey stock/broth. Here's a lovely Husband-Tested Recipe for Lemon Turkey Soup with Fresh Spinach and Pasta in which you can use some of your stock.

Lemon Turkey Soup with Fresh Spinach and Pasta

Recipe from Bon Appétit

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

After stuffing ourselves with Thanksgiving turkey, we do what everyone else does…eat leftovers.  You can make this yummy soup with chicken broth and chicken.  This year, however, I used the Thanksgiving turkey carcass to make a fabulous stock and then made this delicious soup.  Go to this link to see how to make the brown turkey stock and then use some of it to make this soup.  It’s easier than you might think.

http://fromaliceskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/12/brown-turkey-stock.html

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

8 cups low-salt chicken broth or turkey stock

2 cups dried pasta (bowtie, orzo, egg noodles)

2 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

6 cups or so of fresh spinach leaves

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese

1 fresh lemon, sliced thinly for garnish**

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and stir 1 minute. Add celery, carrots and red bell pepper and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add 8 cups broth and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer to blend flavors, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on the package.  Drain and set aside.  Add turkey, lemon juice and lemon peel into soup. Add spinach and pasta. Simmer until spinach wilt but is still bright green, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Thin the soup with additional broth, if desired. Season the soup with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Serve, passing cheese separately.

**Note:  The soup is especially nice when you place a slice or two of lemon on the bottom of each bowl before adding the soup.