Thanksgiving 2013

Hello Everyone!! Happy almost Gobble Gobble Day. I hope you are all ready for the holiday but if you are looking for a last minute dish why not consider one of these Jillian's Kitchen Favorites?! Some of these will definitely be on our table this year, my sister is hosting for the first time ever and is adding some new recipes to our traditional table setting, I am excited to share those with you after the holiday and taste testing.

Thanksgiving Favorites

Stuffing / Dressing (I never knew what the difference was until I became a Food Network Fanatic... Stuffing is actually stuffed into the bird and cooked, Dressing is made as a side dish in a casserole, but the actual recipe can be identical!) This recipe is my families stuffing that has been made for decades in my family, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it. This year my sister will also be making a cranberry apple dressing which will hopefully be as delicious as it sounds so keep your eyes open for a potential new recipe soon!



Cream of Roasted Asparagus Soup - I love all things asparagus and with the cold weather the east coast has been experiencing this week a nice warm soup would do a body good!! If you aren't an asparagus fan check out Roasted Buttercup / Acorn Squash Soup either is bound to be a hit around the table.



Broccoli Casserole Another newbie to our table but not a newbie to our family will be the Broccoli Casserole, I absolutely love this dish, it is very reminiscent of Thanksgiving to me as it has all the veggies mixed together and would go good on top of a scoop of Mashed Potatoes! I love making a veggie mountain in my potatoes and as this dish has broccoli corn and cheese it is like having the best of a twice baked potato on your plate.



Apple Pie Now no Thanksgiving is complete without an Apple Pie! I love to take a pie crust and a small cookie cutter and make a fun top to mine, it looks impressive but is so simple! No worries about making the perfect top crust and you get to be a little artsy and play with your food! If you aren't into all that crust you can also try an Apple Crisp, maybe with some of those leftover cranberries thrown in!



Now....Leftovers...which lets be honest many people look forward to more than the actual meal!

I love when my mom makes a Turkey Noodle Soup the next day, all those leftover bits of turkey stuck to the bones? pull them off and make a chicken noodle soup but with turkey! if you have some extra stuffing, go ahead and put some globs of that in there too, it adds great flavor and texture.



If soup isn't your thing you can also make Roasted Turkey Salad - same as Roasted Chicken Salad, just use that turkey!



I also had a great sandwich this past weekend....sliced roasted turkey....thick slabs of brie....some spicy mustard all on a flatbread. OMG. It was delicious and for those big cranberry lovers I'm sure some of that gelatinous wonder would be a nice addition to the sandwich as well.

Lastly, Fried Mashed Potatoes, these are so delicious and great for breakfast the next morning, you can serve with eggs, on their own, or as another layer on that turkey sandwich!

Recipe Flashback - Rustic Potato Pancakes

When I was making the French Onion Meatloaf the other day I felt like potatoes but had had mashed potatoes a few times in the previous weeks and decided to have these great Rustic Potato Pancakes. They are extremely simple to put together, I can alter the flavors to match my meal and they don't take long to cook at all. If you wanted to do something a little different at thanksgiving these could be great with some thyme, rosemary and garlic powder to go with the turkey (or day after turkey!)





I made this recipe exactly as it is called for in the original because the flavors went well with my meal but feel free to experiment and make it your own!

Recipe Flashback - French Onion Meatloaf

To continue on my month or so of making my own recipes and sharing them with you again I bring you French Onion Meatloaf. This is a recipe I saw on Rachel Ray, made, loved and then promptly forgot about! Occasionally I would have people tell me how much they enjoy it, how their picky husband requests it and their kids can't get enough. So I decided this definitely had to be on my list of recipes to make again.



I was making this for someone who isn't very crazy about the texture of vegetables at times, so after I finished making the sauce I tossed it into a blender and pureed, it still tastes delicious, has all the nutrients and flavor of those caramelized onions and made for a nice dinner. It made me think of how you could sneak this into those children who say "but Mom I SEE the onions, I'm not eating it!" Now they will just think you are giving them a great gravy.

Check back in a few days to see what great potato side dish I made with it.

Happy November - Recipe Flashback

Hello Everyone! I realize I haven't posted in over a month, lots has been going on in what I refer to as "Jill World" including a move which has resulted in my now having a kitchen that is bigger than a shoe box! It's weird not having kitchen supplies in odd places like the bathroom closet, the dishwasher which I used for baking storage, etc. I am in the process of unpacking and getting settled but I am still cooking, I am doing something I often do, making my own recipes! I thought we would do a throw back month where I share with you some recipes I am revisiting and if I change anything up I'll let you know.

It was a whopping 32 degrees when I woke up yesterday and I knew I needed to make something that would warm me right on up. I looked through my recipes and knew that Chicken Corn Chowder would make me quite happy! We ate this after it had been fully cooked and simmering on the stove for a good 1.5-2 hours with the cream added so the flavors had time to start marrying together but I know it will be even better today.



In the original recipe I made it in the slow cooker and only used 2C of stock. This time I added a third cup of stock and cooked it on the stove top. I added everything but the milk, heavy cream and corn starch to a large stock pot, brought up to a boil, reduced to a simmer for about an hour until the potatoes were fully cooked through, then added the milk, cream and corn starch (which had been mixed into the milk), brought back up to a boil and reduced to a simmer one more time for about 20 minutes. Then I turned it down to low and let it sit on the stove for another hour - now keep in mind you could easily eat it after the first 20 minutes of simmering with the cream, but really? the longer it sits the better it is. So I finally gave in and had a bowl and mmmmm mmmmm was I happy :)

Give it a shot when you have a nice cold day coming up or just want to taste the deliciousness! I promise I'll keep on posting, I am cooking, I haven't disappeared! I will also post some of my favorite Thanksgiving Recipes for all of you making the meal or bringing something to a family gathering!