my muffin thursdays

Other than Michael and cooking, Christmas may very well be my favorite thing on earth. Thanksgiving to Christmas marks the one time of the year where people generally seem nicer, celebrations and parties abound, and almost everywhere you look it's beautiful with decorations and lights everywhere.

And then there's the food.

Oh, dolly, the food.

Pies, cookies, brownies, cookies, candy, cookies, roasts, cookies, hors d'oeuvres, cookies, holiday Chex mix, cookies...there's a lot to get excited about and it can be easy to overdo it.

That's one thing I love about my family's Christmas eating traditions. Our Christmas Eve dinner is just appetizers. We have a big spread of appetizers--jalapeno poppers, cheese and crackers, pasta salad, a vegetable tray, etc.--and it's delicious.

The next morning is when we pull out the big guns.

We have a huge brunch of waffles with every topping under the sun (a few kinds of syrup, strawberries and whipped cream, etc.), eggs, bacon or sausage, grapefruit, orange juice, and more. That night, we just pull out the rest of the appetizers and have another light meal. It's perfect.

Growing up, Christmas morning was about the only time we really did waffles. I love waffles and when I went away to college, I decided that waffles weren't just for Christmas. I love making them more often and am always on the hunt for a new recipe.

This one was delicious and it smelled just like Christmas. That gingery, cinnamony smell. Ah... served with buttermilk syrup or Grade B Dark Amber stuff... oh yeah.


Gingerbread Waffles
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3/4c pumpkin
1 1/4c milk
4 eggs, yolks and whites separated
6Tbsp canola oil
2/3c brown sugar
1/4c molasses
2tsp cinnamon
2tsp ginger
1/2tsp nutmeg
1/2tsp salt
4tsp baking powder
3c flour

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, egg yolks, canola oil, brown sugar, and molasses. Sift cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and flour over top. Stir to combine well. If the mixture seems a bit thin, add 1-2 Tbsp extra flour. In a medium or large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped egg whites into the batter gently.

Cook according to waffle-iron instructions.

My body wants to be in hibernation.

How do I know? Well, other than wanting to be home in my pajamas 24 hours a day watching British movies and reading Jane Austen novels, I'm craving loads of comforting foods. Mostly, thank heavens, this has been roasted vegetables and simple pastas, etc., but man alive, this week the dessert cravings really hit me.

I love this chocolate mousse. If you like chocolate pudding but want something elegant enough to serve guests, I recommend this. It's simple enough that it's no big deal to make but it's absolutely delicious. It's the perfect creamy consistency and has the perfect chocolatey taste.

I love this mousse plain, but this time I added a tiny bit of coconut extract. It's also great with almond, or you could even do cherry.

If you're trying to plan ahead, know that this does take a few hours to cool in the refrigerator. If you want to hurry the process along, you can place the bowl of mousse in a large bowl of ice water in the refrigerator. If time isn't a concern for you, you can leave this in the fridge chilling overnight before whipping to serve.


Chocolate Mousse
Printable recipe

Ingredients:
2c cream, separated
1 1/4c semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate cut into small pieces
2 tsp corn syrup
1/2tsp vanilla
1/4tsp coconut, almond, or cherry extract (optional)

Directions:
In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips with 2/3c of the cream and the corn syrup. Once melted and smooth, stir in vanilla and flavored extract, if using. Stir in remaining 1 1/3c cream and stir to combine.

Place in a glass or metal bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until completely chilled. When chilled, beat with electric mixer until whipped and light. Place in serving dishes or ramekins and serve when desired.

I'm a bring-my-lunch-to-work sort of person.

I find it's an easy way to control what I'm eating, to have some peace and quiet to myself, and (of course) to save money and time.

My co-workers are mostly go-out-to-eat people, so when they invite me to lunch and I tell them I brought something, I'm pretty sure I often come across as a little anti-social. That's why it's so great when we do office lunches, where everyone brings a little something and we eat all together. We had a taco salad lunch a week or two ago, and I signed up to bring the salad dressing. I've been having a really fun time lately making my own dressings from scratch lately, and I thought it would be fun to try a homemade dressing to go with taco salad.

Most people wanted ranch dressing, so that was a given. In trying to come up with something, I remembered how good that avocado lime mayo was that I put on the chicken chorizo burgers I made earlier this year and was inspired by that recipe. I made it a little differently and thinned it out so it would pour well, and it turned out great.

Be sure to taste the dressing along the way to adjust the seasonings to your own preferences. I like lime and cilantro together a lot, and like to be able to taste the lime in the dressing, but if you want a more subtle taste, add a little less lime juice and go from there. Also, I used all light ingredients, but you could use full-fat if you prefer a creamier feel.


Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2c sour cream (I used light)
1/2c mayo (I used light)
1/4c milk (I used skim)
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves
juice of 1-2 limes
1/4tsp onion powder
1/4tsp pepper
1/4tsp salt
1/8tsp garlic powder

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Add more milk if you want it thinner.

Warning: this recipe is not for mushroom haters. My sincerest apologies (and condolences) to those of you who don't like mushrooms. It's a hard burden to bear in life (I would know...poor Michael hates everything to do with mushrooms).

I really liked this soup. I've been searching high and low for a version that doesn't have meat as the star. Last year, I ate a great version of brown and wild-rice soup at a little deli on campus, and it was really what I wanted to re-create at home. I felt like I was pretty successful. The soup was hearty and comforting, while still incredibly simple. The soup comes together beautifully and goes well with crusty bread or a salad. It was delicious!


I should let you know now that the only challenge in preparing this soup is allotting time for the rice to cook. Which is why I'll let you in on a little secret: I cooked my rice the night before I wanted to make the soup. Brown and wild rices usually take 45-50 minutes to simmer and soften, which makes this hard to whip up in 30 minutes after getting home from work.

If you've never worked with leeks before, you should know that they tend to be sandy and need more than a quick rinse. While the bacon was browning in the soup-pot, I sliced the leek and soaked it in a large bowl of water, to let all the sand and grit come out. By the time the bacon was done, the leeks were clean and ready to go!


Brown and Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3/4c brown and wild rice blend (not instant)
4 slices bacon, diced
1 leek, light green and white parts only, washed, sliced in half vertically and sliced thinly horizontally
8oz button or baby portobello mushrooms, finely diced
2 Tbsp flour
4 1/2c chicken broth
1c half-and-half
3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, brown bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Set aside and drain all but 2 tsp of the bacon drippings (if you'd rather not use bacon drippings, you could empty all of it and substitute olive oil or butter). Add leeks and mushrooms to pot and reduce heat to medium. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute until softened and mushrooms are slightly browned.

Add bacon back to pot and sprinkle all with flour. Cook, stirring 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add chicken broth and cover. Bring soup to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 5-7 minutes or till everything is tender. Add in half-and-half and cooked rice. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir in parsley for garnish.

I am about to confess something to you about Thanksgiving that some may consider blasphemy:

Turkey is my least favorite part of Thanksgiving.

There, I said it. It's the truth, and I am all about the truth here at My Muffin Thursdays.

You may wonder then, if not turkey, what does it for me at Thanksgiving? My answer: The starches. Pile on the mashed potatoes, vegetables, rolls, etc. What really makes my day though, is the sweet potatoes. I love Thanksgiving sweet potatoes.

If you haven't been a sweet potato person before, really, honestly, truly, these are incredible. As in Heaven-in-your-mouth good. Forget marshmallow-topped; these babies are delicious.

I usually only eat them at Thanksgiving, but, let's be honest folks, they're good any time. I eat meatless several nights each week, and in the cold months, I'll often make these as my main dish and pair them with a salad or other vegetable for a simple meal. Certainly they aren't diet sweet potatoes, but I love them and they're delicious.

You can make these with either sweet potatoes or yams. I've used both with excellent success. My mom even makes them with canned yams and they're great. Whatever works well for you. Another beautiful thing about these sweet potatoes is that you can prepare them the night before or the morning of Thanksgiving and then just pop them in the oven when you're ready to cook them. If you don't want a full 9 x 13" pan full, you can certainly half the recipe and cook it in an 8 x 8" pan.They are very simple to prepare, and the leftovers are fantastic.

(To prepare the sweet potatoes, I peel them and then boil them until soft. Then I mash them well.)

The recipe comes from my Aunt Kelly, who has the cutest baby ever of all time, but that's another story for another day. In the meanwhile, I get very most especially nostalgic when I eat them around the holidays and think of her.


Aunt Kelly's Sweet Potatoes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6c mashed sweet potatoes (3-4 large sweet potatoes)
1c sugar
1/2c milk
1/4c butter, melted
3 eggs
1tsp salt
1tsp vanilla

For the topping:
1c brown sugar
1c chopped pecans
1/2c flour
1/4c butter

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, sugar, milk, and butter. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition to fully incoporate the eggs. Stir in salt and vanilla. Pour into a 9 x 13" baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans, flour, and butter until very crumbly and well combined. (a pastry blender or two forks work well for this). Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or till golden.

Last year, my family and I were over visiting my grandma one night. She and my grandpa had just put up about a million jars of spiced pear jam. She sent us each home with a little jar to sample, and I wolfed it down embarrassingly fast on toast every morning for breakfast and in the afternoon for a little snack.

I haven't stopped thinking about that jam since. I got the recipe, but, having only about 20" x 20" of counter space to my name, I've given up hopes of canning my own at present. So, instead, I just think about it, remembering how a-ma-zing it was. Sigh...

So, how to capture that same unbelievably delicious flavor without canning jam?

Pie.

I find this is often the answer I'm looking for in my life. Pie is the i-ching of desserts. What should I make for my big family dinner? Pie. What should I take to my neighbor who just had a baby? Pie. What am I craving right this very minute? Pie.

It's what The Godfather is to men in You've Got Mail.

Michael and I lay in bed the other night discussing food as we were falling asleep and we made a plan for capturing the flavor of spiced pear jam in a pie. This was the brain-child of our musings.

A few notes about this pie: 1) you can expect that your house will smell like heaven on earth and the holidays and lots of good memories. 2) You can expect it to be magically delicious. 3)You can expect that it's not especially subtle when it comes to spices.


I love the combinateion of apples and pears. The cranberries look like little jewels, and the crumble topping just sends this baby over the edge. It's everything a fall pie should be.

If you feel iffy about pears in pie (have no fear), you can certainly use all apples. If you're nervous about having an over-spiced pie, you can tone it down by using less than the recommended amount of spices. If you don't like cranberries, you can leave them out. It's very flexible and forgiving. Just as a pie should be.


Fall Fruit Pie
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pie shell
5 small apples, peeled, cored, and diced
3 small pears, peeled, cored, and diced
1/3c dried cranberries, (or more or less to taste)
1/4c sugar
1/4c brown sugar
1/4c flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2tsp cinnamon
scant 1/2tsp ginger
1/4-1/2tsp cloves (I used a generous, heaping 1/4tsp)
pinch salt

For the topping:
1/2c cold butter
1c brown sugar
1/2c oatmeal
1/2c flour
1/4-1/2c chopped pecans
1/4tsp salt

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine apples, pears, and cranberries. Add in sugar, brown sugar, flour, vanilla, spices, and salt. Pour filling into pie shell.

In a medium bowl, blend topping incredients until well combined and very crumbly. I use a pastry blender, but you could use two knives or two forks. Sprinkle over filling.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until crumble topping is very golden and set.

Cool completely before serving.

I feel like I end up saying this almost every other post, but dear reader, it's been a few of those weeks all strung together.

For the past few days, I've slunk in the door with my shoulders drooping, purse practically dragging on the floor (I love my purse too much to actually let it drag on the floor), the bags under my eyes sagging so far down my face that I've considered naming them.

Okay, fine. I exaggerated.

But just a little.

Mostly.

For some reason, I've had all the energy drained right out of me for the past few weeks. I wish I could tell you it was for some exciting or mysterious reason (i.e. H1N1 flu, pregnancy, saving orphans from burning buildings on my lunch break), but the truth is... I can't put my finger on anything. I've just been a little drained. So by the time dinner is made and cleaned up, I'm ready for nothing more than laying down next to Michael watching Leverage reruns online through Netflix. (I highly recommend the show, by the way. We just started watching it last week, and it's VERY well done.)

So we've had rather simple (but delicious) fare at our house these past few weeks. This salad is one of those simple things.

I first tried maple dressing at one of my favorite soup/salad/sandwich places, and have been on a quest to re-create it at home. Michael likes my version better, which I'll take as a compliment. But I PROMISE that as much as a maple dressing might sound sticky or too sweet or funky, it's incredibly good. Especially when paired with tart apples, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans.

Oh, baby, is it good.

The dijon and balsamic vinegar balance out the sweetness and add just the right notes to tie everything together. I must warn you though, dear reader, not to make this with maple flavored syrup. You have to use the real stuff. Okay, you don't HAVE to, but it will be better. I promise.

Anyway, here's to simple, delicious, and fall-inspired meals.

Coming soon... wild rice soup and a fantastic fall fruit pie.


Fall Salad with Maple Dressing
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
Lettuce (I used romaine, you could use anything--spinach, spring mix, whatev)
Pecans, toasted
dried cranberries
a tart apple, diced (I used Granny Smith, but Jonathan or other tart apples are good too)
parmesan cheese (optional)

For vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4c olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
Make vinaigrette by whisking together maple syrup, vinegar, and dijon mustard. Wisk in olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary (you may want a bit more maple, salt, ,etc.)

Toss dressing with lettuce, pecans, cranberries, and apple. Top with parmesan cheese, if using.