Happy leftovers day everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing day filled with family and food!
This year I did a mini-digital detox and refrained from posting very much on my social channels but rest assured, while I didn’t photograph every amazing bite we ate like royalty and I have some awesome recipes to share with you! Some of the recipes are not yet posted since I didn’t get many pictures so I’ll have to re-create the meal to get some shots once the holidays settle down a little… oh darn… we’ll have to have another Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving isn’t the same without cranberry sauce. We didn’t grow up with a sacred family recipe but cranberry sauce was always served with the turkey and it was never from a can. It’s just that one thing you can’t do without, especially for leftovers, which I would argue, are almost as good as the main meal! My mum is actually a really amazing cook and is the queen of adding her own touch to recipes and making them a million times better. You can find my post using mum’s recipe HERE.
I don’t like overly sugary anything but cranberry sauce is one that can get sweet real quick. If you look at the ocean spray recipe, which is the base that everyone seems to use but some people like to add orange zest, currants, cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice as well. There are also many different ways that you can use up extra cranberry sauce if you have any, Besides freezing it, you can make cranberry muffins, use it as a compote on top of brie, make cranberry tarts,oatmeal bars, mix up some cranberry pancakes, add it to your yogurt in thee morning or even make a fruit salsa.
Cooking for Thanksgiving is one of my ultimate favorite cooking times of the entire year! We travel to visit family and usually don’t have the ability to cook for 11 people and we love it! We wind up cooking the entire feast and even with double ovens, a 6 top gas range and not to boast but there is also a warming drawer to use, we are still tight on cooking space. We’re cooking with the kiddies so I made a little update to mom’s recipe and did without the Grand Marnier but I assure you, it’s still completely delicious.
This is one of those dishes, along with stuffing and pies, that can be made ahead of time and is actually almost better when it’s made ahead of time.
1/2 c sugar
1 c water (can be cut or completely replaced with orange juice)
4 c fresh cranberries (equal to one 12 oz package)
Rinse the cranberries and pick out/discard any damaged or bruised cranberries. In a tall soup pot, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar.
Add the cranberries to the pot and let them boil for a minute or two. Turn the head down and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until most of the cranberries have burst. You’ll hear them pop, which is why the tall pot comes in handy.
Cranberry Sauce {A Byte of Life}Cranberry Sauce from A Byte of Life blog
Remove the pot from heat and let it cool completely at room temperature. At this point the sauce is done and you can then transfer to a bowl to chill in the refrigerator. Note that the cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Some people like adding raisins or currants, or even blueberries for added sweetness. You can also add holiday spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice.
Let me start by saying I’m not a big cookbook gal, and I’m HOOKED on this book! From the gorgeous pictures to the wonderful way the recipes are laid out to the helpful tip that rightfully take up half the book, but I’m getting ahead of myself. This so much more than just a “Cookbook”, It’s a cooking school in a book.
They say you spend a third of your life in bed, but I’m convinced that we spend a third of our lives in the kitchen. From food preparation, consumption, entertaining and cleaning we spend a great deal of time in the busiest room of the house. I’ve been using The Kitchn’s recipes for years so when I was given the opportunity to review The Kitchn Cookbook I jumped on it! Remember that this review is coming from a gal who doesn’t usually like cookbooks. Don’t have the space or the attention to make them worthwhile, I usually want one recipe out of them and they gather dust. This book, however, is totally a keeper! It’s more than your usual round up of recipes, which are all really great recipes! It includes tips for keeping your kitchen clean and organized (which is important if you spend as much time as I do in the kitchen!) and also includes tips on how to properly stock a pantry planning and storage various ingredients. With recipes for everything from the one-pot wonders, slow cooking, no-bake, and time intensive dishes there’s really something for every taste and skill level and kitchen size.
Reading this book is like learning all the tribal knowledge of cooking with your mother and grandmother for Thanksgiving. It not only has amazing recipes (knowing how to make vinaigrette or lemon bars from scratch will totally change your cooking game) but it also has great tips for preparing meal plans, entertaining a group, stocking a pantry and storing ingredients and basically has a mini cooking school in chapter 5. The entire chapter is devoted to the tips and tricks that will change the game. Sure, we might already know how to chop an onion and might even know how to boil a mean pot of water. But, can you confidently deglaze a pan (trust me, it will change your life), thicken a sauce and properly cup up a whole chicken? There are also tips on how to adapt recipes, store your fruits and veggies and more!
Consider this the handbook for the kitchen you’ve always dreamed of. With recipes for everything from the one-pot wonders, slow cooking, no-bake, and time intensive dishes there’s really something for every taste and skill level and kitchen size.
I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion, and my honest opinion is that this is a kitchen must have!
We make broiled veggies 3-5 times a week and no matter how much olive oil I lather on the veggies or Misto spray on foil, the eggplant ALWAYS sticks! It drives me nuts and has caused a few choice words to escape on various occasions! So, last week we picked up a roll of the alleged “non-stick” foil to try. Reynolds Wrap boasts that they have a non-stick foil…I’ll be the judge of that!
I was skeptical as I pulled it out of the drawer while mentally recounting the countless fights with the baking sheet and foil as it they tried to hold onto my precious eggplant with their sticky powers. I figured that I’d throw the big guns and go “initiation style” on the foil. With the tiny space that we have, every utensil, pot, pan and gadget must earn its spot! So, I led with the closer and tore a sheet of the allegedly non-stick foil, laid it down on the baking sheet, and gingerly positioned my little eggplant slices on the tray while mentally apologizing to them if in fact the foil failed and they too became victims of yet another foil accosting. They make it easy to know which side of the foil is non-stick by making the opposite side shiny. Didn’t win me over completely, I’m not that easily wooed, yet, but I thought it was a nice feature.
Oven pre-heated…timer set…in…they…go. I anxiously awaited the 15 minute timer’s count down, tried to sidetrack myself with a tweet which, of course, was about the non-stick challenge currently happening in the kitchen!
Then… BEEP….BEEP… DONE!!! I leaped up too… okay let’s be honest here, I was already standing in the kitchen watching the timer count down. I dramatically opened the door, pulled out the tray, and shook the baking sheet. Much to my delight, the eggplant responded and moved around on the sheet as if gliding with ice-skates over a frozen pond! Success, delight, joy! I’m a believer! Foil CAN be non-stick! Ring the bells, sound the horns!
That foil worked wonders and I actually liked that it wasn’t quite flawless, as you can see in the photo the end cut of the eggplant stuck to the sheet a bit. This is now a STAPLE of my modest little kitchen!
And on a completely non-related side note… have you ever tried to spell “utensil” and gotten it right the first time!? I’ll shamelessly admit that it took me a few tries… what a strange word!
