I just didn’t like the additives, preservatives, massive amount of salt, or the funny canned flavor. There has to be a way to make it better….. And there is.

What happens when you substitute fresh, organic ingredients? Magic, that’s what! The cream sauce infused with garlic and bacon, made with portabella mushrooms and half and half becomes succulent, sweet and rich, meaty with mushroom flavor.  The true flavor of the green beans shines and the texture is tender yet with some tooth.

Did I mention the portabellas?

These are the before pictures. There are no shots of the green bean casserole after baking because, quite frankly, I burnt everything I touched this year. Not badly but enough that the aftershots would not be very appetizing!

Don’t save this for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It is simple, delicious, and inexpensive.

Green Bean Casserole

• 2 lbs of fresh green beans, trimmed, washed, and cut
• 1 lbs baby portabella mushrooms, sliced thickly
• 1 onion (I used purple) peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 strips of bacon, applewood smoked or peppered
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1 tbs sherry or vermouth
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup butter, cut in chunks
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups sliced onions sauted until golden OR 2 cups Durkee Onions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 13×9 inch casserole dish
2. Cook green beans until crisp – tender. They will cook more in the oven, so don’t get them too mushy
3. Drain green beans well and spoon into prepared pan
4. Chop bacon into a small dice, add with onions to the pan
5. Saute until the bacon is crisp and brown and the fat is rendered but the onion is not scorched
6. Add garlic and mushrooms
7. Saute mushrooms in the bacon fat until tender, remove the contents of the pan to casserole dish and mix into the green beans
8. Add the sherry ( or vermouth) and the balsamic
9. Add the cream and bring to a boil
10. Once it reaches a boil turn heat down and maintain a simmer until the cream is reduced and coats the back of a spoon, 5 to 10 minutes
11. Whisk in the butter, small pieces at a time and whisk until the butter is melted and the sauce absorbs it
12. Taste and adjust seasonings
13. Pour over the green bean mixture, top with sauteed onions or Durkee and bake for 20 minutes

Serves 8

images: marye audet

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This was it. It is so different and so good!  It encompasses all the flavors you can imagine: tangy, sweet, sour, spicy….The flavors just sort of hit you in layers, one after another, ending with a smoky heat from the chipotle.

And then…the textures! tender, chewy, crisp, crunchy…. the dressing pulls everything together. Balsamic, brown sugar, chipotle and vanilla. Truly incredible.

If you live in a warm climate I can definitely see this on your Thanksgiving Table. Added bonus? Since it is a salad you can make it about 2 days ahead of time and it will be perfect on the BIG day. Gotta love it. If you are foin to make it ahead of time use less chipotle. The chipotle will get spicier as it stands.

Roast Sweet Potato Salad

• 5 Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut int 4ths or 8ths
• Olive oil for drizzling
• 3 stalks of celery
• 1 honey crisp apple (may substitute Granny Smith), chopped (leave the peel on)
• 1 cup chopped pecans pr almonds
• 1 onion peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Vanilla Balsamic Vinaigrette

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Place sweet potatoes in an oiled pan and drizzle with oil. Roast until slightly caramelized and done, about 45 minutes.
3. Let cool
4. Add the sweet potatoes and the rest of the ingredients to a large bowl. Toss lightly, serve or chill for up to three days.

Vanilla Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup Balsamic
• 1/4 cup organic spiced cider
• 1/3 cup light oil (walnut, peanut, etc)
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 2 tbs honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp. bourbon vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of cloves
• 1 large chipotle in adobo sauce,  mashed

1. Whisk ingredients together and allow to stand for 20 minutes.
2. Pour over salad and allow to stand for at least an hour or up to three days.

images: marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Remember that roasting vegetables gives them a sweetness that can’t be achieved in any other manner. These are tossed in a cider- bourbon  reduction prior to being placed in the oven and the sauce glazes the apples and onions with a hint of color and a taste that will absolutely knock your socks off. Finish it with a bit more thyme.

You can make the sauce a day ahead and then finish the dish an hour before serving. I  got the recipe from November Bon Appetit but I adjusted some of the components and added the bourbon. Give this a try, I think you will like it.

Let the pan that you have the reduction in cool off before you start licking it out. You could really burn your tongue. Not that I did that. I am just sayin’.

You can leave the bourbon out if you like, either add another couple of tablespoons of cider or balsamic vinegar.You end up with tender, sweet, crispy, tangy, earthy, spicy yumminess that just cannot be denied.

Roast Apples, Onion, and Thyme

• 4 cups organic spiced apple cider
• 4 tablespoons of bourbon
• 1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter cut in chunks
• Pinch of Kosher salt
• 1 tsp coarse black pepper
• 4 Vidalia or 1015 onions peeled and quartered
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh thyme
• 6 Honeycrisp or MacIntosh apples; peeled, cored and cut in wedges

1. Boil the cider until reduced to 2/3 cup. This will take about 15 minuts.
2. Whisk in the bourbon and either flame or boil for 1 minute longer.
3. Whisk in the butter one or two chunks at a time.
4. Add a pinch of salt for seasoning
5. Set aside
6. Preheat the oven to 425F
7. Toss the onions with half of the thyme and half of the reduction. Place in a buttered pan
8. Toss the apples with the other half of the thyme and the rest of the reduction and place in another buttered pan
9. Roast apples and onions, stirring once in awhile, for  30 minutes.
10. Increase heat to 475F and roast until caramelized and done, about  15 minutes more. Watch carefully to prevent scorching
11. Sprinkle with a little extra thyme and serve hot

Serves 8

images : marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Thanksgiving is usually a no brainer around here. I made a menu over ten years ago and we pretty much go by it completely, adding a new dish or two every year to try. It is just that everyone has things they just “have to have” and adding something new is impossible without taking away something old, comfortable, and traditional so…we don’t.

What I have found is that it is great to make Thanksgiving foods other times during the month. It allows us to try new things without sacrificing the almighty menu. Everyone is happy.

Today’s blogsurfing is  is made up of the cool dishes I have found that you might like to try. Not all of these are from blogs, but they are all things that just looked really good to me. I am woefully behind on the posts that I promised last week, not just because I am behind on posting but because I am behind on cooking! I need life to slow down just a tiny but. Heading in to Christmas? Not likely to slow down, is it?

1. Green Beans with Ginger and Cashews
2. Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots
3. Bacon Ranch Potatoes
4. Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
5. Soy Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Sesame Seeds
6. Cider Glazed Butternut Squash
7. Turkey Cranberry Strudel
8. Glazed Baby Carrots and Brussels Sprouts
9. Whipped Carrots and Parsnips
10. Warm Pumpkin Salad with Polenta and Candied Pumpkin Seeds
11. Roasted Onions with Gruyere Croutons
12. Creamy Broccoli with Cashews

In a couple of days I will do a roundup of the past Baking Delights Thanksgiving recipes. Enjoy your weeked!

image: marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

This recipe is based on one in the November issue of Bon Appetit. I liked the way that the bread held up to the other ingredients, and how the flavors melded together. Now, flavors…..first bite is sweet apple and raisins…chewy, tangy sourdough…then the complexity of the fresh sage and sausage..and finally the smoky heat of the chipotle.  I think that this is good enough to be a casserole dish all by itself.

It isn’t at all difficult to make, and only takes an about 45 minutes in the oven. And the aroma? Amazing.

Sausage, Apple, and Raising Stuffing

• 1 1/2 lb loaf of artisan sourdough, cubed
• 1 lb sage flavored breakfast sausage (bulk)
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2  tbs chopped chipotle in adobo
• 4 tbs butter, divided use
• 4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups golden raisins or dried cranberries or a mix of the two
• 2 tbs chopped fresh sage
• 2  cups organic chicken broth
• 1/2 cup Calvados or apple cider
• 2 eggs

1. Spread bread cubes in a flat pan and toast at 350F for 12-15 minutes
2. Spoon bread into a large bowl
3. Saute sausage until done, remove from pan and stir into bread cubes
4. Add onion and celery to drippings in pan and saute until tender…stir into bread cubes
5. Melt 2 tbs butter in the same pan and add the apples and saute until tender.
6. Add apples and raisins to bowl with bread.
7. Melt the remaining butter in the pan and add sage. Stir for 30 seconds and then pour over bread.
8. Stir to mix evenly.
9. Whisk eggs and chicken broth and pour over bread.
10. Toss to blend evenly.
11. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
12. Spoon into a greased casserole dish.
13. Bake uncovered at 350F for 45 minutes to an hour.
14. Let stand 10 minutes

Makes 16 servings

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Vodka Shrimp and Poblano Pasta Ravioli

I always like to try new things along with the tried and true on the holidays. Paging through the November issues of Bon Appetit and Gourmet I have seen several things that pique my interest. Then there are the recipes I make that I want to share. So…here goes:

• Roasted Potatoes with Bacon, Onion, and Sage
• Yams with Maple, Walnuts, and Brandied Raisins (except I will be using ….yeah..bourbon)
• Thyme Roasted Apples and Onions
• Bourbon Sweet Potatoes
• Sausage Apple and Cranberry Stuffing
• Chipotle Cranberry Sauce

I will also be sharing a recipe for Vodka Shrimp with Poblano Pasta Ravioli, and the Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (we used to call them Black Eyed Susans) that I sent to Chris in the Middle East…

Chocolate Thumbprints or Black Eyed Susans

AND if that wasn’t enough…on Saturday I will be doing a list with links of all the cool side dish recipes for Thanksgiving that I saw but couldn’t try.

Hows that?

images:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Polenta and grits are similar products, both made from corn. Grits are normally served as a side dish for breakfast, much as you would serve cream of wheat. In recent years they have become more popular and taken on the role of a side dish.

Grits are creamy, somewhat bland, and soothing but they will take on the flavor of almost any ingredient you put into them. They are cheap and filling and those two attributes make them a favorite ingredient at my house.

These Southwestern style grits are full of flavor cheese, onion, garlic, chiles, tomatoes, cumin, and cilantro. They would be excellent served with grilled meats of any sort.

Quick. Easy. Cheap. Yummy. What more can you ask?

Southwestern Style Grits

• 3 cups water
• 1 16 oz. can Ro*Tel tomatoes with chiles
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cups grated cheddar
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1 tsp finely minced chipotle or to taste
• 1 cup grits
• 1 cup black olives, sliced

Directions

1. Combine water, tomatoes, spices, onions, and chipotle in a pan. Bring to a boil
2. Add grits, stirring constantly
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring until grits thicken
4. Add cheese, cilantro, and olives
5. Stir until creamy and serve

Serves 8

You can also add some crisp bacon to this with great results

images:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

I have my consult with the general surgeon on Wednesday, July 15. Not sure where we are headed after that but you know you will be the first to know…o..k…so maybe second to know. I am hoping to get a contest post up later today, so please check back before bedtime.

I can’t believe it is the middle of July, can you? I am looking at the unruly pile of firewood that needs to be split before cold weather gets here and wondering when Matt will have to to do it. We seem to have so much going all the time that it is tempting to give up, sell out, and buy a McMansion on a Zero Lot.  I keep reminding myself how miserable I would be and how miserable the kids would be although a couple of them keep pushing for that lifestyle.

17 years  ago today my third child was born. He was my first to be born at home. So much has changed in our lives since then; we have lost people we love and gained people we love. We have moved several  times. Our finances have changed. More than once! And for some reason, we have been increasingly busier.

I wonder where the simple life went? Where did we lose the ability to sit and drink sweet tea on the porch on a hot afternoon? And more importantly, how do we get that quality of life back?

Today’s blogsurfing Saturday is a little different. Instead of highlighting other blogs I am going to be linking to some very cool posts on Baking Delights that you may have forgotten or not known about. I realized last night that I have so many posts (well over 900) that some of the first ones have become invisible!

• Tie Dyed Tortilla Chips – I love these. I came up with this idea for a groovy retro party. The kids had a great time painting the tortillas and there is just not anything better than homemade chips.
• Blueberry-White Chocolate Muffins – I think the original for this came from Nestle? I have been making them for several years (5 or 6!) and they are ALWAYS a hit. Just in time for National Blueberry Muffin Day today!
• Cookie Dough Brownies – amazingly yummy for all you raw cookie dough fans. This one is in my upcoming book.
• Plum and White Tea Scones -  Oh I need to make this again ….SOON.
• Orzo Salad with Asian Ginger Dressing – there just isn’t much more to say about thing. Yum.
• Summer Squash Pudding - this is addictive. Even your dyed in the wool squash haters will love it.
• Coconut Praline Pie – my very first post at Baking Delights. Lousy picture. GREAT recipe.
• Lemon Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios - I love these. Absolutely could eat them 24/7
• Banana Maple Bundt Cake with Walnut Praline Swirl – if you have some really ripe, gooey bananas this is what you need to do with them!
• 50 Best Cookie Recipes on the Internet - this post still gets MOST of my traffic every month. It has been copied, stolen, complained about, made fun of, and worshiped. Still a great list. Think it may be time for a part II.

There ya have it. Ten recipes, dusted off and ready for you to take a look at. Have a great day and don’t forget to check in later about the giveaway!

images:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Oddly enough there was a little bit of the creamed spinach left.  And, not so oddly enough I needed a quick side dish.

I took the left over creamed spinach, thinned it down with some cream (yeah, what else?) and stirred it into the cooked fettucine.  Added a handful of toasted, chopped pistachios and there it was…Presto pasta in the truest sense of the word.

And it was perfect.  So much so that next time I am doubling the creamed spinach recipe so I can have more leftover!

This is vey rich…I think it is better suited for shrimp, crab, or scallops if you are going to add a protein.  It seems to me that chicken would get lost in the richness of the dish.  In fact…the more I think about it the more appealing the idea of crab is in this dish…hmmm…

Image:marye audet (c) 2008

Post from: Baking Delights

Yes folks, it’s what you have been waiting for all month…the incredible..the colossal…the stupendous..the amazing…The Potato Ho Down.  Now, put a little starch in your life and check out these great recipes from the most notorious Potato Hos in the known world.

If the titillation is too much and you feel you simply must join in the frolic next month check out the official Potato Ho Rules.

We start with these incredible Sweet Potato Muffins from our own Sparky Marie, of Noble Pig.  These sweet potato muffins are light, airy and full of sugary goodness.

Is anyone ready for  Susan’s Potato Cakes?  When Susan is not making delightful Potato Cakes she is spending her time at her blog, My Life’s Joys.  These are a yummy potato side dish that will be a hit at any meal.

The next mouthwatering submission is  Biggie  Lorraine’s Artichoke and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes. Biggie Lorraine hails from the Choosy Beggars and this is what she says…”This is my take on a Mediterranean version of Colcannon, where creamy Yukon Golds are mashed with marinated artichokes, oregano, and olive oil.  It was part of my Mediterranean themed Thanksgiving dinner!”

Elra from Elra’s Baking brings us an amazing Torta di Patate.   This is a delicious potato pie from Liguria, Italy.

See? It’s international.  Potatoes are taking over the world.

It *is* true what those Japanese Iron Chef judges say. This dish was “subtle, yet profound.”  Please welcome Sherli Hon Dory’s Potatoes Simmered in Miso (Jaga-imo Miso-ni). Sherli is from Eating Club Vancouver.

Christina Shane is one of the very first Potato Ho’s. In fact, it is my belief that she was Sparky Marie’s partner in crime when it came to starting this crazy event.  Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world….

oh ..wait…wrong script.

There is nothing I can say about this.   It is a beautiful truffade. I implore you, with my very best Anne of Green voice, please…you must read for yourself…the drama!  the angst!  the passion! You will find her at Evil Chef Mom.  Go quickly, and don’t look back.

Remember the deli scene from when Harry Met Sally? You might find yourself replaying that scene.  These foods are dangerous folks…step back.

Riley Marie, from dlyn  has created a warm Potato Kale Chowder – fast, hearty and delicious soup for cool fall dinners.

Our own Mandy Lynn of Kiki Out of the Kitchen has created a recipe so unique, so tantalizing, so exceptional that she is unable to show it on her blog for fear of the FCC.  O.k…no..that isn’t true.  She actually is having camera problems but the FCC thing sounds good, right?

She made Clean Out the Fridge Mashed Potatoes.  Go and check it out..sounds amazing.

Sparky Ann, from Livin’ Local  says, “Get yer hands right into the goodies with these deeeeeeeeeelicious rosemary potatoes!  Simple to make and fills your home with a most splendid aroma!” Check out her Potato Ho-licious Rosemary Potatoes

Goshua Lynn, from Where’s My Damn Answer? (Chocolate.  It is always the answer.) has created Basque Style Potatoes.  She calls it her Use what ya got dish.  Uh huh…Use it …babeeee.

Well, Potato Ho Trixie Bell has a tendency to sleep late…but she just emailed me with the links to her stuff..and what stuff it is! Brilliant and imaginative creature that she is she answers the age old question:What to do with potato peels?

Potato Crisps with Chive Sour Cream Dip of course..

Check out all  her stuff on Pages, Pucks and Pantry.

That is it for the roundup this month.  Whew.  That was enough!

There were several entries that I did not recieve email on for some reason..I tracked them down via my links reports…sooooo…if I missed you then please contact me so we can add you in as soon as possible!

Images: Used with permission from the owners of the blogs represented.  Each image is copyright protected by the original photographer.  Please do not use them without the permission of the original photographer.

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