Also wanted to let you know that if you were having problems  with  or questions about your last minute baking or cooking and needed a 911 you can contact me all day long on twitter @MaryeAudet. I will check often and the laptop screen will be up until this afternoon when our dinner is ready.

Christopher Audet, USAF

I just want to leave you with a thought. I hope it is not offensive to my readers in other countries..we should all be proud of the place God has planted us. I wanted to thank all of the men and women away from home today because they are serving the country. It is hard to look at the extra piece of pumpkin pie and not choke up a little. I know that my son is in my heart and thoughts today as he serves.

If you are serving or you have a family member that is…thank you. Freedom comes at great cost. It is never free nor should it ever be taken for granted.

No Better Land Than This
Edgar Guest

If I knew a better country in this glorious world today
Where a man’s work hours are shorter and he’s drawing bigger pay,
If the Briton or the Frenchman had an easier life than mine,
I’d pack my goods this minute and I’d sail across the brine.
But I notice when an alien wants a land of hope and cheer,
And a future for his children, he comes out and settles here.

Here’s the glorious land of Freedom! Here’s the milk and honey goal
For the peasant out of Russia, for the long-subjected Pole.
It is here the sons of Italy and men of Austria turn
For the comfort of their bodies and the wages they can earn.
And with all that men complain of, and with all that goes amiss,
There’s no happier, better nation on the world’s broad face than this.

So I’m thinking when I listen to the wails of discontent,
And some foreign disbeliever spreads his evil sentiment,
That the breed of hate and envy that is sowing sin and shame
In this glorious land of Freedom should go back from whence it came.
And I hold it is the duty, rich or poor, of every man
Who enjoys this country’s bounty to be all American.

Post from: Baking Delights

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

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Roast Apples, Onions, and Thyme

Yay.

Then I found out that my tenants were moving from investment house #2. That means two empty houses…Then I had about two days of nonstop crying..this breakup stuff is much worse than it was in high school..and since I announced my singlehood on Baking Delights..I have been getting a trickle of email from male readers..Just for the record guys? I don’t do computer sex.

..then the van stopped working… Well..it just goes on from there. And I realized that I have been worse about blogging this week than ever before. I am so sorry!  I will be making it up to you..promise.

Today I just want to link to some old posts on Baking Delights that will help you with your holiday baking. Call it blogsurfing at home I guess. Ready?

How to Stuff a Turkey Pictorial

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Last Minute Thanksgiving Tips

10 Easy Thanksgiving Recipes for Kids

Sage Stuffing

Easy Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers

25 Best Thanksgiving Pie Recipes

Pumpkin Pie Noir

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Bread Pudding

This is funny. As I was going through old posts I saw this one from November 23, 2008 Blogsurfing Saturday…on Sunday must be the date..I am going to mark my calendar for next year!

Thanksgiving Side Dish Round Up

Wyatts Eggplant Casserole (not traditional but yummy)

Pictorial: Perfect Pie Crust

Roast Apples, Onions and Thyme

Sausage, Apple, and Raisin Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Crisp

Hope this helps! I will be posting more Thanksgiving posts all week..I promise

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

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When I saw this recipe for chipotle cranberry sauce in Bon Appetit I was somewhat skeptical. But I made some adjustments to it, and made it and you know what?

It was good. Not just like..mmm..yeah..good...But more like...WHOA, now that’s GOOD!

This would be great warmed up over a brick of cream cheese and served with gingersnaps or Carrs Water Crackers. I am thinking it would make incredible phyllo appetizers as well. You get the tart-sweet tastes of the cranberry and cinnamon and then the smoky heat from the chipotle..and a little whisper of garlic at the end – like the smell of perfume in the house the morning after a party. Faint…but there.

If you love your traditional orange- cranberry sauce you may not like this as a substitute. To me it was more of an appetizer, something to be eaten with cheese, apples, and crackers. Give it a try, if you like southwestern flavor you are gonna love this.

Chipotle Cranberry Sauce

• 2 canned chipotles in adobo sauce, mashed
• 1 lb cranberries
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cumin

1. Combine chipotles, sugar, cider, garlic, and cranberries in a pan.
2. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until sugar melts and cranberries pop. You may need to add a little more cider.
3. Add cinnamon and cumin and simmer about five minutes.
4. Let cool.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

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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

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Now, usually when I am making a pumpkin pie I stick with the Libby’s recipe. I know, I know…in a rut..but there is just not that much that can be improved there for a traditional pumpkin pie. This time, though, I wanted something that was sultry, and smooth, and sophisticated…sort of like the Libby’s recipe wrapped up in black leather, you know?

You have to start with a fresh pie pumpkin for this recipe. There is just no other way to do it. You are going to roast that pumpkin until the natural water in the flesh is mostly gone and it is dark, intense, and the very essence of pumpkin. I found that when I used pumpkin from that state the texture of the whole pie was different, still creamy but thicker and more like a ganache in texture, although not in taste of course!

Perfect with an espresso.

You are going to roast the pumpkin much like I showed you in the Pumpkin Smackdown post. Remove the seeds and as much of the stringy stuff as you can.  Instead of roasting it at the 375F recommended in that post you are going to bump the oven temp. up to 400F.  Place it on a cookie sheet flesh side up but don’t oil it. You want it to caramelize. Now, this is tricky, but you are going to roast it for about 2 hours, depending on the size of the pumpkin. You will have to check it often to make sure that it doesn’t go from caramelized to carbonized.

Take it out when it looks like this and let it cool.

Once it has cooled remove the blackened parts. Scoop the flesh into a …a….one of these (I can’t remember what it is called, this one was my mom’s and it is OLD)

You could probably use a food processor but the texture will be different. If you don’t have one of these unnamed old objects then mashing by hand would be your best bet.

The resulting pie is spicy and smooth, intensely sweet but not cloying. Give it a try; I think it would be amazing in small tarts.

Pumpkin Pie Noir

• 1 9 inch crust, unbaked
• 1 cup of roasted, caramelized, sieved pumpkin
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbs bourbon
• 4 tbs unsalted butter, melted and allowed to brown to a dark brown
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon ( I used vietnamese)
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• pinch of Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Candied ginger and confectioners sugar for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. Add ingredients in order and beat well
3. Pour into pie crust and bake 15 minutes
4. Reduce the heat to 375 and continue to bake about 30 minutes or until pie tests done. A knife inserted just to the left of center should come out clean
5. Allow to cool and serve with candied ginger.

Serves 8-10

images:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

So…I don’t know if you realize this but we are in to November and that means that Thanksgiving is almost here for those of us in the US. I thought that from now until Thanksgiving I would concentrate on those things that you might want to serve Thanksgiving Day.

So…This week is desserts week. Starting with dessert only makes sense. I seriously plan my dessert menu first in any situation. Not only will there be recipes for desserts but I will be doing a lot of extra linking to desserts that I have seen around the Internet.

What’s up? Well….I am not sure about everything…but you will be getting the recipe for the Whiskey Sour cake (pictured above)  that Kelly at Evil Shenanigans just about dared me to make… We’ll be doing pumpkin pie, and some other desserts, both classics and new.

Like dessert? Hang around this week and see what’s cookin’!

image:MaryeAudet

Post from: Baking Delights