Grape Salad

My sister had this salad at one of her bridal showers. I've tweaked it a little, just for my taste.

4 lbs red or black grapes
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz plain yogurt
1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c chopped pecans

Wash grapes, de-stem, and set aside to dry. Blend first four ingredients in a food processor until smooth.Mix grapes and sauce in a bowl.

Half an hour before serving, sprinkle on brown sugar and pecans and mix in.

Chocolate Pavlova

I made this a few years back for Mike's birthday and it was fantastic. I got the recipe out of a FOOD Network magazine (thanks for the subscription, fabulous brother-in-law Dane!) and here's the link online.
6 large egg whites
2 cups superfine sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

2 cups heavy cream, to be whipped
4 cups berries (any kind will do)
1 to 2 ounces dark chocolate for shaving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Draw a 9-inch-diameter circle on the paper with a pencil, tracing a round cake tin that size. Flip the paper over so your meringue doesn't touch the pencil marks - you'll still be able to see the circle.

Beat the egg whites with a mixer until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.Add the chocolate: Sprinkle the cocoa, vinegar and then the chopped chocolate over the egg whites. Gently fold everything with a rubber spatula until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in.

Secure the parchment to the baking sheet with a dab of meringue under each corner. Mound the meringue onto the parchment within the circle, smoothing the sides and the top with a spatula.

Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 300 degrees F and cook for one to one and a quarter hours. When it's ready, it should look crisp and dry on top, but when you prod the center you should feel the promise of squishiness beneath your fingers.

Turn off the oven and open the door slightly; let the chocolate meringue disk cool completely in the oven. When you're ready to serve, invert onto a big flat bottomed plate and peel off the parchment. Top with freshly whipped cream, then berries, then shaved chocolate and even an extra sprinkle of powdered sugar if you wish.

Christmas Caramels

Coconut oil
1/4 c water
1 1/2 c sugar
1/4 c light corn syrup
1 c heavy cream
5 T unsalted butter
1 t fine fleur de sel (or I've used Kosher salt)
1/2 t pure vanilla extract

Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over 2 sides, then brush lightly with oil. In a deep saucepan (6" wide by 5" deep) combine water, sugar and corn syrup, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until golden brown. Don't stir - just swirl the pan!
Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring the cream, butter and salt to simmer over medium heat. Turn off heat and set aside.
When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to it.Be careful - it will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mix reaches 248 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Very carefully, pour the caramel into the prepped pan and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.
When the caramel is cold, pull from the pan on to a cutting board and cut into 1" by 2" pieces. Wrap in wax paper.
Yields about 40 pieces.

Christmas Morning Struesel

TOPPING:
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves

CAKE:
1 c sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
8 oz sour cream or plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 1/4 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

1 c fruit, frozen (I usually use raspberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix struesel in a small bowl, set aside. Mix each cake ingredient in, one at a time, until well mixed (except fruit). Pour h1/2 batter into 2 greased bread pans. Sprinkle in fruit and half of the topping. Pour in the rest of the batter, top with the remaining topping. Bake for 45 minutes, serve warm.

Boneless Leg of Lamb

5 lb leg of lamb, boneless
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 t dry oregano
2 t dry thyme
2 t dry rosemary
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c lemon juice
2 c dry red wine (I used cooking wine)
1/4 t pepper

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Rub garlic and spice mix all over the lamb. Put the lamb in a large ziploc bag and pour in the liquids. Squeeze out the air from the bag and seal it. I put it all in another ziploc bag so it couldn't leak. Marinate in the fridge overnight.

Remove the lamb from the fridge one hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Drain the marinade and pat the lamb dry. With the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan, sprinkle with 2 t salt and 1/2 t pepper. Stick a thermometer into the meat.

Roast the lamb for 20 min at 450 degrees, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Continue cooking until desired internal temperature is reached:

Rare: 130 degrees
Medium Rare: 140 degrees
Medium: 155 degrees
Well Done: 165 degrees

Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Tzatziki (Yogurt Sauce)

Ok, I'm guessing on this one because this is what Mike wrote down:

"yogurt, mint, cucumber, sour cream. shred cucumber, mix some sour cream, mint and yogurt to taste. add salt. let rest."

I'm pretty sure that means:

4 oz plain yogurt (greek would be best)
4 oz sour cream
1 cucumber
handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
1/4 t salt

Peel and shred the cucumber. Strain the pulp, then squeeze between paper towels (you want very little added moisture). In a small bowl mix yogurt, sour cream, mint; add cucumber. Taste, add salt, taste, maybe add more salt. Let rest.

Falafel

1 cup dried chickpeas or 16 oz. can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans.
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons flour
Salt
Pepper
Oil for frying

Place dried chickpeas in a bowl, covering with cold water. Allow to soak overnight. Omit this step if using canned beans. Drain chickpeas, and place in pan with fresh water, and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then let simmer on low for about an hour. Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl. Add flour. Mash chickpeas, ensuring to mix ingredients together. You can also combine ingredients in a food processor. You want the result to be a thick paste. Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Slightly flatten.

Fry in 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees until golden brown (5-7 minutes).

Serve hot.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c pumpkin
1 c sugar
1/2 c applesauce
1 egg
2 c flour
2 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 t milk
1 t baking soda
1 T vanilla
2 c chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pumpkin through egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour through salt. In a small bowl dissolve baking soda in milk. Combine milk with wet ingredients, then add dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate and walnuts.

Scoop onto greased baking sheet and bake for 14 minutes, rotating halfway through.

Baklava

1 lb pistachios or walnuts (or a mix of both), coarsely ground
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 c zwieback crackers or breadcrumbs
4 sticks unsalted butter, melted
16 sheets phyllo dough (thawed, if frozen), cut in half

SYRUP:
3 c sugar
1 1/2 c water
8 oz honey
1 T fresh lemon juice

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Combine the nuts, cinnamon and ground crackers in a bowl.

Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with some of the butter. Layer 10 pieces of phyllo in the dish, brushing each piece with butter before adding the next (keep the remaining dough covered with a damp towel). Sprinkle a quarter of the nut mixture over the dough. Layer 4 pieces of phyllo on top, brushing each with butter before adding the next; sprinkle with another quarter of the nut mixture. Add 4 more phyllo pieces on top, brushing each with butter, then add another quarter of the nut mixture, 4 more pieces of phyllo with butter, and the remaining nuts.

Layer the remaining 10 pieces of phyllo on top of the nuts, brushing each with butter; brush the top piece with extra butter. Cut into the baklava to make strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Then make diagonal slices, about 1 1/2 inches apart, to create a diamond pattern. Bake until golden, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: Bring the sugar, honey and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and boil 2 more minutes, then let cool slightly.

Pour the syrup over the warm baklava; let soak, uncovered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Garnish with nuts.

Butterhorn Rolls

Makes 32 rolls

2 Tablespoons dry yeast, heaping
1/3 cup warm water
9 cups flour, divided
2 cups warm milk
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
3-4 Tablespoons butter, melted

In stand mixer, dissolve yeast in water. Add 4 cups flour, milk, butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Beat 2 minutes or until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Knead in mixer until sides of bowl are clean, then knead two more minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning dough once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (1-3 hours).

Punch dough down and divide into four equal parts. Roll each part into a 12-inch circle and brush with melted butter. Cut each circle into 8 pie-shaped wedges. Roll up each wedge for wide edge to tip of dough and pinch to seal. Place rolls, top down, on baking sheets and either bake, or freeze. (If freezing, once frozen, place in freezer bags and keep frozen until needed.)

To bake: Take out as many frozen rolls as you’ll need and place them on a greased baking sheet. Thaw for five hours or until doubled in size. Bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned. Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. Remove and serve immediately or cool on wire racks.

Kitchen Sink Sweet Potato Casserole

Aptly named because everything but the kitchen sink goes in!

4 1/2 c cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 c butter, melted
1/3 c milk
1 c white sugar
1/2 t vanilla
2 eggs, beaten

TOPPING:
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c flour
1/3 c butter, cold
1 c chopped pecans
1 c mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients (except topping). Spread mixture into the baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and flour. Cut in cold butter so mixture is crumbly, then stir in pecans. Sprinkle mixture over sweet potatoes.
Bake for 20 minutes, then top with marshmallows and bake 5 more minutes (or until golden).

Cran-Orange Relish

12 oz bag cranberries
1 c sugar
1 c orange juice
orange zest
1 orange, supremed and diced
3/4 c walnuts, toasted

Combine first four ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until thick. Take off of the heat and mix in last two ingredients. Chill before serving.

*Mixing leftover relish with softened cream cheese turns this into a great spread for leftover turkey sammies!

Raw Cranberry Relish

2 c sugar
1 whole orange, cut in quarters
1 bag cranberries

Dump in a food processor and chop until combined!

Good Eats Turkey

Our 2011 Thanksgiving feast in Colorado

1 14-16 lb frozen young turkey

FOR THE BRINE:
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 c kosher salt
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1 T black peppercorns
1 1/2 t allspice berries
1 1/2 t chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

FOR THE AROMATICS:
1 red apple, quartered
1/2 onion, quartered
1 cinnamon stick
1 c water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 sage leaves
Canola oil, for coating

2 to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.