Cooking On the Side » Thanksgiving

Chestnut Stuffing

Kathy Strahs — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:32:32 +0000

Thanksgiving is almost here and I’ve got one more terrific recipe to submit for your consideration as you finalize your menu for the big feast: Chestnut Stuffing.This stuffing turned out to be even better than I’d hoped. I like a really homey, traditional, herby, moist-on-the-bottom-crispy-and-golden-on-top kind of stuffing and this recipe (from the back of a package of Melissa’s chestnuts) is exactly that. Plus chestnuts. And the chestnuts do really add to the dish – not just a crunchy texture but also a really subtle sweetness and earthiness.This Chestnut Stuffing is one of several new-to-me recipes I’m including along with some old favorites on this year’s Thanksgiving lineup in our house:

“The Perfect Bird” – Saveur

Chestnut Stuffing (recipe at the end of this post)

Mashed Potatoes with Crispy Shallots ~ Food & Wine

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Maple Vinaigrette ~ PBS Food

Cranberry Sauce ~ Cooking On the Side

Yeast Rolls (soon to be posted on Cooking On the Side)

French Apple Pie ~ Cooking On the Side

Looks like I’ve got a busy few days ahead (and you know I’ll be loving every minute of it). Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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About Cooking On the Side...

It’s the recipe collection I didn’t even realize I had – the one derived from the side of a bag of fresh vegetables, a box of sugar, a jar of mayonnaise. Cooking On the Side – as in on the side of food packaging – is all about “revealing” these on-the-package recipes, with photos of how they actually turn out, cooking notes and more descriptive directions than package space usually allows for. -- Kathy

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Creamed Spinach with Bacon

Kathy Strahs — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:33:53 +0000

Spinach doesn’t need cream or bacon to make it a good side dish. It’s fine on its own, simply steamed or sauteed with a little lemon. That’s how I typically make it.

But…

If you do happen to mix cream and bacon in with spinach – and maybe some aromatic onions and garlic too for extra savory flavor – well, you’re going to wind up with a pretty excellent side dish. This Creamed Spinach, inspired by a recipe I found on the side of a package of frozen spinach, isn’t the extra thick kind I’ve had at steakhouses in the past. Here the sauce is thinner – just the cream or milk alone absorbing into the spinach rather than a flour-thickened bechamel. It’s a little bit lighter without sacrificing flavor. That works for me!

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Chai Pumpkin Pie

Kathy Strahs — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 06:23:15 +0000

I’d been looking for a good excuse to post an updated pumpkin pie recipe on Cooking On the Side. That first pumpkin pie I posted two Thanksgivings ago was great and all, the classic Libby’s version that I and millions around the country have enjoyed for years. But ever since that post I’ve been wanting to challenge myself to bake a pumpkin pie that was more from scratch – roast a pumpkin and make fresh purée, roll out my own pie crust. Well, I found my excuse to bake a new pie in the form of a sticker on a sugar pumpkin.

On the sticker was a pumpkin pie recipe that not only started with making your own pumpkin purée (no surprise there, it’s attached to a pumpkin) but it also called for a rather unusual custard ingredient: a cup of hot water. I researched a slew of other pumpkin pie recipes and not one called for water. And they all have two eggs, while this recipe on the pumpkin sticker only called for one. The closest relative I could find to this type of custard filling was a Chinese egg custard – in that dish, hot water or other liquid is mixed in to create a light, silky texture. I became very intrigued by this water approach.

I couldn’t leave well enough alone. For my pie, I decided to brew a cup of chai in lieu of the plain hot water the recipe called for. The notes of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper and star anise in the tea complemented the pumpkin amazingly and enhanced the traditional pie spices. If you’re in the mood for an all-homemade twist on the classic, Chai Pumpkin Pie is definitely a great way to go.

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8 Traditional Thanksgiving Recipes…On the Side!

Kathy Strahs — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:12:53 +0000

I wasn’t sure if I could put together an entire Thanksgiving menu with recipes from the sides of food packages, but I did it! Here’s a summary of the eight traditional Thanksgiving recipes I’ve shared over the past few weeks.

Enjoy – and wishing a happy and healthy holiday to you and yours!

Rosemary Roasted Turkey

Cranberry Sauce

Bacon, Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes

Herb Stuffing Muffins

Green Bean Casserole

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Pecan Crunch

Classic Pumpkin Pie with Maple Cream

Classic Pecan Pie

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Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Pecan Crunch

Kathy Strahs — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:26:11 +0000

Despite being almost two years old, my daughter still prefers her sweet potatoes in the form of baby food purées with nothing else added. I suspect this has as much to do with the appeal of the natural sweet potato flavor as it does with the entertainment value of practicing the transfer of bright-orange mush from jar to mouth with her new spoon-wielding skills. If you’ve ever tried sweet potatoes just on their own you know they’re naturally pretty sweet. But if you’ve ever tasted streusel topping you also know that it pretty much makes anything even better.

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Herb Stuffing Muffins

Kathy Strahs — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:01:38 +0000

When I mentioned to my mother that I was planning to make a traditional herb stuffing this weekend, she replied, “You should bake it in muffin tins!” She had just read an article in The New York Times in which the author was extremely pleased with the results of her efforts to concoct stuffing muffins that were crisp on the outside and steamy soft on the inside: “Imagine how good they must have been, then times it to the 10th power.” That was all the encouragement I needed to give it a try.

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Classic Pecan Pie

Kathy Strahs — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:56:58 +0000

I have to admit, whenever I hear the words “pecan pie” I immediately think of the line “But I would be proud to partake of your pecan piiiiiiiiie…” from that sweet museum scene in When Harry Met Sally, when Harry is gearing up to ask Sally out:

It’s hard to believe it’s been twenty years since that movie first came out! It’s still one of my all-time favorites. Anyhow, I digress…back to the pie.

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Thanksgiving Turkey

Kathy Strahs — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:01:37 +0000

When I was 12 years old there was a contest at school where you had to guess how much a turkey they had on display weighed. My guess turned out to be correct – 22 pounds.

I won! I won!

I lugged my hefty prize out to the pick-up circle after school, proudly presenting our Thanksgiving turkey to my mom. For some reason, she didn’t seem nearly as excited about a win of these proportions.

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Cranberry Sauce

Kathy Strahs — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:01:14 +0000

Cranberries, sugar and water – that’s all you need to make traditional cranberry sauce. Yet while it may be the simplest dish on your Thanksgiving table, it’s definitely no wallflower. Just look at that gorgeous color! And if that wasn’t enough to capture our attention, the tart berries seize our tastebuds and make our mouths water for the rest of the holiday feast.

When it comes to cranberry sauce, I’m a whole-berry girl all the way. I like to see the fruit, and the skins add such great texture. But if the jellied variety is more to your preference I’ve included Ocean Spray’s directions for that version below as well.

Cranberry Sauce
From the back of a bag of Ocean Spray Fresh Premium Cranberries

Makes 2 1/4 cups

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 12-ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour sauce into a bowl, cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time.

If you preferred jellied cranberry sauce:

Prepare as directed above. Before cooling, place a wire mesh strainer over a mixing bowl. Pour contents of saucepan into strainer. Mash cranberries with the back of a spoon, frequently scraping the outside of the strainer, until no pulp is left. Stir contents of bowl. Pour into serving container. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 1 cup.

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Bacon, Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes

Kathy Strahs — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:32:58 +0000

I’ve struggled in the past to make mashed potatoes with the texture I really like – the really fluffy, smooth, creamy kind. Maybe I’d been using the wrong kind of potatoes or I wasn’t cooking the potatoes for long enough or I could have benefited from a tool like a potato ricer…but I think the real reason I wasn’t getting the result I wanted is that I was reluctant to use enough of a few key ingredients. Namely butter and cream.

Well, I’ve gotten past that now.

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