Reasons to Celebrate and Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

We’re finally back in our Yankee home after a two-and-a-half week trip to the South. It was such a joy to spend time with our family and friends. For the most part, we did just that; we sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed our time! I hardly cooked a thing while we were on the road. Most of the time, I would regret that fact, especially since I didn’t spend any time making holiday treats during exams, but it was time for everyone else’s culinary skills to shine and for us to relish our cherished time at home.

Of course, the holidays are really a time for us to celebrate! We did so from our arrival until our departure.

We arrived in Knoxville after a long journey, and spent the next few days, celebrating both Christmas and family reunions, but also the baptism of our youngest cousin.

A few days later, after a family Christmas trip to Nashville, we took the short trip to Montgomery for another family celebration, and celebrated the birth of Christ with a feast.

Everywhere we went, the halls were decked.

Everywhere we went, there was wonderful food to be had (including the “roast beast”).

The days after Christmas were cause to celebrate in and of themselves; on those days we did whatever we wished. Finished a puzzle, read a book (or kindle), visited, gathered in the kitchen for leftovers, watched a few movies. It was delightful.

And then we celebrated some more; we ate a delicious meal during the last few moments of 2010, and cheered in 2011 with some of our dearest friends. We gathered after supper to make resolutions and predictions for the New Year.  We spent the next day with many of these friends watching football and babies.

After most of the delicious Christmas goodies had been eaten, it was finally time for me to spend some time in the kitchen. I wanted to make something comforting, but not too rich; something that would move us away from the sweets and towards a healthier New Year.  Gumbo seemed just the thing. This gumbo is full of vegetables, is just a bit spicy, and even my brother, who eschews okra and the like, seemed to enjoy it.

We’re back up north, and I have one more reason to celebrate. War Eagle!

Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

Adapted from Southern Living's Homestyle Cooking

2 pounds frozen okra
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 small onions, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 6-oz can tomato paste
3 large bay leaves
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¾ teaspoon Cajun seasoning (Pilleteri’s, Cachere’s, or equivalent)
¼ teaspoon hot sauce
½ teaspoon ground red pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
dash white pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)
7 cups water
1 pound spicy link sausage, cut into ½ inch lengths (Conecuh, Andouille, or equivalent)
2 ½ pounds medium fresh wild shrimp, peeled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 cups hot cooked rice

Heat ¼ cup oil in a large Dutch oven. Add okra and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 35 minutes, stirring often. Remove okra from the pot and set aside.

In the same pot (there will still be some bits of okra in there), combine 2 tablespoons of oil and flour in the pot and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a roux whisk, until the mixture is fragrant and has darkened in color. Add onion and celery; cook 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, green onions, and garlic; cook 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and the next eleven ingredients (through water), and the reserved okra; stir well. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Add the sausage and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and heat until the shrimp are cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Remove and discard the bay leaves, and stir in the parsley. Serve over hot rice.

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Christmas Break...and our Tradition of Christmas Fettuccine

Thank you to everyone who commented and encouraged me as I worked through my exams.  I finished my last one this morning, and that noise you just heard was a sigh of relief!  I spent the rest of the day catching up with many of you on Christmas baking and preparing, packaging and Santa-ing, and am truly looking forward to a good post-exams nights sleep tonight.  We'll be South-bound early tomorrow morning!

Since we're so far from our families, we have become creative with our Christmas traditions.  Thankfully, some traditions remain untouched, like the cookies we (two adults) leave for Santa, but there are many more that have been abandoned or modified.  When we first got married, we decided that we would always wake up in our own bed on Christmas morning.  That went out the window as soon as we decided to move 12 (or more) hours away from everyone.  Family is much more important than our "tradition!"  A couple of years ago we decided to start a tradition of Christmas fettuccine (à la The Holiday), on Christmas eve.  Well, I don't think that tradition is going to happen this year, although I am thrilled to be going to my home church for the beautiful candlelight Christmas eve service.  While we will not be eating fettuccine on Christmas eve this year, we celebrated a bit early with the meal so it would not be completely missed. 

This Fettuccine is jam packed with vegetables, making it closer to a Primavera than a simple Alfredo.  This year, we made it extra rich by adding fresh crab.  I thought the crab overwhelmed the dish a little bit, but my husband loved it and deemed it the best yet.  Either way, it is a delicious celebratory dish, worthy of a yearly tradition.

Christmas Fettuccine

 12 oz fresh fettuccine
1 bunch broccoli, stems removed and cut into bite-sized pieces.
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz sliced wild mushrooms
5 oz fresh spinach
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup vegetable broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ cup Romano cheese
8 oz fresh crab (optional)
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley

Before beginning, prepare all of the ingredients, as things move quickly.

In a large pot with a steamer insert, steam the broccoli for 8 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for 1 more minute (the flour will clump a bit on the bottom of the pan and vegetables). Add the milk, broth, salt, peppers, and nutmeg, making sure to stir the bottom of the pan well. Cook for 6 more minutes, or until thick, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is cooking, drain the steamed broccoli and add to the sauce. In the same pot, bring 1 quart of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain and keep warm.

When the sauce has thickened, stir in the cheese and crab (if using) and stir until the cheese has melted. Stir in all but ½ cup of the diced tomatoes. Serve the sauce over the pasta, and top with the remaining diced tomatoes and parsley.

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One Down...Christmas Stollen makes Good Study Food

I just finished the first of four exams!  I am thrilled to say that by this time next week, I will be finished for the semester, and can ponder the season without worrying about how much studying I need to do or what chapters I need to finish reading.  I absolutely love what I am learning; it is life-changing!  I even love how exams bring 12 weeks of classroom material and makes it "stick," in distilled form.  However, the plight of school is the never-ending to-do list that is always rumbling in the back of our minds until that last exam is submitted, and so until these tests are done I'll probably grumble and complain about them.  Thankfully, semesters end and the break ushers in a restful reprieve, and much more appreciation for my professors and their assignments!

As a teacher or student, sometimes it is hard to enjoy the Advent season and to enjoy those festivities which lead up to Christmas day because there is so much to do scholastically with final papers, exam prep, studying, and those pesky exams.  So we take our holiday cheer and make traditions where we can, even during study sessions.  I had some classmates over yesterday for a study session and decided to make a loaf of Christmas stollen for our brunch meeting. 

I'll be honest; stollen is far from traditional Christmas fare for me.  I had never made nor tasted it and none of my study-mates had even heard of it, so I cannot attest to its authenticity.  But that didn't keep us from immensely enjoying the loaf of fruit-studded and marzipan stuffed bread.  And it certainly didn't keep my husband from devouring the few leftover slices, while talking in a pseudo-"German" accent.  Authentic or not, we may have just added a new tradition to our holiday study time!

Christmas Stollen

Adapted from Cooking Light, November 1999

Give yourself plenty of time when making this.  While the hands-on time is relatively short and the work easy, there is a lot of resting time in this recipe (several hours plus an overnight rise, and cooling time after baking).  

3 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoon cherry juice
1 cup mixed dried cherries, golden raisins, dried cranberries, and currants
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 package)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
3 1/2 cups flour, divided
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sliced almonds
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
7 oz. box of marzipan 
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the brandy, cherry juice, and dried fruit.  Stir and let the fruit marinate for 1 hour. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, and warm water.  Let this sit for five minutes, or until bubbly.  Turn the mixer on low and strain the liquid from the fruit into the bowl, then add 1 1/2 cups flour, milk, sugar, butter, salt, and egg.  Increase the mixer to medium-low speed and mix for 2 minutes, until combined.  Add the fruit, almonds, zests, cardamom, and an additional 1 1/2 cups flour and continue to mix for 6 minutes.  With the mixer still on, add up to 1/2 cup of the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. 

Transfer the dough to a second metal bowl that has been lightly greased.  Turn the dough to coat the top.  Cover with a clean towel and set the dough in a warm, draft free place to rise for two hours.  The dough will not double, but an indentation should remain when you push two fingers into the dough when it is ready.  Punch the dough down and let it rest for five minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a greased baking pan and stretch the dough into a large oval, about 13 x 8 inches.  Cut the marzipan in half length-wise and put the two pieces end-to end in the center of the dough.  Fold the two long sides over the marzipan, seal the ends, and flip the loaf over, reshaping it as needed (it should now be about 12 x 4 inches oval).  Cover with a layer of saran wrap and a towel, and refrigerate overnight. 

In the morning, take the baking pan out and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake the loaf for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes, then brush with butter and sift powdered sugar over the top of the bread. 

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Window Shopping Gift List and Cherry Almond Granola

When I was young, Christmas seemed to be all about what I would get.  I wouldn't sleep well on Christmas eve because I was dreaming about what might be waiting for me the next day.  Now, I find that I love pouring my energy into what I will give others.  I still don't sleep well on Christmas eve, but my excitement is more over sharing the day with others, and being able to bless them with gifts! 

When it comes to gifts, I'm more of a window shopper.  I love looking at the gift guides, seeing what's new and what's wanted, but I don't do much of the actual purchasing.  Apart from my husband and a few family members, most of my gifting is of the home-crafted kind.  But since I do love window shopping, I wanted to share my "window shopping" gift list with you.  Many of these things I already have and love, and others are on my wish list.  Maybe my little window shopping list will help you fill in those last few gifts that you have been looking for. 

My favorite gifts for the food lover:

Conecuh Sausage; Bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau; Oakview Farms Granary Stone Ground Grits

Peppermint Hot Chocolate (Williams-Sonoma); Tucker Honey Glazed Pecans; Crate of Clementines

Shoreline Olive Oil; Terry's Dark Chocolate Orange (Amazon); O&H Almond Kringle

My favorite gifts for the host:

Mug Cozy (Socks and Mittens); Monogrammed Mug (Anthropology); Dorothy Gail Apron (ImaginAprons)

Latte Bowls (Anthropology); Alabama Dish Towel (Catstudio); Provence Platter (Williams-Sonoma)

12 Days of Christmas Napkins (Williams-Sonoma); Cow Creamer (Williams-Sonoma); Bon Appetit, Y'all (Amazon)

My favorite gifts for the chef: 

Peppermate Pepper Mill (Amazon); Henckels Twin Cuisine 7 Inch Santoku (Amazon); Le Creuset Oval French Oven (Amazon)

Smart Stick Hand Blender (Amazon); Mini Spatula and Spoonula Set (USPHome); Multi Mount Oven Thermometer (Sur La Table)

Retro Kitchen Timer (Amazon); Kitchen Twine with Cutter (Sur La Table); Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Vanilla (Amazon)

In case you're like me and prefer to give gifts of the homemade variety, here are a few ideas that go beyond the cookie jar.  I love the combination of Colonial Oatmeal bread with Apple Butter, or a pretty glass container of pimento cheese.  And a bag of granola will always be welcome. 

Colonial Oatmeal Bread; Pimento Cheese; Orange Rolls

Whole Wheat, Oatmeal and Fruit Muffins; Cherry Almond Granola; Cheese Straws

Black Russian Cake; Apple Butter; Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

Cherry Almond Granola

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup powdered milk

½ cup honey
1/3 cup 100% cherry juice
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon almond extract
5 ½ cups old fashioned oats
¼ cup wheat germ
¼ cup oat bran
½ cup millet
1 ½ cups dried cherries
1 cup slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, powdered milk, honey, juice, and oil. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the extract.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour the sugar mixture over the oats and stir well.

Spread the oatmeal over a large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring 2-3 times. Reduce the heat to 250 and bake for 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

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In Between Holidays...and My Favorite Apple Crisp

I know we're all Christmas-minded these days, but I just had to post some pictures from our past couple of weeks.  We've been busy! 

I am proud to say that my husband ran the Philadelphia Half-marathon two weeks ago.  He did a great job!



A few days after the race, we had our family in town for Thanksgiving and some vacation time together.  They were so gracious to drive for two days both directions to spend this precious time with us!  For all of their driving, we could at least share a delicious meal with them:

And the turkey!  It was one of the best roast turkeys I have ever had! 

We actually ate that meal on Wednesday, and then packed up to spend Thanksgiving day in New York City.  We enjoyed exploring the city, watching Macy's parade, walking up 5th Avenue and window shopping, wandering through bustling Rockefeller Plaza, and heading back down Broadway through flashy Times Square.  There's just something exciting about New York during the holidays! 

After watching the parade, we ate a lunch of turkey sandwiches, broccoli salad, sweet potato chips, and chocolate dipped pecan bars in Central Park. 

On Friday, we did a quick tour of Philadelphia, including a trip to legendary Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's for cheese steaks, the Rocky Statue at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the light display accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ at Macy's, and lunch at Reading Terminal Market. 

Last week was full of paper-writing and late night studying, but I won't bore you with the details of that.  I am just happy to say that all of the papers are in, and we just have exams to go!  Everything will be done by next Friday, and we will be homeward bound. 

I haven't quite moved into the Christmas baking and goodies yet; exam time just doesn't allow enough time for everything.  That means that our break time with family, and the food we eat then will be all the more enjoyable (and we can really splurge!)!  If I only get to make one thing this year, I'm hoping to make my favorite gingerbread cookies before the season is out. 

I made this apple crisp long before Thanksgiving, but I think it's a great low-fuss dessert that carries right through the winter.  My husband calls it "apple deliciousness," but I just call it perfectly comforting. 

Apple Crisp

From The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook

Filling:

5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Topping:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup flour
1/3 cup rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Stir together the filling ingredients in a small baking dish (8 inch square or equivalent).

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar and salt until well combined.  Gently stir in the oatmeal and flour until just incorporated.  Crumble the topping  over the apples. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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Thankful Days...(Leftover) Turkey Soup

I hope that this day is full of blessing and thankfulness for you and your family.  One thing that has been on my mind recently is that a spirit of thankfulness kills a spirit of selfishness.  In selfishness, I seek what I can get from others and want the world to revolve around me.  In thankfulness, I realize the blessings that I have been given, and I want to bless others in return.  I pray that attitude of thankfulness will be predominant in my life, and in yours.  I also hope that you are enjoying sweet time with family today, large or small, in person or via Skype, immediate family or a "family" of friends.  I just hope it's sweet. 

Today, we're spending the day watching the Macy's day parade in similar fashion to last year, but are so happy to have family along for the ride this time.  Even though we did it all last year, I still get super excited about the parade and floats, and especially the grand entrance of Santa, bringing with him the official start of the Christmas hustle and bustle. 

After our busy day in the Big Apple, I don't think we'll be jumping up at the wee hours tomorrow to participate in that hustle and bustle with much of America.  But, like many, we will have a refrigerator full of leftover turkey to contend with.  If you find yourself in the same boat, and can't imagine eating that many turkey sandwiches, do I have a soup for you!  This recipe, from my grandmother, is a perfect foil for whatever ails on the day after Thanksgiving: too much rich food, too much of a blustery day, too much chaotic shopping, too much turkey in your refrigerator.  It's nice to sit down with a bowl of this soup, and remember to be thankful. 

Turkey Soup

Bones from 1 whole cooked turkey
3 quarts of water
Leftover turkey, pulled (as much or as little as you have left)
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 lemon, sliced and seeds removed
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sherry
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 cup of Basmati rice

In a large pot, simmer the turkey bones with 2 quarts of water for about 30 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the bones from the pot.  Pull any remaining meat off of the bones and return the meat to the pot; discard the bones. 

Add the remaining pulled turkey, plus the next ten ingredients (through parsley flakes).  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the rice and simmer for 15 minutes more, or until the rice is done. 

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Patiently Waiting...for Frozen Cranberry Grand Marnier Mini Tortes

The closer we get to this Thanksgiving, the more excited I get!  Although I made a full Thanksgiving meal last year for the two of us, and I've made Thanksgiving-like meals when hosting supper clubs and dinners, this is my first time to host a family Thanksgiving dinner. 

My husband is excited, too, and he keeps asking me what our menu will be.  His responses of jubilation when I run down the list, or when he comes into the kitchen to see and smell a freshly baked loaf of bread or muffins (which are shortly wrapped up and moved to the freezer), is praise enough, and that's before he's even feasted!  Poor thing, he's tasted all of these things at previous Thanksgiving meals and knows how good they are, but I am pretty strict on no pre-holiday sampling.  He'll just have to wait.

While the Cajun Cornbread Dressing is definitely the star of the meal, my husband's other favorite part of the meal is our very non-traditional dessert.  We find other occasions for pecan bars or sweet potato pies, but I don't think they elicit quite as much excitement from him as these frozen mini-tortes. 

Frozen Cranberry Grand Marnier Mini Tortes

Adapted from Bon Appetit

4.5 oz chocolate wafer cookies or 9 chocolate graham crackers
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of allspice
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 1/2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/4 cup port wine
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, divided

In a food processor, process the cookies, chocolate chips and sugar until finely ground.  Add the melted butter and pulse 6-7 times.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the cookie mixture.  Divide the remaining mixture between 12 standard muffin cups. 

Whisk the eggs, sugar and water in a medium metal bowl. Cook over simmering water, whisking constantly until the mixture reaches 175 degrees. Remove from the heat. Add the spices, and beat with an electric mixer for 5 minutes.


In a large bowl, whisk the whipping cream, yogurt, Grand Marnier, orange juice and grated orange peel with an electric mixer until peaks form. Fold in the egg mixture. Spoon the mixture half-way up the sides of the muffin cups.  Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the remaining chocolate crumb mixture into each cup, and top with the remaining whipping cream mixture.  Cover and freeze overnight.  (You may have some left over; it can either be enjoyed frozen or chilled).
Whisk the wine and cornstarch together in a saucepan. Add the sugar, honey and spices.  Set over medium-high heat until the mixture boils. Add 1 1/2 cups cranberries; return to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup cranberries.  Refrigerate overnight.

To serve, run a butter knife around the mini tortes to release (some crumbs will remain in the pan).  Serve each torte topped with 4-6 tablespoons of the cranberry wine mixture. 

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Where's the turkey, Chuck?...Holiday Broccoli Salad

"What kind of Thanksgiving dinner is this? Where's the turkey, Chuck? Don't you know anything about Thanksgiving dinners? Where's the mashed potatoes? Where's the cranberry sauce? Where's the pumpkin pie?"

We have a lot on our dinner plates right now, and we're not talking Turkey and dressing.  Within two weeks we have all of this: A weekend in Virginia, a half marathon, writing two papers, reading three books, class, homework, dinner with friends at our apartment, crafting Christmas presents, cleaning the house.  But wait, "where's the turkey, Chuck?" 
I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is next week!  I am so excited to have family coming in town to visit.  In addition to all we've been up to recently, I've been excitedly baking, cooking, mixing, blending, and dicing, all in preparation for their stay.  Needless to say, we are both really looking forward to putting aside the books and schoolwork in favor of fellowship and family.  And we're both looking to full plates of yummy Thanksgiving food! 

I have a couple more recipes that I would love to share with you for Thanksgiving day, including this delicious Broccoli Salad.  Whether you're looking for something to bring along with you, or if you're looking for something green and festive to add to your Thanksgiving table, this salad is for you. 

Holiday Broccoli Salad

5 cups fresh raw broccoli florets, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
7 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup salted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
pinch of salt

Combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss well. 

This salad can be made up to 24 hours in advance. 

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The Thanksgiving Star...Cajun Cornbread Dressing

A recent conversation...

• Classmate: So, do you make some awesome dish for Thanksgiving?
• Me: Well, my absolute favorite part of the meal is the dressing. My family has this special dressing with sausage. In fact, I brought back a special sausage from the south, because the sausage we've tried up here doesn't compare.
• Him: So, is this some kind of gravy?
• Me: No, it's dressing. You know, dressing. As in, Turkey and.
• Him: Like a salad dressing?
• Me: (Realizing now that the kind of dressing that I'm talking about is a foreign entity to him) Hmmm. How do I explain? I guess it's like stuffing. But it's not stuffing. We don't put it inside the bird.
• Him: So it's stuffing, but you call it dressing?
• Me: Yes, but it's not stuffing. It's different. We don't put it inside the bird. And it's made with cornbread. In a casserole dish...

I still don't think this poor soul quite has a firm understanding of what dressing is. And he cannot possibly understand how fabulous it is. Otherwise, he would be beating our apartment door down for me to make some right now!

What I told him is true, though. It is the best part of the Thanksgiving meal. And the sausage that we use? Well, there's just no comparison to Conecuh sausage. If you live anywhere in the Southeast, try to get your hands on some. If you can readily get your hands on some, I am jealous of you. We brought enough back with us at the end of the summer to last us until our trip home at Christmas, including enough to make this dressing.  If you aren't blessed to have access to this wonderful gift, use the best spicy smoked sausage that you can find.

I will be honest with you; this dressing does require a little bit of time to put together.  But it can be made in advance and frozen for several weeks, making the actual day of the feast much simpler.  And the praise you will receive is well worth the effort. 

Cajun Cornbread Dressing

From my Mom's kitchen, adapted from Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen


For the cornbread:

2 cups buttermilk
8 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1 cup Aunt Jamima buttermilk pancake mix
4 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Butter a large skillet or 9 x 13 baking dish.  Combine all ingredients and bake for 30 minutes.  Set aside to cool. 

For the dressing:

3 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
6 tablespoons butter
1 ½ cups finely chopped onions
1 ½ cups finely chopped bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 bay leaves
1 pound link smoked sausage
1 14 ½ oz. can chicken stock or homemade chicken or turkey stock
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
6 eggs, beaten
Butter two casserole dishes, one large (9 x 13) and one small (8 x 8). 


Thoroughly combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. 

Boil sausage in a pan in 2 inches of water for 12 minutes.  Drain the water and grind the sausage in a food processor.  Set aside. 

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and bay leaves. Sauté about 2 minutes on high heat. Add seasoning mix and continue cooking until vegetables are barely wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ground sausage and stock; cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off heat. Remove bay leaves.

In the large bowl, crumble the cornbread.  Add the milk and eggs, stirring well.  Add the vegetable and sausage mixture to this and mix well.  Divide the dressing between the two buttered casserole dishes. 

Bake at 350 until brown on top and bubbly in the middle, about 45 minutes.

Freezing instructions: If you decide to make this in advance and freeze it, wrap it well with aluminum foil and freeze.  To defrost, move the frozen casseroles to the refrigerator for 36 hours.  Put the defrosted casseroles in a cold oven.  Turn the oven to 350 and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until bubbly.  Do not overbake. 

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Not the World's Second Greatest Lasagna

We had about fifteen more inches of snow here yesterday!  Unfortunately, we had finished all of our wonderful curry, and even the second batch of curry chicken which I made this weekend (recipe coming soon).  So I spent most of our "snowed in" day in the kitchen, preparing a delicious meal which we ate by candlelight (as our power went out just after I served our plates).  It was really pretty romantic. 

I know that we are coming up on Valentine's day here, but I want to reminisce a little over our Christmas break.  Although I don't have any new family pictures to share, I want to tell you about our Christmas feast.  We actually had several feasts, including a traditional Christmas meal, so on Christmas day my sister-in-law, our hostess, decided to do something a little less traditional. 

Our planned meal was lasagna, salad, and garlic bread.  Now, my sister-in-law loves to cook just about as much as I do.  She knows her stuff.  However, when she brought out her chosen recipe, entitled "The World's Greatest Lasagna," for some reason I felt entitled (obligated?) to tell her that the recipe she had chosen was not the world's greatest lasagna.  To my credit, I had previously made that recipe (from now on, referred to the World's Second Greatest Lasagna), and my humming taste-tester told me that it was not as good as my recipe.  My sister-in-law insisted that we not be guilty of serving the World's Second Greatest Lasagna for Christmas dinner.  So, we set out to make not the World's Second Greatest Lasagna, but to make the best: my recipe (evidently I have a pretty inflated kitchen ego). 

I don't make lasagna too often, but when I do, I make this recipe.  It is not a "weeknight meal" so to speak because it does require a bit of a time investment and several cooking pots.  But nevertheless, it is so, so good, and is perfect for a special occasion (or when you are snowed in).  It is pretty traditional, but in addition to the meaty ragout, it has a creamy béchamel sauce, which I think, makes this dish the best.  My husband thinks that it is the italian sausage that puts it over the top.  But I would love to know your thoughts...Is this the World's Greatest?

The World's Greatest Lasagna (Subjectively Speaking)

1-8 oz package of pre-cooked lasagna (about nine lasagna noodles)

Ragout Sauce:

1 pound ground beef

1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled

1 tablespoon oil

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 large can of tomatoes

1-6 oz tomato paste

Béchamel sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups warm milk

1 pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Cheese:

24 oz cottage cheese (or ricotta, to be more authentic)

2 beaten eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 pound sliced mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

For the ragout: brown the meat.  Drain off any grease and return the meat to the pan.  Add the next eight ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, until thick, about 1 hour.

For the béchamel: while the ragout is simmeringl, combine the butter and flour in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk to make a medium caramel colored roux. Remove from the heat, let rest one minute, and then whisk in the warm milk. Return to heat, simmer 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Season the sauce with salt and nutmeg. Remove from the heat.

For the cheese: Combine the cottage cheese with the next five ingredients.

To assemble: Spread a third of the ragout sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour (or dollop) a third of the béchamel sauce over the ragout. Arrange 3 noodles lengthwise over the sauce (you may have to break the noodles to make them fit). Spread with a third of the cheese mixture. Top with a third of the mozzarella cheese slices. Repeat layers two more times, and top with remaining mozzarella. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top.

Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for about 10 minutes before cutting.

You can assemble this in advance; refrigerate the lasagna until ready to cook. Place the lasagna in the oven, then turn the oven to 375°. Bake for 45-50 minutes.