Cooked From the Heart » Archive
Thanksgiving Dinner Trial Run
Turkey has been in the food blogging air this week as TingAling did her own trial run, and Drstel reminisced about Thanksgiving dinner past. It just so happened that the same day that TingAling posted her turkey dinner, I came home from the store with a turkey. It was on sale. My husband, who just loves turkey and can eat it at least once a month, has been asking for turkey and I have been trying to put his craving off until Thanksgiving. But since the turkey was on sale, I decided to indulge his craving. It is also the baby Clone’s birthday tomorrow, so this was a sort of pre-birthday dinner. First, the turkey: 1 12 lb. Turkey4 cloves of Garlic (peeled, leave whole)1 Onion, quartered1 Stalk of celery, cut into 1 … Read entire article »
Filed under: thanksgiving, Turkey
Giblet Gravy
After you have washed your turkey, hopefully you found the bag of its gizard, liver, and neck usually tucked in the neck cavity of the turkey. The first time I ever cooked turkey was when my husband and I just got married and I was trying to cook something that he liked. I looked through my cookbooks, consulted my mom, and finally I was ready to attempt this turkey roasting fete. Well, they all said to remove the bag containing the gizard and liver. However, when I was washing the turkey, I didn’t find this said bag inside the cavity, where I expected it to be, just like a chicken. So I asked my husband, who I thought had more experience with turkey, how come there was no bag inside? … Read entire article »
Filed under: thanksgiving, Turkey
Cornbread and Mushroom Stuffing
Can’t have turkey without stuffing, so here is my version this time. I say this time because this always changes depending on what mood I am in and what ingredients are available. Today, I used mushrooms, but I have been known to throw in some oysters, nuts, apples, you name it. The kids are not too crazy about stuffing though, so most of the time, it is just my husband and I who eats it. They eat their turkey with rice or macaroni and cheese or potatoes. Since I didn’t make any macaroni or potatoes tonight, they ate theirs with rice and gravy. The funny thing is, my husband ate his dinner with stuffing AND rice! And I am supposed to be the one who is the rice eater! 8 oz. … Read entire article »
Filed under: side dishes, thanksgiving
Collard and Mustard Greens
While the turkey is roasting, I cooked the Greens. Greens is a must for us, when we have turkey, they just go so well together. Greens is a typical southern dish, and most would not dream of mixing the type of greens together, but I find the flavor of mixed greens quite good so I usually mix collards, mustard, and turnip greens together. They didn’t have turnip greens at the market this week though, so for this version I only used collards and turnip greens. The most important thing about cooking greens is washing them. They tend to have a bit of dirt and sand still stuck to them, so if you don’t like gritty greens, wash them thoroughly. I usually put them in a basin full of water and slosh … Read entire article »
Filed under: side dishes, Southern, thanksgiving, vegetables
Banana Pudding
For dessert, here is another traditional southern fare. I used the recipe on printed on the box of Nabisco ‘Nilla Wafer Cookies. 35-45 “Nilla” Wafers6-5 ripe bananas, sliced 3/4 cup sugar, divided1/3 cup all purpose flourDash of salt4 eggs, separated2 cups milk1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract CUSTARD: Mix 1/2 cup sugar, flour, and salt in top of double boiler. Blend in 4 egg yolks and milk. Cook, uncovered, over boiling water stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. MERINGUE: In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; gradually add remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and beat unti stiff peaks form.ASSEMBLY: To assemble, spread a small amount of the pudding on the bottom of a glass dish; cover with a layer of wafers ad a layer of … Read entire article »
Tomato Sauce with Italian Sausage
In honor of the Clone (my youngest daughter) whose birthday is tomorrow and who loves anything with pasta, this is for you, baby! We actually had this last week, as we have to have something akin to spaghetti at least once a week for the clone, but I just haven’t had time to post much since it has been a hectic week for me at work. This is you basic tomato sauce, only with italian sausage instead of plain ground meat. My basic spaghetti sauce recipe is here. I took the sausage out of the casing, since for some reason the Clone will not eat sliced sausages in her sauce. She like it this way though. … Read entire article »
Eggplant with Garlic Stirfry
One of the simplest ways to cook eggplants is to cook it simply, and this is one of the simplest ways. I had meant to cook kare-kare (oxtail stew) with eggplants, but I never got around to getting all the other ingredients and the eggplant was starting to get too old, so I thought I had better cook it. This is a simple stirfy dish, using what is already in my pantry. 1 large eggplant (not the japanese type, the big round ones), cut into one inch pieces1/2 red bell pepper (diced)1/2 onion, sliced2 cloves of garlic1 teaspoon Ginger, minced1 tablespoon Oyster sauce1/2 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in a bit of waterOil Peel and cut the egglants into 1 inch pieces, place in a collander and sprinkle with salt. Leave in the sink … Read entire article »
Filed under: stirfry, vegetables
The Westernized Kusina
Want the recipe for this Arroz Caldo? Visit the new Westernized Kusina of filipinas who have banded together to share recipes, tips, and ideas as they adapt Filipino recipes to their new environs and also to showcase their takes on local recipes wherever they may be living now. … Read entire article »
Brussel Sprouts with Olive Oil and Garlic
People usually turn their noses up when you mention brussel sprouts, but this happens to be one of the girls’ favorite vegetables. They even take the left overs for their lunch. They say they get a lot of “What is that?” and “Eewe!!”, but they don’t care, they just bring what they want to eat. I love that about them, and I hope they don’t ever change. They always impress the teachers though. They can’t believe they eat the vegetables that they do. Their other favorite thing to bring for lunch? Artichoke! But that will be another post. Again, another simple recipe. 1 pound FRESH brussel sprouts – contrary to the frozen foods manufacturers, brussel sprouts do not freeze well that is why so many people hate them.2 cloves of garlic, … Read entire article »
Filed under: side dishes, vegetables
Baked Chicken with Green Tomatoes
The weather is starting to cool, and the growing season for our tomato plants have finally come to an end. We recently cleaned out the garden and took out the tomato plants to make way for whatever else we may decide to plant for the fall. The cherry tomato plant still had a lot of unripe tomatoes though, so rather than just throw them away with the plant, the girls and I decided to pull the fruits off the plant. I wasn’t sure what to do with green tomatoes though. I know I probably could have made ‘chow-chow’, a type of relish made with green tomatoes and green bell peppers, but unlike Manang Kusinera who canned all her tomatoes herself, I don’t have the time or patience for canning. So … Read entire article »
Filed under: chicken
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