Category Archives: Uncategorized

Crunch Time, it’s here! Finally

Posted on November 23, 2011 | 6 comments

Gingersnap Crust Pumpkin Cheesecake before cookingFull Fridge

OK refrigerator is full to the max. And an extra fridge starting to get full. Enough, I know that I have way too much food but looks like I’m nearing the end of at least the basic cooking, still have to heat everything up tomorrow, bake the brie, bake the salami, put together my crudite, made the stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc.  I’ve been talked out of making a salad by everyone I’ve spoken to in the past 48 hours. I will make my butternut squash soup tomorrow, because my soup pot is too big to stick in fridge,  soup for 22 ! Here is the final menu! ( I think) ( I hope) I just want to set my table, and get some rest so I can wake up early tomorrow and start cooking the turkey and do everything that needs to be done last minute. It really is gluttony, but so nice to be with friends and family. Can’t wait to sit down and enjoy the meal with everyone. Wishing everyone a very Happy and Wonderful Thanksgiving, and thanks again for all your support. It’s been so much fun sharing with all of you.

Appetizers:

Baked Salami with Rye Bread and Mustard

Baked Brie with Fig Jam and Crackers

Crudite with Dip

Sweet and Spicy Nuts

Dinner:

Pumpkin Walnut Bread and Pumpkin Challah and assorted dinner rolls (that I didn’t make)

Butternut Squash Soup w/ roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Whole Turkey

Roast Turkey Breast

Cremini Pumpkin Lasagna

Corn Bread Pudding

Stuffing

Brussel Sprouts (plain roasted)

Karyn’s Cranberry Crisp

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Candied Yam Souffle (easy peasy)

Aunt Pammy’s Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Potatoe Casserole from New York Times

Grandma Millie’s Cauliflower

Karyn is bringing acorn squash with quinoa and feta ( I will post recipe when she gives it to me)

Dessert:

Bread pudding with butterscotch Sauce  ( Kerri is making)

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

Fresh Fruit

*unless otherwise stated all recipes on cookingwithcandi.com

Mashed Potatoes before topping (I leave skins on)

Oy that’s a lot of food.

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Aunt Pammy’s Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

Posted on November 15, 2011 | 3 comments

 

Fully Baked Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

This recipe belongs to my sister, Pamela. She is a great cook, and this is her signature Thanksgiving Dish. We count on it every year as her contribution.  I highly suggest it if you like spicy because it is! It definitley packs some heat, be careful when you buy the chipotle peppers in adobe sauce , just make sure they don’t say Hot or you might be blowing the roof off of your Thanksgiving Dinner! Be prepared for a lot of flavor !  If your family likes spicy this is an awesome recipe, and you all know how much I like spicy by now.  This is certainly a new take on Sweet Potatoes because they aren’t sweet.  I also make a Sweet Potato dish with Marshmallows (* see recipe) and the two are always on my table, one sweet and one spicy.  Thanks Aunt Pammy.

Ingredients:

5 lbs.Yams or Sweet Potatoes

Kosher Salt ( about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)

Heavy Cream ( about 1 1/2 quarts)

Chipotle Peppers in Adobe Sauce (canned) *look in Mexican Food Aisle in most supermarkets

Directions:

Slice Potatoes thinly and add salt. Place in baking dish you are going to use and cover with kosher salt, start with 1/4 cup and go to the 1/2 cup. Use your clean hands and toss together.

Puree Chipotles in small food processor .* you can keep pureed chipotles in fridge for up to 2 months. So you can do this step ahead.

Put approximately 1 – 2 tsp. of chipotle pepper puree in heavy cream and mix together

Pour Cream Mixture over Potatoes in an ovenproof baking dish ( earthenware is nice for this)

Place in 375 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour depending on your oven.

Potatoes should be somewhat set and browned on top when ready.

Enjoy! and Happy Thanksgiving

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Posted in Holiday Recipes, Holiday/ Thanksgiving Recipes, pasta, Uncategorized, vegetables, vegetarian

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A little twist on plain Cranberry Sauce

Posted on November 14, 2011 | Leave a comment

cookingwithcandioct17 181More October 073It occured to me that sometimes I add this to my Cranberry Sauce, so I wanted to give you all this option.  First Prepare the Cranberry Sauce as I specified in previous recipe. Leave in the pot, then follow this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

Grated Zest and Juice of 1 lemon

Grated Zest and Juice of 1 orange

3/4 cup raisins

3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

Cook the cranberries then add the apples, zests and juices and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the raisins and nuts. Let it cool, and serve chilled.

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Two Cranberries for Thanksgiving

Posted on November 12, 2011 | Leave a comment

I will be posting 2 recipes today that will both be on my Thanksgiving Table. Beautiful fresh cranberries cooked the good old fashioned way, they are tart and sweet and once you’ve had them fresh it’s rather difficult to go back to the can. It’s so easy to do , and can be made ahead. Then there is the mother of all
Cranberry dishes, Karyn’s Cranberry Crisp. Since I started making this one (circa 1970’s) it has never not made an appearance on our table. Recipe comes from Karyn yet once again, and how lucky am I because she will be sharing our Thanksgiving and bringing it with her! Make these cranberries part of your tradition, and please let me know what’s going on your table. Happy Thanksgiving.

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What I’m cooking tonite and Happy Daylight Savings (Bye Bye Daylight)

Posted on November 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

I think Sunday night is the best night to stay in , cook dinner and relax. So I went to make the Bowtie Pasta, mushrooms, sausage, and peas. Couldn’t find Turkey Sausage anywhere, not Whole Foods, not Fairway, and I gave up. I bought ground turkey, which just so you know works perfectly well. I season it up a lot more with salt and pepper, and it’s just fine. Have had this problem before and this is what I did.  I like to eat in and be in control of what is going into our meal. We all eat out so much these days, isn’t it nice to just kick back , cook and eat dinner, and know what it is that is going into your body? I think it is. I’m not saying we should all be cooking every night, but once in a while give it a try. Happy Daylight Savings, this day is so long anyway , there’s plenty of time to cook unless you’re running the NYC Marathon then I’ll give you a pass.

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Penzey’s Spices – a trip to the spice market

Posted on October 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

I cannot believe that this store has been on Long Island for the past 5 years and I missed it, but I did. At Karen Lee’s cooking class the other day they were talking about spices, and they told me all about it. There was a store in the city but it closed. It seems that they do no advertising ( I know this is shocking) and exist right on Route 110 in Huntington in a little strip mall in front of Toys R Us. I had such a wonderful time in there. If you like to cook and you have the time it is such a wonderful place to spend some time in, get inspired and actually find every spice you’ll ever need . If you have a recipe that calls for corn starch you should use arrowroot powder instead, and they have it. Mace, cinnamon from Vietnam which smells like heaven on earth. Fresh delicious spices, some wonderful ideas for salad dressings, Spices from all over the world. I love to use really good vanilla, almond extract, pumpkin spice, whole nutmeg, you get the idea. I suggest a trip to Penzey’s Spices. If you like to cook, I’m sure you’ll love this place. Plus the prices are reasonable, they have all sorts of jars for storage, etc. People who work there were very nice and very helpful as well. It is a company out of Wisconsin, and they have locations all over the country. They have an online site, which I will def. use when I go back to Colorado. I am throwing away all my old spices and starting anew. BTW spices lose their pizazz after about  2 years, they don’t have a strong flavor, so look through your drawer and toss anything there for too long. Bay Leaves, crushed red pepper, black pepper, mustard powder, white pepper, sea salt,  cardoman, curry, etc. I highly recommend this place as you can tell.

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Learning something new at any age

Posted on October 27, 2011 | Leave a comment

I love learning new things, and especially in reference to the things I most enjoy in life. Cooking being one of them. Believe me, it’s not that I think I know so much , but you figure by a certain age you sort of have it down. The other day my grandson Riley turned to me and asked me why I take cooking classes when I already cook so good?????? I had to laugh but it was a perfect opportunity to tell him how wonderful it is to learn new things and meet new people even when you already know how to do something . He also informed me that his Mom and I were the best cooks he knew, so at 4 years old already a fan. I took a cooking class last week with Karen Lee on the Upper West Side of Manhattan (Karenleecooking.com) from 9 – 2. It was a nasty rainy day in NY and couldn’t think of anything I would rather have been doing at that moment. Learned some new tips, techniques, tools, and of course new recipes. I will post them as I can. So take some time subscribe for free to my website, you may just learn something new along the way. Looking forward to sharing my cooking with you.

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Mushroom Barley – Side Dish

Posted on October 7, 2011 | 10 comments

cookingwithcandioct7 003this is an old recipe of mine that I’ve played around with and made last night for this evening. it came out delicious. it makes a perfect side dish anytime of the year. not too difficult to make , takes a little playing around but pretty easy . i used Manischewitz egg noodles in a toasted barley shape this time. you can use pearl barley which is available in almost every supermarket out there. i have to say this product worked very well. Not exactly Mushroom and Barley?? but barley shape

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1  3/4 cup Pearl Barley or any kind you can find ( I used Manischewitz egg noodles in a toasted barley shape) it doesn’t have to be toasted it can just be regular barley shape noodles. I love to use this product , it’s usually found in kosher section.

1 lb. fresh mushrooms sliced

1/2 spanish onion chopped

2 – 3 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

i use a very little bit of vegetable oil ( maybe 1 tablespoon) and saute onions, then mushrooms till cooked down. i salt and pepper generously here. i remove the mushroom/onion mixture from saute pan, wipe the pan clean with a paper towel . melt butter or margarine in pan, brown the barley for about 4 – 5 minutes, move it around as you brown it. in the meantime transfer mushroom/ onion mixture to a 9 x 13 baking dish (spray with pam) when barley is browned place in dish with mushrooms and onions and mix well. add 2 cups of chicken broth. cover with aluminum foil, and bake in oven covered at 350 degrees for app. 45 minutes. remove from oven, and add a little broth, depending on how dry it is, i would say i added about 1/2 cup , you may need to add more, add the 1/2 cup and mix well and see if you need more, not too watery, keep it dryer. cover, and i put it back in oven for 10 to 15 minutes. taste for salt and pepper. and there it is. very delicious.

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Posted in Holiday, Holiday Recipes, sides, Uncategorized, vegetarian

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Another Noodle Pudding from Marcy

Posted on October 7, 2011 | 1 comment

firstly, thanks to my friend of many years Marcy Braun for this recipe, it is pareve and so it is a good alternative to the apricot one. This one would be fine served with meat, and still be rather yummy and sweet. It is a first time out for me. Enjoy it. It is very easy, and not so many ingredients. i just made it and it is delicious!!! thanks marcy 🙂

Marcy’s Pudding Ingredients: this is already doubled

1 pkg. wide or extra wide egg noodles (can also use yolk free)

1 cup sugar

1 stick margarine melted (you can use soy margarine, which is lactose free and works perfectly )

16 oz. can of crushed pineapple with juice

2 apples peeled, cored and cut into small little pieces

6 eggs (room temp. best)

1 tablespoon vanilla

cinnamon , enough to just sprinkle over the top lightly

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package directions. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. i usually beat eggs with vanilla in a seperate bowl first .Then add noodles ,mix well and pour into baking dish (9 x 13) is perfect. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes till it browns. Reheat it the day you are using it till it is cooked through for another 45 minutes . can be served at room temperature.

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Homemade Chicken Soup with Not-So-Homemade Matzo Balls

Posted on September 27, 2011 | 8 comments

I always make my own chicken soup. It is delicious broth. I usually make a few batches and freeze them because it’s a great thing to have frozen in quart containers as stock and will last for up to six months frozen. When the holidays come—whether Rosh Hashanah or Passover—I always make my chicken soup with matzo balls. I make the soup a day ahead and skim whatever fat is on there before adding my matzo balls.

INGREDIENTS: CHICKEN STOCK:

1 5lb. organic roasting chicken (I throw away the insides)

1 package of chicken wings (this was suggested to me a long time ago by my BFF Karyn and she was oh so right. It adds some fat, which translates into a lot of flavor and you will skim off the fat the next day. Thanks, Karyn…yes, I remembered!)

1 large, yellow Spanish onion; unpeeled and quartered

A big bunch of dill

4 celery stalks with leaves, cut into thirds

4 carrots, unpeeled and halved

Bunch of flat-leaf parsley (Use this only if you want. This time, I didn’t have it so I used only the dill.)

A bunch of thyme (if you wish)

1 head of garlic, cut in half cross-wise (skin and all)

2 tbsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. whole black peppercorns

DIRECTIONS FOR SOUP:

I place the chicken, chicken wings, onion, carrots, celery, whatever herbs I’m using, garlic, salt and pepper in as large a  pot as I can find (usually about a 16-20 qt. stockpot.) Add cold water to cover chicken by at least 2 inches above the chicken but not to the top of the pot because it will boil over (very messy). Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, for about 3 hours. I skim the soup skum (sounds lovely) off for the first half hour or so—after that, you shouldn’t have much more. I remove the chicken from the broth after an hour or so, because it is cooked and it will taste like a rubber chicken if you plan on eating it. Sometimes, I like to shred it and return it to the soup. If you are not using the chicken (what a waste of good chicken), just leave it in. It will fall apart in there. I leave the wings and discard them at the end of the 3 hours. Next, I strain all of the soup, discard all remnants, fill my containers and put in the fridge. The next day (or the day of the holiday), I usually skim off the fat that has risen to the top and make my matzo balls (recipe below).

MATZO BALLS:

This has always been my secret, but now it’s out. Okay, I own it. After years of making matzo balls from scratch, my mother (yes, my mother, the cook) turned me on to Manischewitz boxed matzo ball mix! It just wasn’t worth it. My balls weren’t as consistent as I would have liked, whereas these are always perfection! Light and fluffy and everyone always loves them. No sinkers here!

I follow the directions on the box carefully. They sell just the mix box. You will need vegetable oil and 2 eggs per box. I do add a little piece of dill inside each ball, but that’s it! Now my secret is out. Sometimes this is really the only way to go. It saves time and ingredients and is really good. No MSG or trans-fats either! So make the soup, cheat with the balls, and enjoy. There is no substitute for homemade chicken soup, though.

*You can also add thin soup noodles to this recipe, if you like.

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Posted in chicken, Holiday, Holiday Recipes, Passover Recipes, soup, Uncategorized

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