Quick Bakes For Thursday

 Even though most home chefs are already exhausted, they still want to bake for the Thanksgiving dinner. There is something about homemade rolls and desserts straight from the oven. Yet what could a tired home baker create?Something easy and quick.

One of the easiest is a batch of dinner rolls. These can be made without yeast for simple making and baking. Baking powder gives this traditional recipe rise . The rest is classic, with the addition of milk, flour butter or oil. They're made, they're rolled on to a cookie sheet and then baked for twenty five minutes. These can be made tomorrow night or Thursday morning. For an even tastier roll try baking garlic  butter no yeast dinner rolls. These have the addition of Greek yogurt for a very tender crumb. If home bakers want to tackled something a bit bigger, then consider baking a quick loaf of bread.There is a recipe that only calls for five ingredients and the best part it makes for a perfect sandwich bread for all those turkey ones on Friday.It has flour, baking powder,oil , milk and sugar.Use a greased loaf pan to bake it in because the dough will be quite thick.It only takes fifty minutes in a 430 degree Farenheit oven. A plus is that it will bake with a golden crusty top.

There are also the sweet bakes. Everyone loves a good pie after a Thanksgiving meal. the easiest choice would be getting one of those premade ones. You can fill it with a combination of puddings and Cool Whip for something different. A fun one that everyone will like is a cool mint grasshopper pie.Use an Oreo pie crust and fill with a mix of cream cheese and Cool Whip.Mint extract is used for flavor. This is really a no bake. You can try a simple apple pie with an already made pastry crust. (Pillsbury and Betty Crocker makes these). Cut six cups of apples  into thin slices and let sit in a bowl of sugar mixed with cinnamon. Layer these in the premade pie crust and dot with butter. Seal with a top crust and bake first for ten minutes for ten minutes for 450 degrees Farenheit. Reduce the heat after those ten minutes to 350 degrees Farenheit and bake for thirty minutes. A premade pie crust can also work for a pumpkin pie. The filling is  quick mix of pureed pumpkin, eggs, condensed milk, spices and salt. It's blending the filling and then filling the crust with it. Like the apple pie, its first baked at 450 degrees Farenheit then the heat is reduced to 350 after ten minutes. It's baked at this temperature for another forty minutes.

You can easily have freshly baked goods at your Thanksgiving table. Try rolls or bread. Make a quick pie. Everyone will love these at their dinner feast.

Antipasto Or Not?

 Thursday's meal can be considered filling. There are so many sides to sample and of course there's the turkey. Yet is it too much to consider starting the meal with antipasto? Some say yes. Some embrace it.

A small antepasto can work no matter what you're having afterwards. A typical antepasto consists of any cured meats such as soppressata and mortadella along with cheeses, veggies, both fresh and marinated. There are also breads and crackers too to create tiny bite sized sandwiches.Some also include marinated and deviled eggs along with anchovies and tuna.The eggs and fish may be too much especially before a heavy meal, laden with rich gravy and mashed potatoes. You could have just have cheeses and bread or just crackers and some cold cuts. Put out small bowls of olives and marinated mushrooms too. Don't go overboard. Just have enough to tease the appetite. ANother idea is serving an antipasto salad. This is a fun mix of romaine lettuce , artichoke hearts and fresh basil for the greens. Cut up some salami in bite sized chunks Add tomatoes and small, marinated mushrooms . Since the artichokes and mushrooms are already marinated go easy with the dressing. Use more olive oil than vinegar and use only a pinch of herbs.

Antipasto can be handy for those fussy eaters. You can create a vegan version for invited herbivores. Instead of real cold cuts you can easily get Tofurky and Lite Life plant based ones. These can be rolled up around breadsticks ro grissini ri cuts into squares for easy eating. Then add some vegan cheese such as mozzarella and feta along with a host of marinated veggies.This kind of antepasto is filling too so vegans and vegetarians won;t feel so bad if they miss the main course. Antipasto, vegan and non vegan are also great for those who are dieting. They can easily make up a plate of different vegetables such as roasted peppers  olives and cherry or grape tomatoes. Served with a few rounds of bruschetta ,it makes for a tasty meal that's not so high in calories. Guests and family can still enjoy the meal but not indulge in rich , fatty foods. It's also great for picky eaters and kids. It's a plate for fun nibbles that smaller appetites can manage. A kid will go for a tomato or an olive rather than a sweet potato.

Antepasto can work in a Thanksgiving dinner. How to make it is up to you. Create a big or small one. Everyone will be happy with it no matter what the size.

Letting Gnocchi Shine

 Usually gnocchi are drenched in sauce. Pesto or tomato cover them, almost making their unique  flavor. Yet they can shine on their own with just veggies and mushrooms in a very light sauce.The dense flavor and testure works well with the fresh greenness the others impart.

I had wanted to make a different gnocchi recipe like this for a long time. I had two packs of them Lidl.

I have to admit they are delicious on their own but I still love their taste without any sauce drenching them.A few days before I sauteed sliced baby Bella's for a  risotto dish and I love the taste. If you are sauteing mushrooms, this  should be your trinity of ingredients for a good and flavorful saute.

Cover the pan 's bottom with olive oil (I use Lidl's" and a good tablespoon or two of Country Crock plant butter. I used a good pinch of garlic powder also from Lidl. Keep in mind  that this can be used for any saute, from tomatoes to broccoli along with mushrooms/

It only takes ten minutes to cook up , brown golden and delicious.  I wanted veggies with this and I had a package of microwavable baby carrots ,yellow and green beans from Lidl's Peak Harvest brand. 

This was a quick six minutes in the microwave and an easy blend with the baby Bellas.

This is a great gnocchi dish. All the ingredients complimented each other and the gnocchi's flavor was highlighted by the mushrooms, carrots and green and yellow beans. I will be making this again , possibly with the slightest , tiniest bit of pesto - just to see what it would taste like.

Gnocchi shouldn't be drenched in sauce. They should be allowed to shine and complement veggies. This dish is proof that they can be the highlight of a tecip

What's Your Favorite Dish To Make

 We all have our go to  Thanksgiving dishes that we're a whiz at making. It could be the actual turkey itself. It could be that green bean casserole.Some are great at creating homemade pie crusts and fillings.

What's your favorite dish to make? Mine is stuffing. I like either the easy stove top one or my family's time honored savory bread pudding version. It's redolent with sauteed onions and celery (the kitchen smells sooo good then) and baked to perfection with a nice crunchy crust.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving make? let us know and have fun creating it next week.

The Thanksgiving Issue The Sweeter Side

 Dessert is as big a part of the Thanksgiving meal as the main and side courses,It ends the meal but also bring the beginning of sweet delights. What's great is that there are so many recipes that can be made. Home bakers can have a field day.

This was evident in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. The whole issue was devoted to all sorts of savory and sweet recipes. Yesterday was chock full of so many tasty main and side variations of Thanksgiving classic recipes. There was not enough room to feature all the pie and cake recipes that chefs had contributed.Of course there are pies but there are some interesting  Sue Li has amassed a variety of different ones that will make Thanksgiving Day unique. There is a Delicata Squash pie , a creamy filling made of different spices such as cinnamon , nutmeg and cloves. Thin slices of the squash are cooked in a sugar syrup and then placed on top of it, Cranberry crd seems to be popular this year and there is a galette filled with it. A honey cream tops it.Another recipe out of the six offered is the unusual banana in a phyllo dough crust.This is a really rich filling made with sour and fresh cream along with two medium ripe bananas.For a real jolt of flavor try making the chocolate espresso pie.These are two layers of coffee and cocoa flavored pudding topped off with luscious creamThere's also an apple cream pie and one m.ade with green tea powder in a cheesecake pie.

Tirami su may seem like an unlikely Thanksgiving Day dessert but combined with Thanksgiving flavors. it works.There are three versions of it.New contributor and cookbook author Carolina Gelen gives three different spins.Its actually the perfect ending to a heavy meal. There are layers of soft cream and soaked lady fingers that don;t have the heaviness of pie.Another bonus is that it can feed a crowd and als be made in advanced, perfect for preparing a big feast.These tiramisu don't require espresso, The cranberry one needs cranberry juice to soak it along with the customary marscapone cheese and lady fingers. The cranberries for the filling are cooked down with lemon juice , sugar and vanilla. The  caramel apple one has tart Granny Smooth apples along with butter , sugar and heavy cream to create the caramel. The liquid is apple cider and heavy cream.Pecans top t for some crunch. There is pumpkin and it's combined with dates. The last is used for the soak and the filling is pumpkin date butter made with pumpkin puree and a pumpkin spice mix.

Happiness is a good dessert.A Thanksgiving dessert is extra special.Make these desserts to add to the feast for an outstanding meal

The Thanksgiving Issue Part One

 Every home chef needs help, advice and new ideas duringt this time. LUckily - and as always the New York Times Food section comes to the rescue Here, home chefs can get ideas and aid in creating the perfect feast for next week.

Today's Wednesday issue is chock full of great dishes. The Food section;s heavy hitters such as Melissa Clark and Eric Kin have written superb how tos  alongside such new comers as Andy Baraghani  .Novice chefs and first timers will greatly appreciate Ms. Clark's pictorial on assembling the right tools for cooking the bird. she also has a handy explanation of the  differences between organic, heritage and free range pasture raised.There's also a list of the tools needed and surprisingly a turkey baster isn;t one of them. eric Kim has tips on sweet potatoes along with the history  of marshmallow topped sweet potato casserole.(it started in 1917 as a an ad campaign by the Angelus Marshmallow Company in an attempt for more hime chefs to incorporate more marshmallows into everyday recipes His take on this classic dish is  adding heavy cream, freshly ground pepper and bay leaves along with roasted and salted pecans to cut out the sugariness. Yes, there are other sides listed too.Emily Weinstein gives three easy ones. Make one or all three of mashed potato casserole, cranberry cornbread (good the next day warmed and with butter) and creamed kale instead of creamed spinach.

FOr a different take on the holiday there is Andy Baraghani's methodology os keep calm and carry on cooking. He offers a pomegranate glazed turkey with a brown butter sauce along with other recipes that are lighter and brighter int heir take on Thanksgiving foods. His glaze is a mix of pomegranate and orange juices. There is even pomegranate juice in the gravy too.He offers Brussels sprouts but they're drenched in cream as leeks and garlic add to their flavor. Yes he includes cranberries but they're  frozen,cooked with  honey, lemon juice and honey.Tahini is drizzled on top for a unami flavor. For a fun starter Chef Baraghani has a tasty green feta dip, herby with tender shoots of dill, parsley and mint. Greek yogurt and olive oil give it a smoothness , perfect with crackers or pita chips.Every table has to have squash , and his is no different. There is bright orange winter squash with citrus chile crisp.Mashed potatoes get livened up with cheddar and chives.Turmeric gives them a golden hue while a blend of both buttermilk ad heavy cream give the potaotes a creamy mouth feel.He  ends his meal with olive oil pumpkin cake topped with salted maple whipped cream. This is a different take on  pumpkin and a good way to end a feast.

It's Thanksgiving. Its a time to enjoy and not panic. These recipes and the advice with them will help get through this day.

A Taste Of Kindness

 November is the month where there should be kindnesses big and little committed,It could be feeding  those who need it or providing a flavor of one's home to them. Food will always be the tie that binds us together.

I wanted to provide a taste of home for my schools women's volleyba;; team. One  star player is near where my great-grandfahter, my bisnonno came from outside of Torino. Two other players come from the beautiful Veneto area of Northenr Italy where rice is king. I wanted to give these girls a taste of home, sort of like our comforting Thanksgiving food. Mushroom risotto is dish that provides that being loved from the Italian Alps to the Dolomite Mountains. It's an easy cook.It's just sauteing sliced baby Bella's in a mix of plant based butter and Lidl olive oil. I add the tiniest pinch of garlic powder to liven up the mushrooms' flavor

They do have to be rinsed first before cooking.

Each batch  - and there were four!!!! batches has to be sauteed for ten minutes. This draws the water out for the gills (any kind of mushroom acts as a kind of sponge for water).

The rice was from Lidl, a mix of mushroom and truffle flavors. This took three boxes.

It takes a roiling boil and then the arborio  and flavorings  is added to seven cups of water

It takes about twenty minutes to get the rice to be a tender al dente texture.

The end result is a mushroom rich dish that I'm sure the volleyball team will love. It's a warming taste of home, much needed during this point in the semester/

It's November and a time for kindnesses. This pot of risotto al funghi will remind homesick girls of homes. It's the perfect comfort food for this season.