Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

November 26, 2009


I saw this recipe on Cook's Country TV, and decided to make these mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. They said that this was the best garlic flavored mashed potatoes they tested; and, it was easy to make - one pot and no draining the hot water!

From the episode: Fail-Safe Thanksgiving

Cutting the potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces ensures that maximum surface area is exposed to soak up garlicky flavor.

Serves 8 to 10.

Ingredients

4 pounds russet potatoes , peeled, quartered, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , cut into pieces
12 garlic cloves , minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup water

Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. 1. Place cut potatoes in colander. Rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain thoroughly.

  2. 2. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook garlic and sugar, stirring often, until sticky and straw colored, 3 to 4 minutes. Add rinsed potatoes, 1 1/4 cups half-and-half, water, and 1 teaspoon salt to pot and stir to combine. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes.

  3. 3. Off heat, add remaining butter to pot and mash with potato masher until smooth. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining half-and-half until liquid is absorbed and potatoes are creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Sweet Potato Casserole

November 26, 2009



I wanted to make Sweet Potato Casserole from 'scratch' for Thanksgiving. I went to the grocery store and they had a big display of fresh yams and next to the yams was a small display of sweet potatoes. I decided to use the yams instead of the sweet potatoes. After all the canned stuff that I bought last year were yams!

This dish turned out great! I love the pecan topping; I also cut down on the sugar (after reading the reviews on About.com: Southern Food) It was sweet, creamy, and crunchy. I will make this again for Thanksgiving - it was so easy to make!! I boiled the yams then mashed the yams and assembled the dish.

Cook Time: 50 mins - Level: Easy - Yield: 6 to 8 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • Topping:
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:

Combine first 6 ingredients. Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, until hot and browned.

Rich Chocolate Pecan Pie

November 26, 2009



You have to have pie on Thanksgiving, and I already had a pumpkin dessert - so why not try this pecan pie? I never really had a pecan pie before; this pie had chocolate in it, and the directions were simple enough... How could I go wrong?

I'm glad that I made this pie! This pecan pie was rich and not too sweet. I did not use the caramel sauce - didn't miss it, served the pie with vanilla ice cream. The only thing that i will change the next time I make this pie is to put the chocolate chips in the bottom of the pie, then the pecans over the chips. I reversed the order when I first made the pie - everything turned out good but you couldn't really see the pecans. This pie is great the next day!

Cook Time: 1hr - Level: Intermediate - Yield: 1 pie

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups pecans
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt
  • Caramel Sauce, for garnish, recipe follows
  • Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread the pecan pieces and the chocolate chips evenly on the bottom of the pie shell.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together. Pour the filling over the pecans. Bake until the filling sets, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Cut into individual servings and serve with a drizzle of Caramel Sauce and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Caramel Sauce:

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup whole milk

Combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium heavy saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Let boil without stirring until the mixture becomes a deep amber color, 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely so it doesn't burn. Add the cream (be careful; it will bubble up), whisk to combine, and remove from the heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of the milk, then add up to 2 more tablespoons, until the desired consistency is reached. Let cool until just warm before serving. (The sauce will thicken as it cools.)


Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes

November 26, 2009



I was looking for a pumpkin dessert to make for Thanksgiving. I found this recipe on FoodNetwork courtesy of Paula Deen. This recipe was rated 5 stars by over 2100 people - so it has to be good, right?!

This recipe was easy to make and awesome of course! My good friend Dan said it was like pumpkin pie on crack! I will make this dish again it was so yummy!

Cook Time: 50mins - Level: Easy - Yield: 6 to 8 Servings

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
  • 1 egg
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Variations: For a Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of the pumpkin, add a drained 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

For a Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

For a Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.