pieces

This year, we’re hosting a traditional Thanksgiving meal on Friday and serving a tailgate menu on Thursday (after all, there are two important games that day).

Here are the menus:

Breakfast:

Cinnamon Rolls

Sausage-Egg Casserole

Pumpkin Coconut Bread

Thanksgiving “Tailgate” Menu:

Smoked Beef Ribs

Stuffed Jalapeños (cream cheese & cilantro stuffed, bacon-wrapped, and grilled)

Mississippi Sin Dip (I edit the recipe & use 6 slices of real bacon, cooked & crumbled)

Sliced French Baguette w/ Cajun Crab Dip (after baking, stir and serve in crockpot)

Chips w/ Guac & Salsa

Koki’s Green Garlic Dip (this stuff is to die for, found at Central Market)

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Crackers w/ Pineapple Dip

Chex Mix

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Traditional Thanksgiving Meal:

Turkey

Gravy

Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Eggplant, Tomatoes, & Cheese

Roasted Parmesan Creamed Onions

Cranberry Sauce

Rolls

Relish Tray

Salad

Heavenly Hash

Dessert:

Rhubarb Pie

Key Lime Pie

Apple Pie

Blueberry Pie

Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Cherry Pie

Oatmeal Cake

Whipped Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream

that Troy Aikman’s hands are massive. Really, really huge. And kind of scary, coming at you whenever they show him and Joe Buck announcing. At every Cowboys game. (It’s a trade-off - record the game and start watching 45 minutes after it starts so I can fast forward the commercials, but be forced to listen to Troy - or just mute the TV altogether when I can’t take it anymore - and not take any of my mother’s phone calls, OR watch the show live and get to listen to Brad Sham on AM1300, as well my mom after an exciting play, but have to wait through the commercials. Including halftime. I know. Serious dilemma.)

Not that it’s surprising for a Hall of Fame QB to have large hands, but really, Troy, do you have to gesture with your hands to get the words out? I know, pot calling kettle, but Joe Buck keeps his hands in his pockets. And doesn’t drive me crazy with inane drivel. As much. Hmm, maybe the two are related? Maybe a test run is in order on Thursday? Troy, you can hold the Galloping Gobbler instead.

Oh wait, that almost guarantees inane drivel.

Anyone else miss Madden’s 12-legged turkey?

I love crescent roll dough. I’m always looking for an excuse to use it.

This dish comes from pillsbury.com, and became one of Jack’s instant favorites.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup pasta sauce
6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (8-oz.) can Crescent Dinner Rolls
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp butter, melted

Heat oven to 375°F.

Cook ground beef and onion in skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Stir in pasta sauce; cook until thoroughly heated.

In medium bowl, combine mozzarella cheese and sour cream; mix well.

Pour hot beef mixture into ungreased 10-inch glass deep-dish pie pan or 11×7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. Spoon cheese mixture over beef mixture.

Unroll dough over cheese mixture.
In small bowl, mix Parmesan cheese and butter. Spread evenly over dough.

Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Eggplant is another fall (ok, late summer) food I’ve been craving lately.

I adapted this recipe from here (with actual pretty post-baking pictures).

2 eggplants, sliced
1/3 cup olive oil
1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp capers, drained
1/2 cup mozarella, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
salt
pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Brush eggplant slices with oil. Saute on both sides until soft and beginning to brown. Lay the eggplant slices in a large baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining oil in a small saucepan. Add the cherry tomatoes and garlic, and fry until tomatoes just start to soften. Add the capers for a minute. Remove from heat ans season with salt and pepper.

Pour the tomatoes over the eggplant. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden. Serve hot.

Here is an easy recipe the is also really healthy.

Ingredients:

2 cups (3 oz) medium egg noodles
2 (14 1/2 oz) cans chicken broth
1 can (5 oz) chunk white chicken in water, drained
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
3/4 tsp powdered ginger
2 tsp soy sauce (I probably put in somewhere around a tablespoon, actually)
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring broth to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to med-low and mix in chicken, mushrooms, ginger, and soy sauce. Simmer 3 minutes.

Mix in noodles, onions, and cilantro. Return to simmering until heated through.

Makes 4 servings, 150 calories each.

There’s nothing quite like a warm bowl of filling soup on a cold night. Or in Texas, a night where the temperature gets below 60.

One of my favorite fall comfort foods is sausage-bean chowder. I’m not sure why it’s called a chowder rather than a soup, but it’s the name my mom passed down to me.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 lb sausage
2 cups water
2 16 cans kidney beans (not drained)
2 16 oz cans whole tomatoes (not drained, smashed into pieces by hand)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium potatoes (I usually use russet), peeled and cubed
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 bay leaf (remove before serving)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried whole thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Brown sausage in large pot. Drain and return to pan. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat. Simmer 1 hour (or longer).

Simple and delicious.

Fall flavor + chocolate = perfection!

This is a fabulous recipe. I left out a step and only included half of the chocolate it called for (the recipe below, as usual, is the one I actually made, not the original), and I think it was much better for it. The espresso adds a great flavor that really goes well with the pumpkin, and yet doesn’t overwhelm it.

I found the recipe here in a Bookmarked Recipe round-up, and the blogger had found it here, where it had been done with the top a swirled cheesecake-brownie mix. I didn’t see that, although I think I prefer it the way she made it here. Confused? Basically, this recipe is making the rounds, and I was lucky enough to find it.

I made it last night. Four people have already asked for the recipe. And yes, it’s that good.

Would I have ever thought to put these things together? No. Am I glad I read cooking blogs? Yes.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies (with all of my changes)

Ingredients:

For the Pumpkin Cheesecake layer:

8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup (or so) Pumpkin puree
1 Egg yolk (save the white for the brownie)
1/4 cup Sugar
1-2 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 tsp (or so) Ginger
1/2 tsp Nutmeg

For the Brownie Layer:

1/2 cup flour
2 oz Unsalted butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp Espresso
4 oz Semisweet chocolate chips
1 whole egg + 1 egg white
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 8″ square pan and set aside.

Take the softened cream cheese and sugar and cream together with the help of a hand blender. For about 4-5 minutes. Add pumpkin puree and the egg yolk, then the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. The resulting mixture will be somewhat thin. Refrigerate this mixture until you make the brownie layer.

For the brownie, melt the butter and add chocolate chips to that and keep stirring. I did this in a microwave, checking at regular intervals. Keep stirring till it is glossy and let it slightly cool. (Actually, I didn’t really let it cool. Didn’t seem to matter.)

Now add the sugar, keep mixing. Then add eggs and vanilla and mix well with a rubber spatula.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, espresso and baking powder.

Toss the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture, mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Take the greased pan, pour in the brownie mix, then pour the pumpkin cheesecake mix on top. (I spooned it in small clumps so it was easy to spread on top.)

Bake for about 45 min. Check the middle with a toothpick. Bake until it comes out clean. Do not overbake. (Actually, I baked this for about 50 minutes, and the toothpick still didn’t come out quite clean. But it was perfect.)

Rebecca recently challenged me to make her a tuna salad that she really loved. The catch? She doesn’t like mayonnaise, so most traditional recipes wouldn’t work for her.

I came up with not one, but three recipes (they were all different, so I couldn’t choose just one), which were much enjoyed on a hike in Bastrop State Park.

I didn’t measure anything, but here are the “recipes.” I used packets of tuna in water, rather than cans.

Mediterranean Tuna Salad (served on slices of french baguette)

Tuna
Green Olives (I used a greek green olive, no pimento)
Green Onions
Capers (in salted water, not vinegar, although it might not matter for this recipe)
Oregano (fresh)
Italian flat-leaf parsley
Pistachios
Lemon juice (half a lemon)
Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil ( a tablespoon-ish)

Tuna Salad Wrap (served wrapped in romaine lettuce)

Tuna
Cannelloni Beans (same as cannelini beans or white kidney beans) (rinsed and drained; I used 3/4 of a can, but you could use the whole can)
Cherry Tomatoes (if you use this throughout the week, you might want to wait to add some tomato each day - I salted these then added them)
Green Onions
Lemon Juice (half a lemon)
Salt & Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Tuna Salad w/ Basil & Pasta

Tuna
Chick Peas
Green Olives (I used a greek green olive, no pimento)
Basil
Tomatoes (I used a basic tomato, but roma would also work - I salted these then added them)
Farfallini or some other small pasta
Salt and Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
(I thought about adding garlic and onion as well)