Comfort and Peace

I am looking for some comfort and peace this weekend. I had a VERY busy week between work, and taking the kids here and there to their respective after school activities. We also had a stop to the ER when Ethan sprained his ankle at his first basketball practice. Then I find out later in the week that my mom went and had gallbladder surgery without even telling us. Can you believe it? I didn't even know she was having it. She didn't want me or my sister to know, to not stress us out. I am still trying to take this in, as it is my nature to be a care-giver, and it would have been a perfect time for ME to take care of HER for once. But, she is always thinking of her kids first, and I guess that's what mother's do. She is doing well, so I must just be grateful for that. She is such a strong person. On top of it all, I got the cold that everyone at work was passing around, but luckily it's only a slight cold.
  Sounds like a great week, huh? Well, it's life. It's ok. But it sure makes me want some comfort and peace this weekend...so I am going to make my very favorite comfort soup for dinner. It's warm, cheesy, and perfect for a cold winter's night.

Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound ground beef ( I used ground turkey)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups diced peeled potatoes (1-3/4 pounds)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (8 ounces) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed ( Yes I know, PROCESSED cheese, but it's what's good in this recipe. It's ok. You will be alright. ;)   )
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

• In a 3-qt. saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same
• saucepan, saute the onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1
• tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add
• the broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover
• and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook
• and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a
• boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
• Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper; stir until cheese melts
• Remove from heat, blend in sour cream
• ENJOY!

Cheeseburger Soup

 

I'm having my in-laws and Erik's grandpa over for dinner Sunday night for an early birthday get together for Ethan. His birthday always falls on the week of deer hunting, so this is a good time to have them over to celebrate. The menu is very simple, but Ethan's favorite meal:

 

• BBQ Baby back ribs
• Twice-baked potatoes
• Roasted Asparagus
• Tossed garden salad with Italian dressing

When I'm having a dinner party, I like to do as many things ahead of time as I can. The day before, I prepared my potatoes for the twice-baked potatoes.
The best way to bake a potato, is NOT in the microwave. It's the fastest, but not the best. Here is the best way (in my opinion) to bake a potato:

Baked Potatoes

Potatoes
Kosher Salt
Olive oil

Scrub potatoes and dry. Poke 8-10 holes in potatoes to let out steam when cooking. Rub potatoes with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour. If using more than 4 potatoes, bake about 15-20 minutes longer.

Twice-baked potatoes:
Now that we have our potatoes baked, we can 2x bake them! Cut in half and take out the flesh of the potatoes and put into a bowl. Add what you would like! I like to add:

• butter
• salt, pepper
• sour cream
• shredded cheddar cheese
• parmesan cheese
• parsely
• chives

You could also add:

• bacon bits
• cream cheese
• jalapenos
• green onions
• blue cheese

Once I add my butter, parsely, chives, salt pepper and cheeses with a little milk, I whip with my mixer until smooth. Fill each potato with the mixture and add more cheese on top with some toasted panko bread crumbs and a little more parsely, and either bake again at 350 for about 15 minutes, or place in the fridge and bake later or the next day!

Twice-baked potatoes~made ahead

Roasted Asparagus:

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh asparagus
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Break off the tough ends of the asparagus and, if they're thick, peel them. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat the asparagus completely. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast the asparagus for 25 minutes, until tender but still crisp.

Roasted Asparagus

The other thing I like to do ahead is make my rub for the ribs. This rub recipe is my mom's ,and a really great rub. Here is the recipe:

Rib Rub Recipe:

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp celery seed
2 tbsp chili powder
 

Rub on Ribs and let sit overnight in the fridge.

Rib Rub
 

 

Or bake right away. Which ever you choose, bake in the oven for 3-4 hours covered, at 325 degrees, or until meat starts to fall away from the bone. Add your favorite BBQ sauce, and bake uncovered, another 1/2 or so until sauce glazes the ribs nicely.

Ribs are falling away from the bone nicely...time for sauce!

 

Vintage item of the week:

 

My vintage item this week, is my Grandfather's (dad's side) tool chest. My mom had it in her basement for years, and I brought it home about 4 years ago. I keep it in my living room between two chairs, and we store board games in it. I love it and it is one of my most treasured things. I never met my Grandfather, but he was a very smart man. He worked for the railroad, as an arbitrator. He wrote  a book for the railroad union that was published and even taught school in Canada.

Grandpa George S. Henderson's tool chest~ Circa 1900

Since November is the month to be thankful, I thought each week this month I would mention something I am thankful for. This week I have been incredibly thankful for my friend Rebecca. We hired her to tutor Ethan in Algebra, and she has been such a great help to him. Like me, math is not his strong suit, and he needed some extra help. She comes to our house two times a week, along with her two precious girls and needless to say it has been wonderful. Not only is Ethan doing much better, we are enjoying having her girls around. They are smart, lively and great girls. We are so thankful to have such great people in our lives!! Thank you Rebecca!



Ethan and his Algebra tutor, Rebecca

I can't forget something else I am thankful for. Our Veterans. My dad was a vet and he served his country in the Army, got wounded in WWII, was discharged and received the Purple Heart. He joined the National Guard and loved every minute of it. We might just add another to our family, as Ethan has wanted to be in the service since he could talk. He has decided on the Marines, and I am so proud of him. Here is a picture of my Dad and Mom at the Military ball so many years ago. One of the only pictures I have of him in uniform. Thank you Veterans. Thank you Dad!



Dad and Mom at the Military Ball~thank you dad for your service.

Thank you again for reading! I appreciate all the kind words regarding my blog. It means a lot.

Hope you all find comfort and peace this week....

Love to you all~

Kerry  :)

 

Turkey...already? ;)

I have a turkey breast in the freezer, just calling my name...I keep telling it it's not time yet, but it's not listening...:/

So, this weekend, I've decided to make Turkey and all the fixins!! Well, not all the fixins, just a few. I will leave the big, traditional meal to my mom, who is a much better cook than I am. Here is my menu for this meal:

• Brined Turkey Breast
• Mashed potatoes and Gravy
• Cornbread and Sausage stuffing (my mom makes traditional stuffing, which is my favorite, but I wanted to "mix it up" a little with some Southern style)
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Molasses
• Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese filling

The first step in making my "mock" Thanksgiving dinner is to brine my turkey. Granted, I have only a breast, not a whole turkey, but I'm still brining it. If you have never brined your turkey, I highly recommend it. It truly will be a whole new turkey eating experience. It will be the juiciest turkey ever.  Really, it will! Have faith...:)

Here is what you need to brine your turkey:

1 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
6 sprigs rosemary
2 gallons water

*I halved this recipe since I was using only a breast.



Ingredients for brine



Dissolve sugar and salt in water, then add rest of ingredients and let brine for 4-24 hours. Take out bird and rinse, roast as desired




Turkey in brine-I leave mine for 24 hours







Turkey Breast

I have one more small bunch of Brussels sprouts left from my garden, so I decided to make my mom's awesome recipe for them. Here it is:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Molasses:

 

For the Brussels Sprouts:

 

1 1/2 lbs Brussels Sprouts

3 Tbps. Good Olive Oil

3/4 Tsp. Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp. Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts-home grown! They are SO GOOD!

Pomegranate Molasses:

4 Cups Pomegranate Juice (for this recipe, I used Pomegranate-Cranberry)
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp. Fresh lemon Juice

Put ingredients in saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce heat to med-low and cook until syrup is reduced to 1/2 cups, about one hour or so. It should be a thick syrup, like molasses. Allow to cool in saucepan for 30 min. Transfer to a jar or container and store in fridge.

Now, normally if I were making a cornbread/sausage stuffing, I would add some craisins for sweetness, however I already have the sweetness in the pomegranate/cranberry molasses for my Brussels sprouts, so I will leave that out. You can also add pecans which would be wonderful in this stuffing:

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing:

2 hot Italian sausages

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped carrot

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 bunch fresh sage, leaves chopped

4 large corn muffins 

3 large eggs

1/2 cup, chicken stock, plus more if needed ( I added a full cup + a little more)

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove the casings from the sausages. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the sausage meat. Cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and set aside to cool while you cook the vegetables. Wipe out any excess fat from the pan with paper towels.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Season with salt and pepper and add the sage. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool a bit.
Crumble the corn muffins into a large bowl. Put in the cooled sausage and vegetables. Add the eggs and 1/4 cup chicken stock. Using your hands, mix well adding more stock if the stuffing is too dry. Spray a 2-quart oven-proof baking dish with cooking spray. Put the stuffing into the dish and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the top is browned and crispy.

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Instead of the usual Pumpkin pie, I made a Pumpkin Roll. I got this recipe from one of my very best friends in the world, and the best boss I have ever had, Cindy Karas. It is a wonderful dessert, and a nice change from tradition.

Spiced Pumpkin Roll-delicious!

Spiced Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese filling ~

 For the cake:

3eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

 

For the filling:

 

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan and line the bottom with wax paper.

2. To prepare the cake, place the eggs in large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs for 5 minutes with a mixer a medium speed. Add the granulated sugar, pumpkin, and lemon juice; beat until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices; add to the egg mixture; mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched and a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.

4. Unroll a clean dish towel on the counter and put a piece of wax paper on top. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Immediately loosen the edges of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the wax paper-lined towel. Starting at the long edge, roll up into a small roll. Place in the refrigerator until cool.

5. To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, butter, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl; beat until smooth.

6. To assemble, gently unroll the cake and spread the filling on the cake. Roll again, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until serving time.

Serves 12 to 16.

You can't forget a beautifully set table; It's inviting and sets the tone for the meal..:)

Table Setting

Vintage Item of the week:
 
My Vintage item of the week, is my Grandma's sifter. I salvaged this treasure out of my mom's basement this summer, and I will never use another one. I love it. The blue bowl next to it is also vintage, a gift from my co-worker, Julie. She has given me this set of beautiful bowls, as well as some vintage Pyrex! :)



Vintage bowl from my co-worker, Julie, and Vintage Sifter from my Grandma

 
Well, just a few recipes for you to try this week. Hope you enjoy them. November makes us think about what we are thankful for. I'll start with a couple of things: I am so thankful for my health and the health of my family, my mom still in my life, and for my husband and kids who keep me going and for who I do all that I do!
 
 
It's amazing how the list can go on and on...
 
 
Thanks for reading!
 
 
Love to you all...Kerry :)