"Please sir - I want some more"

Ahhh yes the classic, Oliver Twist - it was Oliver Twist who said that right? Anyway, Orphan Thanksgiving went off without a hitch. Aside from a turkey brine spill at 8am Wednesday morning all over the basement floor - the whole cooking adventure was relatively uneventful. There was a turkey, which was brined for approximately 18 hours (I will get in trouble if I say exactly how many hours because I was specifically told "Definitely no more then 18 hours for a bird that size!"). Well you lose track of time right - but it came out perfectly none the less. I digress as usual. So turkey, we had the dried cherry with goat cheese and hazelnut stuffing listed previously, the cranberry-pear-pomegranate sauce, also listed previously, mashed potatoes, maple cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes, and roasted asparagus and apples with mint. My friends were kind enough to bring dessert which consisted of the staple yum-yum apple pie and also pecan pies (notice the plural haha), my brother's favorite!


We started the night off with wine and cheese (a staple for me!), some hummos and crackers and veggies, and also a brie baked with rose petal jam. G$$ did a great time fending off the housewives at the Wellesley cheese shop to taste test probably everything they had and bring back a cave-aged gruyere, maria's goat and an English stilton. He was brave to walk in there the day before a holiday feast but he brought home the goodies which went perfectly with homemade, freshly baked honey oat bread and Challah! Shipyard Pumpkin ale is always a favorite this time of year and 2010 was no different! Lucky for us the RI pecan pie team brought lots of pumpkin ale which actually pairs fabulously with turkey AND pie :)

Jenga tournament finished out the night. The thing about Jenga is that you never win - you only lose, which gives cause for making complete fun of the poor person who knocks that tower of blocks over!


What's better then all the food fresh out of the oven? The left over sandwiches the next day. G$$ put a couple of them together, which then had to be taken apart to be eaten! That is the beauty of a great sandwich - you can't put your mouth around it!

Thoughts on a female issue

I few days ago I was chatting with a friend who was recently diagnosed with Endometriosis. Quite frankly, I didn't even know what that was - I could figure out by breaking down the word into its Latin/Greek parts but that didn't help me. So I did what every respectable health care professional does - googled it! Naw - I'm just playing but I did head strait to my books to look it up.

It occurs when endometrial tissue ends up in other parts of the body either due to a surgical intervention for something else (ie a c-section) or from menstrual back flow up the Fallopian tubes into the ovaries. For the most part it only effects women of childbearing age, before puberty or after menopause, women usually will not suffer from symptoms.

Typically, estrogen is given to counteract symptoms such as mood swings, terrible cramping, and heavy and/or irregular flows, but nutrition can play a role as well with daily vigorous exercise for alleviation of symptoms.

Alcohol, beef and ham can worsen symptoms. Women who follow a mainly vegetarian diet usually see the biggest reduction in symptoms either with or without the help of pharmacotherapy as well. 14 servings each of fruit and vegetables per week is recommended. That's 28 servings per week or 4 servings per day. A serving of vegetable is 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked. For fruit 4oz of whole fruit or approx 1/4 cup dried fruit. (Now that you know the serving size that doesn't seem like so much food now does it!) Alcohol, beef and ham should be avoided. Women who switch to a mainly vegetable diet should take an iron supplement or get a multivitamin that contains iron. While iron is available in produce and grains it is a non-heme (not from blood) source and is not as well absorbed, so an iron supplement will be necessary. Also take a Calcium (500mg) with Vit D 2x/day to keep bones from demineralizing. If you discontinue all animal protein you should also take a B12 supplement 2x/wk.

Just north of the border...

If you're looking for something to do on a weekend day, get in your car and jump on 95N. Go past two state liquor stores, the toll booth at Hampton Beach and then you will arrive at Portsmouth, NH, just before the Maine border. I knew nothing about this destination before heading there with my roommates for a girls' weekend. The town was old and cute. There were brick buildings with wooden signs, curving streets brimming with people, bakeries, cafes, and one of kind shopping, which all made this destination a great get away place about 1 hour away from Boston.

We found a small place for dinner, down the backside of a more-then-less main street, the Oar house, had colonial New England written all over it. Wooden floors, exposed brick and wooden beams, low ceilings, stone facing around the window - you could tell the place had been there for decades if not for hundreds of years.

Lucky for us, it was restaurant week in Portsmouth. Bacon wrapped maple scallops, weren't on the restaurant week menu but we ordered them anyway to start us off and they did not disappoint. Maple syrup wafted across our table and the slightest hint of wasabi tickled the tongue without punching it. The scallops were soft and juicy. I was nervous that they would be overcooked and chewy but there was no trace of that! The bacon was thoroughly cooked but not crispy. An old vine Semillion did a fabulous job of cutting the bacon fat, clearing the palate for the next bite.

For the first course I had a duck terrine with cranberries and nuts. It came with a grain mustard, tomatoes, onions, capers and toast rounds. It was nice, not as fat-ridden as I thought it would be, nor was it as creamy as other terrines I have had. The flavor was mostly of smoked duck and I could not detect the cranberries. The other girls had the mushroom ragout over gnocchi which was spectacular. The gnocchi were beautifully seared with a crisp outer bite. The mushroom ragout was mixed mushrooms with onions in a lemon-butter-garlic sauce with grated cheese. The portion was large enough for a meal and I would have eated that dish 2x over, 1 plate for each course!

I had lobster mac & cheese for dinner which tasted good but the presentation was slightly awkward. The mac & cheese had clearly been baked but then when it came to the table it had a few steamed asparagus tips just laid on top of it. The asparagus was al dente with a few grains of sea salt but it just looked thrown together and messy. There were large chunks of lobster claws, which were meaty and plump not grainy as if they had been frozen - leading me to believe that they were indeed fresh from the harbor.

The chocolate pate cake with Oreo ice cream and raspberry sauce was very rich and fudgy. The layers of chocolate were divided with hard white chocolate which made it hard for your fork to cut through the cake slice. I found that I had to stab these white chocolate bits with my fork to eat them - then I just gave up and picked them up with my fingers! The raspberry sauce worked well but the Oreo ice cream, though it tasted fine, did not fit the profile of the dessert. Plain vanilla would have been or a lemon sorbet maybe but not Oreo.
All in all - I would definitely go back to the Oar House for the food - the service was lacking. Our waitress apparently could only count to three because she brought us three of everything even though there four girls sitting at the table - so that was quite frustrating.

(please forgive my photos!!)

Onto the sauce...Cranberry Sauce that is!

You obviously have to have some cranberry sauce at your Thanksgiving. I actually make this one just to have around the house normally but it appears fancy enough for a holiday gathering!! No added sugar and lots of great fruit fiber!

1 cup pomegranate juice
1 package Splenda
3 cups chopped peeled firm but ripe Bartlett or Bosch pears (1/3-inch pieces)
1 12-ounce package cranberries
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 tablespoons yellow raisins
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Combine all ingredients in sauce pan.
2. Simmer until pears are tender and cranberries burst, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Cool completely. Chill thoroughly.
You can be prepared 1-2 days ahead just cover and keep refrigerated.

ENJOY!!!!!

Time for Turkey

Most everyone loves the stuffing on Thanksgiving day - so we will start there. Baking the stuffing in the turkey always makes the stuffing taste better from the turkey juices but can result in a longer cooking time sometimes drying out the turkey. This is my adapted recipe from one that appeared many moons ago in Bon Appetit and has directions for pan baking not turkey baking. However you want to bake the stuffing make sure there is plenty to go around :)

1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1 (1-pound) loaf crusty country-style white bread
1/4 cup olive oil
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 large garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped shallots
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
1 1/4 cups diced pancetta or a high quality apple wood smoked bacon
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup toasted husked hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cups low-salt chicken broth or turkey stock, heated
4 ounces chilled fresh goat cheese, crumbled into 1/2-inch pieces

DO AHEAD Bread cubes and vegetable mixture can be made 1 day ahead.Cover separately. Store bread at room temperature.
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut bread with crust into 1-inch cubes (10 cups loosely packed). Place in large bowl. Add oil, thyme, and garlic; toss. Spread out on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and slightly crunchy, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Return to same large bowl.
2. Place cherries in bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain.

3. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add pancetta and brown, then add shallots and celery, sauté until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
5. Mix in parsley and cherries. Chill vegetables.

DAY OF:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Butter 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish.
3. Stir vegetables and nuts into bread cubes.
4. Add hot broth, tossing to coat. Mix in cheese. Transfer to dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down.
5. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes.
6. Uncover and bake until top is brown, about 25 minutes longer, and serve.
ENJOY!!