Thanksgiving!

I worked again this year on Thanksgiving, and the day after. Normally our work meal is quite impressive. This year it consisted of Honey Baked Ham's ham and turkey breast, pre-made mac & cheese, pre-made potato salad, my homemade cranberry, and cafeteria food. It was not the picturesque day, but it was a nice day as far as the actual work was concerned.

Family Thanksgiving occurred yesterday. Nick and I rubbed our 16 pound bird, stashed it in the smoker, and commenced the cooking. I made a pumpkin pie and corn bread. Nick worked on prepping the green beans, arugula salad, potatoes, and stuffing. While he finished the later, I finished the former. Mom brought the cranberry, and Melissa brought wine and herself. (She's studying for finals!)

While the first Thanksgiving might have been riddled with unpleasantries augmented to smooth the rough edges of British settlement, I believe the present day celebration is different. With the passage of time, Americans have turned Thanksgiving into their own day. I believe the focus on family time is a central theme. No matter what you serve, or who is there, the together-time fills the special day with grace.

We had quite the spread. I have to say, and I really looking forward to eating the leftovers for lunch the next week. I think the pumpkin pie recipe I made was pretty fabulous, so here it is.

Olivia's Easy Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
pre-made pie crust
1 can pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons brandy
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon (1 pinch) clove
1/3 cup tightly packed and a little bit mounded over brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, whisk until the ingredients are well combined. Pour into your pie shell and bake for about an hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Engaged!

Nick and I went up to a cabin in Blue Ridge Georgia with two other couples. When our home-cooked Saturday night dinner was winding down, Nick got up to get something. He came back with a little surprise- a bottle of Don Perignon. Nick explained that we all have a lot to celebrate. Then he produced a second surprise and got down on one knee. Just as he was finishing asking "Olivia Taveras-Koranda, will you be Mrs. Mazzolini" I cut him off with a resounding "YES!" After the screaming and hugging died down, everyone went out to the bonfire to celebrate the great news with s'mores and champagne.

The best part? The proposal was a total surprise to everyone. Only my parents knew it would happen, since Nick asked each of them for my hand in marriage.

Halloween Feast, Part Two

My cousin, Ryan, and his wife, Marijka, came back to Atlanta for a weekend trip. Once upon a time, they lived in Atlanta. I really enjoyed having a little more family here in town, even though we did see each other all the time. Ryan got a great job back at home in Wisconsin, so now we only see each other every so often. This weekend, I was thrilled to see my cousins and to celebrate Ryan's birthday.

Requisite of a Koranda family gathering, we gathered at Aunt Lee's for our epic event. We began at 1:30pm sharp, with bubbly, a spread of goat and cow cheese, pickles, and olives. Around dinner time we moved onto wine and German food. The menu involved sauerbraten, brawurst, pumpkin, and brussel sprouts. When we'd enjoyed dinner to capacity, we took a break. Next, we moved into tea, coffee, and dessert (GF chocolate cake, cheesecake, cranberry mousse). After making a dent in dessert, we moved the party into the living room to relax and chat. Of course, all of the fun we were having made us hungry, so we made small plates of leftovers. I think we left around midnight, full and happy. Poor Marijka had to get up early to catch a plane for a business meeting the next morning.

I've never really eaten a lot of German food, despite being 25% German (via my paternal grandmother). Generally I think of brats, beer, and vinegar. I despise vinegar. There are a few exceptions. I enjoy ketchup in moderation. It has it's place on burgers, with fries, on hot dogs. I do enjoy pickles, but not any type reminiscent of the bright green kind where you can taste only vinegar. That is generally my limitation of vinegar enjoyment. On Aunt Lee's menu was sauerbraten. Sauerbraten is a meat prepared for 2-3 days prior by marinating it in vinegar. In the spirit of GFness, Aunt Lee used rice vinegar. I have to say, I did enjoy this dish. I tried the two mustards used to accompany the brats, but did not care for them. bratwurst is delicious in it's own right. There is no need to add a vinegar-ous topping. Despite my hatred for vinegar, I may indeed delve a bit deeper into my German food heritage in the coming cold months and see what wonderful things I can find.

Halloween Feast, Part One

Ah, Halloween. It's my favorite part of fall. Anything involving costumes and chocolate makes me very happy. All day on Saturday, I played in the kitchen. Early in the afternoon I made meringue cupcakes to take to a friend's Halloween/birthday party. (You can see how cute they were in the picture of me rocking some Lucille Ball at right.) I was hoping they would be tall enough to turn into ghosts, but they didn't quite grow enough in the oven. Next time I might fill them with twice as much meringue and see if they would be tall enough to turn into sweet ghosties with a bit of icing.

Before leaving for said party, Nick and I prepared a dinner for another couple and ourselves. The menu included a rack of lamb, baked squash, and buttery salad. Since we were cooking indoors, I used the main oven for the lamb and the mini counter oven for the squash. I made a mint-basil pesto for the lamb (courtesy of a FoodNetwork.com recipe), which was complemented by the light garlic flavor of the squash. The salad was a bag of buttery lettuces tossed with pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. I have to say, enjoying this meal with friends over good conversation, a bottle of red, and candlelight was better than going out to eat!

Bon appetitie!

Baked Acorn Squash 1 small acorn squash, halved, seeded, and sliced 0.25" thick
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1.5 tablespoons EVOO
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the acorn squash with the garlic, salt, pepper, and EVOO. Roast until the squash is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

If you are cooking this with the lamb, set the dish aside. Put the squash in the oven just after sticking the lamb in the oven.

Rack of Lamb with Mint-Basil Pesto
Found on the Food Network website

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh mint leaves
• 3/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 (1 1/2-pounds each) racks of lamb, trimmed and frenched

Directions

Blend the mint, basil, nuts, cheese, lemon juice, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor until the herbs are finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually blend in 1/3 cup of oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

enerously sprinkle the lamb racks with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a grill pan or heavy large skillet over high heat. Place 1 lamb rack in the skillet and cook just until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the lamb rack meat side up on a heavy large baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 2 lamb racks.

Roast the lamb in the oven until cooked to desired doneness, about 20 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the lamb racks to a work surface. Set aside for 10 minutes. Cut the lamb between the bones into single chops. Spread the pesto over 1 cut side of each chop. Arrange the chops, pesto side up, on plates or a platter, and serve.

Do-Ahead Tip: The pesto and lamb racks may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover the pesto and lamb separately and refrigerate. Allow extra time for the chilled lamb to roast.

Alternately, the racks of lamb can be sliced then broiled before serving. To broil the lamb: Use 18 to 24 meaty single lamb rib chops (about 2 1/2 ounces each, from 3 racks of lamb). Preheat the broiler. Arrange the lamb chops in a single layer over 2 heavy baking sheets. Lightly brush the lamb chops with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Watching closely, broil the lamb chops 3 inches from the heat source until cooked to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Spread the pesto over the chops. Arrange the chops pesto side up on plates or a platter, and serve.