Recipe Swap – Nov/Dec Good Eats [NOT 21/11/20]

21/11/20 brightersideoflife 25
image of slices of cranberry cake
LOOKIT THIS GLORIOUS CAKE

It’s 2020, I’ve already gained like 20 lbs this year. I’m not going to pretend that November and December aren’t going to filled with the good foods I typically only make this time of year.

Because fuck 2020, that’s why. Thank you very much, I’ll happily eat things myself and freeze leftovers since there won’t be holiday parties.

So in the spirit of enjoying good food, share some things you love to eat this year.

Topics include but not limited to:

  • mixed drinks
  • desserts
  • casseroles
  • main dishes
  • please any suggestions for using leftovers
  • holy fuck there’s been too much rich food eaten recently here’s something easy on the body and gentle on the fitting-into-pants
  • (ingredient) is finally in season
  • nostalgia goods that remind you of family or friends

Also, HUZZAH! I learned how to do bulleted lists here.

Image is from the cranberry cake I link to in the comments. I may have figured out bulleted lists, but links in posts are still something I’m struggling with getting to open in new tabs.

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25 Comments

  1. Here’s one of my favorite fall things – this cranberry cake is so damn good! You use fresh cranberries and they are these delightful bursts of sourness in a lovely sweet cake. It’s a very easy recipe to make, I never fuck around with the pecan topping because I worry I’d burn the pecans and ruin the cake. Also if you make it, the batter has the consistency of grout when you are mixing it up. Don’t worry, this turns out great despite the disturbingly solid batter.

    https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-cranberry-cake-16000

    • …on the “open in new tab” thing…if you click the “insert link” button from the comment edit window it pulls up a field to paste your link into…but if you instead click the little cog icon that expands to a pop-up window with a field for the URL and another for “link text” with a check-box beneath you can tick for the “open in new tab” option

      …one quirk that happens for me but might be just on my end is that if I try to add a link to something I already typed it seems to replicate the text & I have to delete the original bit that doesn’t have the link…so I mention that just in case it isn’t a just-me thing

    • They have something here in the hill country I live in now called Brunswick Stew.  Man, is it ever good.  They actually have “stew trucks” the way some places have taco trucks.

  5. Not really a recipe, but this Thanksgiving the weather forecast looks good enough for me to try grilling a turkey for the first time. Probably just salt and pepper it and shove some sage leaves under the skin. I just need to find the smallest turkey I can since it is going to be a small family dinner, although I am guessing that there will be a run on them.
     
    The Weber website has some clear instructions, so it should be pretty straightforward.

    • My dad has grilled turkeys for years because it’s convenient to have the oven free and they taste delicious when you grill them. You got any hickory or mesquite wood chips you can soak and toss in there to flavor the smoke?

  7. I have a great recipe to share which, considering the colours, could be considered “festive” but I think I should save it for a FYCE post?

    I put up my first Christmas tree as an adult!

    Or maybe just a very colourful bed for Gino?

     

  10. I always make Prosciutto and Cornbread stuffing from the December 1987 issue of Gourmet and it’s so freaking good. I’m greek and greek people stuff their turkey with a hamburger/chestnut abomination, it’s just too much meat on meat action. This stuffing was a revelation and has the exactly right mix of bread and meat. You start the day before by making stock from the neck and giblets of the turkey and a pan of cornbread. Makes 12 cups of stuffing. I usually halve the recipe. Next day:
    2 onions chopped
    1 leek chopped
    1 garlic clove minced
    1 stick unsalted butter
    1/2 lb prosciutto diced, tell the deli guy you want 1 slab of prosciutto, none of this shaved thin stuff
    cornbread or 2, 7 oz bags of cornbread stuffing, if you baked your own cornbread, which I advise you to do since the bagged stuff has all kinds of shit in it, break the cornbread up and toast it in the oven to dry it out
    1 scallion
    1/2 cup parsley chopped
    Saute onions, leeks and garlic in the butter in a large skillet until soft, add the prosciutto, cook another minute. Add the cornbread, mix until coated with butter. Turn off the heat. Stir in the parsley and scallions. Add enough stock to moisten the stuffing. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper. I’ve made this with sausage and it was good, but prosciutto is the best. I usually loosely stuff the turkey and cook the rest in a casserole dish.
     
     
     

  11. Most of the things I make i don’t even really use recipes for, anymore…

    But here’s an attempt, so y’all can have GOOD Spinach-Artichoke dip, too;
    In a large mixing bowl,combine;

    1 brick, drained & thawed frozen chopped spinach (thaw it, then unwrap & put it in the middle of a muslin dishcloth, then pull up the corners of the cloth, and twist/wring ALL the liquid out of the spinach–it should be as dry as possible when you’re done!) If you accidentally buy “whole-leaf” spinach, chopped it up before using–it’ll be fine.

    1 block of cream cheese or neufchatel (softened for a while at room temperature makes mixing easier!)

    1/2 to 2/3 c sour cream

    1/2 to 2/3 c mayo (the version I’ve always used is Kraft)

    2-3 Tbsp minced garlic (or however much of a “large blop” you prefer!)–the jarred stuff is FINE

    1 jar (or tub/bag) shredded parmesan. This SHOULD be shreds, *not* the powdered grated stuff!

    1 can small artichoke hearts–these need to be chopped into 1/4″-1/2″ diced bits, before mixing in.

    Then mix up the whole shebang–it will be easiest if you use your hands (you can wear nitrile gloves if desired!), but for the squeamish, a STURDY mixing spoon can be used.

    The single batch (the amounts listed above–this recipe can EASILY be doubled/tripled!) fits into an 8×8 or 9×9 sprayed baking pan/dish. (I usually use glass, but it also turns out fine in metal or enameled cast iron!)

    Grease the dish with your preferred spray-oil–Pam, store-brand, etc (just NOT the kind with flour, used for baking!)

    Bake the dip at 350, for somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour,stirring occasionally.

    It will be ready, when all of the ingredients are incorporated together, and it’s “creamy” 

    It can be scooped up with tortilla chips, or dipped into with a good, crusty/chewy bread (think French sliced at least 3/4″-1″ thick, then torn into chunks, or Italian/Sourdough done similarly).

    After baking, it CAN be put into a crockpot to keep warm. It WILL brown from the heat of the crockpot, and the texture WILL dry out from the increased/all day heat. It’s still ok to eat. No matter WHICH way you serve it, leftovers CAN be reheated!
     

    Also, another former roommate of mine discovered, when we had leftovers, that it makes an EXCELLENT addition to scrambled eggs, the next morning!😉😁🤗
     

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