Our Thanksgiving did not go as planned.  I woke up early in the morning and began prepping the final dishes for our meal, worried because I was running behind.  My phone rang and it was my brother.  I knew immediately from the tone of his voice that our whole world had changed.  Our father, my amazing, wonderful dad, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly today at the age of 59.  Our day has been spent in mourning and disbelief as we try to get a grasp of this new reality.

The shock and devastation we are feeling at the loss of this incredible person is truly indescribable.  I will be taking a short break from the blog as we deal with the aftermath, but I’m sure I won’t be gone too long.  I know myself well enough to know that keeping a routine and doing things I loved will help me cope.  I only ask that tomorrow, rather than spending time pushing through hoards of people to find the best deal, you instead spend time giving thanks for the blessings in your life and stick close to the people you love.  At the end of everything else, they are all that really matters.

No matter how long I had with him, it could never have been enough.  My dad was truly the most amazing and inspiring person I have ever known.  And as wonderful of a father as he was, he was an even better grandfather (or Gagoo, as Andrew called him).  There is really nothing else to say but Dad, you were the best.

I had so many recipes I wanted to share with you before Thanksgiving.  This weekend I went over them again and again, in my head and out loud to Ben (sorry honey) – which would be the three that made the cut?  While I was mulling this over, I decided to bake up some cookies for a non-traditional Thanksgiving crab fest hosted by my dear friends and our family photogs Bobbi and Mike (yeah, they’re kind of a big deal.)  This was the morning after we hosted our own Friendsgiving, so the criteria for whatever I made were few – I wanted something simple, only requiring ingredients I had on hand, and fitting somewhere in the general realm of Thanksgiving dessert.  Enter these apple pie cookies.  Next thing I knew, all other possibilities got the boot because you need to know about these right now.

Such a simple yet brilliant concept.  Two small rounds of buttery, flaky pie crust sandwiching an apple slice coated in cinnamon sugar, and detailed to look like a tiny little pie.  I was and still am completely enamored with these cookies.  As Ben pointed out the only real feature that makes them a cookie is their shape and size, but I think that’s what makes these an ideal dessert for Thanksgiving day.  There are always so many different desserts to sample – staples like pecan and pumpkin pie, plus a variety of others – and these little sweet treats let you have just a few bites of apple pie without committing to a full piece.  Whether you are hosting or attending someone else’s big meal, I’m feel pretty certain these will be a hit wherever you serve them.  Apple pie cookies – make it happen.

This weekend for the first time ever, we hosted a Friendsgiving celebration.  The idea was new to us and mainly inspired by the fact that we weren’t able to have a pumpkin carving party with our friends this year, but we still really wanted to see everyone.  It was a very low key, informal pitch-in meal with great food and even better company.  Since I’ll be making plenty of traditional Thanksgiving pies this week and everyone else will surely be eating plenty of them as well, I decided to offer a couple of non-traditional dessert options at our party and one was these pumpkin mousse parfaits.  I have been wanting to try this recipe for ages after seeing Ina make it once on her show.  I never really found the right opportunity, so I was thrilled to finally have a chance.

If you’re a pumpkin lover, a mousse lover, or both, you’ll probably love these.  The mousse is lightly sweetened with a nice pumpkin flavor and warm fall spices.  Ben and I both agreed that the gingersnaps crumbled in between the layers of mousse and whipped cream were what really made this dish shine.  If assembled soon before serving, the cookie pieces are still on the crisp size, contributing some variation in texture.  If you make them a bit in advance, the cookies will soften.  I can’t decide which way I prefer.  This whole concept is so highly adaptable – you could layer in candied pecans, maybe a cranberry compote, assemble the whole thing in a full-size trifle dish, or make even smaller cuter mini versions in shot glasses.  Whether you are hosting and want an alternative to the classic pumpkin pie or just want to contribute something unique to the holiday meal you attend, this is a nice option.  Enjoy!

I’m not ashamed to admit that for much of my life, I loved the version of green bean casserole made with a few cans and pop-the-top crispy onions sprinkled over the top.  It’s what most of us have grown up knowing and that flavor profile has a special place in my heart (stomach?)  Aside from mashed potatoes, green bean casserole was always my other favorite side dish at Thanksgiving.  So much so that while some people may have considered it a once a year kind of recipe, I made it on plenty of regular days not involving turkey.  Now that making things from scratch has become a passion of mine, a homemade version of green bean casserole has been high on my list of recipes to make over.

I’ve tried a few versions in the past and while good, they really didn’t quite mimic the flavors of the classic.  I was honestly ready to give up and go back to the cans, but finally I found a recipe I love enough to take the place of the original.  Though it requires a bit more effort than opening cans, it is still quite simple to make.  Blanch green beans, make a quick mushroom sauce, and fry shallots while the casserole bakes.  The casserole portion can be made in advance and refrigerated.  I’m not sure exactly how long the fried shallots stay crisp for, but I fried mine a few hours before using them and they were still nice and crisp so they last at least that long.  Now I can finally say with certainly that green bean casserole has made its way back into my ranks of favorite turkey day sides.  Even though I had it this weekend, I’m really looking forward to Thursday :)

From Scratch Green Bean Casserole
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Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
For the casserole:
1¼ lbs. green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
10 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp. minced shallots
3 tbsp. flour
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the topping:
Canola oil, for frying
2-3 shallots, sliced thinly
Flour, for dredging

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish.  Add the green beans to a large sauté pan and cover with a few inches of water.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook until fork tender, about 4-6 minutes.  Transfer to a colander and rinse with cold water.  Return the pan to the heat and melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release most of their liquid, about 5 minutes.  Add the shallots to the pan and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.  Stir in the flour and cook briefly, about 1 minute.  Stir in the half-and-half, broth, and soy sauce.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes more.  Stir in the drained green beans, season with salt and pepper to taste, and transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish.  (At this point, the casserole can be covered and refrigerated.)  Bake for 20 minutes, until browned and bubbling (30 minutes if it has been refrigerated).

To make the topping, add some canola oil to a small saucepan to about 1-2 inches deep.  Heat the oil to 350˚ F.  While the oil is heating, dredge the sliced shallots in the flour, shaking off the excess.  Add to the pan with the hot oil and fry until the shallots are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.

Sprinkle the fried shallots over the warm casserole.  Serve immediately.

Source: barely adapted from Williams Sonoma

Our trip to Ben & Jerry’s was such fun and (after a brief recovery from the mini Vermonster) it left me so inspired.  Their passion for the craft of ice cream making and their unique and constant stream of creative concoctions was infectious.  I could not wait to get home and make a Ben & Jerry’s inspired treat.  And you all know what I love to do…I take other things and make them into cupcakes.  These cupcakes are based off the Chubby Hubby flavor of Ben & Jerry’s pints – a malted vanilla base with a peanut butter swirl and chocolate covered pretzels.  Using this as my inspiration, I set out to make a malted vanilla cupcake base with a chocolate pretzel filling and peanut butter frosting.  As it turns out, apparently every malt cake recipe in the history of the world is for chocolate malt cake, or at least that’s what close to an hour of research uncovered.  So I decided to make some adaptations to my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe and cross my fingers.  Good news – it worked.  Even better news?  The malt powder added a really amazing touch to the cupcakes.  It was a subtle flavor but ultimately I think this could potentially be my new favorite vanilla cupcake base.  I guess I probably wouldn’t use it all the time since they require a specialty ingredient, but man, the cake alone was wonderful.  (Note: I purchased my malted milk powder from King Arthur Flour.)

So then, we take that awesome vanilla malt cake and using the cone method, fill it with dark chocolate ganache and pretzel pieces, and top it with a whipped peanut butter frosting.  I originally had a peanut butter cream cheese frosting in mind but realized I was out of cream cheese and it was past 10 o’clock at night.  Instead I improvised with what I had on hand and ended up being glad for it because this frosting was absolutely wonderful.  These were a major hit with everyone who got to try them and struck a nice balance between sweet and salty.  The only slight issue was that the pieces of pretzel did lose some of their crunch after being in the ganache.  One potential remedy to this might be adding in a few pretzel M&M’s in lieu of chopped pretzels.  I cannot wait to play around with more cupcake renditions of Ben & Jerry’s flavors.  This could become a fun and tasty project!

Quick housekeeping note: Thanks to everyone who entered the Vermont themed giveaways from last week.  I loved hearing about your favorite cheeses, and also your dream foodie vacation destinations.  I added quite a few to my own list from your suggestions!  Without further ado, the prizes go to…

The winner of the Vermont package including Dishing Up Vermont, a maple syrup sampler and a piece of maple candy is Kristy who said, “What: A strong, sharp cheddar…like Irish Dubliner cheese.  How: Sliced thin on whole grain bread with crisp apple slices, seed-y mustard, and roasted red peppers!  OR, along side a juicy pear.”

The winner of the King Arthur package is Kristan who said, “I would love to go to San Fransisco and Seattle.”

Congrats to both of you!

I have to admit that other than seeing Shanon and visiting Grafton, visiting the Ben & Jerry’s factory was one of my main reasons for wanting to visit Vermont.  I mean, I love ice cream, and Ben & Jerry’s is such a cool, fun-loving company, I was dying to see this place in person.  Also, I have always wanted to attempt and hopefully conquer the Vermonster ice cream sundae.  (More on this below…)  One day we made the trip up to Burlington, Vermont where the factory is located.  From the moment we walked up the hill, we knew it was going to be a ton of fun.

Every inch of this place was in line with the fun and kooky ice cream-loving philosophy of this company.  It puts an instant smile on your face.

As luck would have it, a tour of the factory was starting just a few minutes after we arrived so we bought tickets (very cheap, something like $5) and got ready to go.  While we were waiting, we took a peek at this fun display case with all the different Ben & Jerry’s flavors.

There were no photos allowed for most of the tour itself, but it was way cool.  It starts out with a brief and very funny video about how Ben & Jerry started the company, how it grew, and what they are working towards today.  Some things I already knew, like the fact that they first learned about ice cream making through a correspondence course on the topic.  Some information was new to me, like the fact that their traveling ice cream van caught on fire (!) in Ohio in what turned out to be a happy accident thanks to the publicity they received from it.  I also really enjoyed learning about their social mission and what they are doing to achieve those goals.  As if I didn’t already love them enough, this took it to another level.  After the video, we were escorted to a viewing area where we were able to watch the factory’s inner workings where the ice cream is made, packaged, and stored.  All of the equipment for the large scale production of ice cream was explained in a clear and interesting way.  It was fascinating to see it in action, and to see the amazing rate at which the pints are produced.  Finally we made our way into the flavor room where we were able to sample the day’s flavor, which was triple caramel.  I only took one taste because I was hoping to save room for what I was about to attempt…

So, as I mentioned, it has been a goal of mine to eat the Vermonster sundae.  I know this seems crazy to, well, almost everyone I talk to, but hey, it’s always been a dream of mine.  I didn’t want to attempt the full sized Vermonster on this trip, mainly because I psyched myself out of it, but also because I’m waiting to do it with my best friend Amanda since we share this goal.  (We can DO IT!)  Instead I decided to try the mini Vermonster but as you can see, it isn’t really mini at all.  Four scoops of ice cream, a brownie, a cookie, and two kinds of toppings.  For my ice cream scoops I chose half coffee (fine) and half double fudge brownie (really bad decision).  Here I am at the beginning, happy and confident.

Here I’m pretending I’m happy, but I’m starting to crack.  I had a lot of factors going against me here.  First of all, we were sitting outside and it was really cold.  We could have gone inside but I didn’t want other people watching this go down and that giant bowl attracts a lot of attention.  (Amanda, I will feel better when you’re with me and we can be fools together!)  Second, I ate way too much for breakfast that morning.  Third, and what I think was my undoing, was choosing the double fudge brownie ice cream.  It was so heavy, so rich, and I just couldn’t stomach it.  Also, because of the cold and to avoid people watching me, I tried to go way too fast.  I really should have paced myself.

We made a last ditch attempt to salvage my quest and moved to the car where it was a little bit warmer.  But, this is where I stopped.  So close!  I probably could have eaten even more but at that point I knew I wasn’t going to make it so I figured it made more sense to stop before I felt horribly sick.

Sadness.  (By the way, I was not crying or anything, but had a lovely raging red eyeball after catching pink eye from the kids a few weeks before.  I actually still have it.  Dislike.)

But, instead of leaving on that sad note, we decided to get out of the car and walk around some more because there was a bit more to see.  We walked up the hill and were able to see the factory from behind, with their cute tanks labeled “milk”, “cream” and “sugar”.

Up at the top of the hill was the Flavor Graveyard where, as they put it, they pay respects to some of their dearly departed flavors.

The headstones included the names of the flavors, sometimes a description, and usually the reason that the flavor failed (cost, ingredients, popularity).  It was so funny!

And that was it.  I am sad I wasn’t able to beat even the mini Vermonster, but I’m glad I had this practice run so I’ll be prepared for next time.  And there definitely will be a next time.

I didn’t mention it before, but their gift shop was killer.  So much fun stuff, I could have easily browsed for an hour.  I got some things for you!  You can win a copy of the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Cookbook, this fun “pint cozy” (which could probably also serve as another type of cozy), and a container of chocolate fudge brownie lip balm!  (To be perfectly honest, I have no idea if this stuff is any good or not but I still haven’t gotten my stomach around to the idea of trying the one I bought for myself.)

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.  If you’ve never tried it (gasp!), take a peek at their offerings and tell me what you’d most like to try.  

The Rules: One entry per person, U.S. residents only.  Commenting will close on Saturday, November 19 at 10:00 am.  One winner will be selected at random and announced next week.

Full disclosure:  This giveaway is sponsored by yours truly.

When I posted my Thanksgiving menu, I asked you wonderful readers to suggest ideas for recipes you wanted to see posted before turkey day.  What I meant was anything at all that you might make for Thanksgiving, certainly not limited to what I had planned for my own menu, but nearly all the suggestions made were things from my menu.  I certainly did not expect this dish to be the most requested, but you all have great taste.

When I was a little girl and I visited my paternal grandparents, my grandma would always make me brown rice.  She was never all that into cooking as I recall, and I don’t remember many things she might have made for me, but I will always remember her brown rice.  I would immediately ask for that, along with a glass of apple juice, when I came to visit.  Even though I don’t think anyone in my family ever made something exactly like this casserole while I was growing up, it definitely had that homemade with love vibe and it reminded me of my sweet grandma.  It’s a very simplistic dish, creamy and comforting.  The only change that I will make next time around will be to double the mushrooms, as I felt there were too few compared to the rice and certainly too few to be titled “mushroom casserole”.  (I have reflected this change below).  We are really looking forward to having this as part of our Thanksgiving table, and many future meals as well.  Enjoy!

Today I’m very happy to be part of a virtual baby shower honoring one of my sweet blogging friends, Amy of Sing for Your Supper.  Amy is expecting her first baby, a girl, in January and Kelsey of Apple a Day coordinated this virtual shower to honor the occasion.  Amy has a sweet tooth that rivals my own.  Kelsey had the brilliant idea to make this a dessert-themed shower, so all of the contributions are of the sweet persuasion.  (As a side note, my girlfriends threw me a dessert-only shower before Andrew was born and it was awesome.)  I wanted to do something incorporating one of Amy’s pregnancy cravings, but she said she really hasn’t had any.  So, I give you these Twix pudding trifles, inspired by leftover Halloween candy and the mass quantities of Twix I ate while pregnant with Caroline.

These trifles consist of chopped Twix bars layered with homemade caramel and chocolate pudding, and freshly whipped cream.  They may seem like a somewhat involved dessert because of the different components but they actually come together very quickly since you can make the second flavor of pudding while the first is setting up in the fridge.  You could serve these in any vessel you like – plastic cups, wine glasses, etc. – but I opted for these mini mason jars because they were just the right size, and well, because I adore mason jars.  I’m happy to report that these were even better than I had imagined they might be.  Definitely a dream for this Twix lover.  Amy, congratulations on your baby girl and I hope you enjoy your sweet shower!  Be sure to check out the round-up posts on Kelsey’s and Amy‘s blogs to see what everyone else made for this special day.

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching and fall baking season well underway, you may come across some recipes that call for pumpkin pie spice.  Rather than shelling out money for a special spice blend at the store, you can easily make your own by combining other staple spices that you probably already have on hand.  This really couldn’t get much easier, and of course the beauty of it is that you can adjust the spice blend to suit your own preferences.  Do you have 5 minutes?  Then you have time to make pumpkin pie spice.  Cute little containers of homemade spice blends could make nice gifts for the bakers in your life.

Oh, and then after you whip this up, you’ll probably want to test it out in a batch of pumpkin cream cheese muffins.  Just sayin’.

When we were in Vermont, I paid very close attention to all the great food we ate.  Only one or two meals were less than stellar.   Every evening I made notes on my iPad about the wonderful the food we had tried that day.  When we came home, my dad was reading through the list and asked, “What are the ‘AMAZING peanut butter chocolate cookies’?”  Well, where do I start with these cookies?

See, Ben is a great sport and a loving husband, and he tagged along with me to all my foodie destinations on this trip.  Since he enjoys outdoorsy things, I planned a day for us to go hiking on a nearby mountain as a sort of thank you.  What I did not plan on was that the hike would be the hardest, most ridiculously un-fun hike ever.  We’re in shape, we work out, and we’ve done a fair amount of hiking in other mountainous locations but people, this trail was not cool, both for its sheer incline and the poor state of the trail the day we hiked (super muddy, wet, blah).  After about one mile we were both annoyed and considered turning back but I’m pretty stubborn and I figured if I had already put in the effort to get that far, I might as well finish it.  Big mistake.  We continued up the three mile stair master from hell, alternating between laughing hysterically at the situation and wanting to cry.  When we finally reached the summit, my fear of heights prevented me from scaling the fire tower so I could see the view.  But hey, at least we made it.  (And let’s not even talk about the trip down.  No thank you.)

When we got back to our room later, we were ravenous having missed lunch by about three hours.  We stopped at The Moon Dog Cafe next door for lunch.  The food was good and we cleaned our plates.  As we were paying, we saw some drool-worthy peanut butter chocolate cookies up at the register.  Ben didn’t even have to ask me, he just bought two and we chowed down.  Now, I’m sure our rough start to the day played a role in this, but those cookies were incredible.  We immediately agreed that I had to recreate these at home.  As luck would have it, I was browsing Shanon’s blog the very next week and saw that she had just posted a cookie that looked incredibly similar to our dream cookies.  And the recipe came from King Arthur Flour.  It seemed like fate, or maybe karmic balancing.

I made the King Arthur version first and while it was very good and we certainly had no trouble eating way too many of them, they weren’t quite on target.  I tinkered with the recipe a bit more, dialing down the cocoa powder, dialing up the peanut butter, making the size larger, and adding more peanut butter cups.  The end result is indeed everything we were hoping for.  These cookies are a giant, in-your-face, no nonsense dessert.  And they almost make up for that ridiculous hike.  At least we had a lot of laughs and some great cookies, right?

Stay tuned next week for another installment from our Vermont travels, and another giveaway :)

When planning our trip to Vermont, there were only a few must-do items on my list.  First and foremost, visit my friend Shanon.  She’s in New Hampshire this year for her fellowship and I miss her something fierce.  Second, visit King Arthur Flour.  I’ve long been a fan of King Arthur’s recipes and products, and have been dying to visit their headquarters in person.  As luck would have it, Shanon lives pretty darn close to King Arthur so we were able to check both items off the list in a single day.  Plus, who else would I rather visit this fabulous store with than one of my best baking buddies?  We really wanted to take one of the many classes offered at the King Arthur baking center, but unfortunately the classes we were interested in did not fit into our schedules.  Oh well.  We had a great time anyway and Shanon showed me around this bakers’ mecca.

This store was kind of like a paradise for me.  I was so excited and hyped up.  There was SO much to look at, I was honestly a bit overwhelmed.  I spent the majority of the time in the store looking like this:

They really had just about everything I could want for baking, and lots of things I couldn’t have imagined.  All sorts of flours, sugars, flavorings, mix-ins, bakeware, utensils, etc. etc.  I was on major overload and could hardly think straight.  I threw completely random items into my cart the entire time.  It was chaotic.  Of the two or three things I actually intended to buy there, I bought zero.  I was just too excited and overstimulated.  (I have since ordered them online.)  I wish I could go back and chill the heck out.

I saw all kinds of Ateco pastry tips, my favorite thing.

We eventually did leave the store after I had bought what seemed like way too much stuff.  Then Shanon showed us around Hanover, NH where she works.  We visited another food-related shop called Main Street Kitchens that was truly fantastic.  It reminded me a lot of Peppercorn in Boulder, CO, which is a very, very good thing.  I could have browsed and stayed in there all day long.  I ended up buying a few fun cookie cutters, a cookbook about cakes with alcohol, and some positively adorable children’s aprons for both Andrew and Caroline (when she gets bigger, of course).  As you may or may not know, I have a thing for fun aprons and this store had the best selection I have ever seen for both kids and adults.  I was especially happy that they had a good number for boys because in all my previous searching, I have only found a few that didn’t have cupcakes on them or weren’t pink.  Where’s gender equality in the kitchen, people?!

Later that evening we went to dinner at The Canoe Club in Hanover and I had what was one of my favorite meals of the trip.  I ordered the fried four cheese ravioli served with a braised chicken sauce and fresh greens.  It was superb.  Shanon had a squash risotto and Ben had a really good burger.

Wait, did you think I forgot about you all?  No way!  I spent a fair amount of my time in King Arthur trying to piece together a not completely disjointed giveaway for my readers.  Here’s what you can win:

A pound of Bensdorp Dutch-process cocoa, a pound of cappuccino chips, a container of Vietnamese cinnamon, a package of small brioche molds, and a fun fall-patterened kitchen towel.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and tell me what destination is on your foodie list of must-sees.  Whether it be a city, state, country, or a specific restaurant or store, what place are you dying to visit?

The Rules: One entry per person, U.S. residents only.  Commenting will close on Saturday, November 12 at 10:00 am EST.  Entries that do not follow the entry requirements will not be considered.  One winner will be selected at random and announced next week.  Good luck!

Full Disclosure:  This giveaway is sponsored by yours truly because I like you guys.

I know I’ve been on kind of a mac and cheese kick lately but really, can you blame me?  It’s total comfort food and the chilly weather and fading daylight make me yearn for it.  Not to mention the fact that I brought home a bunch of amazing varieties of cheddar from our Vermont trip.  I have different things in mind to do with each of them but this recipe needed to be made immediately.  It was taking shape in my head throughout the trip and within 48 hours of arriving home, we had this for dinner.

This recipe was inspired by the garlic cheddar that I bought in Grafton, and it was a great way to make use of it.  I actually had grand plans for a dish similar to this last fall, but unfortunately my attempts never really turned out quite as I was hoping.  This time I was just playing around and ended up with exactly what I had hoped for last year.  Better late then never!  Of course I realize that garlic cheddar may not be available to everyone depending on where you live and the grocery selection near you.  Never fear though, even with regular ol’ white cheddar, this will turn out just fine.  If you’re unfamiliar with roasted garlic, a whole head of roasted garlic may seem like a lot but it’s actually not.  Roasting really mellows out the flavor of the garlic and it takes on a smooth quality.  I happen to consider roasted garlic to be a sort of magical ingredient.  Most dishes are only made better by the addition of some roasted garlic.  In this case another favorite cheese of mine, boursin, is included to pull the whole thing together and well, I really think you should just go make this now so I’ll shush :)

As many of you know from my Facebook page, Ben and I recently took a trip to Vermont.  We had a truly wonderful time, and I have so much I want to share with you about our trip.  It’s way too much to fit into one post, so I have decided to do a series of posts about our travels with related giveaways, as well as recipes inspired by the foods we ate.  Though I generally prefer not to take photos in restaurants, I am still going to tell you about some of the places we ate because you need to know about them in case you ever visit…and I think you should.

This was our first vacation sans kids since having kids and it was a much needed break.  We  slept a lot, we ate a lot (without having to clean up the kitchen!) and we visited a bunch of fun places.  A lot of people seemed perplexed when I said we were vacationing in Vermont because, well, what is there to see?  Well, for a fall lover such as myself, New England in the fall seems like reason enough.  To be honest though, I’ve been wanting to visit Vermont since I was a little girl.  Before my mom passed away, my parents took a trip to Grafton and they always talked about how beautiful it was, how much fun they had, etc.  I saw lots of pictures and always knew it was someplace I wanted to see.  We stayed in nearby Chester and drove to Grafton a couple of times throughout our stay.

I’ve talked many times about the great friends I’ve made through blogging.  After being friends for nearly five years and emailing almost daily, I was finally able to meet my friend Tara of Smells Like Home in person.  She and her husband Kyle live in Connecticut and drove up to spend the day with us.  We had such a wonderful time with them, and it was more like picking right up with an old friend I hadn’t seen in a while rather than meeting her for the first time.  I had an absolute blast getting to spend time with her.

Since our love of food is what brought us together, we thought exploring the Grafton Village Cheese Co. together would be a great idea.  The town of Grafton is very tiny and sleepy, so there wasn’t a ton for us to do there but we kept ourselves occupied.  I was practically giddy over all the different types of cheese available in this store.  And the samples…oh, the samples.  I was in heaven tasting all the different cheese, dips, spreads, etc.  There were more types of cheddar than I even knew existed, and I made sure to bring a few of them home to cook with.

I was also thrilled to see this Vermont cultured butter in the case.  I buy this at Whole Foods in Indiana, and have kind of a love affair going with this butter.  Give me this butter, a good baguette, and I’m pretty much set.

After finishing up at the cheese shop, we meandered over to the restaurant next door for lunch called Mack’s Place Eatery.  It is a casual place with eclectic decor and an impressive menu for its fairly small size.  I had an awesome ham panini with Vermont cheddar (of course), apple butter and apple slices as well as a cup of fantastic pumpkin soup.  That meal was one of my food highlights from the trip for sure, and the company could not have been any better.  I’m so glad I finally had the opportunity to meet Tara in person, and I’ll make sure it’s not five more years before we meet again :)

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing a recipe I created using one of the varieties of cheddar I brought home.  Before that though, I have a giveaway of some fun Vermont souvenirs to share with you.  Since I didn’t want to attempt shipping cheese to a reader, instead I chose a few other classic Vermont items.  This totally awesome cookbook Dishing Up Vermont, a Vermont maple syrup sampler, and of course, a piece of maple candy.

To enter, please leave a comment on this post telling me what your very favorite type of cheese is.  (I know, I know, it’s almost impossible to pick one.  But if you had too…)

The Rules: One entry per person, U.S. residents only.  Commenting will close on Wednesday, November 9 at 11:00 pm EST.  Entries that do not meet the entry requirements will not be considered.  One winner will be selected at random and announced next week.

Full disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by yours truly.

Baked spinach may sound like a totally boring side dish and you might just be tempted to pass it up for other flashier, more exciting options.  However, you’d be making a big mistake.  I have made this dish more times than I can possibly count and it has never graced the blog before because I’ve been far too busy eating it to stop and take a picture of it.  Falling into a side dish rut is oh so common – in fact, it happens to me on an almost weekly basis.  But this baked spinach is always there to steer me away from yet another boring salad or roasted broccoli again.  I try to always have a bag of spinach on hand so that there is this to fall back on.

The dish requires very little actual prep time and while it bakes, you can work on your main dish.  Even better, the spinach prep can be done in advance.  This dish is also highly adaptable – you can use broth, milk, or cream for the liquid and I have used many varieties of cheese with success.  The only slightly negative thing I have to say about it is related to that fantastic shrinking phenomenon spinach has.  You know, where once it is cooked down and the excess water is removed your former mountain of greens is now merely an anthill.  As fascinating as that is, it also means that whenever I attempt to make this with a small amount of leftover spinach, I end up with around a single serving.  But it’s okay, because it automatically becomes mine.  Whether it be a side dish on a regular weeknight or on Thanksgiving to balance out all those lovely potatoes, this spinach needs to be in your life.  For reals.

I could hardly contain my excitement when a coworker recently chose these toffee crunch cupcakes as her birthday selection.  This is one intense cupcake.  It starts with a chocolate cupcake base with toffee bits mixed in, topped with a ring of ganache coated in toffee bits, and finished off with a pretty little cloud of caramel Swiss meringue buttercream frosting.  Toffee has long been a favorite treat of Ben’s so he was pretty psyched about the idea of these and even more excited when there were extras left over for him to sample.

I did wonder if the toffee flavor might be masked by the intense chocolate cake or the rich caramel frosting, but the flavors were nicely balanced.  You can definitely taste all the components but the toffee still plays a starring role.  My only criticism is that if made in advance, the toffee bits soften slightly and lose the “crunch”, making the name a bit less apt.  Nevertheless they still tasted great and if I were really going for that crunch component, an extra sprinkle of toffee on top of the frosting just before serving would surely do the trick.  If you have a toffee lover in your life, you might just make their day with these cupcakes.

Toffee Crunch Cupcakes
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Yield: about 30 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. espresso powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup brewed coffee
1 cup toffee bits

For the ganache and toffee layer:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½-2 cups toffee bits

For the frosting:
5 large egg whites
1½ cups sugar
4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ tsp. coarse salt
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup caramel sauce 

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and butter and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the coffee, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix each addition just until incorporated.  Fold in the toffee bits with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Add the cream to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chocolate; let stand 1-2 minutes.  Whisk together until a smooth ganache forms.  Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated.  Transfer the bowl to the fridge or freezer to chill the ganache to a pipeable consistency, whisking every 5-10 minutes to ensure even cooling.  When slightly thickened, transfer to a pastry bag fitted with your tip of choice.  Pipe a ring of ganache around the top of each cupcake, leaving a hole in the center.  Add the toffee bits to a bowl and dip the ganache portion of each cupcake into the toffee bits, pressing very gently to adhere.  Let the ganache set.

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites and the sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.  (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer - don’t worry, it will come together!)  Blend in the salt, vanilla, and caramel until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip with the frosting and pipe a frilly pile of frosting on top of each cupcake, filling the hole in the center of the ganache.  Top with additional toffee pieces, if desired.

Source: adapted from Bakers Royale, originally from Alice Medrich

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is only three short weeks away?  Eek!  This will be my third year hosting and I am so looking forward to it.  Last year I did a series of posts on my (seemingly neurotic but actually smart and time-saving) planning methods, and this year I’ll be following pretty much the same formula.  So, rather than rewrite a post with the same information, I’ll just direct you to the posts from last year.  This year I decided to replenish our dip knives which seem to wander off every time we use them, as well as get more serving utensils so we don’t end up using a random assortment of stuff we’ve had since college.

Thanksgiving Prep Series, Part 1
Thanksgiving Prep Series, Part 2
Thanksgiving Prep Series, Part 3

I’ve been having way too much fun planning my menu and as of right now, this is what I’ve got.  Of course everything is subject to change but this is pretty close to what we’ll be having.  (I realize this may seem excessive to some, but we host a very large crowd!)  Also, I am taking suggestions for any Thanksgiving recipes you would like to see posted before the big day.  Of course I won’t be able to get to them all, but I’ll do my best to make at least a few of your requests.

Thanksgiving 2011
Appetizers:
Deviled Eggs
Parmesan-Crusted Goat Cheese with Basil Oil
Caramel Corn (yesssss!)
Savory popcorn of some kind (I’m thinking Parmesan-garlic butter-thyme or something similar)
Caesar Dip with Endive and Foccacia Croutons
Warm Spiced Pecans with Rum Glaze

Signature Cocktail:
Cranberry Margaritas

Main Course:
Brined Roast Turkey with Cider-Shallot Gravy

Side Dishes:
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with Sage Butter Crumb Topping
Cheesy Potato Casserole
Green Bean Casserole (from scratch)
Baked Spinach
Mushroom Casserole
Roasted Carrots
Cranberry Sauce
Knotted Dinner Rolls
White Cheddar Biscuits
Garlic Herb, Honey, and Cranberry Orange Compound Butters

Desserts:
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie (I’m doing a traditional version but this double chocolate kind is also awesome)
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
Chocolate Truffle Tart
Lemon Cranberry Bundt Cake

*Note: I only post recipes that I have tried before and would recommend, so any recipes listed on this menu that are new to me are unlikely to be shared prior to Thanksgiving.

Halloween is over.  We’ve turned the corner and suddenly the holiday season is staring us in the face.  I must admit, I’m already more than in the spirit.  Some years I never quite get into it but this year is the opposite.  I’m finishing up my Thanksgiving menu (more on that tomorrow), having glimmers of thoughts about holiday cookies, and I’ve done a good bit of Christmas shopping.  With the post-Halloween candy surpluses lingering and a major eating holiday on the horizon, I thought a good healthy recipe was in order.

I first made this dish one night when we had friends over for dinner.  I made my favorite chicken enchiladas as the main dish and was looking for a different side dish to break the usual routine of rice and refried beans.  The feta seemed like it could make for an odd pairing but this went over really well.  What’s more, it makes quite a bit of food and we had a lot leftover.  I found that it made for a perfect after work, pre-dinner snack while cooking rather than some of the usual less healthy choices I might turn to.  If you aren’t a fan of feta or happen to have some on hand, I think queso fresco would be a nice alternative here.  With so few ingredients, minimal prep time, and the addition of my beloved oven roasted tomatoes, this is surely becoming a go-to healthy side for us.

Black Beans with Roasted Tomatoes and Feta
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Ingredients:
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
Pinch of kosher salt
2 tsp. sugar
3-4 cups cooked black beans (2 cans, rinsed and drained)
4 oz. crumbled feta
Juice and zest of one lemon
3-4 scallions, chopped

Directions: 
To roast the tomatoes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and sugar on a rimmed baking sheet and toss well to coat.  Bake for about 40 minutes, tossing once or twice during cooking.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the beans, feta, lemon zest and juice, scallions, and roasted tomatoes.  Toss well to combine.  Adjust seasonings to taste.  Serve cool or at room temperature.

Source: slightly adapted from Cate’s World Kitchen, originally from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

There are many things I make at home rather than buying them at the store and never give it a second thought – pita, salad dressing, tomato sauce, pizza dough, and soft sugar cookies just to name a few.  They just taste so much better homemade.  As much as I love finding methods for doing more things the homemade way, I never really thought tortillas would be on that list.  I mean, they are tortillas.  They must be time consuming, difficult, and probably don’t even taste that much better.  And, they require a tortilla press…right?  Turns out I was wrong on all counts.  I made these from start to finish in just under an hour (and that was with taking pictures for you all!)  As far as shaping equipment goes, all you need is a work surface and a rolling pin.  And of course, as with so many other things that are homemade, they just taste so much better.  As an additional plus they can be frozen for later use.  Every single meal I made involving these tortillas was met with plenty of compliments, especially about the tortillas themselves.  I’m definitely glad I decided to give homemade tortillas a shot, and I can say that we are definitely converted.  Next up – corn tortillas!

Flour Tortillas
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Yield: 12 (8 inch) tortillas
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 heaping tsp. salt
5 tbsp. shortening (or unsalted butter, softened)
¾-1 cup water

Directions:
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade.

Pulse the mixture until the mixture is crumbly, about 5 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  (If you don’t have a food processor, this same effect can be achieved with a pastry cutter or two forks.)

With the food processor running, add the water in a slow steady stream until the dough just forms a cohesive ball.

Knead for 30 seconds more, until the dough is tacky.  If the bowl is too sticky, add a bit more flour.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces (a kitchen scale helps ensure equal sized pieces).  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Working with one dough ball at a time and keeping the others covered, pat the ball into a disc.

Dust lightly with flour and roll the dough into a very thin circle, 8 inches in diameter.

Carefully transfer the shaped tortilla to the heated skillet and cook each side for 10-20 seconds, just until bubbles form and are lightly browned.  (Do not overcook or the tortillas will be too stiff.)  Repeat this process with the remaining dough balls, lowering the heat as needing to prevent burning.  Store in an airtight bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze.

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride via Pennies on a Platter