Cranberry Orange Muffins

As I mentioned here, Thanksgiving this year was a bit different than in years past. The biggest difference for me is that we didn’t spend it in Winston-Salem. Instead, we spent the weekend at the beach. Because we celebrate the holidays with so few family members - the result of my parents’ siblings and their families living in Australia and Kansas - it was logistically easy to move our five-person gathering to the beach. Jason and I drove down after eating Thanksgiving brunch with his family, making it there just in time to eat, but not prepare, any of Thanksgiving dinner.

We spent the weekend doing a whole lot of nothing. I wrote several blog posts, baked tasty muffins, finished reading Hotel at the Corner of Bitter + Sweet, ate shameful amounts of food (though in small but frequent meals, as my stomach seems to be getting smaller as quickly as my belly is getting larger), watched two terrible movies, all while continuing to marvel at every kick, and punch, and hiccup that little snow pea delivers.

Several friends and acquaintances, especially of the male variety, have asked me if it is weird or strange to feel the baby moving around. Pre-pregnancy, I would have asked the very same questions but now that I am experiencing it, I have to say that it neither weird nor strange.

Instead, it is a little frightening, as every single movement is a reminder that this is real. And each shift in position leads to another question: Will she inherit my impatience? What about my haphazardly wavy hair? What kind of baby, toddler, adolescent, and adult will she be? Will we have a strong relationship?

It is also awe-inspiring. There is child - a daughter - that has grown from a tiny single-digit mass of cells into a human being that has bones and muscles and is able to kick me square in the ribs on a daily basis. Someone that we will finally get to meet in less than six weeks (if she is on schedule).

But mostly these bumps and turns and pushes are comforting. If she is kicking and rolling around in there, she must be thriving, right? And the physical discomfort I experience must be indicative that she is growing into a healthy, ready-to-be delivered baby.

In the last week or so, these movements have grown a little more predictable, a little more persistent. If I’m stressed, she moves less. When I am ready to go to bed, she moves more. And about five minutes after I’ve eaten, she moves most! Given the holiday that celebrates thankfulness through the abundance of food, it should come as no surprise that I experienced quite a bit of movement this weekend. These muffins specifically got her tossing and turning!

Cranberry Orange Muffins
adapted from Obsessed with Baking

Makes 14 muffins

Preheat oven 400º

In an electric mixing bowl, combine:
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
Beat for 1-2 minutes.

Mix in:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon orange juice
zest of one orange

Mix in until just incorporated:
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Add:
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

Line muffin pan with liners.

Fill each halfway with batter. Add 1 teaspoon leftover cooked Thanksgiving cranberries.* Use a skewer to swirl in the cooked cranberries. Fill to liner’s rim with the remaining batter.

Bake 17 minutes. Once toothpick comes out clean and tops of muffins are golden brown, remove from oven. Remove muffins from pan and place on cooling rack.

Prepare orange glaze and orange-zest sugar.

*If you don't have leftover cranberries, add 1/2 cup raw cranberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup orange juice to a small saucepan and let simmer covered 10-15 minutes over medium heat.

Orange Glaze
In a small cereal bowl, combine:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
Microwave 90 seconds.

Orange Zest Sugar
In a medium cereal bowl, combine:
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon minced orange zest

Hold muffin upside-down and dip the top of the muffin in the orange glaze. Let excess glaze drip off and then dip the top of the muffin in the orange zest sugar. Repeat. Serve warm with a dollop of butter.

Eat up!

Pecan Pie with Orange Zest

One of the dishes I most enjoy during the holidays is Pecan Pie. Unfortunately, it often just isn’t that good! Thankfully, for our Fakesgiving meal, Evan made a stellar pecan pie (with a gluten-free crust, no less!). Shelley commented on how much she liked it and pointed out that one of the worst things about many pecan pies is that the filling is often gritty.

When I was trying to decide on what dessert to make for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner, I got to thinking about Shelley’s comment. I’d made a pecan pie before and thought it turned out pretty well, so I decided to make one again this year and see if I could figure out how a pecan pie went wrong.

As far as I can tell, there are two things pecan pie-makers can do to avoid the pitfalls I associate with pecan pies. The first problem is the one Shelley pointed out: gritty filling. Fixing this problem is all about technique. Instead of just combining the sugars and syrups in a bowl with all the other ingredients, you’ll first want to cook them in a skillet at a low temperature. This allows the brown sugar to dissolve into the liquids. The trick is not to allow the syrups to get to hot, as this can cause them to begin to caramelize and then crystalize.

The second problem is that because pecan pie has two fairly expensive ingredients, it is an expensive pie to make. Too often, the filling is heavy on the cheaper ingredients (corn syrup + brown sugar) and light on the more expensive ingredients, like pecans and maple syrup. This results in a pie that is heavy on sugary, somewhat tasteless filling and light on nuts. Fixing this problem is easy, if not kind to the wallet. Buying in bulk at stores such as Sam’s and Costco and/or keeping an eye out for sales in your local grocery store can help eliminate this problem.

Pecan Pie with Orange Zest

Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 375º

Prepare 1 baked pie crust.

In a small skillet, melt over medium heat:
1/2 cup unsalted butter

Whisk in:
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to whisk until the brown sugar dissolves, about 7 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to boil (a slight simmer around the edges is okay). Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine:
3 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whisk in 1/4 cup of the syrup into the bowl. Repeat with an additional 1/4 cup before adding in the remaining syrup. [Slowly adding the syrup instead of all-at-once prevents the eggs from cooking.]

Add:
2 cups toasted pecan halves

Pour into the baked pie crust. Bake 50 minutes or until the center of the pie is set.

Cool at least an hour before serving.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream.

Eat up!

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Country Ham

Thanksgiving 2012 was a different affair than in years past. Instead of eating Thanksgiving lunch AND Thanksgiving dinner - both with turkey and all the fixings, we debuted Thanksgiving brunch with Jason’s family. I wasn’t exactly sure what dishesThanksgiving brunch would yield but it ended up working out wonderfully. I was a bit afraid that folks would try to make turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, etc. into a brunch meal but thankfully, we ended up with some brunch favorites like Eggs Benedict, pancakes, and fruit with yogurt and granola, along with autumnal Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, and Sweet Potato Biscuits.

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Country Ham

adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Makes 16 biscuits

Preheat oven 425º

Prick all over with a fork and then place on a microwave safe plate:
~2 pounds sweet potatoes
Microwave potatoes for a total of 15 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes. Remove from the microwave and cut each potato in half. Let cool for about 15 minutes before scooping out the flesh.

Measure out 2 cups of cooked sweet potatoes and place in a large bowl. Reserve any leftovers for another use (like adding to traditional mashed potatoes).

Mix into the potatoes:
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to allow the potatoes to continue to cool.

In a food processor, combine:
3 1/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Pulse together until the ingredients form a coarse meal.

Remove the sweet potatoes from the refrigerator and add the meal to the bowl. Use a spatula to fold the potatoes into the flour to form a moist dough. Invert the bowl onto a clean, lightly floured counter. Use hands to create one cohesive ball of dough. Knead dough until smooth, about 10 turns.

Lightly flour the top of the dough. Place a piece of waxed paper over the top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll out dough so that it is about 1” thick. Use a biscuit cutter or the top of a round water glass (2 1/4” in diameter) to cut out biscuits. Repeat until all the dough is used, making 16 biscuits.

Place biscuits on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, melt:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Brush butter over tops of precooked biscuits.

Bake for 18-22 minutes so that the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.

Cool 15 minutes.

While the biscuits are cooling, prepare 1/2-3/4 pound country ham.

Cut ham into biscuit-sized pieces.

Place in a skillet over medium heat, 60 seconds on each side.

Remove excess fat.

Cut biscuits in half and place 1-2 pieces of country ham on each biscuit.

Eat up!

Gingerbread Cheesecake

This evening, our friends gathered for our second annual Fakesgiving. That's right - Fakesgiving. So named and organized by our friend, Chris, Fakesgiving is a Thanksgiving meal held the Sunday before the real deal holiday. This year we had a smaller crowd than last year, but to be honest, I enjoyed it more than last year. I think it is because smaller meant more manageable, so 1) everyone at the table could participate in the conversation; and 2) everyone could fit around one dinner table (as opposed to last year where some folks were relegated to the "kids" table).

I also really enjoyed that the whole thing felt less rushed. I remember last year's gathering to being a much more efficient affair. Friends arrived, friends ate, friend left. This year, however, while our start time was four o'clock, we didn't have our first course until around 5:30. Plus, we ate in courses, helping to slow things down and let our food settle.

Jessa had the great idea of plating the salad she made (meaning I actually ate the salad!), which we paired with Shelley's Curried Carrot Soup. The main meal had all of the traditional favorites, including a fourteen pound turkey, green bean casserole, corn casserole, sweet potatoes, and cranberries. We also had several non-traditional spins on traditional dishes, like gluten-free dressing, gluten-free macaroni and cheese, and stuffed pumpkin. And dessert included apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies, as well as gingerbread cheesecake. Needless to say, everyone left full and satisfied.

Towards the end of the evening, when only a handful of us were left watching football, I found it completely appropriate when Auld Lang Syn came on Pandora radio. New, newish, or old, good friends are priceless.

Gingerbread Cheesecake
Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 350º

Crust
Combine in a medium bowl:
1 1/2 cups gluten-free ginger snap crumbs
4 tablespoons melted butter*
1/4 cup brown sugar
Thoroughly mix so that all ingredients are well incorporated. Pour mixture into a greased springform pan. Spread crumbs evenly across the bottom, using your fingers to firmly pack. Place in refrigerator.

*If using regular, full-of-gluten ginger snaps, increase butter to 6 tablespoons

Custard
In an electric mixing bowl, add:
2 eight ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2 eight ounce packages reduced fat cream cheese, softened
Using the paddle attachment, mix at moderate speed for thirty seconds.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly add:
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix 1 1/2 minutes so that the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Half way through, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Over beating the batter will result in it rising too much and then falling when it cools, so set a timer if necessary.

One at a time add:
4 large egg yolks
Beat until yolk is just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat.

Pour batter into the spring-form pan over top of the ginger snap crumb crust. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325º and bake an additional 10 minutes. While the cheesecake is baking, prepare sour cream topping.

Sour Cream Topping
In a small bowl, combine:
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Spread over top of the cheesecake after it has baked at 325º for 10 minutes. Place back in oven and bake 7 additional minutes.

Turn off the oven and use a wooden spoon to hold the oven door ajar. Let the cheesecake sit for an hour.

Remove cheesecake from oven and let cool completely before refrigerating. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.

Decorate as desired. [I sprinkled the top of each slice with a bit of turbinado sugar and made little baby ginger snaps, which I placed on a pillow of whipped cream.]

Eat up!

Shelley's Curried Carrot Soup

Shelley's Curried Carrot Soup
Shelley Sizemore

Serves 10 [as an appetizer]

In a large saucepan, heat:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

After oil is hot, add:
1 1/2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
Let cook for about 5 minutes.

Add:
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like the heat!)
Cook until carrots and onions are tender. Remove from heat.

Working in batches, puree in blender. Add up to 2 cups chicken broth until desired consistency is reached.

Garnish with goat cheese and crumbled bacon.

Eat up!