My original plan for this year was to get a small turkey (10 pounds) and to spatchcock it. I was planning to lay the turkey over the dressing so that the turkey juices would drip onto the stuffing. However, for the second year in a row, Whole Foods got my Kosher turkey order wrong. I still got a turkey, but it was 16 pounds—way too big to lay over the pan if I opened it up. I would have to go with a more traditional approach.
Karl’s Thanksgiving Orange and Sage Roast Turkey
Filed under Holidays, Main Dishes, Poultry, Turkey
My Thanksgiving stuffing is based on my mother’ s dressing. I may play around with the other sides and how I cook the turkey, but this is something that I always make very close to the same way each year. I have made many improvements on my mother’s recipe over the years, but this—more than the turkey—says, “Thanksgiving” to me.
Karl’s Thanksgiving Stuffing II
Filed under bread, California Fusion, Side Dishes
When I left home I copied out my favorite recipes from my mother’s card file. These recipes were limited to what she could fit onto a 3×5 card. They were meant more to remind her how to make a dish, rather than to instruct someone else on how to make them. They were sometimes quite cryptic to the uninitiated. The Thanksgiving stuffing I make today is a direct descendant of Claudia’s dressing. Continue reading
Filed under Side Dishes, Starches, Vegetarian
Our Sunday paper has a supplement, the USA Weekend, which usually includes one of those recipes for people who do not really cook—you know the add “can A” to “can B” kind. This week they actually had a recipe for Thanksgiving that Jan thought looked pretty good. Not being one to follow any recipe, I had to make some changes.
Karl’s Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole
Filed under Potatoes, Side Dishes, Starches, Vegan, Vegetarian
Jan usually makes a cranberry Cumberland sauce for Thanksgiving. This year she thought she would mix it up. She had bought some frozen tart cherry juice for smoothies and she thought it would go well with the tart cranberries.
Jan’s Cherry Cranberry Sauce
Filed under California Fusion, Sauces and Spices, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian
It is crab season here in California and Jan really likes crab. Many seafood soups include potatoes and—with my diabetes—Jan is encouraging me to use starchy foods that are lower on the Glycemic index. Barley is only 25 on the GI—Russet potatoes are 111.
Karl’s Crab and Barley Bisque
Filed under Main Dishes, Seafood, Soups
Eilene requested carrot salad and some kind of green thing as the vegetable to go with the chili dogs for her birthday meal. I had bought a bottle of Champaign vinegar for another meal a few weeks ago and that seemed like a likely place to start. Thinking about what herbs and spices would compliment this rather expensive ingredient, I started grabbing bottles out of my spice rack. This is what I came up with. Giving the carrots a bit of time to pickle a bit also seemed like an obvious idea.
Karl’s Lightly Pickled Carrots and Spinach Salad
Filed under California Fusion, Salads, Sauces and Spices, Side Dishes, Vegetables
Jan and I were reminiscing about chili dogs the other day. Jan used to live only a mile away from Angelo’s in Fresno—a victim of eminent domain for the high speed rail—and in her mind the home of the ultimate chili dog. Eilene decided that she wanted chili dogs for her birthday meal—19 as of yesterday.
Karl’s Chili Dogs
Filed under Beef, Broiling, California Fusion, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices
The kids are not coming over this week end, so Jan requested baked beans and hot dogs. Most Americans would grab a can of Van Camps or Bush’s (Heintz, if you’re British) and be good to go. I decided that I wanted to make my own.
Karl’s Boston Baked Beans
Filed under Beans, California Fusion, Main Dishes, Pork
Jan and I were discussing what to have with the challah I was making. Jan wanted me to make super-mini challah in the mini-muffin pan. Jan piped up with you could put jalapeños in it and they would be challahpeños! How far will this family go for a good pun? Apparently quite far.
Jan’s Challahpeños
Filed under bread, California Fusion, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
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Miriam
Jabberwocky Stew 