This post is mostly a repeat from last year. I’ve updated it with some new additions (from a year of posts). But just in case you need some ideas for planning Thanksgiving, here are my suggestions.

If you want to see all the recipes on my website, check out the Recipe Index page. It’s huge – maybe too huge. But if you’d like ideas that I think make for a delicious but traditional Thanksgiving dinner, then look no further. Certainly, I return year after year to some favorite recipes, but most likely I introduce something new to the menu equation each year. As I write this I haven’t decided on my menu for Thanksgiving 2009 – yet. We’ll have 6 adults and 3 grandchildren for Thanksgiving dinner itself.

So here’s my roundup of recipes that are sure to please, have been taste-tested and some can even be made ahead:

Appetizers: It’s my opinion that too many appetizers will spoil your appetite for this feast-of-a-meal. Generally I’ll put out some raw vegetables and a dip, or nothing at all. Maybe some nuts. But that’s IT. Besides, if you’re anything like me, I’m buzzing around the kitchen with way too many things to do to take time for appetizers (either preparing, serving or eating). We definitely don’t serve a fancy drink, either. Wine or champagne and soft drinks will be around for anyone who wants them, but that’s it. Maybe some sparkling apple juice for the kids and non-drinkers. But, if you insist on something to serve ahead, here are recipes that would work. The first crostini happen to be a real favorite but they take a bit of fussy work to make them at the last minute – assign the job to one of your guests if possible. And the herb dip (which you’d never know is made with tofu) is relatively light, so serve with fresh veggies to dip or crackers. The onion brushetta – oh my, delish and not all that heavy. And the last crostini is very different, but not particularly light.
Crostini with Apples & Blue Cheese & Honey
Hot & Spicy Tofu Herb Dip – because it’s not heavy or filling
Mahogany Sweet Onion Bruschetta
Gorgonzola, Grape & Pine Nut Crostini

The Turkey, the Main Event: Having tried every single solitary type and brand of turkey out there over the years, I’m now totally devoted to Kosher turkeys. They’re brined, you know, already. So you don’t have to do it. Kosher brining is just a salt and water brine, no added herbs or anything, but it’s fine for me. It’s not too salty, either. Sometimes Kosher turkeys are hard to find, but they ARE carried at Trader Joe’s (the turkeys arrived last week here in So. California, and trust me, they’ll be gone fast if you don’t get one soon – they have a long shelf life) and at Whole Foods. I missed out at Trader Joe’s one year, so ended up buying two Kosher birds at Whole Foods. They were outrageously expensive (certainly more than at Trader Joe’s) but they were off-the-charts delicious. Even my husband, who isn’t crazy about turkey but eats it, said it was very, very good. So, get thy self to a market where you can get one of these birds. Know, however, that you may not be able to make the gravy from the drippings – generally the broth is too salty. You can try, though. You also don’t want to stuff a brined bird – too much of the salty brine leaches into the dressing.

The Gravy: Because I use a Kosher bird that is heavily salted, usually I have to make the gravy separately. My friend Stacey sent me a recipe last year for a Turkey Gravy Without the Turkey. It was a great find, as you can make the gravy the day before! How about them apples! Everything I can do ahead is a good thing in my book.
Turkey Gravy without the Turkey

The Stuffing (Dressing): Over the years I must have made dozens of different dressings. I’m not overly committed to any one flavor (like cornbread, or oyster, etc.) but prefer a very moist, flavorful dressing. That’s all I ask. Last year I made an Italian sausage dressing that was one of the best I’ve ever done, so will likely make that one again. I’ve also made a Rachel Ray recipe called Stuffin’ Muffins one year – and they were also very good.
Italian Sausage Dressing
Rachel Ray’s Stuffin’ Muffins (pdf)

The Potatoes: Well, mashed potatoes are a necessity for me. And I was thrilled one year to read a recipe for making them several hours ahead, piling them into my big crockpot where they held very well for the ensuing hours. You do have to doctor-up the recipe a little to make them particularly moist, but otherwise they’re so simple and I like the fact that all the work can be done ahead. If you don’t want mashed, but prefer another type, there are a couple of other scalloped-type suggestions listed below the mashed.
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Goat Cheese Potato Gratin
Monterey Scalloped Potatoes with Jack Cheese
Mashed Potatoes with Bacon, Cheddar & Chives

The Sweet Potatoes: You won’t find a single one of those icky sweet potato casseroles here. I can’t stand them. They’re simply too darned sweet. But I do have a couple of sweet potato dishes that would be quite nice. Generally I fix either mashed potatoes OR sweet potatoes, not both.
Sweet Potato Bake
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Yam Slices with Garlic & Rosemary
Yams, Carrots & Ginger

The Vegetables: Over the years I’ve served just about every kind of vegetable. Some to acclaim, and some not. I happen to love Brussels sprouts (steamed, halved and tossed with salt, pepper and butter), but since Thanksgiving is often a family and multi-generational affair, my DH and I have learned to eat our Brussels at another meal. I like peas, but they’re not very exciting, and besides since this is an overly-rich carbohydrate meal, I don’t serve them anymore. Same goes for corn. I used to serve a baked corn casserole nearly every year, but no longer. So what do I serve? The garlic green beans fit well, although some might not like the garlic with this meal. It’s fine with me. Here are some suggestions:
Broccoli Casserole
Garlic Green Beans – may be too garlicky for the subtle turkey
Baked Fennel
Green Beans, Shallots, Balsamic
Ina Garten’s Zucchini Gratin
Baked Onions
Cauliflower, Bacon & Mushrooms
Brussels Sprouts with Cream
Green Beans & Hazelnut Butter
French Green Beans with Pears & Parmesan

Bread: I don’t serve bread at Thanksgiving any longer. I mean, really, with dressing, potatoes and pumpkin pie, you hardly need any more carbs. But if you insist, here are a few recipes that will work:
Herbed Biscuit Ring – made with the canned biscuits – very easy
Drop Biscuits
Goat Cheese Chive Biscuits

The Salads: Since I grew up with Jell-o salads as a staple at the holiday table, I actually like them, as long as they’re not too sweet. Also, I like them because they’re easy and can be made ahead. You can also make them not-so-sweet if you add vegetables instead of fruit and/or whipped cream. I’ve never blogged about them because you, my loyal readers, might cancel your subscription! One of my favorites is a peach flavored gelatin with a waldorf set of ingredients (diced apples, celery and walnuts). Or, in recent years we also make a green salad. We have family members who still love a green salad anytime, anywhere. They’d almost rather eat green salad than the rest of the meal. So, with that one I would add some of my peppered pecans, or walnuts, pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries. Those additions make it more festive and holiday-ish.
Green Salad with Peppered Pecans and add some dried cranberries too
Cranberry (Jell-o) Waldorf Salad – I’ve never blogged about this one, but you can get the PDF recipe by clicking the recipe title
Apple, Cherry & Walnut Green Salad – very rich, but would be perfect for a holiday dinner
Celery, Date, Walnut & Pecorino Salad – green type, but perfect for this meal

The Cranberry Thing: Some of our family members still like the canned stuff. (They have to bring it if they want it at my table.) No canned stuff for me. So I always, I mean always, make my favorite cranberry relish that has ginger, apples and oranges ground up in it. Make it a week or so in advance then you don’t have to worry about it except to put it out in a serving bowl.
Cranberry Relish – made in the food processor and oh-so easy

Dessert: Well, what can I tell you but we always have traditional pumpkin pie. As far as I’m concerned that’s all that’s needed, but generally somebody else brings the pies at our family get-togethers, and they bring both pumpkin and apple. With real whipped cream, thank you. And the pumpkin usually is Libby’s recipe, Libby’s pumpkin. That’s it. End of story. But, if you don’t really want pumpkin, here’s a really special dessert that will put your carb count into overdrive.
Cinnamon Raisin Apple Bread Pudding

Leftovers: Well, other than reheating the different components of Thanksgiving dinner, I generally make soup.

THE STOCK: I remove most of the turkey meat from the carcass after the big feast. The bones go into a large, deep soup pot (you may have to break them up some), cover with water and add an onion, some celery, a bay leaf, maybe a garlic clove or two (no salt), put a lid on it and put it in the oven overnight at about 225F. In the morning you’ll have a wonderful turkey stock from which to make soups. Strain everything through a colander and cool and chill. The only down side for me is that on Friday morning the whole house smells like turkey, and sometimes that’s not so appealing at 7:00 in the morning. But, that doesn’t ever keep me from doing it because making that stock is just so easy.

Go from there . . . Here are my leftover favorites:
White Chicken Turkey Chili
Chicken Turkey Posole
Turkey (free form) Tortilla Soup
(Another) Chicken Turkey Chili
Southwestern Turkey Chili
White Turkey Chili (what I did with the leftovers last year – maybe my best turkey chili)
Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Salad (if you have plain sweet potatoes left over)

SANDWICH BREAD: And then, last but not least, I’m telling you about a bread – a bread that you should use for turkey sandwiches. I’ve been making this bread for years and years and years. It’s not difficult (easier if you have a stand mixer), although it IS a yeast bread, not a tea bread. It’s a pumpkin flavored bread, with some raisins and chopped walnuts in it, but it’s more a savory bread and goes just great with leftover turkey sandwiches, especially spread with just a little bit of cranberry relish, crisp lettuce and nice slices of turkey.
Pumpkin Raisin Yeast Bread for Sandwiches

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All the information below comes from Russ Parsons’ book, How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table. It’s a book I refer to over and over. It’s such a treasure-trove of veggie and fruit information I can’t begin to remember it all. Like whether a fruit should be allowed to sit at room temp, or refrigerated, or whether to choose a firm unripe fruit, or a perfectly ripe one, how many days pears need to ripen, or which fig varieties are the best. And in this case, whether kabocha squash requires a different kind of cooking method than, say, a butternut.

It was news to me that winter squashes are grown around the world, but there are over 350 varieties of North American squash. Seems like I know – maybe – about 10. Or 12. But no more than that! When you see a display of winter squashes at a farm stand or farmer’s market, you’ll likely see about 4 or 5. But actually, there are three different types: Cucurbita pepo (stems are angular and flared where they attach to the squash); Cucurbita maxima (stems are round); and Cucurbita moschata (stems are smooth and grooved). Each of those is like a family. Within each there are lots of varieties.

Actually, winter squash is a vining fruit (have seeds? it’s fruit). Meaning that the Cucurbit family also contains cucumbers, melons and all types of squash, winter and summer. Winter squashes are allowed to mature on the vine, which gives them time to develop a hard shell. That’s one of the differences from summer squash. The hard shell allows it to keep in cold storage. Think Grandmother’s root cellar . . . she harvested the squashes and stored them in the cold cellar where they’d be quite content for months and months, clear into mid-winter.

Parsons talks specifically about pumpkin. Since I’m a real fan of pumpkin anything, I found this interesting. Most of the pumpkin used for canned pumpkin (think Libby’s) comes from a different variety altogether – something more similar to butternut squash. You may know already that the only variety, just about, that can be used for baking and desserts is a “sugar pumpkin.” The pumpkins we know so well that sit in mounds in our grocery stores is not an eating pumpkin. It’s grown just for decoration and carving.  Definitely not for eating.

The book recommends that, for all intents and purposes, there are really only four major types of winter squash that we eat – at least here in North America:

ACORN: Likely the most familiar type (after pumpkin). Parsons calls it a middle-of-the-road squash. Skin is dark green with blushes of orange; flesh is pale to medium orange, texture semi smooth and rich, moderately sweet. Table Queen is a good variety.

BUTTERNUT: Choose ones that have a FAT neck and smallest bulb (meaning it will have a smaller seed cavity and the most squash meat). This happens to be Parsons’ favorite squash.

CARNIVAL: Looks like a harlequin acorn squash with a patchwork of dark green and bright orange. Flesh is dark orange, slightly fibrous, complex flavor, rich, sweet, earthy note. [Gee, almost sounds like I’m describing wine . . .]

KABOCHA: Round, flattened, dark green skin with delicate gray-blue tracing, or all-green and all-orange); flesh is pale to medium orange, very dense, smooth, sweet, nice green squashy edge (Parson’ words) backbone.

Choosing Squash: Here’s news to me . . . examine the STEM . . . it should always be present on the squash AND it should be dry and corky, which tells you it stayed on the vine until it was almost ready to fall off. Color deep and vibrant. Matte, not shiny skin. Cure it for up to two weeks – out on your kitchen counter. Acorn, carnival types should be refrigerated. Once squash is “cured,” it should be stored at about 50 degrees. Refrigerating will deaden the flavor.

Cooking Squash: Cooked with moisture (some moisture, not covered) the flavor is subtle with a delicate texture. Baking will bring out the caramelization, the natural sugars. Pan sautéing winter squash may be the best option – it caramelizes on the outside and stays sweet and subtle on the inside. You get the best of both cooking methods.

Recipes: Parsons includes three variations with winter squash – Winter Squash Risotto with Walnuts and Fried Sage Leaves; Mushroom & Spaghetti Squash Gratin and Parmesan Bread Crumbs; and Caramelized Winter Squash with Rosemary Gremolata.

Here on my blog you’ll find the following recipes utilizing some kind of winter squash: Butternut Squash Risotto with Pancetta (oh yea, fabulous), Thai Pumpkin Curry Soup, Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger & Jalapeno,  Yams, Carrots & Ginger,  Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Pancetta, Garlic & Sage , Butternut Cube Fries, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup,  Butternut Squash Soup with Zippy Jalapeno & Ginger (a favorite).

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According to the post I read about this, from David Lebovitz’ blog, his recipe for a creamy Feta salad dressing originally – in some form – came from the Joy of Cooking. I turned to my battered copy, but couldn’t find any salad dressing recipe there containing Feta cheese. I don’t think that Feta cheese as a salad ingredient came above my food radar until the 1980’s. Perhaps it was used in some ethnic parts of our country, but as a more Americanized salad component, no. So perhaps this recipe is actually more of David Liebovitz’ creation. Well, no matter, except that you need to know this dressing is really, really good. And it’s unusual. It may not look so in the picture above, but it is. The first ingredient by volume is Feta cheese. The second ingredient by volume is WATER. I know, odd, huh? Here’s what’s involved:

This happens to be a Trader Joe’s product. But what  you need to know is that it’s Greek, and made with sheep’s milk. This is my favorite Feta – because it’s not as salty. And I like the consistency. Each of these tubs (10.5 ounces of cheese) contains two rectangles of cheese, floating in brine. It keeps for weeks and weeks. Greek Feta generally is less salty than many other kinds, which I’ve learned over the years of buying it. I used to buy grocery-store type Fetas, and although they tasted okay, they were always too salty for my taste. Then when I found this one, I’ve settled on it. So that’s what I started with. Four ounces of cheese went into a bowl:

I used my handy-dandy pastry fork (it’s much larger than regular forks, although you wouldn’t know it from the photo – that bowl is about 6 inches in diameter) and mashed (crumbled) up the Feta, per David’s recipe. I sprinkled in some dried thyme (you can use fresh thyme or oregano, or half as much of the dried types) which you can see from top to bottom in the middle.

Then I added 2 T. of red wine vinegar (a really good cabernet vinegar I bought at Williams-Sonoma, actually) and mixed that in. The all-white Feta turned a light shade of pink. Then the 2 T. of olive oil was drizzled in. That was mixed up.

Water was added at this point – 5 T. worth, with some salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt, though, since Feta is salty enough in my book. Use the fork to stir it up. And you’re done. This dressing took about 5 minutes to make. So, not only is it tasty, but it’s also quick and easy too. And, the dressing is about 90 calories and 9 grams of fat per serving. I’m not sure, but I think the dressing would probably dress a salad for 8 people, so that would make it even healthier. I used about 3 T. for a salad for two of us. According to David, the dressing will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 days. So keep that in mind. But try it, you should.
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A year ago: Unstuffed Sweet & Sour Cabbage (this was a really delish and easy ground beef and cabbage dish, where the cabbage isn’t stuffed, but has all the components of the traditional version – just easier and just as tasty)

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For those of you who live in Trader Joe’s country, the Thanksgiving turkeys have arrived. Including the kosher ones ($2.29 lb) that I prefer. They’re advertised as arriving on Friday, Nov. 13th, but today when we stopped in there, aha, the meat department was overflowing with turkeys. According to the store folks, buying them this early is okay – they’ll still be fresh and good by Turkey Day. Trader Joe’s also carries their own brand of brined turkey, which was under $2.00 per pound. I’m just stuck on the great flavor of the kosher type (which is also brined), so am willing to pay the extra. I found one that was just short of 16 pounds. So I won’t have to buy two. Yippee.

Photo from the Food Network

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Don’t you just want to grab a spoon and scrape up that drip and move it directly into your mouth? Because the soufflé top was tilting the way it did, I couldn’t photograph the top without viewing the drip. So, drip it is. Does it make it more real?

I mentioned last week that I’d been to a Julia Child cooking class. Taught by one of my favorite teachers, Phillis Carey. She was a particular fan of Julia’s, so it was no trouble for her to find recipes for a class. Phillis made coq au vin, chicken fricassee, the Roulade au Fromage, and Beef Bourguignon too. And this chocolate treat. Over the years I have made chocolate soufflé – maybe once. And I’ve made a chilled frothy gelatin kind of soufflé, but unless it’s baked like this one, it’s not a true soufflé. And although the instructions below seem long and tedious, it’s really not that hard. One of the great things about this recipe is that, except for baking them, you can make these ahead – yes, really – you keep them chilled until you’re ready to bake. They will keep overnight, but ideally make them earlier in the day and pop them in the oven about halfway through your dinner. Small ramekins take about 35 minutes. A larger single bowl of soufflé would take longer, probably 55 minutes or so. Whatever you do, once the top is puffed up (do NOT open the oven door to peek – you need to look through the door) don’t overbake it or it will be dry. Phillis told us that in France they generally bake soufflés at a 425 (a higher temp) for a shorter time period, because they prefer the center to still be soft and molten. This may be a change Julia made to this recipe – or Phillis did. Am not sure, but these are baked at 375 for 35 minutes.

What you see in the top-center is a small hole in the soufflé where Phillis piped in some freshly whipped cream, which oozes down into the soufflé. In France they serve a dessert soufflé (making a slot in the middle of the soufflé and spooning in something) with either a chocolate or vanilla sauce. In this one it’s just whipped cream, which I liked very much. Just remember that you must whisk these to your dinner guests immediately – within a minute or two – or the soufflé will begin to deflate, and you definitely don’t want THAT! Serve the ramekins on a plate with a small cocktail napkin underneath, to catch any drips and so the crock won’t slide around on the plate.
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A year ago: Filet Mignon with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese

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It was only after I made this dish that I discovered Butter Chicken, Indian Style, is a very popular Indian dish, and can be as varied as spaghetti sauce. It depends on the cook. It depends on the spices used. It depends on what part of India you’re from. It depends on the technique used. My only Indian cookbook didn’t have a recipe for this dish, so I turned to the internet. Right out of the box I found a video about it, which is very interesting. The origin of the dish, per wickedhowtos.com is historic:

• “Butter chicken (aka “Murgh makhani”) is an extraordinarily popular Indian dish that can be found at the top of menus in restaurants around the world. Butter chicken originated in Delhi, during the reign of the Mughal Empire. According to a documentary by the Discovery Channel, the murgh makhani curry was invented by a person employed amongst the kitchen staff of a famous Indian restaurant called Moti Mahal located in Daryaganj, the central region of Delhi. Even though its general recipe is widely known, the actual flavor can vary from restaurant to restaurant. . .”

You can watch the video of this dish, the full butter type, made by a chef at the Tamarind Restaurant (it’s a lot more complicated).

THIS recipe below came from Christie’s Corner, Charmian Christie’s blog, and I was intrigued because it said NO butter chicken. We like Indian food, and I have my fair share of Indian spices. We have several small markets nearby that carry more, much of it imported and not always translatable (by me, anyway). But this recipe used just turmeric and garam masala, both spices I keep in my spice cupboard. And the garam masala you can make yourself. I’ll include a recipe for that below, although I have a bottle of it from the grocery store.

In the true Butter Chicken method, there are a number of different steps. The sauce is made separately, the chicken marinated, grilled, then chopped. Well, I didn’t have time to do all that (we’d decided to go to a 7:30 movie and I didn’t start dinner until about 6 pm), so this easy recipe was right down my alley. But I’d also decided I was going to use chicken pieces. Certainly not authentic, but again, I didn’t have time to debone the chicken. So I improvised and made it all in one pot, using all the additions. I didn’t add the brown sugar, but the onions add plenty of sweetness in my book. I had Greek yogurt and used more water than Charmian did, to keep the sauce from burning.

This dish was not only easy, but delicious. I served it on millet (most Indians serve this with naan and possibly over rice too). Interestingly, millet is a common Indian staple, so even though it’s not authentic for this dish, it could be. If you happen to use chicken pieces, I recommend you remove the skin, as it isn’t very appetizing to eat once this is cooked. You could also remove the meat from the chicken after the chicken is fully cooked. I just didn’t have time for that, either. Don’t be tempted to use sour cream in this (it separates when simmered). That’s why using yogurt is such a good “cream” for sauced dishes. And if you use the Greek style, it’s already very thick. But, however you make it, you should try this.
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And here’s the recipe for the Garam Masala:

A year ago: Mocha Pecan Roll

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It was at a cooking class that I heard about this dish. Phillis Carey just talked about this, but didn’t make it. Someone in the class asked a question about Brussels Sprouts and Phillis just off-handedly mentioned that her favorite way to cook the baby cabbages was simmering them in cream. She elaborated just slightly to say halve all the sprouts, leaving the stem intact (although trimming the base of any brown edges). They’re piled into a big pot, some cream is added. Once they’re at a simmer, turn down the heat, cover and cook for 9-10 minutes, then remove lid and continue cooking until the sprouts are fully cooked and the cream is hardly visible in the bottom of the pan, or gone. Season with some freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper and you’re done. I scribbled down that recipe in about 10-12 words on the back of one of the class recipes, and pulled it out the other day to try.

Here are the sprouts raw and halved. Making these, though, was easy – well, my DH cleaned and trimmed the Brussels Sprouts for me, so all I had to do was the cooking part. I had smaller sprouts, so cooked them about 7-8 minutes, I think, then removed the lid and continued. They weren’t quite done when all the cream had disappeared, so I just added a smidgen of water to the pot. You don’t want to add milk as it will separate with that kind of cooking. That’s why you use cream because it can be boiled and not separate. These are scrumptious. I couldn’t get enough of them, and even reached in the refrigerator the next day and had them as a snack. I didn’t use much cream (about 1/3 cup for 2 pounds of sprouts), but the nutmeg is a real capper. And don’t skimp on the salt, either. Taste to make sure. Mine needed more than I thought.
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Files: MasterCook 5+ and MasterCook 14 (click link to open in MC – 14 contains photo)

A year ago: Cardoons (uh, my one and only venture with this veggie, and I didn’t like it at all)

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My friend Debbie used to work for me. She was a whiz at typesetting on one of the very early computerized typesetters, and she also did some early programming of WordPerfect forms. This was in the 1980’s. But during that time we became friends, even though I was her boss. We have stayed in touch over the years, and I’ve never forgotten the wonderful apple pie she used to bring to our office potlucks. So I asked her recently if she’d come to my house and make the pie and piecrust, I’d document the process with photos, and we’d each make a pie. AND, I’d post the story on my blog. Bless her heart, she said “yes!” Debbie has an interesting background – she was born in Venezuela to American parents. She learned to speak Spanish, obviously, from a very young age. She’s a VERY accomplished artist, a wife, and a mom to 3 grown kids and grandma to several grandchildren too. She cooks some South American specialties (like fried plantains, and smashed fried plantains too). Maybe another day I’ll get her to show me how she does those! So, here’s part of the dialogue we had going on pie-day.

– – – – – – –

Carolyn: So, Debbie, where did this recipe come from, this pie, your famous apple crumb pie?

Debbie: I have no idea where the original came from, but it goes w-a-a-ay back. The only recipe I have is on a piece of paper in my own handwriting. The directions are vague. I must have tried it at someone’s house and asked them what was in it. Since I’ve had the recipe, I’ve done lots of experimentation and received advice from different sources – what kinds of apples to use, how to line them up in the pie shell, etc. – to come up with my current version. The pie crust recipe came from my friend Betsy who I’ve known since the 70’s.

Carolyn: What’s unique about the pie?

Debbie: Hmmm. I suppose part of its secret is the use of two kinds of apples – Granny Smith and another kind of crispy apple. A non-acidic apple. That part was in my notes, actually; the non-acidic part. I still use Red Delicious for the crispy ones, but have been a little unhappy with the texture, so have used Fuji sometimes. You must not use a soft apple, even a Golden Delicious. It must be crispy. I’m still experimenting with apple varieties to find a firmer, crisper apple instead of the Red Delicious.

[Sidenote: it was at this point that I told Debbie the story about Red Delicious and what happened to the breeding of them and why they’re so mealy and un-delicious anymore. If you’re interested, go look at my post about it.]

Carolyn: Well, I remember when you used to bring this apple crumb pie to our office potlucks we had a few times a year, and it was the topping that was special. And the fact there was never a crumb leftover by the time we were all done with it!

Debbie: Yes, the crumb topping isn’t as common in apple pies, although there isn’t anything unusual in it – just flour, sugar and butter, crumbled up and sprinkled on top, with a little bit in the layer below it. I started sprinkling the crumb mixture in the lower layers thinking that the flour would thicken the juice from the apples – nothing worse than a runny pie.

Carolyn: When you slice the apples, do you put them in a bowl of acidulated water to keep them from getting brown, or does it matter?

Debbie: Oh, no, no water. If you soak the apples in acidulated water, the pie will be too watery and soggy. I learned that the hard way! I sprinkle fresh lemon juice over the apples as I slice them, and just toss them around with my free hand to get most of the apple surfaces. Plus, just that little bit of acidity from the lemon juice counters the sweetness of the apples. I think it makes a good combination.

Carolyn: Tell me about your pie crust.

Debbie: Actually, I’ve made different kinds of pie crusts over the years, but have in the last few years settled on this one made with vegetable oil. No shortening. No butter, or egg either. A little healthier, I think. Just flour, oil, water and salt. It’s a very easy dough to work with – the dough is soft and pliable. But once it’s baked, it’s firm enough to hold its shape when you wedge a piece out of the pan.

Carolyn: Is there any special technique you use to layer in the apples. Like any particular pattern?

Debbie: Yes, definitely. I place the apple slices in circles around the outside edge and work in, slightly overlapping the apples with the outside edges, the thicker edge of the apple facing out. Some of the cinnamon sugar mixture is sprinkled on top of each of the 4 layers. I don’t toss the apples with the cinnamon mixture, but sprinkle it on each layer. Maybe it would work to toss it all, but that’s just the way I remember doing it. I think, a long time ago, I tried mixing the cinnamon mixture in the apples before placing them in the shell, but something must have gone amiss causing me to return to the sprinkling method.

[Later . . .]

Debbie: So what do you think of the pie?

Carolyn: Oh my goodness, this pie is SO, SO good, Debbie. It’s been years since I’ve had your apple pie, and it’s every bit as good as I remembered. I love the crumb topping – nice and crispy, crunchy. The pie shell is flaky, but it’s also firm. I noticed how easily the slice came out of the pie plate. Everything held together so I got even the first slice out with no trouble at all. That’s an accomplishment! There’s just the right amount of gooey-ness to the apples. No liquid to leaking out at all and the bottom crust isn’t soggy at all; just perfectly cooked apples inside. The cinnamon adds just the right amount of high note. I love cinnamon. The vanilla ice cream adds a nice foil to the apples. Got to be vanilla, though. Nothing fancy. Do you ever serve this with whipped cream?

Debbie: Nope. Ala mode is the only way! I’m glad you liked it!

Carolyn: Thank you so much, Debbie, for coming over to my house and baking with me.

[The next day Debbie emailed that she’d had fun too, and that instead of lunch, she had a slice of, you guessed it, apple pie!]

Here was our pie-baking process. First we made the pie crust.

It comes to a ball very easily – really easily – you knead it some and then you plop it out on a flat, floured surface.

It looks like it would be dry, but once you begin rolling it out, you’ll see. Very easy to roll, even for me who is moderately pie crust challenged.

Don’t turn over the top edge – it will make it too thick. But, gee, isn’t that a PERFECT lookin’ crust? I thought so, thank you! Okay, teach’, do I get an A so far?

You set aside the pie crust, then start peeling, coring and slicing the apples. In the bowl above you can see the two different kinds of apples, the greener ones are Granny Smith; the yellow ones are Red Delicious. I’d just sprinkled a little bit of lemon juice over them. A half a lemon is enough for one pie. Just toss the apples around a bit so the lemon juice gets on most of the surfaces.

Note how the slices are arranged in concentric circles but the outer edges are lifted up and overlap. Debbie was just sprinkling the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top.

There’s a better shot of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Divide it up between all 4 layers.

The crumb topping was mixed up and about 1/3 was sprinkled on the next to the last layer. Another layer of apples went on top. I got demerits for my apple layering . . . see below on the finished pie.

Here’s the top – we gently poured the crumb mixture in the center and lightly moved the crumbs outward so they almost completely covered the apples.

There. All done and ready for the oven. I got demerits for not-fine-enough crumbs. Should have kept mixing them up (by hand) until they were more like bread crumbs. I left too many bigger chunks.

Talk about golden brown, huh? Salivary glands are working in overdrive! That was my pie, and Debbie told me that I hadn’t quite positioned the apples correctly to the outside edge on the top layer – you want no gaps where topping can sink down through. Right there at the bottom, you can see a hole between the crust and the apples. More demerits. Hmm. Can I re-register for this class – to just audit? I don’t want a letter grade, okay?

Oh, but was this ever tasty! Most folks wouldn’t notice all my mistakes, and they surely didn’t make any difference to the taste. Thank you, Debbie!
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A year ago: Rack of Lamb with Mint Crust

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Rice pudding may not be on everyone’s radar. Maybe too comforty. Too old time. Too yesterday. But even though I don’t make it very often, whenever I do, it’s just so gosh darned GOOD. Hits the spot. And this one may be my forever go-to recipe from now on. My friend Norma thought rice pudding sounded good. She’s still recovering from very major surgery and because of radiation damage to her throat, has a very hard time swallowing. She’s had major skin cancer caused by anti-rejection medication she must take for the rest of her life. Taking the medication allows her to live with her transplanted lung, but she seems to be one of the many who develop skin cancer because of it. She’s getting better, but slowly.

A day or so ago I made another big, huge batch of the Italian Sausage and Tomato Soup that I just posted about 3 weeks ago. It was so good I had to make more of it. Half went to Norma and she says it tastes good. She just can’t swallow very much of it. But puddings she can do. They go down more easily, as long as they’re kind of soupy. There isn’t a pudding I haven’t made. I’ve done butterscotch, chocolate, tapioca, vanilla, milk chocolate and rice. So we’re starting back on ones I’ve made before, this time rice.

I did a search for rice puddings – even though I’d made Dorie Greenspan’s recipe the last time, I wanted to try something different. Norma wanted a thin, not too rich one. I found one at Elise’s blog, Simply Recipes that intrigued me. Basically I used her recipe, but I changed it a bit. I like the proportion of milk to rice (I added a tetch more rice than Elise did). And I used part 2% milk and part half and half. I used converted rice because I’d read a story awhile back about why it provides a better texture in rice pudding. I also used a part of a cinnamon stick to flavor enhance the milk/rice mixture. I also used  half the amount of brown sugar. I tasted it and thought it was just fine. I also added nutmeg. The real freshly grated stuff – both to the pudding and just a whiff of it on top too. This one’s a keeper.
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A year ago: Butternut Squash Soup with Pancetta

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I’m just tickled pink. I won/got an award. No, it’s not an Emmy, or an Oscar, or anything near so glamorous. But it’s meaningful to me. It’s a blogger to blogger award, called an Over the Top Award. From one blogger to another blogger, giving her/him some recognition for good work. In this case, Ninette, over at Big, Bold Beautiful Food, has been interested in my photos, particularly the close-ups. The ones that make you want to reach right into the monitor and grab a bite.

So, what’s the big deal about an Over the Top award? Well, from your end, probably nothing. And maybe from my end nothing I can hold or put on my mantel. I just get to give a big cheesy grin and say thank you. But I’m asked to answer these questions below with one-word answers. That’s a whole lot harder than you might think. Lots of these kinds of blog quizzes are inane; this one among them. But oh well . . . here goes. If you want recipes, skip this and wait until tomorrow. If you’re interested, scroll down to the bottom and see the other bloggers I’m awarding the Over the Top Award.

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your hair? RealBlonde
3. Your mother? Heaven-land
4. Your father? Heaven-land
5. Your favorite food? Everything
6. Your dream last night? Uhm. . .
7. Your favorite drink? Champagne
8. Your dream/goal? Centenarian
9. What room are you in? Kitchen
10. Your hobby? Watercoloring
11. Your fear? Drowning
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Healthy
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren’t? Atheist
15. Muffins? Chocolate
16. Wish list item? Camera lens
17. Where did you grow up? California
18. Last thing you did? ApplePie
19. What are you wearing? Sandals
20. Your TV? HDTV w/Tivo
21. Your pets? None
22. Friends? Dear
23. Your life? Busy
24. Your mood? Calm
25. Missing someone? Hubby
26. Vehicle? BMW
27. Something you’re not wearing? Watch
28. Your favorite store? Trader Joe’s
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Last week
32. Your best friend? Cherrie
33. One place that I go to over and over? Peet’s
34. One person who emails me regularly? Jerry
35. Favorite place to eat? Jalapeno’s

The bloggers I’d like to recognize . . . ARE (cue dramatic music and drumroll):

Cheryl from 5 Second Rule – Cheryl is a professional food writer living in Northern California. Since she IS a pro at this writing game and well-connected in her field, you can guess her blog posts are exceptional. She composes essays and informational posts about a broad range of food-oriented subjects, and shares some very different recipes. She also takes great pains to compose striking photographs.

Marie’s blog, A Year From Oak Cottage – Marie lives in the country in England. She’s a very spiritual person, is madly in love with her husband and is not bashful about broadcasting it. She is also a professional cook who has an unlimited number of recipes she unearths from her old, but precious “blue notebook.” Marie also writes a second food-only blog called The English Kitchen. Even though she’s from Canada, she has embraced English food with a vigor.

Britt-Arnhild at Britt-Arnhild’s House in the Woods (not all blogs I read are about food) – This one comes from Trondheim, Norway. Britt-Arnhild is an avid photographer, travels often all over Europe for her job, loves lattes, her family and Venice, not necessarily in that order! She’s a published author, but you’ll learn a lot about her through her very soul-sharing blog. She writes five blogs (at least one of them written in Norwegian, her native language), one being a photo-blog about her home town of Trondheim.

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