So I now know what it's like to cook for 25 people. For Thanksgiving, Catie and I thought it would be incredibly fun to invite over our friends from all over the world so that they could share in this most wonderful of American traditions. I took responsibility for making the stuffing and cranberry sauce that we eat every year at my house, as well as roasting brussel sprouts and cauliflower as a side. I also made pumpkin and apple pies, which is my annual contribution to my family's Thanksgiving dinner (recipes for all dishes below). I went shopping on Tuesday, and skipped class Wednesday afternoon to begin cooking pies. With only a brief, two hour break to babysit, I baked from 2:30 that afternoon until 3:30 that morning, and then woke up at 10 am to begin again (I didn't finish until everyone began to arrive around 5:30). It turns out that between the incredible amount of food that Catie and I made, and the food contributed by our other two American friends who were co-hosting, we had enough food for about four thanksgiving dinners.
A large loaf of Italian bread
3 tablespoons Bell's Seasoning
2 medium onions
6 stalks celery
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 stick butter
one package craisins
one package pre-cooked chestnuts
Directions:
Cube the bread into squares half and inch or smaller, and lay it out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle it with the Bell's Seasoning, and put it into the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit to dry out. You can also skip this step by purchasing the bread a few days before, cubing it, and leaving it in the air to dry out.
Dice the onion and celery. Melt the stick of butter, and saute the onion and celery in the melted butter. When the onion and celery are both soft, pour in three cups of the stock, stirring until it is warm. Pour this mixture over the bread, and stir. Add the craisins and chestnuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the stuffing seems dry, simply add more stalk until it reaches the right consistency (moist but not too mushy).
Cranberry Sauce:
Ingredients:
12 oz cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a large pot on the stove, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. The cranberries will begin to pop, and once most of them have done so you can turn off the heat on the stove. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
The Best Roasted Vegetables:
This is a very simple recipe for roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts, however I personally think it is one of the best. I have converted many prior brussel sprout haters into lovers by making these.
Ingredients:
1 cauliflower
1-2 packages brussel sprouts
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the brussel sprouts in very cold water for 10-15 minutes to make them more tender for roasting
While the brussel sprouts are soaking, chop the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces, and slice the onion into quarters. Peel and halve each clove of garlic. Cut off the bottom of the brussel sprouts, and peel back the leaves until it is green and fresh. Slice each brussel sprout in half, and add it to the vegetable mixture. Put all the vegetables in a pyrex, and coat with enough olive oil that they are slick to the touch. Add salt and pepper, and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every ten to twenty minutes. Add olive oil when they seem dry, and add salt and pepper to bring out the flavor if they seem bland. They are done when both the cauliflower pieces and the brussel sprouts are tender all the way through, but still have some structure to them (do not let the brussel sprouts get mushy). The cauliflower will most likely be finished first, but they can remain in the pan until the brussel sprouts are done as well.
The final spread:
We somehow fit all of our guests into my room, although not having enough chairs, we all had to sit cozily on the floor. Our guests came from the U.S., England, Ireland, Poland, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, Taiwan, Spain, and Slovakia, and included my Dad and his girlfriend, who were just beginning their visit to Europe. In this visit we we will be exploring Christmas Markets in Germany, followed by a trip to France, Luxembourg, and Belgium, so I'm very excited! It was wonderful to have so many members of our Erasmus family there to celebrate with us, and I hope we can do something like this again!
Cozy on my floor:
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| Yummm |
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| Feeling happy and satisfied after our feast |
The next few posts will come from the trip described above, but for now here are some delicious Thanksgiving Recipes!
Pumpkin and Apple Pies:
Crust
I use the same crust recipe for all of my pies. The recipe makes four crusts, so you can halve or quarter it as necessary.
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups shortening (can substitute butter)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup of cold water
extra flour (for rolling)
Directions:
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt, and cut in the shortening until the mixture is crumbly. Stir together the apple cider vinegar and the egg, and add to the flour mixture, stirring with a fork until it holds together. Add water as necessary if the dough remains too crumbly. Shape into 1/4 inch discs, wrap in foil, and refrigerate for one hour.
Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
16 oz can of pumpkin
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out one disc of pie dough, and line the bottom of a pie tin. Mix together the ingredients, and pour into the crust. Bake for 15 minutes, and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for another 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the pie comes out clean. Let cool before eating.
Apple Pie
Ingredients:
6 cups of apples, peeled and sliced*
2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
*For the apples I prefer to use tart apples, such as macoun, cortland, and macintosh.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees Fahrenheit
Combine the above ingredients (minus the butter) in a large mixing bowl, and let it sit for 15 minutes. While it sits, roll out two discs of dough, and use one to line the bottom of a pie tin. Fill the crust with the apple mixture, and slice the butter into small slices. Dot the pie with the butter slices, and then add the second crust. Crimp the edges, and make slits in the top to allow for ventilation (this is a good opportunity to make a pretty design if you wish). Bake 45-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden-brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a knife.
Stuffing:
Ingredients:A large loaf of Italian bread
3 tablespoons Bell's Seasoning
2 medium onions
6 stalks celery
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 stick butter
one package craisins
one package pre-cooked chestnuts
Directions:
Cube the bread into squares half and inch or smaller, and lay it out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle it with the Bell's Seasoning, and put it into the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit to dry out. You can also skip this step by purchasing the bread a few days before, cubing it, and leaving it in the air to dry out.
Dice the onion and celery. Melt the stick of butter, and saute the onion and celery in the melted butter. When the onion and celery are both soft, pour in three cups of the stock, stirring until it is warm. Pour this mixture over the bread, and stir. Add the craisins and chestnuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the stuffing seems dry, simply add more stalk until it reaches the right consistency (moist but not too mushy).
Ingredients:
12 oz cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a large pot on the stove, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. The cranberries will begin to pop, and once most of them have done so you can turn off the heat on the stove. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
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| Making enough cranberry sauce for 25 people |
This is a very simple recipe for roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts, however I personally think it is one of the best. I have converted many prior brussel sprout haters into lovers by making these.
Ingredients:
1 cauliflower
1-2 packages brussel sprouts
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the brussel sprouts in very cold water for 10-15 minutes to make them more tender for roasting
While the brussel sprouts are soaking, chop the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces, and slice the onion into quarters. Peel and halve each clove of garlic. Cut off the bottom of the brussel sprouts, and peel back the leaves until it is green and fresh. Slice each brussel sprout in half, and add it to the vegetable mixture. Put all the vegetables in a pyrex, and coat with enough olive oil that they are slick to the touch. Add salt and pepper, and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every ten to twenty minutes. Add olive oil when they seem dry, and add salt and pepper to bring out the flavor if they seem bland. They are done when both the cauliflower pieces and the brussel sprouts are tender all the way through, but still have some structure to them (do not let the brussel sprouts get mushy). The cauliflower will most likely be finished first, but they can remain in the pan until the brussel sprouts are done as well.
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