Extra Schmaltz!

Some recipes are so elemental that I do not think of including them on this blog. However, our family keeps growing and we must spread the basic cooking knowledge that we Magidows take for granted to the newer members of our flock. Hence, a step-by-step recipe for fluffy mashed potatoes, which Dan has been called upon to supply for his family's Thanksgiving in my absence. There are many ways to make mashed potatoes, but this is my way. This makes a LOT of mashed potatoes. 1 5-lb. bag of russet potatoes 1 stick of salted butter, cut into 1 Tbsp. pieces ~1/4 to 1/3 c. half & half Lawry's seasoned salt Ground white pepper (note to Dan: in the brass pepper grinder) Ground nutmeg (optional) Peel the potatoes. Keep the peeled potatoes in a bowl of water while you are working so that they don't turn brown. Quarter the potatoes--they should be big chunks that can still fit into the potato ricer.  Place into a large pot and fill with cold water until the potatoes a...

I don't know what people did with pumpkins before they baked them into bars and topped them with delectable frosting, but I'm sure it was a sad era for humankind. Fortunately we have these bars! Super moist, autumnal spices, tangy-sweet, rich frosting. No better way to plump up for winter. Note: these would also be very good (dare I say better? ) with Cooked Flour Frosting , which is not as rich as cream cheese frosting and doesn't require you to remember to buy cream cheese. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease the bottom only of a 10 x 13" pan (allows cake to climb up the sides). 15 oz. pumpkin puree (1 can) 1 c. vegetable oil 1 c. granulated sugar 2/3 c. light brown sugar 4 eggs 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. garam masala 1 tsp. salt 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened 2 c. powdered sugar, sifted 1 tsp. vanilla If you are using whole pumpkin, be sure to p...

Wasn't sure if I should post this since it's so basic, but this is essentially the stuffing we have all known and loved. I made it last night for a crowd and it got great reviews. I put some extra work in to use fresh made turkey broth and meat bits, but if you are making this on Thanksgiving day you will probably have timing problems unless you trim the wings from the bird to make broth instead of roasting them. You can use pre-made broth and omit the meat. This is for making the stuffing from packaged bread cubes--it will need to be altered (less liquid, more spices) if you use fresh bread. I doubled the stuffing to make enough for 8 people + leftovers (the broth is enough for a double recipe). Broth: 2-4 turkey legs or wings 2 Tbsp. oil 8 c. water 2 carrots, in chunks 1 onion, washed, trimmed, and cut into quarters with skin on (skins make the broth golden) 2 ribs celery, in chunks handful of parsley stems 2 bay leaves 4-5 allspice berries 1 tbsp. black peppercorns 2 tsp. th...

This is how I used up some of my thanksgiving leftovers (weeks ago, of course), while simultaneously testing out a new kind of pastry crust I had read about: hot-water pastry. Wikipedia describes this form of pastry. In short, the process of making it is exactly the opposite of proper pie crust: melt fat in hot water and stir in flour vigorously. It's a very basic item, so use whatever recipe you find. The idea is to make a strong, moisture-resistant crust that will hold up to a gravy filling. Here is the crust, pressed into the pan: I baked this until golden brown before filling. The filling was a basic mix of chopped turkey, veggies, and a roux-based gravy. As you can see, the pastry slipped down the sides of the pan a bit. It was a pretty greasy dough, and the pan was steep. This might work best using a regular pie pan, or at least something shallower. The last step is to place the top crust and bake until golden brown (as the filling is precooked). Poke holes to prevent gravy ...

So, I was looking for a way to get rid of some Thanksgiving leftovers (including some pie crust), and I hit on the idea of a pot pie. I made it in a slapdash way since I didn't have too much time for cooking, so given more time it'd be more delicious: Ingredients: Leftover turkey drumstick and wing Leftover pie crust Celery Carrots Onion Peas Bay leaves Spices 3ish garlic cloves Milk Butter Flour Wine or beer I cooked the turkey pieces in water with celery and onions (I saved the carrots for later so they wouldn't be too mushy, but still add flavor), whole garlic cloves and spices on a fairly high light till the liquid reduced and was reasonably flavorful (i.e. a halfhearted stock - approx. 1 hr). I removed the bones, retaining the meat. Then I made a roux with the flour, mixed in both milk and the broth, including all the veggies and meat, and added frozen peas. I added a bit of wine, though frankly dark beer (guiness) probably would have been better, and simmered until a ...

Stir Fried Leftover Salad in Black Bean Garlic Sauce (If I had known how delicious this was I would have taken a picture) Saute in un-flavored oil: Onion, carrot sticks, green vegetables, pre-soaked shiitake mushrooms Stir in a heaping spoon of Black Bean Garlic Sauce, combine well Add the leftover salad that didn't get dressing on it: ours was spinach, green leaf lettuce, shredded carrots, craisins, walnuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, fresh parmesan cheese. Continue to stir fry at high heat until all ingredients are cooked approximately the same amount.  Serve with rice noodles or rice. Whenever I see weird combinations like this on menus at yuppie restaurants I make rude remarks and keep looking. But, by golly, it was really, really good! 

Here's the recipe for sweet potatoes that I think is essentially how I remember them from all of my childhood Thanksgivings. And I should know, since I ate the vast majority of them... Sweet Potatoes I can't tell you exactly how many to get - I had around 5 pounds (the store was having a 5#/$1 special on sweet potatoes, which was great.), but I increased the amount of sugar sauce later on. Chop the potatoes into 1-2 inch chunks - you want them to be big enough that it's not too time consuming to skin them later, but at the same time they need to cook pretty quickly. Put them in a big pot, cover with water, then boil the potatoes until a fork goes into them easily. Drain the potatoes, then let them cool. Once cool, use a dull knife to help slip off the skins of the potatoes - it should be easy, and you really shouldn't have to use much force. I recommend putting the skinned potato chunks back into the same pot. Sugar Sauce Melt 1 stick butter in a small sauce pan, then a...