Thanksgiving with the Finkels

This year we had Jon, Steph, and Reese here for Thanksgiving. It was a great way to break-in the new house and kitchen. Everyone pitched-in. Steph made a cheesecake and assembled the green bean casserole. Jon did the grunt work of setting up the table and doing dishes. Craig peeled the potatoes even though he is allergic and then he helped me carve the turkey. Even Reese helped out by looking adorable in an apron and chef's hat. Here is the menu:

• Pumpkin Cheesecake. Click here for the recipe.
• Apple Pie (you can find the recipe on my Thanksgiving post from last year) 
• Cornbread (Trader Joes baking mix with a can of corn and I used whole milk) 
• Roast Turkey. Click here for Ina Garten's recipe.
• Mashed Potatoes. Click here for Tyler Florence's recipe.
• Mushroom and Rosemary Stuffing. Click here for the recipe.
• Butternut Squash. Click here for the recipe.
• Green Bean Casserole. Click here for recipe.
• Cranberry Sauce. This is Craig's secret recipe. Sorry!

Pizza Party!

This wasn't just any old pizza party. This was a gourmet pizza party! The occasion was that my friend Erin was in town and all of the guys were out of town. Thankfully Erin was there because it was challenging to roll out the pizza dough and move it to a baking sheet. I tried to use the rolling pin to help move it, but it was much larger than pie crust so extra hands were very helpful.  We started with a stromboli, which is basically like one big pizza roll-up. Then we made fig and prosciutto pizza and a margarita pizza.


A few tips: Trader Joes sells a variety of dough in the refrigerator section for a reasonable price. We used wheat dough, herb dough, and regular white dough. They are all very tasty. Let the dough rest on your counter top for about 15-20 minutes before you start to roll it out. Keep a cup of flour in a dish on your counter so you can quickly dust your rolling surface and rolling pin without having to worry about dipping into your big container of flour.

Thanks Kim for my chef hat!

Stromboli

Ingredients:
pizza dough
6 oz pepperoni slices
6 oz salami slices
8 oz sliced provolone
marinara sauce for dipping


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the pizza dough to a thin 1/8 in. If the dough is too thick, you will have raw dough in the middle of the stromboli. Layer the pepperoni, salami, and provolone to cover the dough. Roll-up the dough into a big log. Carefully transfer the stromboli to the baking sheet. Beat an egg in small dish. Use a basting brush to lightly brush the dough with the egg-wash. This will make the stromboli bake to a golden brown. Bake for about 30 minutes. Slice in 1.5 inch sized pieces and serve with marinara sauce.

Fig & Prosciutto Pizza

Use this link for the Pioneer Woman's recipe http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/fig-prosciutto-pizza-with-arugula/
I suggest using the best prosciutto you can find. The cheap stuff just doesn't taste the same. This was by far, the favorite pizza of the night! Enjoy!

Margarita Pizza

Use this link for the recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/margherita-pizza-pizza-margherita-318298
This one was my personal favorite of the night :-)

Apple Pie

I made this pie for Thanksgiving this year. I had never made a fruit pie before so I was a little nervous. I didn't want to take a chance on the crust so I just used a store bought roll-out crust. It turned out delicious! I baked two of them. One I did in a fancy fluted pie dish. The other one was in a regular glass dish. The glass dish was actually easier to use for a novice pie baker because I could see when the crust was browned on the bottom. I added an apple cut-out as a little decoration on top :-)

Ingredients

For the Filling:

• 3 pounds Granny Smith apples
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cloves
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

For the Dough:

• 1 Tbsp. sugar, for sprinkling
• 1 large egg

Directions

Prepare the filling: Peel, halve and core the apples. Cut each half into 6 wedges and toss with the sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apple mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the firmer apples begin to soften but still hold their shape, 8 to 9 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour, cinnamon, clovesand nutmeg and toss until the juices begin to thicken, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool completely. (The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

Ease one layer of dough into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass pie plate. Add the filling, mounding it slightly, and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Chill the pie while you roll the remaining dough into a 12-inch round.

Lay the dough over the filling and press the 2 crusts together around the edges. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp with your fingers. Beat the remaining egg in a bowl and brush over the top crust; sprinkle with sugar. Pierce the top with a knife a few times to let steam escape. Chill 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the pie on a baking sheet; bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly, 55 to 60 minutes. (Cover the edges with foil if they brown too quickly.) Transfer to a rack and cool until set, 2 hours.

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

I made these for one of my co-workers, Andrea, who had a baby last fall. I doubled the batch so I could give some away and have some to stock my freezer (which I love doing!). Andrea and her family loved them so much that she asked for the recipe and has made them a few times since! This was the first time I have ever tried making enchiladas and I was surprised at how easy it was. The recipe comes from Real Simple Magazine, but I used a few Trader Joe's items to make them even better. Next time I am going to try using light sour cream. Enjoy!

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-enchiladas-verdes-00000000039506/

Serves 4

Hands-on Time: 20m

Total Time: 50m

Ingredients

• 2 pounds bone-in chicken breasts (2 to 3)
• 1 16-ounce jar mild salsa verde (I used Trader Joes brand)
• 2 cups fresh cilantro sprigs, plus more for serving
• 1 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed (I used Trader Joe's fire-roasted corn)
• 1/2 pound Muenster or Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 8 6-inch flour tortillas
• 1 cup long-grain white rice

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Place the chicken in a medium saucepan, add enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to a plate and let cool. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken, discarding the skin and bones. Place the meat in a large bowl.

2. Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the salsa, cilantro, and ½ cup of the sour cream until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and simmer until slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the remaining ½ cup of sour cream.

3. Add the corn, 1 cup of the Muenster, ½ cup of the sauce, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper to the chicken and toss to combine.

4. Spread 1 cup of the remaining sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Roll up the chicken in the tortillas (about ½ cup each) and place seam-side down in the dish. Top with the remaining sauce and Muenster. Bake until bubbling and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the package directions. Serve with the enchiladas, sour cream, and cilantro.

Tip

The unbaked enchiladas can be frozen in the baking dish, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw and bake as directed, adding 10 minutes to the cooking time.