Contemporary Thanksgiving!

This year, we're celebrating Thanksgiving several times.  On the actual day, we'll head south to Ironton, OH to see Sean's family and we'll feast upon tradition.  You know, the traditional Thanksgiving where the turkey cooks all day long, the house is full of people and rambunctious kids, there are as many pies as people and everyone takes a loooong nap after eating.  I can't wait!

But this year, we've decided to celebrate another way as well.  We're in a new city and home, so we figured it's only fitting to do things differently.  My brother flew in from college over the weekend, so we celebrated yesterday with a "Contemporary Thanksgiving."  We cooked all day and took the traditional meal to a whole new level.  This is my idea of a Thanksgiving for friends and here is what we ate:

Apricot BBQ Meatballs

Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup

with chipotle honey glaze, crema & almonds

Roasted Turkey Breast

with lemon, parsley & thyme

Spinach Dressing

Green Bean Casserole

with onion & ham

Bacon and Cranberry Brussel Sprouts

Praline Sweet Potatoes

French Silk Pie

Blondies 

with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting

Thanksgiving just isn't right without a few hiccups, and ours was no exception.  Although our meal was delicious, we misjudged the amount of time it would take to prepare everything, we ran out of eggs halfway through, the dressing burned to a crisp and our turkey took twice as long to cook as we expected.  Needless to say, we created some great memories last night that will go down in Thanksgiving history!  

But isn't that truly was days like this are for?  To give thanks for the great people in your life (near and far away), laugh over new and old stories and to relax in each others' good company.  I can't think of anything better.  

So, Happy Thanksgiving to my family (who seems quite far away today) and my friends across the globe.  I hope you all have an impressive and delicious Thanksgiving dinner!  

Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup

This soup is a welcome introduction to your Thanksgiving or fall meal.  It is velvety and smooth with subtle hints of spice and crunch.  It is garnished with a chipotle honey drizzle, a swirl of cream and toasted slivered almonds. 

1 container of sweet potato soup (about 24 oz.)

1 C. pureed pumpkin (from a can)

½ t. cinnamon

¼ t. nutmeg

¼ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

¼ C. heavy cream

½ C. toasted slivered almonds

In a large pot, combine all ingredients save the cream, whisking until smooth.  Heat the soup over medium low until it warms. 

Chipotle Honey Drizzle

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

1 T. extra adobo sauce

2 T. honey

1 T. water

1 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper

In a small food processor, combine all ingredients and process until you have a smooth liquid.  There will still be chipotle seeds and that’s fine.  Season to taste.  If it’s too spicy, just add some more honey and water.  

To garnish, ladle some of the soup into a bowl.  Drizzle some of the chipotle honey over the top in a circle.  Next, drizzle some of the heavy cream.  Sprinkle a few toasted almonds right in the middle.  

Try these recipes too!


Grape Jelly Meatballs - I substituted apricot preserves for the grape jelly
Spinach Balls - I made this into a loaf instead of balls
French Silk Pie - Perfect just the way it is!

Potato Bitterballen

I first tried Bitterballen in Holland, with my friend Larry.  We shared a couple appetizers over wine, bitterballen included, and watched as almost-frozen Dutch passersby hurried home along the streets of Breda.  I fell in love with these tasty morsels and vowed to recreate them back home on the other side of the world.

Bitterballen is a classic Dutch appetizer normally served with an aperitif like Jenever.  It's a finger food comprised of beef, flour, butter, nutmeg and broth formed into a ragout, chilled, then breaded and deep fried.  And it's always served with good mustard.  My version is slightly different:  turkey meatballs, consumed by leftover mashed potatoes, and 'crunched' up by panko.  Serve these hearty, comforting bites with whole grain mustard and a gin cocktail for a winning Dutch escape.

8 Precooked turkey or beef meatballs, halved

2 C. leftover mashed potatoes (make sure your potatoes are not soupy – they should be malleable, but firm)

½ t. Nutmeg
1/2 t. Thyme (optional)

Salt & Pepper

1 Egg

Panko

Oil, for frying. 

Whole grain mustard, for dunking

In a medium sized bowl, mix the leftover mashed potatoes with the nutmeg.  Season it with salt and pepper to taste.  If you would like to add other fresh herbs, this is the time to do it.  When the mixture is thoroughly combined, take 1 halved meatball and cover it with a large spoonful of the mashed potatoes.  Roll it into a tight ball, making sure that none of the meatball is showing.  Form the rest of the balls using the same process and set them in the refrigerator to chill.  Chill about 30 minutes or more. 

In a medium saucepan, add about 2” of oil.  You want the oil to cover the top of the bitterballen so they fry evenly.  Heat the oil to about 360 degrees. 

In a small bowl, wisk the egg.  Set aside.  Put about 1-1½ C. of panko in another small bowl.    Set aside. 

Retrieve the bitterballen from the fridge and forming an assembly.  Dunk each ball into the egg mixture and then the panko, making sure that each ball is coated evenly.  *I recommend doing all of the balls before you start frying or you’ll be running back and forth from the oil to the balls to the sink to wash your hands. 

Carefully drop about 4 or 5 balls into the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, turning them once.  ATTN:  they will cook quickly!  Remove from the oil and let drain on a paper towel.  Repeat the process until all bitterballen are cooked.  Serve with good, whole grain mustard and an aperitif, if your audience allows. 

*If you are not going to eat the bitterballen immediately, put them on a sheet pan and place in an oven set to 350 to keep them warm. 

**Next time, I’ll add a bouquet of herbs to the potatoes for extra flavor