Thanksgiving in Cali

So this year the little family of 3 made Thanksgiving into a big adventure by traveling all the way out to California for the week. Unfortunately, gone are the days of Addison sleeping peacefully in my lap on the airplane - on the flight out she fought sleep like you wouldn't believe. But then we were there! In a whirlwind, we made it up to our old haunts in Santa Barbara for one very rainy day, and spent the remainder of the trip surrounded by family. Lucky for us, between a friend filled potluck turkey day, the big event itself, and a more intimate family affair over the weekend, we managed to repeat Thanksgiving dinner three times! Lucky us! Especially lucky for me who wasn't feeling entirely healthy on Thursday.

And amidst all of this, Addison traipsed along, smiling the whole time. She really is getting to be quite the ham. And we have now discovered that she loves dogs. I'm not sure where it comes from, since she doesn't spend much time around dogs at home, but surrounded by 5 golden retrievers down in Fallbrook, she did nothing but giggle. Well, sometimes she did point at them and squeal. Perhaps someday we'll have to get a dog.


And if all of that wasn't enough, Addison wowed everyone by taking her first steps on Saturday. I can't think of anything cuter than watching her squeal as she proudly walked across the room from one person to another. She is growing up so fast, and just when we think she can't get any more adorable, she seems to surprise us.




So in my new attempt for this blog, every entry will include at least one recipe that I'll share. This week, in honor of thanksgiving, I'll give you my favorite carrot souffle recipe. I love it, and Addison gobbles it up, but I have met some people who aren't sure about a dish that tastes a little like carrots and a lot like dessert. I recommend you try it and let me know what you think. I have to credit that this originally comes from Paula Deen on the Food Network, and knowing that it's a Paula Deen recipe means you shouldn't be surprised by the fact that it is loaded with butter.

Carrot Souffle
3 lbs carrots, cooked until soft
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup flour
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) butter

Before you begin, chop and cook 3 lbs of carrots until soft.

In a blender or food processor, combine eggs and sugar. Once mixed, add flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix. Next, add the butter (if you break it into chunks before adding it, it'll be easier). And finally add in the 3 lbs of carrots you previously cooked. Blend until mixture is smooth and even.

Pour into a large corning ware dish or split into smaller dishes for faster cooking time. Cook for approximately 1 hour at 350.
You will know it is done when it begins to crack on the sides and looks slightly cooked in the middle (no longer liquidy).

Galaxy of Mac 'n Cheese

What a great weekend! The weather was mild and wonderful, and we took a bit of a break from unpacking to just enjoy ourselves. One of the biggest seasonal attractions in Huntsville is the Galaxy of Lights show at the Botanical Gardens. It is an amazing display of Christmas and holiday lights that you can walk or drive through at night in November and December. Having never been, we wrapped Addison up in blankets and loaded her into the backpack and went to check it out. Thankfully it wasn't that cold, but even at 50 it was chilly enough to warrant sweaters and hats.

And what goes well with a festively cold night walk? Steaming hot Mac 'n Cheese of course. This recipe was given to me as part of an email recipe exchange, and I have to agree that it is easy and delicious. It makes a lot though - we are still enjoying it several days later.

Mac 'n Cheese
1 Lb box elbow macaroni (16oz)
1/2 Lb ground sausage
4 Cups milk
1 stick butter (1/2 Cup)
1/2 Cup flour
4 Cups grated Swiss cheese (can also use Gruyere)
2 Cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 Cups Panko bread crumbs

Cook macaroni according to the box, to al dente or just under done. Drain and set aside
Brown the ground sausage in a pan, drain off excess fat and set aside.
Heat the milk, but do not boil.
In a Dutch oven, or large pan if you don't have a Dutch oven, melt 6 tablespoons of butter. Once butter is melted, add flour and whisk to remove clumps. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth (still whisking continuously). Turn off the heat. Add the cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Mix in sausage.
If you're not using a Dutch oven, pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
Meanwhile, melt butter and mix with Panko bread crumbs. Spread over the top of the macaroni mixture and put in the oven at 375 degrees until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.

The Fun of Fall

Ahhh Fall. It is one of the best things about living in Alabama for sure. Of course, being in a place where people truly enjoy eating food (and don't feel so guilty afterwards) is a bonus, too. But watching the leaves change and having to change out all of my shorts for sweaters is a treat - it's like getting a new wardrobe every 6 months!

Anyways, I digress... The weather has been wonderful around here lately. the trees are dropping their incredibly colorful leaves and everything is awash in reds and siennas and ochres. Even Addison is loving the weather. She was having so much fun with the leaves in the front yard yesterday, that she entertained herself for long enough for me to do some raking - which she thought was quite comical (the neighbors probably did too). Here's a cute picture of her amidst the foliage.



All the raking and the crisp breeze put me in the mood for a good hearty dinner, so I decided to try my hand at pork chops. Now people around here eat a lot of pork - I'd say it's more popular than beef or even chicken perhaps. So attempting to assimilate, I've been tempted to try cooking pork more, but it is still a bit of a mystery meat to me. But thanks to the trusty Internet, I found a tasty marinade (which I've listed below). I let the chops marinate for about 3 hours, which was all the time I had before dinner, even though the recommendation was to let them sit overnight. Maybe next time.

To cook the chops I browned them in my cast iron skillet on med-high heat. This didn't take very long - maybe a couple of minutes on each side. I then turned the burner on low and covered the skillet to let them finish cooking through.

Meanwhile I cooked up some mashed potatoes and broccoli. Once those were done, I removed the chops and plated everything. Since there were some delicious looking drippings still in the pan, I decided to make a quick gravy. I grabbed a handful of flour (probably a tablespoon or two), and used a whisk to mix it into the drippings. I let the mixture cook for a few minutes, whisking the whole time (burner on low). Then when it was smooth and had bubbled a bit, I added milk and continued to whisk until I had the consistency I wanted. I added a little pepper to taste, and poured it over the plated potatoes and pork chop. Delicious!


Happy Fall everyone!


Pork Chop Marinade
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Vinegar
2 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1 Tbsp orange juice (or other citrus juice)
1 Tbsp Mustard (out of your fridge, not dried)
A couple of cloves of garlic (depending on your proclivity to garlic)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp parsley

Mix, put in a ziplock bag or sealable container with pork chops and marinate as long as possible (ideally overnight). This should make enough for up to 6 chops.

Manhattans and Mayem

And we're back! Sorry for the temporary hiatus - it turns out that Huntsville is actually "South Lite" and we haven't encountered nearly enough oddities to blog about. So, now we're just going to talk about two things we really like: food and our new house!

We recently bought a house, and are currently in the process of unpacking and moving in. Although we managed to purge (see: toss or donate) many things that had come across from California, we still have way more stuff than we thought. So the unpacking is a slower process than expected. Yet amidst the boxes we are discovering all the joys of home ownership already (see: cockroaches), and Addison is working on mastering this walking business.

Seeing as how all of this walking and unpacking is a lot of work, we decided to sit back and relax the other night. As Addison slumbered, Derek and I sat in our new living room sipping on Manhattans and surveyed our boxes. We noticed that the living room has giant windows on the front, athough they have been partially abscured by wooden plantation shutters. I made the off-handed comment that we could enjoy their size better if the shutters weren't there - and off we went! Out came screw drivers, and in no time we had removed most of the shutters from the windows. It has opened up the windows a lot (I'm sitting here watching a cardinal in the bushes at the moment), but now with added light we can see how they are badly in need of a new paint job. I guess each project begets another.... Something I'm sure we'll have to get used to.

Manhattan Cocktail (Courtney style):

1 part Makers Mark (or Basil Hayden)
1 part Sweet Vermouth
2 Maraschino cherries, plus a splash of juice

Mix in a glass with ice... Enjoy!