Happy Holiday Dishes in a Hurry

We're baaack!

And, although I wish Chris and I were still here:

We're not. Which means it's time to start cooking again!

I'll post soon about the amazing food we had on vaca, but for now, enjoy these quick holiday recipes that taste great and take no time at all to make. Trust me, we got home early on Christmas morning, and by the end of the day, these were both well devoured.


1) Holiday Breakfast Bake
This is great idea for a last-minute breakfast/brunch. Like when your flight gets in at 3 a.m. on Christmas morning instead of at 11 p.m. the night before...

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked, crumbled sweet sausage
• 4 large pre-packaged cinnamon rolls, cubed (un-iced work best)
• 4 oz of American or cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
• 2 TBS pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla

To Do:

• Cook your sausage and place in bottom of a square baking  pan
• Add cinnamon rolls and cheese
• Whisk the eggs, milk, syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla together and pour over the mixture in the pan
• Bake for about 30 minutes at 375, or until eggs have puffed and mixture seems set
• Enjoy!

2) Mock "Coq au Vin"
This tastes like it spent all day on the stove, but leaves you free to unpack, do laundry, open gifts, mix a cocktail, download photos, etc. And, it's not as messy as regular coq au vin -- no bones!

Ingredients:

• 4 raw chicken breasts
• 7 bacon strips, reserve 1 for garnish 
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and halved
• 3 garlic cloves: 2 minced, 1 halved
• 1-1 1/2 cups mixed wild mushrooms (shitake, cremini, baby bella), rinsed, sliced and drained
• 1 12 -16 oz bag baby carrots
• 1 cup diced tomatoes (drained)
• 1 3/4 cups red wine (like a Syrah or Shiraz)
• 1 cup chicken stock or broth
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 TBS Herbes de Provence

To Do:

• Place chicken breasts in bottom of slow cooker
• Add onion, garlic, bacon (diced), carrots and mushrooms
• Add tomatoes, wine, stock and seasonings
• Lightly stir and set slow cooker to 6 hour setting
• When done, remove onion and large garlic pieces
• Add more salt/pepper to taste
• Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes
• Microwave bacon piece for 30 seconds between paper towels, until crisp. Crumble over dish.
• Salt/pepper to taste.
• Enjoy!

Happy/Merry!

xoxoxoo

We Wish You a Merry Soupmas!

The Amazing Soup cleanse is back.

Chris and I leave tomorrow for 2.5 weeks in the sunny, gorgeous West Indies.  We go away somewhere fantabulous every year for the holidays and I must say, it's the best decision we've ever made. Yes, we don't get to be with family for Christmas, but the peace and calm we absorb for two weeks straight on the islands really helps us get through the rest of the year. Working in NYC is awesome, but it is also draining and stressful and you never feel like you have a minute of quiet or calm. And there are people everywhere. For me, all that fades away the minute my toes hit the sand on a deserted island...

But, going to the Caribbean also means drinking lovely, heavy on the rum cocktails, eating dessert for breakfast -- and wearing swimsuits for two weeks straight. So, for the past 12 days we've been on our annual soup cleanse.  This is our fourth year, and some have been easier than others. We're always annoyed at ourselves for doing it between Thanksgiving and Christmas (we have to miss out on holiday lunches and parties and such), but it makes the most sense, timing-wise.

And, it wasn't so bad this year. We liked the Minestrone and Thai Shrimp versions the best this time around, and using the organic veggies from my box in the soup seemed to make it brighter in flavor.  I lost 4.5 lbs in the process, so I can't really complain.  Plus, it's healthy and easy to do.  One tip -- chop the spinach as small as you can get it. It makes all the difference. At about Day #5, you'll thank me.

Anyway, enough about soup. I want to wish you and yours a lovely and delicious holiday season. I'll be back after Christmas with more tasty Gourmess adventures.

Happy, Merry!

xoxoxo

Velvet Chicken

You'll never think the same way about chicken again.

Chris and I are on our annual pre-vacation soup cleanse this week, but I wanted to share a technique for cooking a whole chicken with you: "Velvet Chicken." I tried it the week before Thanksgiving and have become a huge fan. It is amazing. And, if Chris and I can't enjoy it right now, at least you can.

I found the recipe for "Velvet Chicken" in a recent issue of the Wall Street Journal, but from the minimal amount of research I did, it seems that this has been a staple of Chinese cooking for eons. It leaves the meat juicy and velvety, all without turning on your oven, and with minimal output from your stove.

Just to be clear, this isn't a recipe to replace a lovely roasted chicken, all crispy and browned, right out of the oven.  Nothing can really replace that. However, this is a great recipe to use instead of buying canned chicken and rotisserie chickens from the grocery store (I usually use those to make quick salads, pot pies, etc.). The effort is minimal and you can do whatever you want for the three hours that the chicken is resting -- watch a movie, read a book, go shopping, clean out your closets, etc., and still end up with dinner.

You can find the WSJ recipe here. And, you can send me a thank you note for sharing this with you via the comments below. I'm serious. It is awesome.

Here's all you need to do:

• Take a 3-4 lb. whole chicken (innards discarded, feet tied) and place it in a large pot (about 8 quarts) on the stove and cover with water (about 5 quarts -- water should cover chicken by 1 inch or so), toss in about 2 TBS of kosher salt and put on the pot's lid.
• Turn the burner on high and heat the water to boiling, about 25 mins. DO NOT LIFT THE LID. You should hear it starting to boil rapidly -- when you hear a violent boil, turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat. Let it sit, covered for 3 hours. DO NOT PEEK.

• After 3 hours, remove the chicken from the pot and break it down, reserving the meat, including the drumsticks and wings. Discard the skin and bones. You'll note that the meat will have a uniform, pale color and a smooth texture. You can use all that lovely soft meat for chicken salad, chicken pot pie, stir-frys, burritos, etc. Or, you can serve with the lovely Asian-inspired Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette included in the WSJ recipe.

I made the warm ginger-vinaigrette and tossed with the chicken and some sautéed baby bok choy. I served over brown rice and some grated fresh ginger. Luscious.

Don't forget to use the broth for soups and stews. It may need a bit of tweaking to the seasoning, but it definitely serves as an excellent stock. If you let it cool, you can easily remove any fat that rises to the top. You can also toss in aromatics with the chicken before you boil -- some garlic, ginger, orange peel, herbs, etc. to make the meat/broth even more flavorful. Just be sure not to remove the cover -- that's the secret to the chicken cooking through and to its texture.

It's so easy and tasty, that I might never buy a rotisserie chicken again...

Fun and yum.

xoxoxo

Thanksgiving Lasagna, Take 3

Dare I say it? It's time again for Thanksgiving Lasagna.

I'm not a huge fan of leftovers. I think most foods should be eaten immediately/soon after being made. A beautiful meal just doesn't look or taste the same the next day. There are exceptions -- some foods are even better after the flavors marinate/merge overnight, but for the most part, I hate eating re-heated food.

I'm not sure why I have such an aversion to leftovers, but I refuse to eat leftover Chinese food and our fridge has to be purged often of forgotten doggie bag containers that have been waiting all hopeful on the shelf for days...

But, since I adore Chris, we've made his idea for using up Thanksgiving dinner leftovers a bit of an annual event (I say "a bit" because we weren't able to do it this year).  If you still have leftovers from your Thanksgiving feast, check out Turkey Lasagna 2009 and Turkey Lasagna 2010.  

How will you use your Thanksgiving leftovers?

xoxoxo

Chris Bakes a Crisp

Chris took over the kitchen for a few hours this weekend.

He was reading a recipe in GQ magazine and started listing off the ingredients and asking me if we had them. (Of course we did -- the Gourmess lives here, silly.) He made me a cocktail and I sat by the fire with the kitties while he spent an hour in the kitchen making this tasty treat:

It's a Pear-Ginger Crisp and the secret ingredient (candied ginger) along with the toasted pecans really made it a dessert to wow at your next holiday dinner.  Top it with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and you have a winner.  It's a great alternative to pie, too.

Thus, here's one more thing to put on your Thanksgiving TO DO list:

• Follow the link above for the recipe and hand it off to the handsome guy in your house. Preferably whoever is sitting closest to the kitchen.  It's one less thing for you to worry about and trust me, you won't be disappointed.

xoxoxo

Thanksgiving Plans?

It's nearly Turkey Day!
One week from today we'll be stuffing ourselves with food, fun and family.

Here's a peek at what came in my latest organic CSA box -- the Thanksgiving Box:

• Apples 
• Celery
• Cranberries
• Garlic
• Green Beans
• Leeks
• Mushrooms
• Pears
• Red Romaine Lettuce
• Sweet Potatoes

We're going to be traveling for the holiday, but I will definitely be making some lovely dishes this weekend. I'm thinking sauteed  green beans with garlic and rosemary, roasted sweet potatoes with apple sausage and honey maple pecans, a salad brimming with pears, cranberries and goat cheese -- and perhaps an apple tart. After all, you can never start celebrating too early. Am I right?

What favorite dish(es) are you making for Thanksgiving this year?

xoxoxo

P.S. I am so THANKFUL to everyone who reads and shares this blog.