The Day After (Holiday Shopping) Part III

When I say "holiday shopping" I only mean shopping during the holiday. I know I should really be doing actual holiday shopping--i.e. looking for the multiple presents I have to give out for Christmas--but I couldn't stop myself from taking over my whole shopping spree.

If you were wondering, I did buy quite a lot, but in my defense, more than half was necessary. Really though. I am quickly growing out of my clothes, if not physically, style-wise.

Anyways, yesterday was the perfect second to last day to my Thanksgiving break. First of all, I rented a car for the first time and I drove it. I drove it in California freeways, which is my book is quite a challenge to get over. My cousin and I spent the beautifully warm day shopping at an outdoor mall. It was actually terrific! And that's not a word I use very often.

In the end, we came home early, crashed, did some school work coughnotreallycough and ended with a night out in Downtown San Diego. The highlight of the evening was definitely the 24/7 restaurant at which we ate after leaving the club at 2 a.m. If only Boston had anything of the sort, my life would be so much more joyful.

But enough of me. Here are the two vegetable recipes we made for our Thanksgiving feast. Easy to make and deliciously bursting with seasonal flavors. Enjoy

Brussels Sprouts and Shallot Hash (adapted from Epicurious)
*This is a Blue Ribbon Recipe
Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 lb. shallots, thinly sliced
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 1/2 cup water

1. In a medium skillet, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add shallots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar. Stir mixture, still over medium heat, until shallots are slightly browned and glazed, 3-5 minutes.
2. Cut brussels sprouts in half lengthwise and slice into 1/8 inch pieces. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add brussels sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Saute until slightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add water and remaining butter. Cook until most of the water evaporates, making sure that sprouts are tender but still bright green, 3-5 minutes.
3. Add shallots and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Broccolini with Pine Nuts and Raisins (adapted from Epicurious)

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 4 lbs. broccolini, ends removed
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup golden raisins

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pine nuts and toast until golden and fragrant,. stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add shallot and saute 1 more minute.
2. Add broccolini, wine and raisins and cover. Saute, stirring occasionally, until broccolini is tender and bright green, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Frittata and Kale Salad

I can't really say breakfast is my favorite meal, because ALL meals are my favorite, but I definitely love breakfast. What better than to have breakfast for dinner?

First of all let me state that I am not a pancake fan, so when I say breakfast for dinner I don't mean pancakes and waffles, I mean eggs. Frittata to be exact. Last weekend I stumbled upon an easy frittata recipe (almost all frittatas are very simple to make) and several variations in FOOD by Martha Stewart, and yesterday I finally made it.

Originally, the frittata was going to be a turkey zucchini with gruyere cheese frittata, but for some reason I completely forgot to buy zucchini.  So I looked around in my veggies drawer and found some asparagus spears, the perfect substitution.

As a side, I made one of my favorite salads. Because breakfast is good for dinner, but I need to have some kind of green in my dinner or I won't be satisfied. Anyways, the Kale and Pine Nut salad from Bon Appetit is one of the salads that I could eat over and over again. And yes, contrary to popular belief, there are some salads that I don't like.

Turkey, Asparagus, Gruyere Frittata (adapted from FOOD by Martha Stewart)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup cubed turkey (about 1/2 inch thick)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped asparagus
• 3/4 cup shredded gruyere cheese
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• S & P

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Heat olive oil on a 10-inch oven proof skillet over medium high heat. Add turkey and asparagus and season with S & P. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until asparagus are slightly tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile slightly beat eggs and egg-whites together. Add egg mixture to the skillet and sprinkle with the gruyere cheese. Cook until edges are set, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer skillet to oven and cook for 10-13 minutes or until frittata is set. Place plate over skillet and invert frittata. Serve immediately

Kale and Pine-nut Salad (adapted from Bon Appetit)

• 2 tablespoons dried currants
• 2 tablespoons pine-nuts
• 2-3 bunches kale (depending on size), stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
• 7 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Shave parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Place currants in bowl with 5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar and let marinate for 2-24 hours (the more they soak, the better they will taste in the salad). Lightly toast pine-nuts on a baking sheet.
2. In a small bowl whisk 2 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, olive oil, and honey until honey dissolves. In a large bowl place kale, drained currants, and pine-nuts and toss with dressing to coat. Let salad marinate for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.
3. Add parmesan cheese and serve. 

Sunday Cookout

So Sunday comes around and its one of those days when all I want to do is lounge around in my sweats, watch TV (even if it's just background noise), aimlessly procrastinate on the internet, and bake or cook like a crazy person. The last part being the most important.

I was feeling for cookies, but when I came across a Buttermilk Biscuit recipe from Noble pig (one of the best food/wine blogs out there!) that would help me get rid of the almost-expired buttermilk and left-over cake flour in my kitchen, I changed my menu.

First time making biscuits; first time making bread without a food processor. And let me tell you, it's definitely not as hard as those crazy cakes I've done before. Pretty simple recipe and delicious outcome (my roommate actually said they were just like Pillsbury ones, but I haven't decided if that's a good or bad thing). 

Anyways, here are some picture of the process, and then the final product (although I did forget the melted butter towards the end, so the presentation is really not great).

Next on my dinner menu was Turkey Meat Loaf (adapted from Spicy Turkey Meat Loaf) and Kale Salad with Pine-nuts, Currants, and Parmesan).

Again, first time making meat loaf. I wasn't excited about the ketchup dressing at first, but it actually came out pretty good considering its ketchup. I added normal mustard instead of the dry mustard since that's what I had, and it was in the oven for about 1 hour (granted my oven acts up now and again)

Finally the favorite part of my meal: the kale salad! Its an easy recipe, but it does take some planning because the currants have to marinate for a while. I sometimes add more dressing, depending on the amount of kale I have, but the recipe is pretty much perfect. Do use the specific vinegars asked for, because that's the only way to get the yummy factor!

And then, dinner was finally served (about 2 hours after I began cooking).