Not all of the pots and pans I have are the same make — I bought the best I could find, the best pan for the job, as I found them on sale.  For example, the list price on the Calphalon Everyday Pan is $169.00.  !!!!  No way is that even near something I can afford.  However, Amazon (link) sells this regularly on sale for somewhere between $29 and $40.  Much more in line with my budget.

I recommend getting every pot and pan with a lid.  You won’t always want it, but when you do, it’ll be there.

• 1 8 Quart Pot, with steamer
• 1 Saucier, with lid
• 1 12 inch Everyday Pan, with lid
• 1 3 or 4 Quart sauce pan, with lid
• 1 10 or 12 inch Non-stick fying pan, with lid

By far, the pan I use most is the Calphalon Everyday Pan.  I can saute, fry, braise, broil, bake, roast just about anything in it.  It most litterally is used every time I cook.

The Everyday pan is made of heavy-guage hard anodized aluminum, heat safe up to 450F; it’s not officially non-stick, but “less” stick. Included with the pan is a dome shaped lit, also made of anodized aluminum. As with all of Calfalon’s products, it has a lifetime warranty.

About the only thing that I dislike is that, with a lot of use, it discolors.  Other than that one complaint, I would make this my first purchase when buying.

The pluses to this pan are numerous — Use it to make risotto, fried chicken, delicately cooked cream sauces, pancakes, omelette’s, stir fry, or roast a chicken in the oven.  Just anything.

Traditional Egg Bread (Challah)

NOTE:

If you are using this for Runza, after the first rise, roll the dough, follow the Runza directions – rolling the dough, fill, and seal.  Allow these to sit for about 20 minutes for the second rise.  Bake per the Runza directions.

This recipe is really similar to Williams-Sonoma.  I didn’t use dark or semi sweet chocolate, though, as I had milk-chocolate chips in the house already.  I also could not find “Peppermint” extract in any of my local markets, so I ended up using a genera “Mint” extract.

The original recipe has you melting the chocolate over a double boiler.  I find that to be a bit fussy, and so stick to the microwave method.  The trick to melting chocolate in the microwave is to stir it every 30 seconds, or it can burn or separate.

I made this for New Years Eve and everyone loved it.  Yummmy goodness!

Peppermint Bark

12 ounce bag chocolate chips, any – dark, semi or milk
16 ounce bag white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup peppermint candy, crushed

Preheat the oven to 250F (121C).

Crush the peppermint candy.  I used about 10 candy canes when I did this.  I tried crushing these with a wooden mallet, and then ended  up putting the candy into a ziplock, and getting out the hammer!!  Do what works for you.

Line a 9×13 pan (cake pan) with foil.  Let the foil hang over the edges and wrap it around.  Spray the foil with non-stick spray, or, using vegetable oil, spread the oil lightly over the bottom of the pan, as well as the sides.

Pour in the chocolate chips and spread them out evenly.  Try to put them in as evenly as possible the first time, so you don’t get oil on the top of the chocolate.  Place the pan in the oven for 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  The chips will look glossy, but will be melted.  Spread the chocolate out evenly.  Place in the refrigerator until firm – 20-30 minutes.  Remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Remove any condensation that may occur with a paper towel.

Once the chocolate has been out for the 10 minutes, place the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.  Place in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Remove.  Stir.  Replace and set for another 30 seconds.  Do that until the chocolate has melted.  Add in the peppermint extract and stir well.

Once the white chocolate has melted, pour it over the chocolate in the pan, and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with the crushed peppermint.   Refrigerate about 1 hour.  Lift the foil out of the pan and remove the excess peppermint and the foil.  Break or cut this into pieces.  For a more “formal” look, cut it into 2 inch wide strips.   You can store this in a cool, dry place for a couple of weeks or longer in the refrigerator.  Place the pieces in a container, layer with parchment paper and store tightly sealed.  This makes about 2 pounds.

Variations:

Replace the peppermint extract and peppermint candies, using a variation below:

Almond Bark – Use 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring, and 1/2 cup of blanched, chopped (or sliced) almonds.

Cherry Almond - use 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring, 1/3 cup dried cherries, minced, and 1/2 cup blanched, chopped (or sliced) almonds

Maple Walnut Bark – Use 1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring, and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Cranberry & Pistachios – 1/3 cup of dried cranberries, minced, and 1/2 cup of pistachios

Toasted Coconut and Almonds – 1/2 cup blanched, chopped (or sliced) almonds, and 1/3 cup of shredded coconut

Other variations:

Peanut Butter-  Replace the white chocolate, mint and peppermint candies with  16 ounces Peanut butter chips and  1/2 cup salted peanuts

Butterscotch – Replace the white chocolate with peanut butter chips, the chocolate with butterscotch chips, don’t use the peppermint extract, and replace the candy with peanuts and broken pretzels

Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties

1 egg white
4 cups powdered sugar (10x)
1/3 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
cornstarch
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips (either semi-sweet, or milk)

Beat the egg white until frothy, but don’t let it get stiff.

Begin adding the powdered sugar, blending with a mixer, if you have one. A fast whisk if you don’t.

Add in the corn syrup and the peppermint extract. You will need to knead this with your hands — add in more powdered sugar if you need to, until the mix isn’t sticky.

Cover a surface with cornstarch, and roll our the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter (think fun shapes for holidays), cut out the dough. If you use a 2 inch cutter, you should be able to get about 20. Set the cut out pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If refrigerating overnight, cover with plastic wrap.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. Use a microwave, and do short 30 second burts, stirring in-between, so the chocolate melts slowly, and isn’t broken.

Remove the peppermints from the refrigerator. Grab a second baking sheet, and line it with more parchment paper. Dip each piece into the melted chocolate (use a couple of forks, drop the piece in, lift out with the forks, and remove the excess chocolate by tapping the bowl. Place the peppermints on the parchment to cool. If this goes slowly for you, reheat the chocolate, again using the 30 second method, until the chocolate is melted again. Continue to dip the peppermints until you are finished. Don’t forget to lick the forks when you are done ;)

Refrigerate the peppermints for 30 or so minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened up. Wrap in candy wraps, and store in a cool dry area for up to 2 weeks.

This is Alton Brown’s Good Eats Recipe for Turkey.

Good Eats Roast Turkey Recipe

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

1 (14-16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water

For the aromatics:

1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves of sage
Canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5 gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500°F. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine. Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil. Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500°F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350°F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161°F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Thanksgiving Day

Cranberry Orange Pecan Bread

Grandmas Pumpkin Pie Juice

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Dinner:

How To Cook A Thanksgiving Turkey

Sausage & Mushroom Sage Dressing /Stuffing

Simple Baked Cream Corn

Twice Baked Potatoes, with Onion, Peppers and Bacon

Acorn Squash with Cranberry and Apples

Orange Cranberry Sauce, with Cinnamon and Pecans

Desserts:

No Bake Pumpkin Pie, with Pecan Crust

Frozen Cranberry Cream Pie

Maple Pumpkin Fudge

Enjoy!

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

2 15 Ounce Cans of Black Beans (or about 3 1/2 cups of beans, soaked overnight)
4 Cups Chicken Stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloved garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt, to taste
Rice (See recipe below)

In a medium sized pot, heat the olive oil until fragarant and hot.  Add in the peppers and onions, and saute until onions are slightly translucent.  Add in the garlic and saute a minute longer.  Add in the 2 cans of beans, and the 4 cups of chicken stock and stir well.  Lower heat to a simmer, cover and allow to simmer for about 40 minutes.

After about 20 minutes, prepare the rice.

2 Cups rice
1 3/4 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tablespoon butter (optional)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
a bit of Tumeric or Saffron for color, if you wish

In a small pot, add water, chicken stock, butter, salt, garlic and optional tumeric or saffron.  Bring the water/stock to a boil.  Add in the rice and stir to remove any lumps (don’t overstir it, or it can become too sticky).  Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting, or a low simmer for about 18 minutes. Remove from the heat.

To serve, I usually grab the soup bowls,and place a serving of rice into the bowl, and ladle the black bean mixture over the rice.

Sprinkle with a bit of freshly ground pepper.

Clara is a 94 year old woman, who shows how to create some frugal recipes, dating back to the Great Depression.   Her clips show her cooking, and of course how to create the recipe, but are also a great way to hear some of the history of that time.  A bag of potatoes for 1.00; growing a vegetable garden; life lessons ….. having to stop going to school because there wasn’t anything to wear; and of course, how to cook with very little.

This show has two seasons, with about ten 5-7 minute clips.  Take some time and watch.. you might be surprised at how much you learn, even outside of the recipe itself.  She has also put out a book, as well as a DVD — I’m just so impressed at the idea of her doing all these things, and feel the need to get up off my own tush and do something, too.. she is an inspiration.

This weekend is a rainy one, and with Autumn full upon us here in NY, I decided to make a “comfort food” — totally full of excess calories, but isn’t that what is called for sometimes?  It’s a simple tuna casserole, like Mom used to make — nothing fancy, nothing new, but uber yummy..with extra cheese ;)

Enjoy

Charlie, the Tuna - Sunkist Tuna (My fav)

Tuna Noodle Casserole

2 cans tuna in water, drained
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cheddar, shredded
1 cup peas, frozen
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms – baby ports, or white capped
1 pound pasta, cooked almost done

Mix the drained tuna, the soup, mayo, milk, cheddar, peas and mushrooms together while the pasta is cooking.  Heat the oven to 400F.

Cook the pasta until it is about 3/4 done.  Drain, and then mix with the tuna mixture.  Place in a baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes at 400F, until bubbly.

I’m always looking for recipes that include avocados, as they are one of my very favorite foods.  I had something like this a few years ago at a Cuban restaurant, using shrimp and thought it might be something to try with surimi, as that has become a staple food in my household.  Also on the menu were variations that included shrimp, lobster, clam and crab.

Marinated Stuffed Avacodos with Surimi

1 pound of surimi, diced
1/2 cup mayo
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
dash lemon juice
2 teaspoons oil (olive is best)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 avocados
Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper and paprika together well.  Prepare the avocados.  Cut each avocado in half, remove the seed, and peel so they end up in whole halves.  Pour the vinegar mixture over the avacodos and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, dice the surimi. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the surimi and set it aside. Mix the remaining surimi with the mayo well.  Fill the avacados with the surimi/mayo mixture.  Sprinkle the reserved 1 tablespoon of surimi over the top of the filled avocados.  Wrap lightly and refrigerate to chill.

Notes:

Replace the surimi with shrimp, lobster, scallops, fresh tuna, or other favorite seafood