Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

I thought I had shared this recipe - but it seems that I had not.  Here is the backstory.  So we are always looking for ways to use slow cookers when we have big family meals.  The idea of having a slow cooker taking a job away from the stove for a big event like Thanksgiving is a good one.  This is doubly valuable when you have a smaller kitchen.  We had made this once before - but I could not find the recipe I used.  Fast forward to 2020 - and we are in a smaller kitchen.  We just moved (yep - great time to do that) and we now have a smaller freezer.  So that extra turkey we bought on sale needed to be cooked!  And we need mashed potatoes...right?

There are lots of recipes out there - but I found one that I wanted to try from the American Heart Association's recipe collection.  This is a great place to start for healthy dishes that you can make at home.  I found a recipe for their Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes (from the Idaho Potato Commission).  I tweaked this a bit and loved the way it came out.  It was pretty easy to make and much better for you than many of the recipes I found.

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

4-5 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" slices
2 tsp Sea (or Kosher) salt
1 tsp Black pepper
2 cups Broth (vegetable or chicken)
2 cups Water
1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter
1/2 cup Skim milk (adjust to taste)

Directions

1. Place the peeled and cut potatoes in cold water to cover for around 1-2 hours.  Drain potatoes.
2. Add potatoes, sea salt, black pepper, broth and water (in that order) to the slow cooker.  Cover and set on high for 4 hours.
3. When potatoes are tender, drain most of the liquid (adjust to taste).  Then add the butter (sliced into tablespoon sized portions) and the skim milk.
4. Use a potato masher (or small electric mixer), slowly beat potatoes are mashed.  Add additional butter or milk to taste. 
5. Leave on low or warm until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Zhender's Cranberry Relish

If you live in Michigan, there is a good chance that you have been to Frankenmuth.  That is a lovely city about an hour and a half Northwest of Detroit where they have cultivated a beautiful German themed community and have the best fried chicken in the Midwest.  The places for chicken are two huge competing restaurants that are owned by members of the same family (if you go back far enough).  Zhender's and the Bavarian Inn both have similar, but not identical menus.  Both offer the family style chicken dinners (all you can eat) which are one of the best ways to get insanely full anywhere in the state of Michigan.

One of the fun sides that come with the meals is a cranberry relish - especially if you go to Zhender's.  I have seen a few recipes on the web, and I have tweaked it a bit to lower the sugar.  This is a member submission on epicurious.  Here is one shared from The Flavors of Frankenmuth (from John Zhender). Love the way this turns out.

Ingredients
1 lbs Cranberries, fresh
2 Granny smith apples
2 Naval oranges
1 3/4 cups Sugar

Directions

1. Freeze cranberries overnight.
2. Clean apples, then core into large sliced (leave skin on).
3. Add half the frozen cranberries and apples to a food processor.  Chop until they are around a 1/4" large pieces.  Move to a mixing bowl.
4. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.  Move those to the same mixing bowl.
5. Clean the oranges.  Remove the tops and bottoms of the oranges and cut into sliced.  With the rest of the peel, add to the food processor and lightly chop until the peel pieces are around 1/4" large.  Add to the mixing bowl with the cranberries and apples.
6. Add sugar to the mixing bowl and blend.
7. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Enjoy!

Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Adapted from a recipe from Cooking Light. First stab at making this dish at home and this was super easy and delicious! It has a real nice orange taste (I love the blend of orange and cranberries).

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3/4 cup Orange juice
2 tbsp Orange rind, grated (from one large orange)
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
12 oz package Fresh Cranberries

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer 12 minutes (or when the cranberries pop).
3. Pour into a serving container and chill before serving (excellent to do the day before you need it).

Enjoy!

Red-Skinned & Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Red-Skinned & Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Getting these recipes that were from last Thanksgiving finally on my blog.  This was a recipe that was adapted from a few.  The primary inspiration came from the recipe for Red Skin Potato Mash from Food & Wine magazine.  We don't normally make mashed potatoes from scratch, but these were not that hard and came out great.  A great addition to any big holiday meal.

Ingredients (serves 12)
1 Garlic head, top sliced off
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt, divided
5 lbs Red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 2" chunks.
1 2/3 sticks Unsalted butter
1 2/3 cups Skim milk
1/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Place the garlic head (with the top sliced off) in aluminum foil and drizzle with the olive oil and 1/2 tsp of kosher salt.  Close the foil over the garlic to create a pouch.  Place it in the oven for an hour and half.
3. After the garlic has been cooking for around an hour, add the potatoes and the remaining kosher salt in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook over moderately high heat for around 25-30 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and return to the pot off the heat.
4. Remove the garlic from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.  Squeeze the roasted garlic into the potatoes and then add the butter, skim milk, and black pepper.
5. Mash the potato mixture until well blended.  Add butter and milk as needed.

Enjoy!

Corey's Green Bean Casserole

Corey's Green Bean Casserole

This is my variation of the holiday favorite.  We made this last year for Thanksgiving and I am only finally posting it now.  I adapted this from the "official" recipes on the Campbell's Kitchen site and French's (the people that make the great French Fried onions.  This is simple and a great addition to any holiday meal.

Ingredients (serves 6 - The above picture is a double portion)

1 10 3/4 oz can Condensed cream of mushroom Soup
1/2 cup Skim milk
1/4 tsp Black pepper
4 cups Green beans, frozen
1 1/2 cup French fried onions

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix the soup, milk, black pepper, beans and half the fried onions in a casserole.
3. Bake for 40 minutes and then stir the bean mixture.
4. Sprinkle the remaining onions atop the mixture and cook for 5-10 minutes more (until golden brown).

Enjoy!

Sauteed Carrots with Sage

Sauteed Carrots with Sage

   

 This is another side that I am going to make a staple in our Thanksgiving dinner. This is a very easy side, but very tasty. It works great for any big meal, like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. This was adapted from a recipe from Cooking Light.

Ingredients (for 8 servings)
2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 cups Carrot, sliced diagonally (or baby cut carrots cut in half longwise)
4 tbsp Water
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/2 tsp Sage, dried

Directions
1. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. 
2. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Then add carrots and water. Partially cover pan and cook 10 minutes or until carrots are almost tender. 
3. Add kosher salt, black pepper and dried sage to the pan.  Increase the heat to medium-high and cook 4-6 additional minutes or until carrots are tender and lightly browned, stirring frequently.

Enjoy as a great side with meals.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes & Cranberries

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes & Cranberries


So this recipe has been sitting on my flickr photostream without a recipe for...well a full year.  So I wanted to get this down and shared because it was fantastic and super easy.  We are going make this again for Thanksgiving.  I love the fact that it takes just a few minutes to get rolling and it will cook all day without using a burner.  What a great meal that is perfect for Thanksgiving - but really nice with any winter meal.  Definitely will be a family favorite.  This was adapted from the recipe for Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes & Cranberries With Toasted Pecans from Food.com.

Ingredients
4 Sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" slices
3/4 cup Cranberries, fresh
1 Apple, peeled & cut into 1/4" slices
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
2/3 cup Brown sugar
1/2 cup Apple cider

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker in the order that they are listed in recipe.
2. Cook on LOW setting for 7-9 hours (until the sweet potatoes are tender).

Enjoy!

Magic Beans

So I have been trying very hard to cook well and healthy over the past few years. The results have been great for the most part. But every so often, you want to make something that is amazing that might not be as healthy as it could be. And that brings me to these "Magic Beans" - maybe these are not healthy foods - but they were amazing! I suppose we could cut back a little on the olive oil...but man, these were great. I adapted these from a previous recipe for Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Almonds. This in turn was adapted from a Tyler Florence recipe on the Food Network website. I believe that this will be a new side dish when I feel the need to impress my guests!

 Ingredients (Serves 4):
1/2 pounds Green beans (trimmed of stem end)
4 tbsp Olive oil (trim this a bit for a slightly healthier dish)
1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced (or 3 medium onions)
1/4 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)
8 oz Mushrooms (white or baby bella), sliced
1/4 tsp Thyme, dried
1/4 cup Sliced almonds

Directions
1. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the green beans. Cook for five minutes. Drain the beans and then run them under some cold water to stop them from cooking.
2. Heat olive oil to low-medium heat in a saute pan. Add the onions, kosher salt and pepper and cook for around 20 minutes (stirring often).
3. Add mushrooms, dried thyme and sliced almonds - then cook for 4-5 more minutes.
4. Add the cooked green beans to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes more.

ENJOY this amazing side dish!

Seeded Bread Twists

Seeded Bread Twists

Adapted from the Poppy Seed Twists recipe from Cooking Light, way back in 2001. While this is a bit of work, using frozen bread dough makes it much easier! Making this for Thanksgiving dinner!

Ingredients
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 1/4 cup Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Poppy seeds
1 tsp Caraway seeds
1 tsp Sesame seeds
a pinch of Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
a pinch of Black pepper (adjust to taste)
1 (1-pound) Loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed
1 tsp Skim milk
1 large egg

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature in a bowl. Stir in poppy, caraway and sesame seeds along with kosher salt and pepper.
2. Roll the dough into a large rectangle (around 14" x 12") on a lightly floured surface.
3. Spread the onion mixture lengthwise over half of rectangle. Fold dough in half lengthwise; press edges of dough firmly to seal. Then cut the dough into 12 (6-inch-long) strips. Gently lift both ends of dough, and twist. Place twisted dough strips 1 inch apart on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper or coated with cooking spray. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let sit for around 40 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375°.
5. Combine the milk and egg in a bowl and brush over dough. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet, and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Enjoy. These will reheat nicely if frozen.

Holiday Red Cabbage and Chestnuts

Holiday Red Cabbage and Chestnuts

This is an adaptation of a family recipe that I got from my mom. I loved making this for the holidays - but it is not a dish that everyone loved. Please note that this recipe makes a ton - freeze part of it since you will never eat it all.

Ingredients:
2 Onions (medium sized) - sliced thinly in a mandolin
2 Shallots - sliced thinly in a mandolin
3-4 tbps Olive Oil
1 head of Red Cabbage - sliced at the thicker level (~1/4" thick) after removing outer layers (Sometimes cabbages can be too much - so use as much as you want above 1/2 a head).
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 Whole Apple - Peeled and Chopped
1-2 cups Roasted Peeled Chestnuts (around 11 ounces)


Directions:
1. Heat Olive Oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add Onions and Shallots and saute until brown 6-8 minutes.
2. Add sliced Cabbage to pot and mix.
3. Add Salt & Peper to mix and then add water to cover around 3/4 of the ingredients.
4. Lower heat and simmer for one hour.
5. Add Chopped Apples and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
6. Add Chestnuts and simmer for an additional 45 minutes.

Roasted Turkey

Roasted Turkey



This is the way that we have cooked turkey for the last few times we have a big holiday meal. This was adapted from a recipe from Food Network and one from the Longaberger Cookbook (yep...the basket people).

Ingredients
1 (8 to 12 pound) turkey (frozen is fine...but hey, defrost it in time)
2 tbs Rosemary (dried)
2 tbs Thyme (dried)
2 tbs Parsley (dried)
2 tbs Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
2 tsp Black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme (3/4 oz.)
1 lemon, halved
4 medium Yellow onions - three are quartered and one peeled and cut into 1/4" slices for the bottom of the pan)
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
6 tablespoons unsalted (3/4 stick) melted butter
1 cup of hot Water

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice one onion and place it on the bottom of a roasting pan.  
3. Take the giblets and neck out of the turkey and place the turkey in a large roasting pan.
4. Using half the kosher salt and pepper, put the mixture on the inside of the turkey cavity. Then stuff with fresh thyme, lemon (halved), three remaining onion (quartered), and the garlic (halved).
5. Brush the outside of the turkey with melted butter.
6. Mix the dried rosemary, thyme, parsley and remaining salt and pepper.  Spread the spice mixture over the turkey (it will stick to where the butter is). Depending on the size of the turkey, you might need more more or less spice mixture.
7. Place the turkey in the oven and reduce the heat to 325 degrees.  Roast the turkey (using the directions on the package). For a ten pound turkey, it cooked in around 3 hours. Baste the turkey every 20 minutes pan juices.
8. Remove the turkey when the indicator pops. Cover with foil and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.