TOM DOUGLAS' BIG DINNERS COOKBOOK

A few weeks ago, we had dinner with good friends at Etta's restaurant in Seattle. Head chef, Tom Douglas and his staff prepared a wonderful feast....it was amazing.

Born in Cleveland, raised in Newark and Delaware, Tom found himself broke in Seattle at age 19, and never left. Thank goodness. Never formally trained except by his two granmothers and his mother, he loved to cook - often making breakfast in bed for his parents-he took Home Economics in school.

He wrote a cookbook in Seattle called, " Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen". He realized by listening to his fans that they were choosing a single recipe from the book and then trying to figure out the rest of the menu themselves for bigger crowds. So to help everyone out, he put together the book above, "Tom Douglas' Big Dinners".

It is fabulous! There are 13 different menus with additions of cocktails that set the appropriate mood. He also suggests assortments of appetizers for cocktail parties. He adds tips for do-ahead dishes and shortcuts. There is an introduction to each menu that helps with the setting of your event. The full-color photos are tremendous and beautiful. A must have for the people in your life that cook for lots of family and friends!

Great Christmas Gift!

ENJOY!

FOOTBALL TIME - BEAN AND CHICKEN CHILI

Now that Thanksgiving is over, you know the football season isn't far behind...boo hoo!!!!!! After a big meal of turkey and ALL the side dishes, it will be nice to settle down with a one pot dish that just tastes delicious and makes watching the game so much more enjoyable...less clean up!!!

Ingredients:

6 dried small red chiles stemmed and seeded
1 tbl cumin seeds
1 lb dried pinto beans soaked overnight and drained
2 tbl fresh oregano leaves (or 3 tsp dried)
2 large yellow ontions diced
3 large carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
7 cloves garlic minced
2 fresh jalapenos stemmed, seeded, diced
2 lb skinless chicken thighs
salt
grated cheddar cheese for garnish

In a small bowl, cover the dried chiles with boiling water and let steep for about 15 minutes until soft. Reserve 2 cups of the soaking water and drain the seeds from the rest of the water. Puree the chilies in a blender with the 2 cups reserved water.

In a small saute pan, add cumin seeds and toast. Grind them in a blender after about 5 minutes. In the same pan toast the oregano leaves (only fresh ones) and remove as they start to dry out.

Put the beans in a soup pot and cover with 7 cups of water. Add the chili puree, toasted cumin and oregano, onions, carrots, garlic, celery, jalapenos ans chicken thighs. Bring to a boil then reduce and skim off fat as it rises. Remove the chicken when it is cooked through about 25 minutes. After it cools, shred the chicken thigh meat and set aside and discard the bones.

Continue to cook the beans until tender about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Return the chicken to the pot and heat through. Add salt to taste. Serve with grated cheese on top.

The house will smell great!
ENJOY!

FRIDAY COCKTAIL - THANKSGIVING APRICOT MARTINI

I hope eveyone had a marvelous Thanksgiving!!!!!

This lucious cocktail pairs wonderfully with all your Thanksgiving leftovers. The brandy and lemon juice add a subtle blend of fruit flavors to this martini.

Enjoy your leftovers....

3/4 oz good Gin or Vodka

3/4 oz dry vermouth

3/4 oz apricot brandy

1/4 oz lemon juice

cherry for garnish

Pour everything except the cherry into a martini shaker with ice and strain into a martini glass.

Lucious!

ENJOY!

ELEGANT TAPENADE TOAST POINTS

These are so elegant, yet unbelievably simple to put together. What a great starter for tomorrow's feast. If you need a small dish to bring to Grandma's house this is IT!

You can make the tapenade up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to put these lil' darlings together. Make sure you bring the tapenade to room temperature before you spread. These ingredients make about 16 toast points.

Ingredients:

1/2 lemon

roasted red peppers cut into 16 thin strips

1 cup pitted kalamata olives

1 tsp fresh finely chopped rosemary

1 garlic clove, salted and mashed to paste

1-2 tbl olive oil

salt

fresh pepper
toast points (see below)

Tapenade:

Zest the lemon half. Put the zest, olives, rosemary and garlic in a food processor. Add the olive oil through the feed tube pulsing until you get a thick uniform paste. Transfer to a bowl and squeeze the juice from the half lemon into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper and more lemon juice if you like.

Toast Points:

4 slices of country white bread

1 tbl unsalted butter, melted

salt

pepper

With your oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler, set on high. Set the slices of bread on a baking sheet and brush one side with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Toast in broiler until they are crisp on one side about 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side. While they are still hot slice off the crusts. Let cool a bit before cutting into triangles or squares.

To assemble, spread the tapenade on the toast points and then top them with a slice of red pepper in a curl shape.

YUmmmm EASY!

ENJOY!

HOLIDAY CORNBREAD PECAN STUFFING

Stuffing...so many varieties, there could be a section of a bookstore devoted to the many many

stuffing/dressing recipes. I actually add some cooked wild rice to this recipe, which I love but some people may think the wild rice has too much flavor and takes away a bit from the cornbread taste.

You can make this the day ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to stuff the turkey. You can make homemade cornbread, or from a box. I actually use cornbread stuffing croutons.

Ingredients:

1 pkg cornbread stuffing

1 stick unsalted butter

5-6 slices of good bacon

1-1/2 cups chopped onion

1-1/2 cups chopped celery

2 large shallots chopped

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tbl dried sage

3 cups toasted pecans, chopped

3 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth

salt

fresh ground pepper

In a large saute pan, add 4 tbl butter and add bacon and brown slowly until it is crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside. Leaving the fat in the pan, add the onion, celery, shallots, thyme and sage. Stir often until soft about 10 minutes. Toss the vegetable and pecans with the cornbread stuffing. Season with salt and pepper. Add the eggs stirring just until it holds together. If you need more liquid, melt a little butter and add it to the mixture.

Let it cool completely before filling the turkey. Bake any extra in a greased dish for about 45 minutes basting it occassionally.

If you want to add wild rice, cook it according to package directions and add to the stuffing with the vegetables. You may want to cut back a bit on the cornbread and taste after incorporated and add more cornbread stuffing as you like.

A nice change of pace!

ENJOY!

HOLIDAY BUTTERNUT SQUASH GRATIN

What is a winter holiday without butternut squash!! While I don't have a great time peeling it (it has a tough skin and can be a bit difficult to peel), it is very much worth the effort. This is a great substitute for traditional mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes.

You can assemble the gratins a day ahead, without the breadcrumbs, and refrigerate overnight.

Ingredients:

3 lb butternut squash peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 large onions chopped into about a 1 inch dice
3 tbl fresh chopped sage
2 cloves of garlic minced
2-1/2 tbl unsalted butter
1 tbl olive oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tbl heavy cream heated to warm
salt
fresh ground pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease a gratin dish (13 x 9) with butter. In a large saute pan melt 1 tbl unsalted butter and olive oil over low heat. Add the onion and sage. Cover and cook on low while you dice the squash.
Put the squash in a steamer basket over simmering water. Cover and let steam until tender - about 10 minutes. Pour squash in the gratin dish with the garlic and sprinkle with 3/4 tsp salt.

Cook the onions until carmelized about 25 minutes total. Season with salt and pepper and add them to the gratin dish and mix with the squash. Pour warm cream over the vegetables.

Toss the panko breadcrumbs with 1-1/2 tbl melted unsalted butter. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the gratin and bake until the top is brown and bubbling about 40 minutes.

This will become a great holiday favorite!
ENJOY!

BLOGGER'S NOTE - PARTY DAY

Today is Rachel's big party....I am cooking up a storm then partying at a local bar..

Be back tomorrow

Go Patriots tomorrow against Indy