Stuffing Mix fit for Thanksgiving

Last Thanksgiving, my sister made this recipe for our big meal together as a family. Thoroughly impressed, I asked her for the recipe, expecting it to be completely homemade. When she gave it to me, I was really surprised - the base wasn't a time-consuming completely homemade recipe, but instead was based on Stove Top Stuffing. She got it in turn from a magazine, and I unfortunately don't remember where she got it. I'd be more than happy to include a link to the magazine website, and as soon as I find/remember it, I'll include a link on my blog.

Scrumptious Stuffing

1 12-oz box of stuffing
2 14-oz can of chicken broth
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh sage, finely diced
2 Tbsp thyme leaves, finely diced
1/2 cup pecan pieces, coursely chopped
1/4 cup cranberries

Stir up the box of stuffing and the chicken broth in a casserole dish. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

I'll definitely be making this stuffing at all my future Thanksgiving dinners, that's for sure.

Rice Pudding à la Sweden

One of my favorite memories from growing up in my hometown was hanging out with my grandma Jones. She lived just a few blocks away. She lived on her own, and loved gardening and growing roses. I'd go there a lot after school, as I had few friends my age, and I loved being with her. Although a lot of our time was spent watching old fashioned movies and working in the garden, Grandma would also make some really good food.

Although I don't have any of her recipes now, I developed a love of rice pudding, but never really found one I liked. I even tried Julia Child's rice pudding recipe, which though quite tasty didn't give the same feeling as eating Grandma's pudding. Then I got a recipe from my cousin Andrea for a traditional Swedish pudding --- and I was blown away. I did some changing of the recipe that I really enjoyed as well. It is thick and creamy, but doesn't taste overly seasoned. It's just amazing.

Swedish Pudding
a recipe from my cousin Andrea Ouzounian

1 1/3 cup pearl rice (or medium grain equivalent)
2 2/3 cup water
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter

In large pot, bring to boil. Set to simmer until water is almost cooked in.

Add:
6 cups whole milk (I substituted one can coconut milk for some of the milk, just so that the total was 6 cups--- holy cow so good)
3 cinnamon sticks (optional) - I sprinkled cinnamon on it.

Simmer, stirring often so it doesn't stick to the bottom, until desired consistency. I think I cooked it about 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Pudding will thicken slightly when cooled. Eat warm or cold. Sweeten with sugar and/or cinnamon and/or nutmeg.


There it is. Simple. And delicious.

Carrot Casserole: Memories from growing up

As an American, Thanksgiving was the most important family holiday. We grew up about four-five hours away from my mother's parents, and we knew that Thanksgiving was one of the few times that we got to go to our Grandma Gubler's house and see our numerous cousins. And what a feast it was! Turkey, and corn, and home-made stuffing, and yams, and pies of every variety. It seemed like there were hundreds of us, but I know there were dozens of people there. And although my memory may be playing tricks on me, it seemed that we often had carrot casserole.

I know, I know. Casserole, made from carrots?? But trust me. It has been a family favorite for years and years, and my mom makes it every Thanksgiving and Christmas (and many times in between), and it is the first thing that gets devoured. I think it's all the cheese. But I digress.

The recipe is pretty simple:

Carrot Casserole
from the kitchen of Denise Jones
2-3 lbs carrots
dried basil
dried onion (or if you prefer, 1/4-1/2 of a finely diced fresh onion)

White sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup - 2 cups milk

grated cheddar cheese
two-three slices bread, broken up into small pieces
1-2 Tbsp butter


Peel the carrots and slice --- I much prefer to use my food processor, as I don't want to follow the family tradition of spending an hour slicing the carrots. The processor takes 5 minutes, and honestly, no one really knows the difference anyway.

when they're peeled and sliced, fill a large pot with water and carrots. Make sure the carrots are covered with water. Sprinkle basil liberally in there. I'd say to use a good teaspoon at least --- I generally cover the top of the water with a solid layer of basil. Boil this until it's tender --- about half an hour or so. Feel free to add the dried/fresh onion here (or you can add it to the roux - your choice).

While the carrots are boiling, you can begin the white sauce (which for fru-fru cooks you'd call a roux). Melt the butter on medium to medium high heat, and add the flour, and cook it together until it bubbles. Add the mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the milk, set to low, and slowly cook until it thickens.

Drain the carrots, and grab your casserole dish (this recipe typically will fit in a 2-quart casserole dish; for a large family size, I'd double the recipe and use a 9x13 dish. put half of the carrots in the bottom of the dish, and pour half of the white sauce on. add a layer of cheddar cheese. add the rest of the carrots in the pan, pour the remaining white sauce on top, and add another layer of cheese. For the topping, break the bread into small pieces; melt the butter in a pan, and toss the bread crumbs in the butter. Sprinkle on top of the casserole.

Bake at 350-375 for 45 minutes. You may want to cover the crumbs for the first 30 minutes, or else it'll burn. Trust me, I've learned this from experience.


Now that I am starting my new traditions, one thing that will continue to show up on my dinner table will be carrot casserole - a Jones family tradition