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Giving thanks!

We shared a lovely Thanksgiving with family and friends this year at our house. 

Brooke's southern drop biscuits.

Heath and Brooke

Not your momma's green bean casserole.

Cornbread stuffing

Roasted Brussels sprouts

Amanda enjoying her wine in a silver goblet.

The dinner table all lit up

Our spread

This was my plate - and I cleaned it but wasn't able to go back for seconds.

Brooke's pecan pie - delicious!

Amanda's three fruit desert - pears, apples, and figs - YUM

After the feast, Dad and Connie decided their tummies needed an Underberg.

HOME - Our tree

We have a gorgeous tree in our front yard. It is giant and provides an amazing amount of shade that is much appreciated in the summer. I love the tree, Rob is on the fence about it. Based on our experiences with the tree and sewer line in Moscow, we are a bit concerned about what the future holds and what the giant root system is doing below ground. Regardless, this is our tree and we DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS! I have the same tree outside my office at work - no one can tell me what it is there either. What kind of environmental scientists are we? 

A cool thing happens once a year, on one day. The tree losses all of it's leaves. On one day (maybe 2). Gone. They just fall off. In one dramatic event. We happened to lose them this year on November 24th. All of them. The drop this year coincided with very cold weather and 3 inches of snow. You wouldn't know that because the leaves are covering all of the snow in our front yard. 

The tree on November 16.

And then again on November 24.

After skiing (in some of the most amazing snow I could have ever hoped for in NOVEMBER) we raked up all the leaves. They are bagged and ready to be dumped in the city compost pile. Too many leaves to add to our compost bins. 

KITCHEN - cranberry sauce

I cannot imagine eating jellied cranberries from a can ever again, however, they still have a place at our Thanksgiving table. Rob cannot live without this memory of childhood Thanksgiving. I was able to swap out the old standby green bean casserole (aka cream of mushroom soup, canned mushy green beans, and friend onions) with 'not your momma's green bean casserole' (recipe will be posted later). For now - here are the super easy directions for whipping up a batch of cranberry sauce. So good you'll want to eat it up with a spoon. 

Recipe

2 c fresh cranberries

1 c water

1 c sugar

Bring water and sugar to a boil and add the cranberries.

Bring back to a boil. 

Continue simmering while stirring frequently. 

Continue cooking until cranberries pop - about 10 minutes. 

Transfer cranberry sauce to a bowl or canning jar. 

Enjoy!

REVIEW - Ray's Tavern (Green River, Utah)

On our way home from Moab this weekend, we stopped at Ray's Tavern in Green River. I have heard from many people that Ray's is the place to get a burger after a weekend of mountain biking in Moab or river running down the Green. We were quite hungry after our visit to Dead Horse Point State Park (more later), subsequent off-road experience on Gemini Bridges, and ferocious blowing winds on highway 191 (again, more later but here's a sneak peak at the vicious tumbleweed obstacles).

Ray's is right off the main drag in Green River. The wind was howling when we pulled in - notice the flag.

Neat place with lots of river rafting photos and paraphernalia. I took this photo right before Elmer walked in. He was an older gentleman who opened the door and could not close it behind him because the wind was so strong! He was no stranger here and before he sat in his barstool, a beer was delivered to his seat. It was great to see that in Utah.

We (along with 5 other tables of people) were sitting to the right in this photo in large wooden booths. 

We both ordered bacon cheeseburgers. Holy cow - they were giant!

I forgot to mention that Ray's Tavern has ~10 items on the menu. When you are told they make a mean burger, you should order the burger. The fries were fresh cut and tasty as well. You might as well go all out when you order a burger. In case you are wondering, they do have garden burgers.

Time to dig in!

Rob and I would both recommend without hesitation - stop at Ray's if want a good burger and good ambiance. We only wished we didn't have to get back on the road so we could enjoy a couple beers. Maybe next time.

KITCHEN - cranberry coffee cake with orange zest streusel

Thanksgiving breakfast for us!

I made this festive coffee cake for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning. Overall, it was a hit. If you bake it the night before you plan to eat it, you might want to remove it from the pan just after cool or even while cooling. I waited until the morning and had to run a knife along the edges and use a spatula to extract the loaf.

• 
  
• Recipe
• Streusel topping
  1/4 c melted butter
  1/4 c oats
  2 T brown sugar
  2 T flour
  1/4 c sliced or chopped almonds (or any other nuts you'd prefer)
  2 t orange zest
  
  
  Combine all ingredients until moist and crumbly. Set aside.
  
  
• Cake   slightly adapted from here
• 2 c fresh or thawed frozen cranberries (I used fresh)
• 1.5 c granulated sugar
• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 c whole milk

Makes 6 to 8 servings. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Pulse cranberries with 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a food processor until finely chopped (do not purée). Transfer to a sieve and let drain while making batter.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together butter and remaining 1 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl with a standing mixer for about 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing until just incorporated.

Spread one third of batter evenly in well-buttered loaf pan*, then spoon half of drained cranberries evenly over batter, leaving a 1/2-inch border along sides. Top with another third of batter and remaining cranberries, leaving a 1/2-inch border along sides, then cover with remaining batter. Spread streusel topping over the top of the cake batter. Pat down gently. 

Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a tester inserted in center comes out without crumbs, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes.

Invert cake onto rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*Suggested using a 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan, however, I used 2 smaller loaf pans and baked for ~45 minutes. 

Pulse the cranberries and sugar.

So they look like this.

Drain them in a colander in the sink.

Skip a few steps and spread 1/3 of the batter in the loaf pan (I spread 1/6th since I was used 2 smaller pans).

Spread 1/2 of the cranberries (I spread 1/4...).

Then 1/3 (or 1/6) of the batter.

Repeat those steps again until the final layer of batter is spread. Top with all (or 1/2) of the streusel topping.

Bake, and enjoy!

KITCHEN - paneer - Indian cheese

One of the most delicate and versatile cheeses imaginable. It is used in many Indian dishes as an important protein source. I made this to be added to a super yummy saag paneer dish (shown above and more on that later). This is a very simple recipe - give it a try!

Start by pouring 8 cups of milk (I used whole) into a sauce pan.

Bring to a boil.

Add one of the following coagulants: 3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 c sour plain yogurt, or 3 T cider vinegar diluted with 3 T water.

As soon as the milk curdles, remove from heat.

Pour the cheese and liquid through a colander lined with thin fabric or 4 layers of cheese cloth and place it in the sink.

Run fresh cold water through the cheese to wash away the excess odor of the coagulant.

Take all 4 ends of the cloth and gently twist to extract as much water as possible.

Hang cheese in the sink for 30 minutes. 

Congratulations - you have now made chenna! Now, you've got to remove more water to solidify the cheese for cooking. Twist up the cheese again and weight it down with something heavy (I used a large stock pot filled with water) for an hour.

Now you've made paneer!

Now cut it into 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch by 1-inch pieces and enjoy!

I dusted the paneer in flour and lightly browned it to be added to the saag paneer (I post the recipe for that later).

Ready to added to the spinach.