You've Got To Taste This

    If you’re looking to fry a delicious turkey for Thanksgiving without using a lot of messy oil then I have an idea for you. With The Big Easy turkey fryer, which uses infrared heating, it’s possible to get a lighter, fried turkey for your Thanksgiving feast. Although, I don’t think I took the fat free way “per se” in my kitchen. I went a little “Paula Dean” on my bird for a pre-Thanksgiving get together with friends, and it truly wowed a crowd. Two days before our gathering I bought a 19.97 lb turkey before reading the instructions in The Big Easy handbook that stated “will hold up to 16 lbs of turkey.”  Under my stubborn disregard for instructions I proceeded to prep the turkey for excellence. It began with a brine....

Thanksgiving is mere days away, which means Christmas is right around the corner. When did that happen? At MyRecipes.com, we've been thinking about holiday food for weeks and weeks, and finally it's time to actually enjoy some with family and friends.

Now I love turkey and green bean casserole as much as the next person, but let's be honest. When you think holidays, you think sweets. And when you think sweets, the prettier they look, the sweeter they somehow taste.

Through a very official selection process known as "I pick the ones I'd most want to eat," I'm giving you the 10 prettiest holiday cookies on our site -- according to Carrie. To find over 1,000 more delicious cookie recipes, visit our cookie page.

And in no particular order, they are...

                            

   Peppermint         Chocolate-Dipped         Vanilla Bean               Rudolph's        Peppermint-Topped
     Pinwheel         Hazelnut Shortbread      Sugar Cookies        Christmas Sugar          Brownies
       Cookies                        Hearts                                                                Cookies     

                         

  Gingerbread              Peppermint                  Amaretto                 Cookie Trees             Gingerbread
        People               Molasses Cookies       Butter Cookies                                                      Pinwheels
 

Comment with a vote for your favorite! Or, tell me about one that didn't make my list! Happy baking!

Here's an update from our friend Marge Perry about the huge cookie "bake-a-thon"  organized to raise money for kids' cancer research. Congrats on a great job for a great cause.

We had an incredible group of volunteers at all times. We started at 6.30 in the morning and went clear through to midnight. It was amazing to see people young and old work together with the single goal of getting these cookies baked and packaged and out the door. We had a million “best” moments: they all had to do with the wonderful giving spirit of over 100 volunteers who worked in shifts throughout the day. I wish I could name them all, because they sure deserve credit. There was the ICE (Institute of Culinary Education, where we did the baking) employee who worked from morning until his 3:00  pm shift—and then came back after his shift and stayed until midnight. His connection? Simply that he saw what we were doing and knew he could help. Or the working Mom who was supposed to leave at 5.30—and finally asked her husband and 12 year-old daughter to come help instead of having dinner. They stayed until the baking was done. There were the ladies who came with their 13-year old boys, and signed up to hold big bake sales in their own neighborhoods before they left. The list goes on and on…Over a hundred people baking and packaging cookies together, giving their time and their hearts to help save children’s lives.

Okay, enough of the mushy stuff:, I should ‘fess up about our worst moment. When the very last box of cookie dough was set out on trays and ready to bake, a bunch of us gave a collective “Whoopee!” of joy—and two minutes later discovered two cartons of unbaked cookies. No time for whining, though--  we took a deep breath, continued on. I am happy to report we still managed to finish the baking ahead of schedule.

Check out the video with Liam, the little boy who is the inspiration for all this baking. You can host a bake sale, too (and you don’t have to bake 30,000 cookies to have one!) . Between now and December 31st, Glad is matching all money raised  dollar for dollar. Go to www.Cookiesforkidscancer.org for complete details and check out the cookie recipes on MyRecipes if you want to have your own cookie bake sale.  

If you are involved in a cooke bake sale or any other charitable food event during the holiday season, we'd love to hear about it so we can share with our audience.

When I spent a few months in Greece, my friends and I discovered one of the most surprisingly delicious new foods the country had to offer: giant beans. Yep, giant beans (a.k.a. beans as big as your thumb). They're so filling that they are the meal, yet they look so simple that they leave you wondering: what is their secret?

In technical bean terms, they're called gigantes (pronounced "YE-gone-tays"), and in fancy Greek writing, they're γιγαντες. But in any language, they're downright divine. You could order them in almost any restaurant in Greece, but back in the U.S., they're nearly impossible to find (so far, my only luck has been one neighborhood deli in New York City).

So naturally, I was ecstatic when I discovered this Cooking Light recipe for Baked Gigantes in Tomato Sauce, and I practically fainted when I learned I that Nabeel's Mediterranean market here in Birmingham imports dried gigantes.

I decided to try out the recipe a few weeks ago, and it was a huge success! The ingredients are basic vegetables and seasoning, and it doesn't require any fancy kitchen gadgets. It is somewhat time-consuming, but it's really easy -- and completely worth it. I made several friends try a bite or two, and their responses have been a unanimous "YUM!" I've even convinced fellow intern Georgia to try her hand at the recipe later this week!

Ok come on, I can tell you're skeptical, but trust me, you'll love them. 

Click here to try the recipe now.

Yesterday at our office we celebrated all of the November birthdays and it was my turn to bring the treats. It was suggested that we do something Thanksgiving-like, and pecan pie came to mind.  The problem is that I'm really not a pastry chef or anything close, and I hated to display my baking inadequacies to the whole staff. And even if I could make a pie crust, it would be a challenge to make enough pies to feed the whole group. 

My solution?  Pecan Pie Bars.  All the ooey, gooey sweetness and crunch of pecan pie, but in bar cookie form. And, instead of a pastry crust, these have a buttery shortbread crust that was a breeze to make and absolutely divine. The recipe says that the yield is 16 large bars, but they're pretty rich, so I cut them into smaller bars and had plenty to serve our group.  A small bar is perfect for when you just need a little bite of something sweet.

We served these along with vanilla ice cream and I don't think anyone was disappointed that we didn't have pie. These were such a hit that I think I'll be making them again to take to my family's Thanksgiving meal. Now I no longer have to fret about being pie crust challenged.  Let me know what desserts you'll be making for your Thanksgiving feast. 

I adore apples: fresh, baked, sauteed, and pressed into cider but applesauce was never my thing.

Sweet Harvest Applesauce Bundt Cake

1½ cups unbleached white all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour, plus
additional for the pan
1¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon
8 to 10 vigorous gratings of nutmeg (or two pinches ground nutmeg)
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of ground allspice
½ cup raisins
2 to 4 tbsp. walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional but it gives the cake a great crunch)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1¼ cups unsweetened applesauce (chunky or smooth)
¼ cup mild vegetable oil (e.g, corn, canola, peanut)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Decide on the pan: a 9-inch bundt cake pan, an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan, or three 5 x 2-inch loaf pans. Spray the pan(s) thoroughly with cooking spray. Dust each pan with a little flour, knock out the excess, and set aside.

It's late in the afternoon; it's rainy and dark and the temperature has started to drop. I'm thinking about eating a bowl of chili when I get home. Unfortunately, none of the chili I made on Saturday for the Fall Festival at church is left.  I guess I should be pleased that there was not a drop of chili left in the slow cooker after the festival, but I was sort of hoping that there would be enough left for at least one more meal.

My husband and I love chili, but we never really make it the same way twice.  I started with a basic recipe for Old-Fashioned Chili and doubled it because we were taking it to serve a crowd. But instead of doubling the ground beef, I added a pound of turkey Italian sausage to give it even more flavor and texture.   I used 1 can of spicy  chili beans and a can of dark red kidney beans. I added about 1/4 teaspoon of ground red pepper, which is plenty of heat for me.  When my husband is making the chili, he adds more.   I also added about 1/4 teaspoon of cumin and topped with some shredded Mexican cheese.

Cooking chili in the slow cooker is definitely the way to go as cooking over low heat for a longer time allows all the flavors to blend and become really rich.  I know I'll continue to play around with the ingredients in the quest for the perfect chili, but I'm pretty sure I'll stick to cooking it in the slow cooker. I cooked it over LOW heat for about 4 hours, but it would have been fine to cook even longer. 

I"m actually a big fan of while chili, but sometimes you just need a traditional bowl of chili. This one turned out great, according to all the folks at the Fall Festival who devoured it.  Let me know about some of your favorite tricks for making chili.   It might be a long winter.

Halloween is right around the corner, and to make sure we were getting in the spooky spirit, some friends and I carved a pumpkin this past weekend! Being the resourceful girls we are, we also made sure we didn't let those delicious pumpkin seeds go to waste.

Toasting pumpkin seeds is one of the easiest ways you can make a snack, and it's certainly a fall favorite. Just scoop them from your pumpkin, remove all that pulp (eww), sprinkle on some spices, and pop them in the oven. They'll be ready to enjoy before you can say, "Trick or treat!"

Pumpkin is also a great-for-you superfood. Pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein and fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese.

If you're a first-time pumpkin seed toaster, watch our video for an easy tutorial.

Then, start toasting with these creative recipes or your own special ingredients!

• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Southern Living (with rosemary and sea salt)
• Crisp Soy Pumpkin Seeds from Sunset (the seeds are covered in soy sauce)
• Spiced Pumpkin Seeds from Real Simple (with celery salt and ground cumin)
• Sugar-and-Spice Pumpkin Seeds from All You (uses brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, and an egg white)

Now 2 questions:

1. What's your favorite way to season toasted pumpkin seeds?

2. Can anyone guess what we carved into our pumpkin? (Hint: Birmingham, AL residents, this guy watches over your city...)

Last night, my DH asked, "How do you cook a baked potato?" I froze.

Here's how the conversation went down. (For background, this is for Poker Night's menu of deviled eggs, barbecue bakers, and banana pudding. Women are banned.)

DH: What kind of potatoes should I buy?
Me: The biggest ones at the grocery store. (Couldn't think of one potato name. Russet? Yukon? Nope, none of them came to mind.)

DH: What temperature?
ME: 350, 400, 425 degrees--just until they're done. (This elicited an, "Are you going to help me or not?" response.)

DH: In foil, right?
ME: Oh, no. That steams them and makes them mealy.
DH: When I go over to people's houses, they're always in foil.
ME: Really? I've never cooked them in foil. 

.....the conversation went on for awhile. And then, because I'm a total geek and humiliated by my lack-of-baked-potato-confidence, I started searching online about the best way to cook a baked potato. Turns out, it's a very polarizing topic--Who knew?

From my research, here are some best baked potato themes.

1. Scrub with a brush to clean--but not too hard.

2. Rub with olive oil (or melted butter). Then roll with sea salt or garlic mixture. Here's a rock salt method too.

3. Potatoes really do blow up if you don't prick them with a fork or knife (but just a few times or they're more likely to dry out).

4. If you microwave for 3-4 minutes per potato and then oven bake, it'll bake faster. Or, microwave and then put in the oven to get the skin crispy. The combo-cooking method is popular.

5. Baking at 400 degrees for 60 minutes seems the most common baking time. However, 350 was the runner-up. (See Alton Brown's Basic Baked Potato Recipe Recipe.)

6. Loaded baked potatoes are a great--and cheap--way to feed a crowd. (Seriously, this Poker Night menu is ultra cheap. Shopping list is basically eggs, potatoes, meat for slow-cooker bbq, instant pudding, bananas, and Nila Wafers.) For variations, check out 5-to-Try: Baked Potatoes.

So, what have I missed? Are you a die-hard microwaver or oven purist? Do share. I'm now obsessed.

Jennifer