Thanksgiving | Simple By Cindy

Corn Pudding

Aug. 12
2019

These days, a lot of people do not cook. For working moms, it is hard to come home and see their kids, only to have to go to the kitchen and prepare a meal. However, some people have no excuse. They just say, “I don’t cook” and leave it at that. Sometimes these people seem proud that they eat out most of the time. Well, good luck with that. It seems to me that they are spending too much money, and are probably not eating healthy.

I wish I could say that my mother taught me to cook, but I learned later in life out of necessity. When I had my first child, I was working full time and couldn’t afford to go out every night. I was aware of the preparations my mother did for dinner the next day, like taking a steak or chicken out of the freezer the night before, or buying produce at the beginning of the week, but I never took part in the cooking.

The idea that cooking is complicated is a myth. It is as easy as you make it. During the week, stick with the basics–maybe some pasta, rice, or grilled vegetables that you can serve with the main course. Not only are these options healthy, but they are quick to prepare.

The easiest way to get started is by learning some tried and true recipes. Buy some cookbooks by Ina Garten or Mark Bittman. Their recipes are simple and to the point. Begin by learning in small steps and you will be surprised by how much you will pick up as you go. I promise you, dinner won’t be as much of a chore if you keep it streamlined.

Speaking of simple, this recipe will be near the top of my list of simple and easy main courses. Eight ingredients that you basically mix all together in one bowl and pour it into a baking pan. It truly doesn’t get better than that. I had some extra corn that I had to use up, found this recipe, and it sure turned out to be a good one. It’s not all that diet-friendly, but hey, once in a while it is okay.

The fresh corn is the star of this recipe. The flour, milk, and eggs combine together to make this delicious pudding that can be served as a side dish or dessert. It bakes to a beautiful golden brown and makes an elegant presentation. Another one for your “must try” list. Make it now while you can get beautiful fresh corn. If you wait, please substitute frozen, never canned.

This recipe is courtesy of Allrecipes and will serve 6 to 8 people who will also want to learn to prepare this simple (yet delicious!) recipe.

Ingredients for Fresh Corn Pudding:

1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
Ground black pepper to taste
2 cups milk
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups fresh corn

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Chop butter into small pieces and place in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

Set it in oven to melt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, sugar, pepper, milk and flour.

When mixture is smooth, stir in corn.

Remove pan from oven when butter is melted.

Pour butter into corn mixture and stir well.

Pour corn mixture into baking pan.

Bake for 1 hour or until set in center and golden brown on top. (I had to cook it a little longer for the top to become golden brown, about 15 minutes longer, so keep your timer set and keep checking.)

It’s that simple!

Sweet and White Potato Gratin with Bay Butter

May. 10
2019

2019 is a big birthday year for me and my husband, though we’re unsure how (or if) we want to celebrate it. Our birthdays are both right around the end of summer. At that time, three of our closest friends’ children are getting married, as well as our niece. Just the thought of this fall and all the holidays and celebrations is exhausting.

Even though we will be crazy busy, I always start planning for Thanksgiving in August. While many of my nieces and nephews have to switch locations every other year, this year is my year, and I think I will be the happiest person on earth. And yet there is the never-ending question of how to celebrate our birthdays. Going away on a nice vacation is too time-consuming. A party? Oh, I don’t know about that, since my close friends will be so busy planning weddings. So I think we might pass on a big celebration, and that is fine with me. Maybe I will just stay home with my head under the covers and make believe I’m not having another birthday. Now that sounds like an idea.

Speaking of the Fall, I know that bathing suit season is on its way, but I couldn’t resist sharing this savory recipe with you. This is a great recipe for a Mother’s Day brunch, and if you don’t use it now, have it on hand because this is a keeper. The white and sweet potatoes together make a lovely presentation. They are beautifully arranged in the baking pan with aromatic bay leaf butter and lots of garlic, and all surrounded by cream. I thought there was just a little too much cream so I cut it back to 2 1/2 cups. The Parmesan cheese (I used at least 1 cup) was the perfect topping for this delectable dish. The white and sweet potatoes together make a lovely presentation. They are beautifully arranged in the baking pan with aromatic bay leaf butter and lots of garlic, and all surrounded by cream. Save it for the Fall if you wish, but you will be missing out on a surefire hit this Sunday.

This recipe is courtesy of Let’s Stay In and will serve 10 to 12 people who will be as passionate about this dish as they are about Mother’s Day!

Ingredients for Sweet and White Potato Gratin with Bay Butter:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
5 dried bay leaves
2 pounds sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
4 pounds russet potatoes, thinly sliced
3 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (I used less)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I used more)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the butter and bay leaves in a small saucepan.

Melt the butter and simmer for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and allow the bay leaves to steep for 10 minutes.

Place the sweet and russet potatoes in a large bowl.

Pour the bay butter over the potatoes.

Take out the bay leaves and set aside.

Add the sea salt and pepper, toss to combine.

Stack the potatoes in tight rows in a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish.

Tuck the garlic and bay leaves in between some of the potato slices.

Pour the cream over the potatoes.

Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.

Put the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender.

Serve warm.

It’s that simple.

Sweet Potato-Carrot Mash

Jan. 14
2019

I am planning a bridal shower for my niece! I am very excited for the outcome, but there is so much to be done between then and now. Luckily, I am not alone and her other aunts are helping me brainstorm.

Just as luck would have it, we know she loves to cook. So, we are planning her shower with cooking as the theme. First, there will be a table when she walks in with 4 mugs with the letters L-O-V-E (1 letter on each mug) that will be filled with flowers. There will also be mason jars filled with candy. There will be a picture of the bride and groom of course, as well as her bridal shower invitation.

I am particularly excited about the flowers. For each table, I chose a special piece related to cooking to hold the flowers. There will be a crockpot, a blender, a wooden spoon holder, a colander and a coffeemaker, and a KitchenAid, all filled with flowers to adorn each table. Was this the perfect theme for me to work with? I am having the best time ever planning it. I will be sure to write it up and show you the pictures of the finished product.

Time to take a break and get to my recipes for the day. I wanted to make a casserole but was tired of the same old. As I was doing my homework I came across a few recipes with the same combination, I just deleted a few things and added some others. I think this recipe came out pretty perfect. It isn’t all about the brown sugar or marshmallows. It is a simple mix of two sweet ingredients that become more intense and delicious when roasted. The honey enhances the sweetness and the nutmeg adds that savory goodness.

This recipe will serve 8 people who will be sure to replicate it themselves.

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Carrot Crisp

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 chunks
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the topping:

3/4cup soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 to 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450F.

Place sweet potatoes and carrots in a large baking pan.

Roast in heated oven for 30-40 minutes or until you can stick a fork in them easily.

When they are finished, transfer to a blender or food processor.

Working in batches, pulse with the next six ingredients until smooth.

Pour into a greased 2 1/2 quart baking dish.

Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.

Bake covered for 30 minutes.

It’s that simple!

Spinach Gratin

Dec. 13
2018

It’s important to do something you enjoy every day. For some of you, it might be meditating, yoga, knitting or sitting down with a good book. All of us need to learn how to indulge in more “me” time. Allowing ourselves to have self-care routines is so important for our health and happiness! I would like to share with you why I get so much joy out of cooking. It gives me the chance to be creative and have some “me time”. Chopping, stirring, mixing, and tasting are pretty much my therapy. It relaxes me and helps me unwind. All of the little steps are like meditation for me and clear my mind quickly.

Cooking is fun to do together as well. Preparing meals with my sister-in-law, my nieces, nephews, and cousins have become both mine and their favorite way of spending time together. We share some of our best memories and laughs during holiday cooking.

Dinner time at my house was always sacred. Everyone knew they had to be present. Even my husband, who has a demanding schedule would make sure he was home for dinner every night. When he knew he would be late, we waited for him. Why? Eating brings people together. It focuses on being with the people you love, and in the company of food, what can be more important than that?!

I am pretty sure this recipe is a no-stressor for the holidays. It is a “short-on-time” or “make-ahead” that will please anyone who is at your table. The cream and milk provide that cozy comfort food feeling. The cheeses add a scrumptious gooey goodness and the nutmeg gives it a wonderful savory flavor. This going to make your holiday meal truly special.

This recipe is another great one courtesy of Ina Garten, and will feed 8 people who will never want to leave the table.

Ingredients for Spinach Gratin:

4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 (10-ounce) packages)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat.

Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 15 minutes.

Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.

Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened.

Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce.

Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well.

Season to taste, with salt and pepper.

Transfer the spinach to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top.

Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Serve hot.

It’s that simple!

Mazel

Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash

Dec. 10
2018

I have a love-hate relationship with snow. I love it when it is falling and the trees and ground are magically dusted white. I love the stillness and the quiet of falling snow. The snow causes stillness in us as well, so many of us are working or running around every day, and the snow gives us an excuse to pause. I often keep a brisket or some other comfort food in the freezer so I can take it out the night before a snowy day and cook a hearty meal for my family. I enjoy having to spend the entire day at home because I do not get many of them.

Then there is the other side to snow. The cleanup. The shoveling. The hazardous driving. The ugly dirty snow on the side of the streets. The cold wetness. We had a very treacherous snow day on the east coast this year right before Thanksgiving. Not one weatherman called it right. They told us it would be only about 3 inches. I happened to be out that day.

As I left to go home, I noticed the street I usually take home was at a standstill. I thought maybe there was an accident, so I patiently waited.. and waited. 2 1/2 hours later we began to move, slowly. Cars couldn’t get up even the smallest of hills. I prayed that would not happen to me. There were an unfathomable amount of jams in both directions because of people trying to go around the stuck cars. I tried to avoid the traffic, often ending up in even worse traffic. That evening a 10-minute ride home from the grocery store took me 3 1/2 hours. Everyone was blindsided by this storm and everyone driving was frustrated and scared.

If I hear snow in the forecast, I will be staying home.

That said, here is a recipe that you can make quickly on a snow day and have the rest of the day all to yourself. This butternut squash dish has all the right ingredients for an aromatic comfort food. The cumin and coriander add a savory deliciousness. The cayenne pepper packs in just the right amount of heat. This is a dish that is so easy to make and so yummy to eat.

This recipe is courtesy of Food and Wine and will serve 6 people who will want to be snowed in with you during every storm!

Ingredients for Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash

One (3-pound) butternut squash peeled seeded and diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, toss the squash with the olive oil, cumin, coriander and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the squash on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, until tender and slightly browned, tossing once halfway through.

Transfer to a bowl and serve.

It’s that simple!

Beautifully carved watermelon at our hotel in Barbados!