Green Bean Casserole from Scratch (GF)

by Michelle

Romona and Maddie on Thanksgiving day 2018.

   I received a text from my daughter today on behalf of her dear friend, Romona who was inquiring after this recipe as a possible contender to bring to a company potluck. Our family had the great honor of hosting Romona last year for her first Thanksgiving dinner. I tend to forget how tasty an "old standard" can be for the uninitiated and that's why I haven't posted it until now. But the fact is that this casserole is a mandatory dish on many, if not most Thanksgiving tables.
   For Thanksgiving I have tweaked almost all our family's traditional side dishes to be vegetarian and gluten-free. The traditional green bean casserole is a dish that even a novice cook can throw together by simply opening a couple of cans of green beans, a couple of cans of Campbell's Condensed Mushroom Soup, and a can of French's Fried Onions. Easy peasy. This recipe isn't that. And while it's not difficult, it does take a little time and effort to make the Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup from scratch.
   This dish can be conveniently assembled twenty-four hours in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for about a half hour before baking. Leftovers reheat beautifully, too.

Foreground without toppings and background with toppings. 

Green Bean Casserole from Scratch

Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

by Michelle

   When my sister and I went gluten-free many years ago we had to find new ways to prepare old family-favorite recipe. Back in the day it seemed so overwhelming to convert recipes, but in truth, we discovered it isn't too difficult. Once you know how to swap rice flour for all-purpose wheat flour and tamari for soy sauce and a few other tricks, everyday recipes become easy to make gluten-free. I'll tell you what's difficult, going Paleo is much more of a challenge. But even then, there are so many resources today to help us navigate our food journeys that practically everything is "figuroutable".

   Every once in awhile, Linda would get a hankering for Tuna Noodle Casserole or Green Bean Casserole, but she absolutely refused to let Campbell's Condensed Mushroom Soup pass through her lips, which were pursed in disapproval. I came up with this recipe to meet Linda's dietary requirements and she was quite thrilled to once again enjoy some foods that she had previously given up. They say, happy wife, happy life. But in my world, it's happy sister, happy life.

Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

Dry-Brined Roasted Turkey

by Michelle

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. —William Arthur Ward

Jay, the turkey wrangler. 

In prior years we've been a big fan of wet brining the turkey, especially when we haven't had room to store the turkey in the refrigerator in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Last year I was recovering from surgery and under my doctor's orders I was restricted from lifting anything heavy. My husband doesn't enjoy cooking so I wanted to keep his contribution simple which, for me, meant that he lend his muscle to lifting the turkey whenever it needed to be moved about. I was happy to retain the turkey prep and try a new, easier technique.
   The turkey turned out beautifully last year (as you can see from the photos). And it tasted divine so I am opting for the dry brining method again this year because it is so much easier than doing a wet brine.
   The key here is that the turkey needs to be rubbed with the dry brine mixture and placed in the refrigerator for a nice long rest - as little as two days or as long as four. The turkey is kept covered until the night before roasting. The uncovering step is key because the skin dries thoroughly when the cover is removed. This is what creates the delectable crunchy exterior while the bird is roasting.

Maddie makes a robust cheese and charcuterie tray for everyone's snacking pleasure. 

My daughter, Maddie and my sister, Juliette.

The weather was so incredibly beautiful last year that we ate outside. Jay lit a fire in the fire pit and we all stayed outside late into the evening, talking, laughing, eating pumpkin pie and Linda's "famous" All American Apple Pie. We sipped George Washington Eggnog that—believe it or not—I made two years prior. The hard eggnog was ultra smooth from long aging under refrigeration. 

La familia.

Now... without further ado.... the recipe for the roasted turkey of your dreams.

Creamed Baby Peas with Leeks and Bacon (Naturally Gluten-Free)

by Michelle

  This is one of my favorite holiday side dishes. I have been making it steadily since 2004 when the recipe appeared in the Thanksgiving issue of Food and Wine Magazine. Aside from the traditional holiday menus that include oven-roasted turkeys and big ol' hams, the peas are spectacular all year long with Danny's Beer Butt Chicken, and tortellini tossed with my basil pesto. The dish also pairs quite beautifully with Beef Bourguignon.
   I have modified the recipe over the years to make it even easier to prepare. The author, Grace Parisi, calls for frying most of the leeks as a garnish, which sounds like a great idea. However, much as I have tried, I cannot get the leeks to crisp properly and I dislike cleaning the stove after the frying. I now sauté the leeks and don't bother to garnish the final dish unless I already have some minced parsley on hand to shower over the top. I did flirt with the idea last year of making spiralized crispy onions to sprinkle on top of the dish, but I was too busy and directed my attention elsewhere. Such is the life of a hostess; always mentally computing what to add or discard to a recipe, to a menu, to a table setting. With or without a garnish, this simple, satisfying recipe is delicious.

You can substitute dried thyme if fresh isn't available. 

Creamed Baby Peas with Leeks and Bacon

Paleo-Friendly Tangy Four Bean Salad

by Michelle

When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate

When life is sour, say thank you and grow.

                         —Shauna Niequist

Bean salad gains its unique flavor from lounging in a sweet and sour marinade.

   When I gamely agreed to adhere to a stringent Whole30 Challenge last January, I was forced to adapt favorite family recipes to fit within the rules of the program. I'm constantly tinkering in the kitchen so I looked at the requirement of adapting long-loved recipes as more of an adventure than a pain in the neck. Modifying recipes to be gluten-free or Paleo compliant has introduced me to a variety of new ingredients that I now include as standards in my already overstocked pantry. These items primarily include coconut-based items such as: Coconut Aminos, Vivapura Coconut Flour, Coconut Sugar, and Coconut Oil. I also particularly like Wellbee's Super Fine Almond Flour, Red Boat 40°N Grade Fish Sauce and Avocado Oil. I have also successfully swapped honey and homemade honey syrup for refined sugar in a number of recipes including salad dressings, marinades and beverages.
   This year for my "Going Clean in 2016" campaign that I kicked off the second week of January, I have further reduced the amount of unrefined sugar in my diet. I no longer add honey to my coffee, or any beverage for that matter, and I am consciously doing my best to identify and eliminate excess sugar from my diet whether it is refined or unrefined. I've been juicing vegetables everyday for a nutritional boost and I've started exercising daily. No matter what program my husband and I follow for improved health, one thing is for sure. He will not forsake Four Bean Salad. He loves it so. I documented his love for Four Bean Salad in this post with a recipe calling for granulated sugar.
   What makes Four Bean Salad so delicious is the sweet and sour marinade. Honey is actually sweeter than granulated sugar, so it should not be swapped one-for-one in a recipe. For a non-baking recipe, to replace one cup sugar, you can reduce the same amount of honey by two to four tablespoons, depending upon your desired final outcome. We like the marinade to be on the sweeter side, so I reduced the amount of honey by 1/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup.

Red bell peppers take the place of kidney beans in a paleo-friendly bean salad.

   To be clear, this recipe is not Whole 30 compliant. It is loosely Paleo-friendly, if the garbanzo beans and kidney beans are omitted. I say "loosely" because a Paleo lifestyle completely eliminates refined sugar and only small amounts of honey are allowed. Granted, this recipe has a lot of honey, but my husband and I use a slotted spoon to scoop up portions of the bean salad as a quick and tasty topping for green salads and we let the marinade drain back into the bowl. From my unscientific estimates, once the beans are drained, most of the marinade is left behind. After I finished being stringently Paleo, garbanzo beans were added back to the mix. Why? Because we love them so. Especially in this super smooth hummus recipe. Divine!
   I tried to strictly eat Paleo through the last months of winter and in to early spring of 2015 and found the kitchen prep too labor intensive. And this revelation is coming from me, a person who cooks regularly from scratch with whole foods and lots of organic vegetables. I really tried to stay true day after day, but on hectic evenings when I just needed to whip out a dinner, I did what I needed to do (without guilt, I might add).

   I also went on a bit of a gluten bender this summer, especially with my trips to Denver, New Orleans, and Northern California. Life is short—I wasn't going to pass up trying a Po' Boy and Beignets in the Big Easy or Dim Sum in San Francisco or cup after cup of Linda's Aged Holiday Egg nog. (Seriously, that boozy eggnog is bomb.) I paid for it though around my mid section.
   Much to my chagrin, I finally stepped on the scale on New Year's Day. After squinting to read the digits with my near-sighted eyes, I made a very sad frowny face, and then stepped off the scale. I may have even blurted, in an exasperated tone, a bad word or two. I didn't need a crystal ball with me in the bathroom to foresee my immediate future. I'd be joining the other millions of people who resolved to embark on a bright and shiny new year by undertaking a new eating and exercising campaign.
   I have once again locked down my eating and exercising routine. Unfortunately, this is not my first weight-loss rodeo. It's back to careful eating, with a splurge here and there (I am human after all), and it's definitely back to the gym. Channeling Nike's slogan, I just need to do it. At least I can still have this Four Bean Salad as part of my forthcoming eating regimen. Hallelujah for small graces in the kitchen.

Paleo-Friendly Tangy Four Bean Salad

Classic Pumpkin Pie — A Salvation Sisters' Day After Thanksgiving Breakfast Favorite (Gluten-Free)

by Linda

"Cut my pie into four pieces, I don't think I could eat eight." — Yogi Berra

 
   My brother-in-law, Jay, is fond of saying, "Nothing ruins a good dinner like dessert," and my sister, Michelle, who is married to Jay, has become fond of repeating this sentiment over the many years of their marriage, as well. As I have gotten older, I have grudgingly leaned more and more toward this perspective, although I do enjoy a scoop of ice cream, a piece of chocolate or a little something sweet after dinner from time to time.
   When it comes to Thanksgiving, our family has come to agree that when it comes to the biggest meal of the year, having a big slice of pie not too long after eating a very large dinner, is the final coup in feeling overly full and uncomfortable—an unpleasant exercise in gluttony.

   Not ones to cast aside dessert completely, especially at Thanksgiving, our family has stumbled upon a solution to this issue that seems to please everyone. I am pretty sure that we are not alone in adopting this tradition, but I have yet to see a food magazine touting having the requisite pumpkin pie for breakfast the morning after—which is what we now do.

   On the morning after the big day there is no 'Black Friday' for this family. We have traveled long distances to be together and enjoy each other's company. First one up makes coffee, and then as we wake up and gather in the family room, each of us grabs coffee and pie at our leisure. With a fresh palate, I enjoy my slice so much more the day after.

Vignettes from Michelle's beautiful holiday tableau.

My nephew Paul and his son Parker are top right.
My son Jordan and our mother Dianne are bottom left.

Our family enjoys a lazy morning after the big meal.

My nieces Avalon and Sonora take time to pose for a photo with their cousin Jordan.

Salvation Sisters' Classic Pumpkin Pie (Gluten-Free)

by Michelle

   This pumpkin pie is a combination of our Grandma Elsie's batter and Libby's recipe that is printed on every can of pumpkin purée. To make pumpkin purée from scratch you would peel, cube, cook and mash small pumpkins that are labeled "sweet". This one of the few occasions where we honestly like using canned pumpkin better than fresh based on taste, texture and ease of use. You may choose to substitute one rounded tablespoon pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg, however the taste will be slightly different. Do not freeze a pumpkin pie, as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.
   I like to garnish the pies with piped Cream Cheese Frosting flavored with Amaretto liqueur and cinnamon-sugar dusted Pie Crust Cookies made from the leftover dough. 
   As part of a dessert buffet, the pies are gorgeous displayed with Apple Crostatas or All American Apple Pies and Pecan Tassies. Homemade Marshmallows or Meringue Cookies are a fun addition as well as Brownies for the die-hard chocolate crowd. 

The photos above are of the Absolutely Delicious All-Butter Pie Crust
that is gluten-free and gum-free. Your guests will never know the difference.

All-Butter Pie Crust 
or
Absolutely Delicious All-Butter Pie Crust (Gluten Free and Gum Free)

The remaining scraps of pie dough are great for making pie decorations.
Michelle purchased the cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma.

Jordan gives his mom the 'stink-eye' for bringing out the camera too early in the morning.

Pumpkin Pies—just out of the oven and piping hot.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie:
2 unbaked deep-dish pie shells of your choice from above:
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar, or 3/4 cup granulated and 3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsps ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves 
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 large eggs
29 ounces (about 3-1/2 cups) 100% pure pumpkin purée
2 tsps pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
24 fl. oz. half-and-half or evaporated milk, or a combination of the two

Procedure:
1. Arrange two oven racks so one sits in the middle or lower third of the oven and the other on the top shelf or upper third. Place a large cookie sheet on the top rack. The cookie sheet will act as a shield for the pies as they bake to prevent the crust and surface of pie from over-browning. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin, vanilla extract and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk or half-and-half. Pour evenly into both pie shells.
3. Place pies side by side in the oven. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Rotate pies after 30 minutes for even baking. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. If you wish, decorate rim of pies with piped cream cheese frosting and pie crust cookies. Serve with whipped cream. Yield: 2 pies

Pumpkin Pie: It's what's for breakfast on the day after Thanksgiving at our house.

Michelle's Big and Brined Thanksgiving Turkey — Thanksgiving in Tucson, Arizona

The Memory Keepers by Michelle

"There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one that is purely American." 

                                                                                              —O. Henry

   It's only been in the last couple of years, since my friends Stephanie and Michael moved to Colorado, that I have begun making Thanksgiving dinner again. For many years, Stephanie and Michael hosted friends and family at their house. Every year I'd contribute the desserts, and I was more than happy to take on the baking responsibilities. My daughter, Maddie and I would spend Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, baking pies, fruit tarts, crostatas, pecan tassies and cookies. Pumpkin pies were always a fixture, of course. But we'd mix up the other desserts based upon what we felt inspired to bake.
   After a huge midday meal of turkey and all the fixings, Stephanie and Michael would pull out games and we'd play Trivial Pursuit (usually women vs. men), Apples-to-Apples, or Liar's Dice. The big group would sit around the table, talking, laughing, joking, with a lot of good natured ribbing being exchanged between us all. In the early evening, we'd dig into dessert and leftovers were divided up so everyone could spurge again the next day. Those are wonderful memories, and I miss our days and evenings shared together, especially around the holidays when we'd gather for Halloween parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

   When Stephanie and Michael pulled-up stakes and moved, the task returned to me to pull together a Thanksgiving dinner for my family. Thanksgiving takes a lot of prep, and a good plan, but I don't particularly think of it as a difficult meal, especially if there is one or two additional sets of hands that pitch in and help cook and clean.
   Every year I buy all the food magazines searching for inspiration. I don't know why I bother because like most families, everyone wants the same meal year after year. I still enjoy seeing an Asian spin on the holiday meal though, or how the folks in Louisiana are adding Cajun spices and oysters to the stuffing. I think I'll add a new side dish, but it always seems that the menu is practically carved in stone by our family tradition.

   Last year was particularly special because my sister Linda, and her son, Jordan were able to come to Arizona for Thanksgiving. If you are a frequent reader of the blog, you probably know that Linda is a manager at Whole Foods. When your career is in retail, especially a grocery store, the holidays are the busiest time of the year. Grocery employees simply do not get time off between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Linda had sustained a work injury in the fall and for the first time in many years she was able take the time off and be with us for Thanksgiving.
   So, then, here's what happens when our family gets together. And, I'm sure we are not unique. Perhaps you can relate. Practically everyone has an opinion about how the dishes should be made, what kind of turkey should be served, and how to eat dessert. That's why God made wine I've decided. One of the bigger debates last year involved stuffing the turkey. Due to well established food safety rules, cooking professionals pretty much agree that turkeys should not be stuffed. The dressing is simply heated in its own container. Linda and I were in complete agreement on how the stuffing would be prepped and heated. When Mom heard this news, it just about sent her over the edge. Her happy Thanksgiving dreams were quickly turning into a holiday dinner nightmare. What proceeded was a long, somewhat heated exchange between we three about the damn turkey and the damn dressing. It was two sisters against one Mother, but Mom won in the end. The turkey was stuffed. Nobody died. Everyone managed, in fact, to end the day on a very positive note.

Our Mother poses with her grandson, Jordan.

   I did find out just recently that my niece Avalon was quite disappointed that we didn't serve molded red Jello with berries last year for Thanksgiving. This is a dish that Juliette made every year, and the girls grew up on it and fondly refer to as, "White Trash Jello". On the other hand, Mom was quite happy that we made Cranberry Fluff after having it out of the Thanksgiving menu rotation for so many years. With a large group, in particular family, it's hard to make everyone happy. But we sure try. And we love everybody just the same in the end.

P.S.: My daughter, Maddie is away at college. She is regularly enduring cafeteria food during her first semester in college. When I asked her recently what she cared about most for the upcoming Thanksgiving glutton fest, she listed off her favorite dishes in the following order: pumpkin pie, apple pie, turkey, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, and stuffing. Everything else on the table is just a bonus.

Michelle's Brined Thanksgiving Turkey

Aged Holiday Eggnog — Otherwise Known As "George Washington Eggnog"

by Linda

"Today’s serious nogsters are into aging. After nog spends six months to a year in the fridge, a curious chemical collusion takes place as egg proteins, alcohol, and milk sugars slowly join 

forces. The resulting elixir tastes not of eggs, milk, sugar, or booze but simply of eggnog." 

                                                                                                         —Alton Brown

The table is set and ready for my holiday party.

Maddie and Michelle make a mother and daughter holiday toast. 

Maddie grates fresh nutmeg onto the top of the eggnog just before serving.

   A few years ago I attended a holiday gathering where each of the guests brought something special that they had made for the communal celebration. The revelation for me that evening was an offering that a guest had lovingly crafted many months in advance of the party. When I asked him about the delicious nog in my glass, he told me that it was called George Washington Eggnog, and that it was made from a recipe that George himself preserved for posterity. He also shared with me that it had been made three months prior to this present occasion, and had been aging in his fridge. Intrigued, I cautiously began to imbibe more. After I had poured about my fourth or fifth wee drink, and also sipped it for dessert along with the pumpkin pie, I happily pronounced it delicious, and figured I should learn how to make it myself. Truly, it is far better than eggnog mixed with spirits on the day of the holiday.

   So back at home after dinner, I surfed the net to see what I could find in the way of information and recipes about this curious concoction that I had never heard of. Turns out the aging is the key component to creating what I and many others deem to be the most delicious and smoothest eggnog you will ever drink.

This beautiful vintage punch bowl is a treasure that I found at one
of my favorite secondhand stores on Kentucky Street in downtown Petaluma.

Get started now—this eggnog is drinkable in a month but actually takes six months to make perfect.

   What I discovered on the Internet was was a virtual plethora of information out there including George Washington's original recipe (which doesn't tell you how many eggs you need), as well as new variations of recipes referred to simply as "aged eggnog". Below you will find the recipe that was the best of the two batches that I made. We all agreed it was the clear winner, and those of us in the group who tried it will all attest to how good it really is. Michelle sampled it on a recent vacation to visit me with Maddie in Petaluma, and headed back to Arizona wanting to make her own batch. This coming December I will look forward to joining the rest of the family when we test out her recipe in Arizona. If you would like to have this delicious eggnog ready for your friends and family in time for this holiday season—now is the time to make it. According to all the experts, the older it gets the better. It's so good... I don't think it will make it past New Year's Day at my house.

Cheers! A toast to your health.

Linda's Aged Holiday Eggnog

Maddie ladles the aged eggnog into the eggnog bowl at the beginning of the party.

   I did a little experimentation with my recipe. I made two batches, but Michelle, Mark, Maddie and I (yes, we really did allow the almost nineteen-year-old to join in taste testing) all agree that my second attempt was better, so that is the recipe I am including below. Feel free to experiment with your own favorite spirit combinations. I had fully anticipated garnishing the finished eggnog with whipped cream as I saw in so many of the photo presentations that featured aged eggnog, but we also all agreed that the finished eggnog is rich enough on its own—simply grate fresh nutmeg over the top and it is just perfect. No whipped cream needed.

Thrift store finds are a perfect and inexpensive option for entertaining.

Equipment:
Large bowl for mixing all the ingredients
Kitchen whisk
Fine mesh sieve
Microplane grater for preparing fresh nutmeg
Linda's tip: Save empty spirit bottles for storing the eggnog in the fridge.

Ingredients:
12 organic egg yolks
2 cups granulated sugar (I prefer super fine)
4 cups organic whole milk
1 cup organic heavy cream
1/2 litre Knob Creek Rye Whiskey
1/2 liter Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Homemade Whiskey
1/2 cup Myers's Jamaican dark rum
1/2 cup good quality brandy or cognac
1/4 cup Amaretto Disaronno
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
large pinch of sea salt

Garnish: a fresh whole nutmeg for grating after the aging process is complete

Procedure:
Separate the yolks from the egg whites. (Suggestion—Make a gluten-free angel food cake or Triple Chocolate Meringue Cookies afterward, if desired, to use up the egg whites). Mix egg yolks with a whisk in a large mixing bowl with the sugar, milk and cream. Add all the spirits along with the vanilla extract and sea salt. Mix well, and strain through a fine mesh sieve into bottles or storage container. Ready to drink in a month, but all sources agree that six months is best. Start now.

"Nutritious and relatively stable, eggnog was our first health drink. If you ask me, sipping it is our patriotic duty." from Alton Brown on the History of Eggnog

Maddie enjoys a contemplative moment.