Heather Solos's Blog, page 55
November 8, 2012
Countdown to Turkey Day 2012: November 8, Finalize the Guest List
Heather says:
Remember November 1 when I told you to sit down and write down your tentative guest list? Have you officially invited your guests? Well, it’s time to do so. We’re just outside of Emily Post’s guideline of two weeks’ notice, so you need to get this done today.
However, I want you to remember that the reason for etiquette is to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible. (Sometimes this means only lessening the amount of discomfort, some situations are rough!) If there is someone you know that has no clue that you plan on inviting them to your Thanksgiving dinner, don’t invite them in a manner that creates pressure to please you. They may be extremely shy, they may have prior obligations, they may just be in a foul mood. Whatever the reason, don’t add guilt to that mix. Invite via email or a handwritten note, if at all possible. This helps eliminate any pressure to say yes to your face, when they really want to say no for whatever reason. This no-pressure means of inviting your guest will help prevent any uncomfortable situations, not all, unfortunately.
Yes, it’s nice when people step out of their comfort zones and try new things, but as an introvert, sometimes there are days where, even though I know it would be good for me, I just can’t face strangers and have to be “on.”
Whatever your method, make your invitations and keep a list of your confirmations. This guest count is an estimate. Remember life happens and sometimes it is the flu and sometimes it’s just someone being inconsiderate, but no shows will happen. And sometimes people call at the last minute to see if they can bring their cousin who has two kids and just happens to be in town (even though they knew they were coming three months ago). It happens, be ready for it.
Heads up, there will be a couple of additional posts today. Hurray for deadlines, both personal and professional.
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November 7, 2012
In Which I Ask for Your Help with a Bland Diet
Heather says:
Bland diet.
Is that not one of the most obnoxious suggestions ever?
How about, keep your foodie kid on a bland diet for three weeks (minimum).
My poor kid cried on the way home from the pediatric gastroenterologist’s as he began thinking about all of the foods he can’t have:
No red meat, deer, lamb, or pork.
No dairy.
No spices or herbs.
No onions, no garlic.
No caffeine or chocolate.
The one thing that breaks his heart? Salsa, he talks about salsa multiple times a day. I’ve mentioned before he’s high-functioning autistic, so distracting him from this line of thought isn’t the easiest task.
Allowed:
Water, rice milk, or Gatorade.
Breads and cereals.
Fruits and Vegetables
Skinless poultry, fish, fish canned in water
“Most soups”*
Miscellaneous: plain popcorn, jam, jelly, 1 TBSP of nuts / nut butters a day. 1 TBSP per day total of light or whipped margarine, vegetable oil, or light mayo
*Most soups contain so many of the forbidden foods that I do not understand how they can be allowed. Who makes soup without onions? Who makes soup without garlic or bay leaves or even pepper? This doesn’t even make sense to me.
We’re a little over a week into this and I admit it. I’m at a complete and utter loss as what to do for meals.
This bland diet is going to make all of us snap. You see, I won’t let the other kids have foods that will make this one jealous, the dynamic between the siblings just becomes unbearable if they have something they can hold over another’s head.
We have almost two weeks to go and I’m already hating this.
Yes, raw vegetables are great, but steamed with lemon juice can only be sold to a 9, 7, and 5 year old so many times before they look at you like you’ve lost your mind.
So now, I’m asking you, Home Eccers. How do you feed yourself and children -in a somewhat healthy fashion- staying within these guidelines? The amount of sugars and salt that is contained in this diet by default is ridiculous. I’m having a hard time understanding how something so starchtastic can be healing. However, I am doing the best I can by my child and yes, he’s getting an insane amount of fiber (4 TBSP Metamucil) each afternoon in a rice milk shake -this is part of the therapy recommended by the GI.
So help, me out, please share your best recipes / techniques that fit this bland diet. We’ve got two weeks to go and I’d really like something delicious and healthy and within the guidelines on the dinner table tonight.
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November 6, 2012
Chicken and Dumplings
Heather says:
This recipe for chicken and rolled dumplings is my riff on the Lee Bros version which can be found in The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook. I love their recipes and while I think their idea for sweet potato dumplings sounds intriguing, I chose to go with classic rolled dumplings.
Many people include shortening or butter in their rolled dumplings, this would give them more of a damp biscuit feel than a noodle. I stick to milk, flour, salt, pepper, an egg, and if I’m feeling froggy (which I was the other day) a little bit of baking powder. Go easy on the baking powder, you don’t want a bitter dumpling, you just want to lighten the texture. Do not knead or over work the dough, this will cause tough dumplings, only mix the dough just until it comes together.
Chicken and dumplings is a perfect cool weather comfort food. Grab a whole chicken, cut it up, and let’s get started.

For the chicken itself:
2 tsp kosher salt,fresh ground pepper to taste1 4 – 5lb whole chicken cut-up1 tbsp vegetable or olive oilFor the chicken and dumpling soup:
1/2 cup white wine, crisper is better12 cups chicken stock3 cloves garlic2 bay leaves (more if you’re Bobbie)2 sliced onions3 large carrots, sliced into coins3 stalks celeryflat leaf parsley, chopped, ~optionalsalt and fresh ground pepper, to tasteRolled dumplings
1 1/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour + more for dusting1/3 cup milk1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper1/2 teaspoon baking powder1 egg (beaten lightly)Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and set aside. Grab a large, 6 quart minimum stock pot or dutch oven and heat over medium high heat.Add the oil to the pot and just as soon as it begins to shimmer add the chicken pieces, but do not crowd the pan (in case you decided to double the recipe) Cook about 3 – 4 minutes per side, just until the skin starts to brown. You want brown bits left behind, these are going to drastically enrich the flavor of your chicken and dumplings.Remove the chicken and set aside for a moment.
You can also use this base and then add drop dumplings instead of rolled.
Preparation time: 20 minute(s)
Cooking time: 55 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 6
Culinary tradition: USA (Southern)
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November 5, 2012
The Soft Thanksgiving Menu Plan: Countdown to Turkey Day November 5, 2012
Heather says:
To make creating your Thanksgiving Menu Easier, I have a handy Thanksgiving Menu Printable. This printable has three columns, one for your ideal Thanksgiving menu, a second for your planned guests’ ideal menu -I assume you have some idea of what the people you will be serving expect- and the third column is the great compromise that will be your Thanksgiving holiday menu.
Got it?
Do your holiday meals feel well put together or do they more often seem to resemble a potluck mishmash of flavors?
While you are sitting down to plan your Thanksgiving menu try to keep a specific palette of flavors on your table rather than grabbing any old recipe just because it looks good.
This year for the great-pre-Turkey Day extravaganza I actually created two entirely separate menus. Why? Well there may have been a family uprising if I didn’t serve the expected menu, but I’m looking to expand the holiday recipes available here on Home-Ec 101 and so I went with an Italian American theme for this year’s recipes.
This year’s Italian-American theme consisted of (the recipes are coming, don’t worry):
Antipasti -recipe contributed by my good friend and go-to for all things Italian, Stephanie Coccaro-Smith of MoreCaffeineStudios. This dish is served to keep the circling vultures *ahem* less-helpful guests away from the kitchen.turkey -brined in apple cider, parsley, lemon, peppercorns, and saltshallot rosemary gravymushroom risottosausage stuffed mushroomstri-color roasted potatoes with rosemary and parmesanbrussels sprouts with prosciutto and parmesanbutternut squash with rosemary and balsamicDo you notice the way the flavor of one recipe relates to at least one other recipe and how they all fall under what many would call an Italian family of flavors? This creates a flow to the meal, one dish complements another avoiding the potluck syndrome.
My usual Thanksgiving menu has a Southern / Cajun theme which you can find on this Google Spreadsheet:
The Cajun seasoning of the turkey also appears in the sausage of the cornbread dressing. The sausage is also used to flavor the collard greens. I swapped out the usual pecans for almonds in the apple, sage, cranberry dressing to tie it with both the broccoli salad and the green beans. Cranberries are in the cranberry sauce -surprise!- the apple, sage, cranberry dressing, and in the broccoli salad. Now keep in mind that this flow of flavor works best if there is a variety of textures in the menu. Crisp turkey skin, contrasts with soft dressing, or crisp tender green beans next to the soft-baked, rich feel of the apples in the other dressing.
Is this flow of flavor making sense or should I explain further? Let me know in the comments.
If your menu is vegetarian, I’ve got some resources from other Home-Eccers just for you:
Last year a Home Ec 101 reader asked for some vegetarian Thanksgiving ideas and you, the Home Ec 101 community had some fabulous suggestions. Here are a few of my favorites from that post:
A Vegetarian Thanksgiving from Cheap Healthy Good (fabulous site) suggested by Milehimama
Mark Bittman’s 101 Thanksgiving Side Dishes -not all of these are vegetarian, but Bittman is a go-to for ideas in my world, suggested by Alice Dick
101 Cookbook’s Vegetarian Thanksgiving suggested by Leigh Webber
Mother Earth News A Vegetarian Thanksgiving suggested by CJ McD
What are your favorite Thanksgiving recipe resources?
Click here to leave a comment on The Soft Thanksgiving Menu Plan: Countdown to Turkey Day November 5, 2012 . We'd love to hear your say.This is a post from: Home-Ec101 ©Home-Ec 101.com 2007 - 2011
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November 2, 2012
Countdown to Turkey Day 2012: Have You Ever Cooked a Turkey?
Heather says:
Have you ever cooked a turkey? No? Well hosting your first ever Thanksgiving dinner should probably not be your first attempt to cook a turkey. Thanksgiving is a busy enough holiday and even if you’re super organized, there’ll probably be a little self-induced stress, even with a timetable, all of your recipes organized, and knowing your pantry has everything you need. I really don’t want you to stress about the bird, too.
Cooking a Turkey for ThanksgivingDon’t get too worked up about cooking turkey, really it’s not any different than a really big chicken. If you are feeling any trepidation about cooking your first turkey, and you have never roasted a chicken, I highly recommend you start there.
Why not? You get the benefit of a great roast chicken dinner and you’ll feel more confident on Thanksgiving day.
Here’s a simple how to roast a chicken tutorial. And yes, I seriously need to redo the pictures, as that’s from 2007, well before I learned anything about photography.
So, once you have mastered roasting a chicken, it’s time to look over its slightly bigger cousin, the turkey.
Yes, I have a tutorial for that, too: How to Roast a Turkey. Keep in mind that you don’t have to truss your turkey, I just like the way it turns out. When I went to the Butterball University event last year, they recommend tucking the wings under the shoulders to give a the turkey more of a flat bottom which makes carving easier, but it’s completely a matter of personal choice. Butterball also recommends the more simple basic roast at 325°F for the entire time, instead of the initial high heat blast that I prefer. Again, it’s an each to your own kind of situation. If you prefer that method, Butterball has a great how to roast a turkey video.
Either way, you may need to tent the turkey with foil.
Now, if you are thinking of frying a turkey this year, I have a full tutorial on that, too: how to fry turkey. In this case, skip the chicken. Frying a whole chicken would be possible, but you’d displace a different amount of oil so the experience isn’t exactly the same. If you plan on taking the fried turkey route, buy a practice turkey and just enjoy that thing well before the holiday. You can certainly reuse the peanut oil, unless you burn it. As long as you’re careful you’ll actually be getting more out of your oil investment than if you only used it to fry the Thanksgiving turkey.
If you want to ramp up the flavor even more, consider brining your turkey. Rachel has a fantastic turkey brine recipe that I use as a basis for my own brines. I tend to vary the seasoning to match the rest of the meal. Now keep in mind if you choose to brine and fry your turkey, you’re going to have a very, very dark, probably unattractively so, turkey. That said, once you get under the skin, it’s amazing. If you roast your turkey after brining, your turkey will be darker brown and I suggest using the 325°F roasting temperature suggested by Butterball.
So there we go, an introduction to two basic methods of cooking turkey. How do you cook your turkey or is this your first year? If so, what cooking method are you considering?
Today on the company and cleaning front? Just make sure you’re keeping up with the daily chores -yeah the ones on the post-it note up there ↑. If you have overnight guests coming, you may want to figure out where they’re going to sleep and if you have enough sheets and bedding.
Are you Counting Down to Turkey Day with us?
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November 1, 2012
Countdown to Turkey Day 2012: The Great Kickoff November 1
Heather says
Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite time of the year. It’s no secret that I love food and I love to cook for others and Thanksgiving Dinner is the Superbowl of company dinners. It’s a chance to gather with friends and family and indulge in the traditional and the exceptional.
Are you planning on hosting your first Thanksgiving dinner? Are you a seasoned pro, but ready to take some of the headache out of hosting Thanksgiving? Well, you’re in luck, it’s time for this year’s Countdown to Turkey Day. (Psst, it’d be awesome if you’d share this series with your friends or family who may be hosting for the first time, too.)
Each year I host an early Thanksgiving dinner to prepare all of the recipes I’ll be sharing over the course of the next three weeks. The past five years I have shared Thanksgiving recipes that are mostly Southern / Cajun in tradition. This year I decided to start a new Home Ec 101 tradition and begin including other culinary traditions in the recipe repertoire. In October when I hosted dinner we made two meals, our usual menu and a second Thanksgiving menu, this one with an Italian-American flair.
I’m excited to get these recipes posted, hopefully within the next week. I want you to have plenty of time to plan your Thanksgiving menus and do your Thanksgiving shopping. After all, Thanksgiving is only three weeks away.
Did you see that? Three weeks. Oh noes! This year Thanksgiving falls on November 22, which means we have a little less time than previous years to get our act together. So we’re not going to waste any time. Today we’re kicking off with a few, hopefully easy tasks:
1. Decide – When and Where
Sit down with pen and paper and decide where and what time dinner will be served. Create a tentative guest list that notes any allergies or dietary restrictions. It’s easier to plan around a gluten or nut allergy than it is to rework a menu.
2. Figure Out – Seating and Serving
Before things get crazy look at your guest list. Do you have enough chairs and place settings? Are you serving a casual enough meal that sitting on the floor and using Chinette works? No? Party rental stores often allow chair, china, and glassware rental in lots much smaller than you’d imagine. I’ve rented as few as ten chairs in the past for parties. Reserve what you need ASAP.
3. Find the dining room table.
Yes, I’m not kidding about the last one. Heck, my own dining room table is in sad shape at the moment.
We call this transparency, clean laundry, random mail, and a sneak peek at a cookbook I’ll be reviewing soon. Mmm.
Let’s get the conversation rolling:
Well Home Eccers, will you be playing along this year? Have you hosted Thanksgiving dinner before? Are you trying it for the first time? What are you looking forward to and what are you dreading about the holiday?
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October 22, 2012
Let’s Make Soup this Fall and Winter
Heather says:
Cooler weather has finally arrived, yes, even in my little corner of the world known as the Lowcountry of South Carolina. I’m finally in the mood for soups, stews, and chilis. I thought I would put together a round up of all of the warm and hearty, soup goodness that is already available here on Home-Ec101.com. I’d also love for you to take a moment and comment with a link to your favorite soup, stew, or chili recipe. Just be sure to only leave one link per comment or it’ll get kicked into the spam filter. Sorry, but without that, the crazy spambots -those are automated programs that try to take advantage of sites like this one- would have a field day.
Ready?
Here we go:
Truth be told, though? The one soup I make more often than any other really doesn’t have a recipe I can link to.
It’s a technique that I have referred to in the past as Mustgo or Garbage Soup. It sounds terrible, but it’s also the one soup I get asked to make more often than any other. The sad thing is, that the Mustgo Soup is always a one off. You see, you make Mustgo or Garbage soup from whatever happens to be in the refrigerator that must be used up or tossed.
So it’s always a mishmash of vegetables on the verge, leftover meats, usually chicken or beef stock, and herbs and seasonings that complement the seasonings used to prepare the meat. While I find it easy to cook intuitively, it does take a little bit of practice. You have to learn through trial and error and I don’t recommend going too nuts with the flavor combinations in the beginning. While writing this out, I had an idea. I think I ought to explore different flavor families, as an example, what herbs and spices are usually found in Tex Mex cuisine, so you know which ones to reach for when your Mustgo soup is taking advantage of a little leftover taco meat -does that actually ever happen?
Or if your Mustgo soup has leftover pot roast, what herbs and seasonings should you reach for. . .
Would you be interested in a series like this?
Are you adventurous enough to experiment with the Mustgo Soup concept? Have you before? How did it turn out?
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October 18, 2012
Roast Some Turkey Necks for Awesome Stock
Heather says:
Want to take your Thanksgiving recipes up to the next level? You can get started now by buying and roasting turkey necks to make stock. Want to get a jump on your Thanksgiving prep? Go ahead and make your roast turkey neck stock now and freeze it for your Thanksgiving recipes*. Would I go to the effort of roasting turkey necks every time I want stock? No, but for a special meal like Thanksgiving, I find the richness of this stock is well worth the extra time and effort. (I specifically made it to go in a mushroom risotto, but this stock is perfect for adding to dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, whatever calls for stock or broth in your menu.)
Thankfully, I have noticed that turkey necks are becoming much easier to find -I live in a smaller town, if we have it, you probably won’t have to search too hard. Typically the necks are next to the cut up poultry and yes, you can definitely substitute turkey wings for the necks in this recipe.
October 16, 2012
Tri-Color Roasted Potatoes with Parmesan and Awesome
Heather says:
Tri-color roasted potatoes. Pretty? Yes. Delicious? You bet.
Is the recipe simple?
Totally.
Company worthy?
Yes.
This year I’m doing an American-Italian twist on recipes in the Countdown to Turkey Day Example menu. While I still plan on getting traditional mashed potatoes added to the recipe index, I thought this simple, but beautiful recipe for tri-color potatoes would be a great addition. As a bonus, roast potatoes are so simple, even the most novice cook can handle the recipe without fear. It’s a simple side dish that brings a lot of visual impact to a guest worthy meal without a lot of work.
Since this is a dish intended for its impressive factor, I use the par-boil method to roast the potatoes.
: Tri-Color Roasted Potatoes
: Three colors of potatoes are roasted and seasoned to make a great side dish
Purple or blue potatoesred new potatoeswhite new potatoesolive oilkosher or sea saltfresh ground pepperrosemary or other main-dish-complementary-herb* optionalfresh, grated parmesan **NOT OPTIONAL, due to the AWESOME
Scrub the potatoes thoroughly.Cut the potatoes, without peeling into approximately the same size, many of the smaller potatoes will only need to be cut in half while the larger red and white new potatoes may need to be quartered.Place the potatoes in cold, salted water, and bring to a boil.Once the water is boiling, turn it down to a simmer.Preheat the oven to 425°FSimmer until just fork tender -you can easily stick a fork partway into the potato -somewhere in the 10 – 15 minute range.Grease a baking sheet.Drain the potatoes and toss with olive oil, then spread in a single layer over the baking sheet.Sprinkle with salt, optional herb, and black pepper.Bake at 425°F for 30 – 45 minutes until the outsides just start to brown. Then sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan.Admire the view, then enjoy.Questions?
I purposely did not include amounts. Know that, as long as it’s a side dish in a meal that has several options, you should estimate 1lb of potatoes for every three people.
Water amount? Enough to cover the potatoes. Salt, pepper, and herbs? To taste. Olive oil? Just enough to lightly coat the potatoes. Got it?
Great!
As a bonus, this recipe is naturally gluten free. Whee!
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October 15, 2012
How to Clean Throw Pillows
Dear Home Ec 101,
Can you tell me how to clean throw pillows? A friend made me a pillow cover for a throw pillow on my couch, but she sewed it shut over the pillow, so there is no way to remove the pillow to wash it. Are there any options as far as cleaning the cover?Signed,Throw Down in Three River
Heather says
It was very kind of your friend to make you the throw pillow cover, but I certainly understand your dilemma. We’ll start broadly and then narrow it down to your specific case.
How to Clean Throw PillowsIn general cleaning a throw pillow is much like cleaning any upholstered furniture, since they are often made of the same material. Vacuum your throw pillows with the upholstery attachment each time you vacuum the couch or chair. Be careful, as decorative throw pillows may have delicate stitching or accents that may unravel with vigorous cleaning.
If your throw pillow is covered in silk or wool, it can and should be dry cleaned when necessary -read that as when looking dingy.
Throw pillows can be washed, preferably in a front load washer on the hand or delicate cycle and then dried thoroughly, first by drip drying and then on the fluff / tumble / no heat cycle in the dryer. Be absolutely sure that the pillow is completely dry before returning it to its place of honor or you’ll run the risk of developing the funk of mold or mildew. With a bulky item like a pillow, you are guaranteed a hard time trying to get rid of that odor.
If the decorative cover of your throw pillow has too many delicate items to run the risk of a trip through the washer, even on gentle, grab a seam ripper.
Yes, you’re going to do a little surgery on your throw pillow.
Carefully cut the thread that contains the last seam sewn for the pillow. This seam should be easy to identify as there will be some exposed stitching, no matter how careful your friend was. Hint: check near the corners.
Hand wash the cover of the pillow and then, close the seam with a slip stitch.
As I truly hate sewing, the decorative pillow would then be moved to a place of “honor” where it would rarely come in contact with the often grubby minions who seem to insist on wallowing on things I love, immediately after playing in the mud.
Good luck with your throw pillow and let me know how it turns out.
Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.
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