Thanksgiving Survival Guide | 2014

I've searched the archives and found a bunch of Thanksgiving related links for you as you prepare for a house of in-laws that you didn't really want coming over anyways but now you have to cook for. While I can't take your in-laws off of your hands, I can make it a little easier for you with some recipes and tips posted here. Hope this helps!

Tips

• How to make gravy without the lumps

• How to Choose a Turkey

• How to Deep Fry a Turkey

• How to Roast a Turkey

• How to Stuff a Turkey

• Thanksgiving on a Budget

• How to Cook a Thanksgiving Dinner

• Three alternative Thanksgiving dishes

• Sleep in on Black Friday and do your shopping online.  You can check out my gift guide for cooks and foodies or head over to see some other Christmas Gift Guides and shop from the comfort of your own home.

Recipes

• 101 Cookbooks has a wide section of unique Thanksgiving recipes

• Two Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

• Creamed Turnip Recipe

• Sautéed Green Beans Recipe

• Holiday Mashed Potato Recipe

• Herb Roasted Turkey Recipe

• Traditional Stuffing Recipe

• Turkey Gravy Recipe

• Cranberry Salsa Recipe

• Turkey Chili Recipe

• Pumpkin Pie Recipe

• Pumpkin Pie Dip Recipe

• Green Bean Casserole Recipe

You can also explore The Cooking Blog deeper by browsing the turkey, and holiday tags.

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, coarsely crushed
• 1 tablespoon dry red wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 8 ounces pepperoni, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and cut into thin rings
• 1 yellow onion, cut into thin rings
• 1 cup thinly sliced black olives
• 1 pound crumbled hot Italian sausage
• 1 cup grated Parmesan

Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza Dough:

• 11/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)
• 1 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup semolina flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus 2 teaspoons to grease bowl
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. While the dough is rising, make the tomato sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the herbs, seeds, salt, and black and red peppers, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, wine and sugar, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely before using.
2. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
3. Oil 2 seasoned 12-inch round deep-dish pizza pans with the extra-virgin olive oil. Press 1 piece of dough into each pan, pressing to the edge and stretching about 1 1/2 inches up the sides. Let rest for 5 minutes.
4. Layer the mozzarella cheese all over the bottom of the pies. Top each with half of the pepperoni, mushrooms, bell pepper rings, onions, black olives and sausage. Ladle the sauce evenly over each pizza and top with Parmesan.
5. Bake until the top is golden and the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, slice and serve hot.

Dough Recipe

1. In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar and stir to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the semolina, 1/2 cup of the oil, and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until all the flour is incorporated but the dough is still slightly sticky.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes. Oil a large mixing bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil.
4. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. Divide into 2 equal portions and use as directed.

I also recommend this pizza dough recipe.

The Truth About Cast Iron Pans

Here are some tips from Serious Eats on how to care for your cast iron pan

These are the only rules you need to know to have a successful lifelong relationship with your cast iron.

Season it when you get it.

Even pre-seasoned cast iron can do with some extra protection.To season your pan, heat it up on the stovetop until its smoking hot, then rub a little oil into it and let it cool. Repeat this process a few times and you're good to go.

Clean it after each use.

Clean your pan thoroughly after each use by washing it with soap and water and scrubbing out any gunk or debris from the bottom. I use the scrubby side of a sponge for this.

Re-season it.

Rinse out any excess soap with water, then place the skillet over a burner set to high heat. When most of the water inside the skillet has dried out, add a half teaspoon of a neutral oil like vegetable, canola, flaxseed, or shortening. Rub it around with a paper towel. Continue heating the pan until it just starts to smoke then give it one more good rub. Let it cool and you're done.

Fry and Sear in it.

The best way to keep your seasoning maintained? Just use your pan a lot! The more you fry, sear, or bake in it, the better that seasoning will become.

Don't let it stay wet.

Water is the natural enemy of iron and letting even a drop of water sit in your pan when you put it away can lead to a rust spot. Not the end of the world, but rust will require a little scrubbing and reseasoning. I always dry out my pan with a paper towel and coat it with a tiny amount of oil before storage.

Shrimp Jambalaya Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup coarse chopped yellow onion
• 2 medium garlic cloves - peeled and minced
• 1 cup chopped sweet green pepper
• 3/4 cup Finely diced celery
• 4 tablespoon bacon drippings
• 3 tablespoon minced parsley
• 6 oz smoked ham - cut in 3/8-in cubes
• 1 lg bay leaf; crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon crumbled leaf thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
• 1 can Tomatoes (1 lb, 14-oz)
• 1 can Tomato sauce (8 oz)
• 1 3/4 cup Cold water
• 1 3/4 cup uncooked converted rice
• 1 1/2 pound medium shrimp, raw - shelled, deveined

Directions

1. Set a large kettle (not made of iron) over moderate heat. Saute the onion, garlic, green pepper and celery in the bacon drippings for 8 to 10 minutes until they are limp and golden. Add the parsley, ham cubes, bay leaf, thyme and cayenne pepper. Saute, stirring often, for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the salt, tomatoes and their juice, tomato sauce and water. Simmer the kettle, uncovered, for 5 minutes, breaking up any large clumps of tomatoes. Adjust the burner heat so that the mixture simmers gently. Stir in the rice, cover the kettle, and boil the rice for 40 minutes. Add the shrimp, tossing the mixture lightly to distribute them evenly.
2. Cover the kettle and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until the shrimp are cooked through, the rice is done, and almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Taste the jambalaya and add the cayenne pepper and salt, if needed.

Dinner Rolls Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, or more if needed
• 1 envelope Fleischmann’s RapidRise Yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter OR margarine

Directions

1. Combine 3/4 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees F). Add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add 1/4 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
2. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; shape into balls. Place in greased 8-inch round pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. Bake in preheated 375 degrees F oven for 20 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; brush with additional melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.

The world’s biggest chocolate-maker says we’re running out of chocolate

The problem is climate change but the solution in part is stop eating so much dark chocolate

There's no easy way to say this: You're eating too much chocolate, all of you. And it's getting so out of hand that the world could be headed towards a potentially disastrous (if you love chocolate) scenario if it doesn't stop.

Those are, roughly speaking, the words of two huge chocolate makers, Mars, Inc. and Barry Callebaut. And there's some data to back them up.

Chocolate deficits, whereby farmers produce less cocoa than the world eats, are becoming the norm. Already, we are in the midst of what could be the longest streak of consecutive chocolate deficits in more than 50 years. It also looks like deficits aren't just carrying over from year-to-year—the industry expects them to grow. Last year, the world ate roughly 70,000 metric tons more cocoa than it produced. By 2020, the two chocolate-makers warn that that number could swell to 1 million metric tons, a more than 14-fold increase; by 2030, they think the deficit could reach 2 million metric tons.

The problem is, for one, a supply issue. Dry weather in West Africa (specifically in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, where more than 70 percent of the world's cocoa is produced) has greatly decreased production in the region. A nasty fungal disease known as frosty pod hasn't helped either. The International Cocoa Organization estimates it has wiped out between 30 percent and 40 percent of global coca production. Because of all this, cocoa farming has proven a particularly tough business, and many farmers have shifted to more profitable crops, like corn, as a result.

Then there's the world's insatiable appetite for chocolate. China's growing love for the stuff is of particular concern. The Chinese are buying more and more chocolate each year. Still, they only consume per capita about 5 percent of what the average Western European eats. There's also the rising popularity of dark chocolate, which contains a good deal more cocoa by volume than traditional chocolate bars (the average chocolate bar contains about 10 percent, while dark chocolate often contains upwards of 70 percent).

Christmas Pudding Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour -- sifted
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon Cloves
• 1 cup suet -- ground or grated
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup molasses
• Butterscotch, Nutmeg or Hard Sauce

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Stir in suet, buttermilk or sour milk, raisins, and molasses. Mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn into well-greased 2-quart mold or casserole. Cover with tight cover or aluminum foil. Place on rack in large steamer or kettle. Add boiling water to height of 2 inches in steamer,
2. cover. Steam 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until pudding springs back when touched lightly in center.** Serve hot, cut into slices with Butterscotch, Nutmeg,
3. or Hard Sauce. 
4. If desired, Christmas Pudding may be baked in a 300 degree oven. Place a pan of water in oven. Cover pudding and bake 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.

Butterscotch Sauce: Combine 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and 1/8 teaspoons salt. Stir in 1 cup cream and 1 cup milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.

Hard Sauce: Cream 1/2 cup butter. Add gradually 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Blend in 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon boiling water, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 teaspoons Rum or Brandy Flavoring, if desired. Chill until serving time.

Nutmeg Sauce: Cream 1/4 cup butter. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Blend in 1 egg yolk, 1 1/2 tablespoons flour and 1 teaspoon French’s Vanilla. Gradually add 1 1/4 cups boiling water. Cook in top of double boiler over boiling water, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.