Buon Natale from Mahogany Trail

What a fantastic Christmas Eve dinner with my loves. We opted for a more traditional holiday meal this year, versus our usual Italian feast. In typical Clark Giswold style, Jason completely outdid himself. Bourbon glazed ham, roasted thyme potatoes, maple balsamic Brussel sprouts, cornbread dressing and sugared carrots with pecans. Buon Natale!

Crispy Roasted Thyme Potatoes
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3 tbsp olive oil
4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
4 shallots, thickly sliced lengthwise
coarse salt
1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes (optional)
8 sprigs thyme

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine butter and oil. Brush bottom of a round 9-inch baking dish with some butter mixture. With a sharp knife or mandoline, slice potatoes very thinly crosswise. Arrange potato slices vertically in dish. Wedge shallots throughout. Sprinkle with salt, red-pepper flakes (if using) and thyme. Brush with remaining butter mixture. Bake 1 hour, until edges are crispy.

Brussel sprouts already posted in Fall 2014.

This is Jason’s secret cornbread dressing. Maybe one day I’ll convince him to share!

Sugared Carrots with Pecans
1 tbsp olive oil
6 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and cook, stirring frequently, 4 minutes. Stir in ginger and sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Add pecans and cook until carrots are tender when pierced and mixture is glazed in sugar, 3 to 5 minutes.

Bourbon Glaze
1/2 cup orange marmalade
3 tbsp bourbon
1 tbsp spicy Dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup

Combine ingredients and pour over top of scored ham. Cook according to directions.

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie is classic American comfort food. It’s the perfect meal for a cold winter day. Ok, I know I live in Houston aka the threshold of Hell, but I can at least pretend it’s cold. Don’t crush my holiday dreams of cold, ice and snow. These are great to make as individual pies (as pictured). I like to get the small foil pie pans to make some to put in the freezer. You can keep them for up to 3 months. This recipe makes one large pot pie or about 8 individual ones.

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups potatoes, cubed (I used gold)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup water
2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Pie crust (see THE apple pie pie post for recipe)

Preheat oven to 400°. To prepare filling, melt 2 teaspoons butter in a Dutch oven over meduim-high heat. Add carrot, onion, celery, garlic and thyme. Cook 8 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add broth and potato, bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Combine flour and water in a small bowl, stir with a whisk until smooth. Return potato mixture to a boil. Slowly drizzle flour mixture into potato mixture, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Stir in chicken, teaspoon salt, and pepper. Spoon chicken mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Place dough on top of chicken mixture, pressing to edge of dish. Bake at 400° for about 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes.

Thanksgiving on Mahogany Trail

Here on Mahogany Trail we tend to over do things Clark Griswald style. Thanksgiving is no exception. Weeks of planning, hours of prep and a schedule tighter than my Grandpa Beeler (LOL)! This Thanksgiving we really outdid ourselves. To quote Monica from Friends (one of my favs) “I kicked last years Thanksgiving’s butt!” Working in retail during the holidays is always a challenge. Planning was key to our Thanksgiving success. So how did we pull it off? Details below…

T minus 1 month:
Research and menu planning

T minus 2 weeks:
Finalize menu
-Maple Bourbon Glazed Turkey
-Citrus Peppercorn Dry Brine Turkey
-Homemade Gravy with Bourbon and Shallots
-Jason’s Famous Cornbread Dressing
-Fruit and Nut Sourdough Stuffing
-Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow Cream
-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pecans and Cranberries
-Cranberry Sauce
-Mashed Potatoes
-Green Bean Casserole
-Homemade Yeast Rolls
-Pumpkin Pie
-Chocolate Pecan Pie
-Fudge Pie

T minus 1 week:
Take stock of serving platters and dishes
Press table linens

T minus 5 days:
Grocery shopping complete. This included trips to 3 stores. Out. Of. Control. LOL!

T minus 4 days:
Prepare homemade chicken stock (this was the secret weapon)

T minus 3 days:
Make homemade pie crust
Prep all veggies
Make cranberry sauce

T minus 2 days:
Prepare rub and brine for birds
Dry brine and wet brine birds in the fridge
Prepare the homemade cornbread

T minus 1 day:
Make the pies- pumpkin, chocolate pecan and fudge. Yes Lord!
Prepare the cornbread dressing
Prepare the fruit and nut stuffing
Make homemade yeast rolls
Set the table

Morning of:
Both turkeys in the oven
Roast sweet potatoes
Prepare mashed potatoes
Make homemade green bean casserole

Dinner is served!

Special thanks to Mr.Biggs. He’s the real master, I’m just the sous chef. He always makes Thanksgiving special and no matter what, he did it again this year. Much love!

Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

I love sweet potatoes and was looking for a new way to change things up. I came across this recipe in this month’s Food Network Magazine. I’ve never been a fan of potato salad, that is until now. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and tangy. Perfect for an end of summer Labor Day cook out!

4 sweet potatoes
8 scallions
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Bake potatoes for about 45 minutes. You want them soft enough to pierce with a knife, but still a little firm. Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium-high. Remove peel from potatoes and cut into pieces. Brush with 1/3 cup of olive oil. Grill for about 3-5 minutes per side, until potatoes are soft and marked. Grill scallions for 1 minute per side. In a large bowl whisk the remaining olive oil, mustard, vinegars and honey. Season with the salt and pepper. Chop the scallions and parsley. Toss potatoes, scallions, parsley and dressing until combined.

Pot Roast

This is the perfect Sunday meal. Jason has to leave at the crack of dawn for church, so I get up and put this on. All we have to do is walk in the door and dinner is served. Prep time of about 15 minutes, but taste like you cooked all day.

3 pound roast
1 onion
5 medium potatoes (I used gold)
6 carrots
1 1/2 cups beef stock
2 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
5 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to season

Throw it all in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. It’s that easy.

 

Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

1 bunch fresh asparagus, 2 inch pieces
1-2 pounds new potatoes, cut in thirds
olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Fresh thyme
kosher salt and fresh black pepper
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In an extra large mixing bowl toss the asparagus, potatoes, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, thyme, lemon juice and plenty of salt and pepper together. Alternately you can use your hands to massage the oil and seasonings into the vegetables.
Place in a greased roasting pan. Roast vegetables about 35-45 minutes until potatoes are tender. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce, Potato and Onion Skillet and Lemon Pepper Green Beans

Now that I have free weekends, I try to plan and prepare a great family dinner for Saturday night. So here is this weeks Saturday night special from mahogany trail. Enjoy, we sure did.

Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce

4 chicken breast
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Add olive oil to a large skillet and preheat over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and brown on both sides. Finish cooking in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400. Pour chicken broth into hot skillet. Whisk in the cream, mustard and tarragon. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

This was so good Collin ate 2 chicken breast! The sauce is amazing. Awesome tangy flavor. This was my first time to use tarragon.

Potato and Onion Skillet

2 1/2 tablespoons butter
12 sprigs thyme, strip the leaves from the stems
1 large onion, sliced thick
1 lb. red potatoes, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup grated gruyère
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 cup grated mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400°. Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the thyme and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Place the potato, oil, cheeses, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to combine.
Top the onion with the potato mixture and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Turn upside down to serve.

AMAZING…that is all…

Lemon Pepper Green Beans

1 pound green beans
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tbsp butter
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon pepper

Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook green beans for about 3 minutes. Drain beans and transfer them to the bowl of ice water. Allow beans to cool completely.Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add green beans and butter to pan, tossing to coat with oil and butter. Add lemon juice and lemon pepper. Toss and continue to cook for about 3 minutes.

Classic green beans inspired by my mothers famous original lemon pepper green beans.