 With Thanksgiving just over a month away, I know many are starting to think about their menu. While there are traditions and family recipes passed down, it's always nice to explore new recipes. I've decided to test out some recipes over the next few weeks and thought I would take you along with me. In some cases I follow the recipe exactly as written and in some cases I tweak it to make it my own. I'll tell you where I got the recipe from, how to make it, and what the results were so that you can put out the best Thanksgiving menu possible! I thought for the first recipe I would change up my carrot game. Carrots are a wonderful side, but I almost always make them the same way. I've been making the mustard creamed onions from Sarah Leah Chase's Cold Weather Cooking for just over a year now to rave reviews each time. I figured her mustard carrots must be worth trying as well. I already make my carrots with brown sugar, but sometimes they are too sweet. I was curious if the mustard would improve that (spoiler, it did). I also found the best hack for getting food out on time!
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 I have so many of Ina's cookbooks, and for the same reason. They are good. They are easy to follow, the photography is lovely and helps me to understand what the finished product should resemble, and I know if I go to the store and spend money on ingredients, it will be worth it. The recipe will turn out as it should. There's a wonderful confidence to be gained from that. It's like having a secret trick up my sleeve. Whatever the occasion, I know I can produce just the right dish to share. I could review any of her books and come to the same conclusion, that you need to have them. I thought though, I would start with her first book, Barefoot Contessa. It's the "OG Ina" if you will, and I return to it again and again when I need some inspiration in the kitchen. It contains recipes from her specialty food store of the same name. These are crowd pleasing recipes that teeter the line between high and low in the most delicious and perfect way. The recipes are dishes that are familiar, you've made them before, but Ina's added a twist that takes the flavor and luxuriousness up a notch.
 I love apple picking, but inevitably every year I'm left with far more apples than I could possibly eat. I love pies, tarts, cakes, and everything else apple. The problem is typically the apples go bad before I can use them all up.
Faced with the prospect of expiring apples and no need to bake anything, I decided to try a new way to use up my leftover apples, apple butter. This isn't actually "butter" anymore than peanut butter is butter, but rather it's a delicious spread, a bit thicker than apple sauce that is wonderful on toast, muffins, or frankly out of the jar by the spoonful. It also is the easiest thing you will ever make.  Risotto always makes me think of my maternal grandmother, in that if you asked her to make it you had to be realllllly sure that you wanted it. She would confirm several times because she would say "it takes all day." Because of that I avoided making it for a good part of my adult life, but over the last few years have learned that while it does take a bit of time and muscle (or at least constant stirring) it doesn't really take "all day." However it is a bit time-consuming for a typical weeknight dinner, so I was delighted a few years ago when I learned it could be made in a dutch oven with minimal active effort. More recently I was curious if I could get the same effect using my Instantpot. I'm not going to lie to you, the stove top method will always beat any oven or Instantpot, but if you're crunched for time, my Instantpot Risotto comes incredibly close to the stove top version. It's creamy, cheesy, and delicious. Oh yeah, it also only takes 6 minutes!
 This is my go-to drink for chilly autumn days. I love that I can make a big batch of it in the crockpot for gatherings or just a single mug to take the chill out on a rainy fall evening.
 I always knew I would do my own bouquet for my wedding. Initially I wasn't sure what that would look like, but after I got my dress which had a lot of beads and embroidery, I knew I needed something glamorous to go with it. I also wanted something that could be a keep sake. I came across brooch bouquets on Pinterest and knew I wanted to do one. There are many different ways that you could make one and I experimented with a few. Ultimately this is how I ended up doing mine but as I said there are many tutorials out there. I loved that I could incorporate brooches from my husband's grandmother, my grandmother and my great-grandmother. It was a nice way to have these women walk with me down the aisle. Here's how I made mine...
 It's hard to believe it's been a year and a half since I made these shelves for my dining room. They were one of the first big projects I tackled and my first time using a saw. I had no idea what I was doing, but I am so happy with the results. They serve as storage but also have added a lot of character to my dining room. The original shelf system I wanted was $500, definitely out of my budget, these cost me a fraction of that. You can check out my post from January 2018 on how I made them here.
 "Let's do fall things!" is often heard in my house as the days get chillier. Gone are the days of lounging away at the beach and returning to grill an al fresco dinner. Rather the fireplace is getting more use and the oven is back to work producing comforting dishes to stave off the coming colder weather.
As a born and bred New Englander leaf peeping and apple picking are in my blood. I love biting into a fresh juicy apple while strolling the orchards looking for the best picks. Then I get home and reality sets in. What does one do with 10 pounds of apples? I have plans for ciders and tarts and pies, but the first thing I always make is Ina Garten's Apple Tatin Cake. It's my husband's (hey first time writing that since I got married!) favorite and it's so easy yet so elegant. It has a completely distinct flavor, lemony and delicate with hints of apple, which is a nice reprieve from heavier pie flavors. I know you'll love it too! So if you've got some apples to use up, read on! |
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