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{Love Feast Table Cookie Exchange} Rum Cookie Recipe

Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:09:48 +0000

The ladies of Love Feast Table are running their annual Holiday Cookie Exchange and asked me to drop by their virtual kitchen! I shared my Rum Cookie Recipe which was the cookie I featured in the Amy Bakes Cookie Dough post last week. These cookies are not much to look at, but they have a delicious Wintery flavor with the addition of Allspice and (of course) Rum – ENJOY!

Stuffed Mushrooms: an EASY Holiday Appetizer Recipe

Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:31:29 +0000

This is one of those recipes that my mom has been making since I was a little girl. She’d often take them to my Aunt’s house on Christmas Day. It’s fast and easy to whip together. It’s foolproof. Most of all – it’s delicious! Best of all: you can make these up and keep them in the fridge until just before your house guests arrive. Pop them in the oven about 20 minutes before they walk in the door and serve them hot after everyone has a cocktail in-hand -or- take them to a party and bake them off upon arrival. (Just be certain that your hostess has a free 350 degree oven!) What you’ll need from the market: Four packages of stuffing mushrooms, destemmed. One package of Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup and Dip Mix and one block of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded.Method: Wipe the mushrooms clean and destem them. (Do you remember my tutorial? If not, check out Cooking 101: How to clean mushrooms) Next, shred an entire block of sharp cheddar cheese in a bowl. Open up both packages within the Recipe Secrets Onion Soup box. Combine the two ingredients and stuff the mushrooms to the brim. Bake them at 350 degrees for about thirty minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the mushrooms are golden. Serve them hot out of the oven.

{Let’s give it a try!} How to Fry a Thanksgiving Turkey

Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:30:41 +0000

Did I mention to you that I plan to fry our Thanksgiving turkey this year? No, I have no idea how to do it. I have heard amazing things about the moist delicious taste and I totally like the idea of having my oven free for other dishes. Recently, I was chatting with Mindy Lockard from The Gracious Girl on Twitter, and she seemed to have a good handle on the whole process of deep frying a turkey.We love a turkey fry at our house, not only because it’s very moist, but because it frees up my ovens for our many traditional sides. Also, it gives the Mr. something to do…because I’m sure watching football all day is pretty boring. No? Here are a few turkey tips that we’ve found helpful!What you need to fry your Thanksgiving Turkey: A fully thawed Turkey, Oil, Frying Pot and Accessories, Heat Resistant Gloves, Paper Towels, Large Platter or a Roasting Pan, Foil, and an Umbrella. Most of all, you’ll need a warm tasty beverage – it’s less about the turkey and more about the Mr.Fry tips: Set up shop - away from the house! When you need a good quality turkey, I prefer free range all natural fresh from the farm…but that’s just me. As for the oil, most people prefer peanut but it can be very expensive, vegetable oil also works well.As for the supplies: a really good thermometer, fryer and accessories (we love our Bayou Classic and use it in the summer for our annual seafood boil) and a great pair of heat-resistant gloves because the oil will splatter. Finally, I like to have a large umbrella and a warm beverage for the Mr. As they say, a “watched pot never boils”; in this case, a “watched pot never burns your bird.” The umbrella keeps him dry and the beverage keeps him happy!Let’s Talk Turkey: Prepare the bird well: defrosted, washed, remove pop-up tender timer, clean cavity, secure the bird (legs, neck flap, wings and tail) and dry really, really well. Did I say really well? Really well–we all know what happens when you put water in boiling oil. SPLATTER! Bring the bird to room temperature.Preparing the Pot: A great tip I learned to ensure the correct amount of oil is to first fill your pot with water, add the turkey (keeping at least 4 to 5 inches below the top of the pot), remove the bird and mark the water level. Then dry the pot really well. And dry it again. Then fill it with oil to the marked spot.Heating It Up: We take our cue from Alton Brown, who suggests “bringing the temperature of the oil to 250 degrees F and slowly lowering the bird into the oil (some suggest turning the burner off, but this works just fine) and then bring the temperature to 350 degrees F. Once it has reached 350, lower the heat in order to maintain 350 degrees F. This is very important so you don’t blacken your bird. After 35 minutes, check the temperature of the turkey using a probe thermometer.” She’s a Beauty! Once the breast has reached 151 degrees F, carefully remove the bird (this is another reason why we love our Bayou classic, as it has a hook that makes removing the bird easier) from the oil, transfer to a pan or platter, pat down with paper towel, cover and let rest for a minimum of 30 minutes (the internal temperature should rise to 161 degrees F) prior to carving. ~Enjoy, Gobble Gobble!{Most of the turkey images are via Bon Appetit Thanksgiving Recipe Guide, Full Thanksgiving spread via Bon Appetit, Roasted Turkey via The Pioneer Woman, How to Spatchcock a Turkey from Martha Stewart, Perfect Roast Turkey from Barefoot Contessa, Turkey via Pinterest, Fall trio via Pinterest, Whiskey Hot Toddy Cocktail Recipe}

Thanksgiving HQ: Recipe Guide of Thanksgiving Staples

Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:51:49 +0000

I realize many of you have already planned your menus for Thanksgiving, but last night I discovered something I can’t keep to myself. Bon Appetit has a lovely Thanksgiving HQ recipe guide for every classic Thanksgiving staple you can think of. From dressing to sides, and bread to dessert – Bon Appetit has got you covered with a slideshow for each element of the Thanksgiving meal.Take a few moments during your Sunday morning coffee to discover new and inspiring Thanksgiving recipes. You never know, you might just decide to break Thanksgiving tradition and make something new!

Thanksgiving Recipes {Side Dishes and Vegetables}

Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:20:16 +0000

I like to keep with time-honored tradition on Thanksgiving, as it pertains to the recipes that I prepare. Earlier this week I went back and took a look see at the menu that I made the last time I was the hostess. It’s been quite some time since I made dinner on this very auspicious day, but I figured it would be fun to share with you the traditional side dish recipes that I like to make.Don’t forget our first course at Thanksgiving is always Mullagitawny soup served in tea cups – and remember – if you serve a whole bowl there won’t be room in their bellies for anything else! Moderation is key at this point in the meal.One of the sides I like to make on Thanksgiving is my mom’s recipe for Prairie Salad. It adds a nice, fresh, nutty bit of crunch to dinner. It has a great texture and adds some green to the plate.Another dish: Ina Garten’s sautéed carrots! They are so sweet and delicious. Not to mention they’re a breeze to prepare in the last few minutes while the bird is resting after coming out of the oven. The only bummer is that you make them when you’re supposed to be doing up the gravy. I don’t know about you, but gravy always scares the heck out of me. I always freak out that it’ll be lumpy. If I ask nicely, will y’all send me some smooth gravy vibes on Thursday?There is always stuffing on our menu…prepared dressing-style. I have nothing against stuffing the bird. I know many people are absolutely die-hard turkey stuffers. I just prefer the way the bird cooks when it is loosely packed with citrus, fresh herbs, onion and garlic. I like to use soft butter (I know this sounds crazy) and spread it between the flesh and the meat on the bird.The dressing is prepared exactly how I grew up watching my mom make it – except she is a bird stuffer and I am not. My mom uses Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing - however – it’s sometimes difficult to find wildly popular brands in the Midwest out here on the East Coast. One addition to mom’s stuffing: I often make sausage on the side and add it into the recipe before it goes in the oven.Mashed rutabaga. I prepare it by boiling it in one box of chicken stock, or water and then mashing it with some butter. What’s rutabaga, you ask? I learned recently that they call it yellow turnip here in New England. It is actually a cross between wild cabbage and a turnip and pretty much tastes exactly like that! I happen to love it with a lot of pepper on it.Mashed potatoes. I know this might seem like overkill on the mashed vegetables, but I like the way the the mashed potatoes and rutabaga taste together. I am also going to do corn niblets. Our Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without them!I like to bake Swedish Butterhorns, but this year I might do garlic bread. Recently I started putting bread that has been rubbed with olive oil and garlic under the broiler for a few minutes. It’s so delicious that I may make that in addition to the rolls, or instead!{Images: Thanksgiving Cards via Paperless Post, mashed rutabaga recipe, mashed potato recipe}