Our Thanksgiving Spread

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your day was filled with warmth, love & full bellies! I am thankful for every day. Every sunrise or sunset I get to see makes me filled with gratitude. However I'm thankful most for my husband, Gilles and our fur baby, MaQ. They are my family and without them I'm not sure where I would be today. Their love makes each day worth getting up for. I love these two more than anything else in the world. Thank you both for always having my back.

Today's post is all about my cook-a-thon from yesterday's feast! I've been cooking our turkey's for the past 7 years and I must admit, this year's turkey was the best yet! I got a decent-sized bird to last us for days, just shy of 14 pounds! I panicked the first time I handled a turkey. The idea of cooking the darn thing was intimidating enough, let alone preparing all the side dishes and appetizers, cocktails, etc. Secondly, I was honestly grossed out. But now, with persistent practice in the kitchen, I prep faster and with more confidence, therefore with much more ease. It's a breeze now and I relish the idea of cooking a 20+lber one day, ha ha! This year was also the first time where I never felt overwhelmed! My cooking skills are improving, and I'm so happy to share with you my progress thus far! Here are a few tricks of the trade I've learned from the many Thanksgiving dinners I've made in the past years:

ALWAYS PREP IN ADVANCE! I can't tell you how many times I was that dingdong who'd rush to the market on the day of Thanksgiving. BAD Suz! BAD. Life is continuously hectic in New York, and I never could seem to manage to prepare anything beforehand and made everything on the actual day! This year in particular, I bought everything I needed the day before. Lol. I also made the pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Eve, which definitely helped take off a little pressure from all the cooking on the day of.

BUTTER, BUTTER & MORE BUTTER. What's the secret to French cooking? That's right, folks, the more the better. If you want your turkey to have a super moist, rich taste, the key is where you put the butter. I like to season mine first with a variety of herbs & seasonings, then take the mixture and place it under the skin. The trick is to not to rip the entire skin off though. I will poke a hole through each end on both sides, and will especially be generous with the butter when it comes to the breast. I put most of the butter in this section because this part of the turkey has a tendency to be the most dry.

COVER TURKEY WITH FOIL. Remove the foil when there is only 1 hour left to finish cooking the bird. This is the time to baste the turkey from the cooked juices, I usually try to do this every 10-15 minutes (for an hour), giving it a nice brown on the skin. Doesn't it look delicious?!

USE UNFLAVORED DENTAL FLOSS TO TIE THE LEGS. It's easy to remove and even easier to tie if you have an extra pair of hands. (Thanks, hubby bear for the awesome teamwork!) I'm not sure what everyone else uses, but I've been using this method for years and it's never failed to secure them tightly!

A VARIETY OF SIDES GOES A LONG WAY. Some of my favorite trimmings are mashed potatoes and stuffing (or dressing as the South calls it). I could literally survive on the stuff! But you never know who's going to show up, so it's a good thing to mix it up and try different and new recipes. I also made my version of candied yams & apples, which is on the sweeter side comparatively to the other dishes. Salad is also a great starter. I mixed mine with mushrooms, red & yellow peppers, onion, cucumbers, tomatos and shredded carrots. I also will normally have some kind of bread at the table but I totally forget about it in the photo! Last are the cranberry sauce and green beans which are always winners.

HOW TO GET THE FLUFFIEST MASHED POTATOES. A whisk! Just whip those taters up like you're whisking eggs and it'll be the airiest potatoes of your life! Secret's also in the right amount of butter and milk. Don't forget the salt too!

APPEARENCE DOES COUNT. Any kind of decorative effort brings liveliness to a place/setting. Whether it's flowers, funky-looking squash and pumpkins, or a fabulous table runner, I try to keep the spread looking simple yet appealing. Plus, you'll still have all your decorations after which will still keep your place looking fun and festive, unless you like to jump into Christmas right away.  :)

What are some of your favorite tricks for Thanksgiving dinners? Favorite sides? What about your least favorite dish you still come across? Like fruitcake during Christmas? Ha ha! Have a safe rest of your Black Friday and enjoy the Holiday weekend! <3

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

Parsnip Risotto With Beets And Walnuts

We're less than a week from Thanksgiving! It's my favorite holiday and my love for cooking is at it's ultimate height this month! Lots of turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry everything; I'm drooling over my keyboard as I type!

Every year for Thanksgiving I try to come up with a different dish in addition to my more traditional dishes. This week, I tried out a recipe I discovered on Pinterest through the Love With Food website. A risotto lover (hubby included), I was excited with the idea of putting more earthy flavors and tones with the rice component. Parsnips are naturally sweet and have always paired well with the pungent taste of beets, in my opinion.

Parsnip Risotto With Beets And Walnuts

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 4 medium large parsnips, peeled and cut in chunks
  • 1 & 1/2 cups risotto rice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 2 cups vegetable bouillon
  • 100 grams walnuts, chopped
  • 4 large beets, peeled and boiled
  • 10 sprigs thyme
  • 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
  • 1/5 cup soy yogurt or soy cream
  • salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Peel the onions and cut in small pieces.
  2. Peel and cut parsnips in medium bite-sized chunks.
  3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and saute the onions until glassy.
  4. Add the risotto rice and mix to coat the rice with the oil.
  5. Add the white wine and cook until the wine has been absorbed.
  6. Add the parsnips and half of the vegetable bouillon and cook, stirring until the bouillon has been absorbed. Add other half after, stirring continuously.
  7. Slice the cooked beets.
  8. Heat the vegan margarine in a second frying pan.
  9. Add the chopped walnuts and lightly toast.
  10. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and add to the walnuts.
  11. Add the beet slices and cook at light heat to warm the beets.
  12. When the risotto is soft, add the soy yogurt and mix well.
  13. Serve the risotto on a large serving platter with the beets and walnuts on top of the risotto and garnished with a dollop of soy yogurt (optional), a few walnut pieces and thyme leaves.

I love thyme and it perfectly goes well with the walnuts, though next time I would love to try this recipe with actual butter and cheese (mmmm... fatty alert) because the soy yogurt was really not my thing! I didn't even bother to add the dollop on top, though the recipe calls for it.

Are you a risotto fanatic like me? What are some of your favorite risotto recipes? Whatever plans you have for this weekend, we hope it's a relaxing and enjoyable one!

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

Korean Tacos

Thank GOD it's Friday! I'm so happy it's the weekend. This week has been frantic with so much work, I'm ready to kick back and relax! So what's a girl to cook on the happiest day of all? Tacos. And even better? KOREAN tacos. Slow cooker tacos.

I especially love the slaw! It's mixed coleslaw with kale! Healthy and delicious, it gives an extra crunch. Bringing added texture, the slaw goes perfectly with the pork combining a sweet and tangy experience in your mouth.

Slow Cooker Korean Tacos

Serves 6-8, recipe from Table for Two Blog

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 4 pieces

1 cup hoisin sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 green onions, thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish

3 tsp ground ginger

1 16-ounce package of coleslaw or broccoli slaw mix

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

Small tortillas or hot cooked white (or brown) rice, for serving

Instructions:

  1. Add the pieces of pork in the insert/bowl of your slow cooker. Add hoisin sauce, garlic, green onions, and ground ginger.

  2. Toss each piece of pork a few times to fully coat with the sauce and spices.

  3. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.

  4. Prior to serving, in a bowl, toss coleslaw or broccoli slaw mix with rice wine vinegar and brown sugar.

  5. Remove pork from slow cooker and shred. (Best trick I learned to shred meat in a slow cooker is to use an electric hand mixer. Easy peasy!)

  6. Serve in warmed tortillas with slaw on top or spoon pork onto a bed of rice. Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.

  7. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days.

Like it hot? Try it with some Sriracha sauce or Tabasco sauce. This will definitely elevate the other flavors, giving it a full kick of spiciness... to which, I can never ever get enough of the hottest, most spicy food. Proof: My first night living in New York, I took a dare with a girlfriend and ate a whole Jalapeno pepper while downing it with a shot of Crown Royal. It felt like I had smoke coming out of my ears! It was bad, but oh so fun. Such a great memory.

If you do not eat pork, you can easily substitute with beef or poultry. It'd be just as tasty! I definitely want to mix it up and come up with different kinds of Korean tacos. Perhaps Korean shrimp tacos? Mmmm! Be on the lookout for more! :P

I also have some really exciting upcoming stories for my readers next week! Stay tuned for more!

Have a great weekend! 

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz