I know Thanksgiving is over. I know, I know. But, we had such a fun time with our family and friends that I just want to write about it one more time.
You see, each year, for a long time, Tim has been making a Thanksgiving video. Some years it involves the Turkey being driven around the family farm, other years it features us. He’s so creative.
Normally, you see videos of my cooking show on here. But, I feel like giving you a glimpse of our life, our family, our holidays.
We had Thanksgiving dinner with my Uncle Larry and Aunt Gail, cousins: Ted, Jake, Renée, Gracie, Josiah; Tim’s parents, Terry and Cathy, and our friends, Doris, Brad, Mary, Brian, and Sarah. It was a blast!!
I’d planned to make my Roasted Garlic Yams, but ended up making a variation of them, which you can see below. It would work well for any holiday or regular dinner, so keep this one bookmarked!
Happy the holidays! Enjoy a laugh, on us.
Happy Eating!
Parmesan and Garlic Roasted Yams
Recipe Type: Side, Roasting, Oven, Squash, Winter
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Yams are roasted. Parmesan cheese is grated. Almonds are chopped. They are all combined to make a delicious fall dish.
Ingredients
9 yams, cut into large chunks
1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1/2 to 1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
pinch nutmeg
pinch cayenne or red pepper flakes
1-2 T olive oil
1/4 C garlic infused olive oil (I used Bari’s)
1 C parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 C reserved)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t lemon juice
1/4 C apple cider
1/2 C roasted almonds, chopped
Instructions
Toss yams with 1 1/2 T olive oil, and seasonings. Place on 2 or 3 baking sheets (making sure they are not overcrowded). Drizzle cut side of squash with 1/2 T olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast at 350F for 60 minutes (at 30 minutes rotate which is on top and bottom oven racks).
Whisk together garlic olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and cider.
When squash is tender, scrape into a bowl, mash a bit, and combine with roasted yams, 3/4 C parmesan cheese, and cider mixture.
Top with remaining 1/4 C cheese and bake for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Serve topped with almonds.
Notes
This can be made the day before, up thru step 3. The following day, place in an oven proof pan, covered, and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. Uncover, and bake an additional 20-40 minutes more (or until it’s heated to at least 165F). In last 15 minutes of baking, top with remaining 1/4 C parmesan cheese. Serve topped with almonds.
Pears are roasted, stuffed, and roasted some more, for a sweet fall dessert.
Ingredients
4 pears (1 per person), halved and cored
brown sugar
1 T unsalted butter
cinnamon
tiny pinch salt (we’re talking a few granules here)
granola (for topping)
Instructions
Place pears cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 350F for about 20-30 minutes, or until pears are tender. Remove from oven and scrape a little bit out of center (without piercing through the skin).
Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, butter, and the pear you’d scooped out. Fill pears with sugar mixture.
Return to oven and bake 5-10 more minutes, or until center is melty.
Thanksgiving is tomorrow. You know this. I know this. Are you prepared? We’re having Thanksgiving dinner with a mixture of Husband’s family, my family, and good friends. I’m excited. I think my excitement is a tie between the company and the food. Good thing there will be both.
My job, my dish, my instructions were: Rachel, can you bring the yams? Perfect, because I have yams. As I write this early on Monday (so that I can have a mini vacation for the rest of the week), I’m trying to think of what I want to do with them. I have lots of ideas. Scalloped Yams could be fun, Roasted Garlic Yam are great (I made them two years ago and we loved them), traditional Yams with Marshmallows are fine, Winter Veggie Salad is delicious… but I want to be creative, which usually means making something up. This is one of my favorite things to do.
Thanksgiving is the one meal, however, where I kinda like the traditional classics. Turkey, Stuffing, Green Beans, Cranberry Sauce, Yams, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, and Rolls. Mmmmmm, I can’t wait to eat!! So I have some thinking to do regarding these yams… I’m thinking… I’m thinking… I think I’m going to use my recipe for Roasted Garlic Yams. They were good. They have bacon. They have garlic. They have parmesan cheese. Winner.
Thinking about the day after, if you need some ideas for what to do with your leftovers, here are some from this year and last.
This week marks a year since A Cooking Show with Rachel O made its debut into the world of culinary entertainment (or whatever you want to call it). Armed with my Minestrone Soup recipe and a lot of excitement, I began. Now, a year later, I’ve learned a lot, eaten a lot… I’m not sure which I’ve done more of… I’ve also burned myself, pinched my hand, scared the dog with my horn thingey (that was today), dropped tons of food on the floor, eaten lots of veggies, laughed a lot, knocked the iPad/second camera off the counter‚ pronounced things incorrectly, learned how to cook new things, invented dishes I’ve loved, made a few things I wasn’t absolutely crazy about, learned some more, ate some more, chopped about a million veggies, and developed a new found respect for those who wash dishes and/or edit video for a living. Neither is my favorite part of the job (although one is definitely more favorite), but both are necessary.
My favorite part of the job… favorites actually: Chopping food, the smell of Bari‘s olive oil, the smell of garlic when it hits a hot pan, photographing food, editing my photos, the inspiration that comes when I open the box of Abundant Harvest Organics produce, planning a menu, writing furiously so I don’t forget the recipe idea that popped into my brain, hearing Husband exclaim “MMMMMMMMMmmmm” after taking his first bite (it happened with this meal!), watching the dog pretend not to watch us eat because he too would like a bite, laughing at myself, eating amazing organic produce, working with a company I respect, sharing my love for food with you… I could go on for hours. I feel truly blessed to do what I do.
Thank you for being a part of that. Thanks for watching, for reading, for commenting, for telling me that you liked a recipe. It means so much to me. I create these dishes, write about these foods, share my ideas because I think they taste good. But, I also share them because I want you to enjoy them just as much as I do. I hope this is happening.
I also hope you like Mac and Cheese as much as I do. We can still be friends if you don’t, but it is one of my favorite go-to/comfort/quick meals. I know it’s tempting on a tired night to grab a box of the really quick stuff. I’m not judging if you do. I’ve done it. Buuuut, I’ve also discovered that homemade Mac and Cheese is almost as fast. Really! You have to wait for the water to boil regardless. So while you’re standing in the kitchen, starving, staring at the water, willing it to boil, trying to keep from eating peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon, grab some milk, olive oil, salt, pepper, and flour, grate some cheese and make a simple sauce. If you have a few more minutes, roast some fennel and add it to some sautéed onion and garlic. It’s a good idea.
I didn’t think I liked fennel. Then I roasted it. Roasting is the key to making almost any vegetable a thousand times better (even though I usually like them just the way they are! Here’s how: Buy olive oil (personally, I like Bari‘s). Turn on oven. Combine olive oil with halved fennel. 350F. Done. Boom. Roasted. Good right?!
Now it’s your turn. Have fun!
Happy Eating!
Roasted Fennel Mac
Recipe Type: Main, Pasta, Dinner, Oven, Stove Top
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
When fennel is roasted it becomes sweet and slightly caramelized. It’s paired with pears and Gruyère and added to traditional Mac and Cheese to dress it up.
Ingredients
1/2 to 1 C onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, halved
3-4 T plus 1 t olive oil
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 carrot, grated
1/2 to 1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 C cheese (combination of Gruyère and Parmesan), grated (1/4 C reserved for topping)
2 T flour
1/4 C cream
1/2 to 1 C milk
1/2 to 1 C vegetable stock
1/4 C pasta water
2 C pasta
1 pear, thinly sliced (for topping)
Instructions
Drizzle fennel with 1 t olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes (or until fennel is tender).
Cook pasta.
Heat pan over medium heat. Add 2 T oil. When oil is hot, add onion, carrot, and a pinch of salt. Cook 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
When fennel is done, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Chop. Add to pan with veggies.
Move veggies to one side. Add 1-2 T more oil. When it’s hot, whisk in 2 T flour, cook 30-60 seconds. Slowly, a little bit at a time, whisk in milk, stock, cream, and pasta water. Let it thicken a little after each addition of more liquid. Add pasta water. Cook until just before it boils.
Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, apple cider vinegar, and pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Toss pasta with sauce. Top with thinly sliced pear, and top pear with cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and melted.
Butternut Squash is roasted and added to browned butter to make a creamy and delicious soup. This dish is perfect for fall!
Ingredients
3 butternut squash
4 cloves garlic
2-3 T olive oil
6 T unsalted butter*
1 T balsamic vinegar
5-7 C vegetable stock
1 1/2 to 2 t salt (*if you use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt)
1/4 t pepper
dash cayenne
pinch nutmeg
heavy cream (for topping)
chopped almonds or bacon, cooked and crumbled (for topping) (optional)**
Gruyère cheese, grated (for topping)
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Halve squash. Brush cut side with olive oil. Place oiled side down on a baking sheet. Cut tips off garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in foil and place on baking sheet. Cook squash and garlic 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until squash is tender. Remove and cool slightly. Squeeze garlic and scrape squash from skin.
Cook bacon or chop almonds.
Heat a soup pot. When it’s hot, add butter. Cook over med heat until it’s browned. Add squash, garlic, seasonings, balsamic vinegar, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil.
Turn off heat and blend with a hand blender (using the “S” blade) on 5th speed (high), or in batches in a regular blender (be sure to remove the middle plug in the lid and cover with a towel). Blend until smooth. Return to heat and simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings. If it’s too thick, add more stock.
To serve, top with a drizzle of cream, some chopped almonds or bacon, and some Gruyère.
Notes
**This soup is vegetarian unless you include the bacon.
