Recently in Secret Chef Category

This weeks our Secret Chef on the big red couch is Mistress Mary. "What is your favorite dish for Thanksgiving dinner? Please share the recipe."

"This is a soup that I make and serve just about every year. Everyone loves it, and when I don't make it they complain bitterly. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law, and I think it originally came from Gourmet magazine, but I'm not sure. It has a lovely, delicate flavor." Artichoke Soup: 4 15 oz cans chicken stock, hot 2 cans artichoke bottoms (NOT hearts) 1/2 tsp prepared mustard 6 tsp lemon juice A little grated garlic salt and pepper to taste 6 T flour 6 T butter 2 cups light cream 1 can of plain artichoke hearts Make a roux with the butter and flour. Add hot broth, a cup at a time, and stir with a whisk until smooth. Cook about 10 minutes with a low heat. Puree artichoke bottoms with mustard, lemon juice, a little grating of garlic, and salt and pepper. Add puree to sauce. Stir in cream and heat through. Serve with slivers of artichoke hearts as a garnish.

I was going to prepare this soup last week because we love artichokes. I could not find artichoke bottoms at my local grocer so I asked Mary about using the hearts in place of the bottoms. This is her reply.

"I don't think so. The artichoke bottoms have a very distinct flavor and texture. They're very rich. Sometimes it does take some effort to find them. Specialty grocery stores always have them, regular stores sometimes have them."

Thank you, Mary. As soon as I get up to Fredericksburg or Prince William I'll look for the artichoke bottoms. They are not available in the market here in Podunk, Va. *** I am almost ready for my mother's visit. Hang in here with me and I'll post a couple sections of my NaNo project this weekend. I went shopping for rugs and things yesterday. I was walking the malls from 10am until after 1:30pm. Nonstop moving! My feet are tired. I have completed the upstairs bathroom except for the painting I will do this evening. I even managed to actually buy rugs for my bedroom after 10 months with only a bare floor. I'll post pictures of the girls bathroom this weekend. Thank you for the nice comments on Gracie's room. I really have (am) working hard to give the girls rooms that are pleasing to them as well as keep the integrity of the age of the house. Sometimes all of the work doesn't look like much unless you have been there and did the scraping and the sanding and the fixing. This house was in fairly good shape when we bought it. When we started painting and changing things to suit our tastes is when we found the details that had been overlooked by previous owners or intentionally hidden. Door casings that are not finished on the one side, drywall that is crumbling because a window was not properly sealed, or a toilet that has not been seated and does not have a wax seal. The previous post would have been twice as long if I had written about all the little things that had to be done. Like all of the outlets had to be changed to 3 prong plugs. The ceiling fan had to have different wiring from the attic because it was still knob and post wiring from the early 1900's. You get the idea. Thank you for giving me the pat on the back for alot of effort. It makes me eager to move on to the next room. I want our children to grow up in a comfortable home. I also want it to have the feel of southern gentility that I grew up with. If the girls are not here I want the rooms to be nice so that any guest in our home would feel just as comfortable as well. I make a lot of extra work for myself. I am picky. I do not take shortcuts. Things nag at me and I can't scrimp on a coat of paint. I see the flaws and imperfections and they make me insane until I fix them. The closet doors? Couldn't sleep until I had given them 3 coats of paint. Seriously. Again, thank you for the lovely comments. Mary, it was not picture day at school. I am one of those mothers who send their child to school looking proper daily. It is just a normal day around here. Hair fixed with ribbons and bows. Clothes proper and tidy and fitting of the child's age. Yes, I have raised girls who are fussy about their appearance out in public. Blame it on my grandmother. We all have her tastes and ideals. Mary's children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will never been seen looking like urchins -if we can help it. Somedays when I visit Gracie's school I could just cry at what I see. Little girls with stringy hair that hasn't been washed or brushed. Little boys with dirty faces and hands. Children sent to school without socks or coats in the winter. I tell you I could just cry! After which I want to find the lazy ass parents and beat some sense into them. It doesn't take money (yes, I have heard the excuse 'we can't afford to blah blah blah') just a little effort to send your child to school in clean clothes with their hair brushed and their little bodies bathed. It is pure laziness that sends a child to school dirty and in dirty clothes. I'll step down off my soapbox now. I have to go to the doctor this morning. I need to have some blood work done that the previous doctor failed to do.

The featured chef on the Big Red Couch today is ... Lucinda of Suburban Turmoil

I have THE BEST RECIPE EVER for Thanksgiving. I mean it. I have made it two years running now and it is all anyone talks about for days. I have shared it with all my friends and they made it for their dinners and it was all anyone talked about for days! It is that good. I even love it- and I've never been a stuffing fan. Here it is: Sausage and Wild Mushroom Stuffing Ingredients: 1/2 pound ground pork sausage 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter 1 bunch green onions, sliced 2 pounds mixed wild mushrooms (shiitake, portobello, enoki, crimini) sliced 1 large onion, sliced 1 14 1/2 oz. can chicken broth 1 8oz package herb-seasoned stuffing mix (I use Pepperidge Farm) 1/2 t. pepper 1 t. sage 1 t. rosemary 1 t. thyme Directions: -Brown sausage in large skillet or saucepan. Drain and set aside. -Melt butter in skillet. Add mushrooms and onions, saute until tender. Stir in sausage, broth and remaining ingredients. -Spoon 4 cups of stuffing into turkey if desired. -Place remaining stuffing into 13x9 greased baking didsh. -Bake at 375 30-45 minutes or until lightly browned.

I have never prepared this stuffing myself. I have had it served to me. Steven's mother made it the first year we were here for Thanksgiving and it was delicious. She served it with a giant flourish revealing it as "Southern Stuffing". I have yet to tell her that where I come from we eat 'dressing' and the regional specialty in no way resembles this dish. LOL NaNoWriMo Word Count: 16971 Moving it with MistressMary: 20 minute walk yesterday P.S. Have you noticed how far along the little pumpkin pie ticker has moved? OMG in 12 weeks or less I will have a new baby in my arms!!! Sometimes the realization blindsides me -as if I have forgotten something very important and suddenly remembered it! People I am going to have a baby!!

This week Secret Chef #2 is Mrs. Susie Sunshine of Underpaid Kept Woman. < que commentator> "Mrs. Sunshine, a question from your adoring fans ... What is your favorite dish for Thanksgiving? < que Susie>

I love every food item at Thanksgiving because my Grandma makes nearly EVERYTHING! Well, I take that back. I don't love the vegetables because she tends to overcook them. And the cranberry sauce is still in the shape of the can she dumped it out of, but other than that EVERYTHING is wonderful. Yes, Grandma loves to cook and she loves to cook big, so everyone just backs away from the main dishes at Thanksgiving and brings...............dessert. Oh, our dessert selection is just AMAZING and the competition is fierce. I found a real winner with this cheesecake though. It's from Cooking Light and while not exactly Adkins approved, it's not quite as bad a regular cheesecake. The addition of the Cranberry Sauce topping makes it festive too. My crazy ass uncle doesn't eat many sweets and he always asks me to bring it. So now you HAVE to make it - it has the Crazy Ass Relative Seal of Approval! New York Cheesecake (almost like being there) Crust 2/3 c. flour 2 TB sugar 2 TB chilled stick butter, cut into small pieces 1 TB ice water Cooking spray Filling 3 (8 oz) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened 2 (8 oz) blocks 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened 1 3/4 sugar 3 TB flour 1 TB vanilla 1/4 tsp salt 5 large eggs Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To prepare crust, lightly spoon 2/3 c. flour into measuring cup, level with a knife. Place flour and 2 TB sugar in a food processor (if you are rich. I used my blender and it worked.) pulse 2 times or until combined. Add chilled butter; pulse 6 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly pour ice water through food chute (or the removable thingy in the lid of your blender), processing just until blended (do not allow dough to form a ball. I don't know why, but it must be really bad because they specifically say so). Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 9" springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes; cool on wire rack. (a counter works fine too.) Increase oven temp to 525. (My old oven only went to 500, but it still worked out.) To prepare filling, beat cheeses at high spped of a mixer until smooth. Add 1 3/4 cup sugar and next 5 ingredients; beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour cheese mixture into pan, bake at 525 degrees for 7 minutes (or 500 degrees for 11-12 minutes). Reduce oven temp. to 200 degrees, (do not remove cheesecake from oven); bake 40 minutes or until almost set. Remove cheesecake from oven; run a knife around outside edge. Cool to room temp. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. This cheesecake tastes great all on its own, but if you wanna get really fancy for the holidays, add: Cranberry Glaze 1/2 c. sugar 2 tsp. cornstarch 2 cups fresh cranberries 2/3 c. water Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan; stir in cranberries and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat; cook 5 minutes or until cranberries pop. Cool. Put in a fancy little dish with a fancy little spoon and make a fancy little label.

Thank you, Susie! Thanksgiving Tip from Angie When serving biscuits and cornbread to your family do not throw out that last one or two pieces. Take 2 gallon sized freezer bags, lable one for cornbread the other for biscuits. Start filling those bags now for dressing for Thanksgiving. It will save you both time and money. Note: I am mad as hell at the moment. I just spent the last 30 minutes banging out paragraphs of my novel. Just as I hit save Microsoft shit software encountered an error and shut down. It did not go into recovery either!! I lost EVERYTHING I have written this morning! Dammity damn damn damn!!! Grrrr!!!!! I am worth $1,505,740 on HumanForSale.com

MommaK, my neighbor over in Petroville, had a Q and A last week. I asked, "What is your favorite dish for Thanksgiving dinner? Please share the recipe." She replied,

"Pineapple Mush (sounds gross but I have loved this since I was a little girl)." Pineapple Mush 1/2 cup butter 4 eggs 1 can crushed pineapple (with juice) 1 cup sugar 6 slices of bread, cubed Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs and rest of ingredients. Put in 9×9 square pan or souffle dish, bake 1 hr @ 350 degrees. Pineapple mush was always served on holidays in our house. It was probably most fitting at Easter with ham, but I always requested it and usually took the greatest helping. As a picky eater, it was the one thing besides the ham or turkey that I enjoyed without complaint. As I got older and ate more (and more, and more) it was, to me, like having my dessert with my dinner. Who can turn that down?

Yesterday I baked MommaK's Thanksgiving favorite. I couldn't wait for dessert after supper. The baby was just beside himself wanting to taste the dish that looked so pretty and smelled so good. As usual I indulge my children so of course I had a nice big serving to please baby. OMG was it ever good. I thought it would be extremely sweet with a whole cup of sugar but was surprised to find that it wasn't. It was perfect. I used 8 slices of bread because two end pieces would be left and I hate to waste food and no one likes 2 bread heels for a sandwich. If you like pineapple and quick desserts this one is a keeper. I know I will be making this one again very soon. I just love pineapple. My momma cooked pineapple upside down cake when we were kids. I loved it then and I love it now. As a small child I was allergic to pineapple and never got to eat the beautifully scented dessert. I eventually grew out of it and indulged as often as possible in pineapple in any form. Thanks MommaK! Coming tomorrow - photos of my freezer and pantry.