Pumpkin Pie

This pumpkin pie recipe was pretty good, but I don’t see myself making it my go-to. The filling’s a little jelly-like and it just doesn’t have that traditional pumpkin pie taste that I was looking for. But it’s an interesting recipe, given the addition of canned yams, etc. I’m just going to link rather than reprint, as I followed the recipe exactly* and it’s long. Pictured at right (as you can see, pretty crust is not my strong point).

*Ok, I accidentally put too much salt in the crust. Meaning my crust was salty. Sue me.

Spinach Garlic Butter

Not really sure how I came up with this recipe. But I was in serious clean-out-the-fridge mode when I made this, first for garlic bread and then as a topping for Thanksgiving green beans (pictured below).

Chestnut Ciabatta Stuffing

Honestly? I’m not 100% sold on this recipe. Didn’t hit the stuffing sweet spot for me. Maybe a little dry? Plus, I’m not used to chestnuts in stuffing and this didn’t make me a convert.

That said, this was a big hit at my work Thanksgiving potluck and several people seemed to be a fan come Turkey Day, so it’s probably a matter of personal preference.

Sesame Soy Meatballs

Mandy made these as one of our Thanksgiving appetizers and they were addictive! Definitely going to try these with soba or something for a weeknight dinner. They have a nice kick. For apps, just serve on toothpicks.

Kale Chips

Kale has really grown on me over the past few years. But I think it’s hard for even the kale-phobic to resist kale chips.

These don’t keep very well, but are delicious right out of the oven. This was a nice side to leftover turkey tetrazzini (recipe to follow).

Bison, Tofu and String Bean Stir Fry

Big thumbs up for this recipe from the latest Food & Wine. A little ground meat goes a long way here, adding richness, while tofu helps keep things nice and protein-packed. Spicy but not too spicy.

Winter Greens Salad

This is one of those salads that’s tasty mostly because it has a lot of unhealthy things in it. The pomegranate is optional because A) pomegranates are a pain and B) the sour dressing balances the rest of the salad already. This was a side dish for stuffed cabbage.

Duck Pho

When I saw this recipe on Serious Eats, I wanted to make it right away. Even better, it used the remaining duck parts I had stashed in the freezer after making duck breasts a couple months back. It took me awhile before I had a free day to work on this (it’s a time consuming recipe), but it was worth the wait.

The duck adds a lovely richness to the broth. Like my other attempt at Pho, the broth isn’t quite as complex as what I can get at a Pho shop, but it’s still delicious and satisfying. I did NOT add the optional fois gras the recipe calls for. Because I don’t have fois gras languishing in the freezer along with my duck parts. We had this for dinner along with pork dumplings , courtesy of H Mart.

Impromptu Cornbread Stuffing

This came about because I had about half a package’s worth of leftover cornbread following Halloween. Cornbread stuffing seemed a smart thing to do with it, and despite the addition of some unconventional ingredients, from fake meat to bok choy, it turned out tasting homey and delicious.