Candied Grapefruit Peel

We're moving toward Advent: a time to feather your nest, play John Rutter and cook up a storm. So today I'm sharing another Christmas classic: candied grapefruit peel. It takes something you'd normally throw away and makes it so delicious. My auntie Flo suggests dipping it in dark chocolate, but I love it plain. It's definitely a motivation to eat your grapefruit in the morning--Andrew and I have been saving our empty grapefruit halves in a Ziplock bag in the fridge. You could also make it with oranges, or really any citrus. Mommy helped Andrew and me make our first batch, seven grapefruits' worth, when she and Daddy were here a few weeks ago. Mommy always says that it is even more precious because of all the work that goes into it!

I'm posting the version of the recipe that Mommy wrote up a few years ago because it is full of her wisdom.

Candied Grapefruit Peel
This recipe comes from the original Joy of Cooking but obviously, it's much older. I love how it uses something you'd otherwise throw away (or compost).

Slice grapefruit peel into thin slices and remove all the pith (the white part). I use a small paring knife for this and it takes forever. A good movie and/or a glass of wine (or homemade egg nog) helps.

Cover peel with cold water and bring slowly to a boil. Drain thoroughly. Repeat 5 times. This removes the bitterness of the peel.

The peel, ready to go in the sugar syrup

Make a sugar syrup using 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar for the peel of one grapefruit or two oranges.

Boil the peel in the syrup until all syrup is absorbed. Cool slightly. Roll in granulated sugar and spread to dry. This part has to be done pretty quickly because if you let the syruped peel cool too much you can't spread it.

Sugared peel can be dipped in chocolate if desired.

Keeps a long time in a tin but a very short time in a dish (because you'll be eating it!).

Egg Nog

It's time for one of my favorite Christmas traditions: egg nog. Growing up, Harrison and I were stuck with  the storebought fake stuff--we'd thin it with milk to make it taste better. But now we're allowed to have the real stuff, from the milk gallon marked EGG NOG. It tastes like joy and happiness and sitting by the fire on Christmas Eve with cookies and friends before you head to the third service at church. It's a very old family recipe: Auntie Nette has the recipe written in my great-great-great grandmother Jane Paxon Ely Bailey's own hand.

 The original recipe calls for a dozen eggs, but since salmonella is a thing, we've been using Egg Beaters.

Andrew and me before Christmas Weekend his senior year!

 If you don't like egg nog--or, worse, if you think that storebought stuff mixed with rum is yummy--you must try this recipe. Instead of being thick and gross, it's light and airy and creamy and spiced and amazing. Andrew didn't think he liked egg nog until I made it for him his senior year; he's made it every Christmas since. Actually, we went ahead and made some while I was baking my pecan pie the Tuesday before Thanksgiving... we deserved it!

Andrew gave me a Jefferson cup with my future monogram last Christmas for my egg nog!

Egg Nog (my third-great-grandmother's recipe)
If you're using whole eggs (or just the yolks): Separate the yolks from the whites in 1 dozen eggs. Beat yolks with 12 Tablespoons sugar until very light. Beat whites in a flat dish.

If you're using Egg Beaters: Mix together 1 dozen egg-equivalent with 12 Tablespoons sugar.

Mix 9 oz. cognac and 4 1/2 oz. rum in a pitcher. Pour liquor very slowly into yolks (or Egg Beaters), stirring until well mixed. Pour in 1 quart milk, 1 pint light cream and 1 pint whipping cream. Add allspice, cloves and nutmeg to taste. Pour in egg whites (if separated) at the end. I like to sprinkle some nutmeg on top before serving.

Turkey-spinach pie, or, What to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers

It's already Christmas in our house. After the FSU game yesterday (which we won't even talk about), Andrew and I have been putting up lights and decorating the tree. We're currently watching Elf while I blog and he knits!

However, if you're still living in the house where you ate on Thursday, you're probably still dealing with Thanksgiving leftovers. Growing up, we'd always have turkey tetrazinni, Harrison's favorite. I don't like mushrooms, though, so when we had our turkey dinner earlier this month, Mom and I found this unique answer to extra turkey. The phyllo dough makes it just beautiful! And it tasted amazing. (It should be no secret by now that spinach is one of my favorite foods!)

Turkey-spinach pie, from the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook

Slice two leeks and mince a clove of garlic. Cook them in butter until the leeks are tender.

Combine the leek mixture with 3 eggs (slightly beaten), 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained), 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 2/3 cup milk and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Chop 2 cups cooked turkey or chicken, and mix in with everything else.

Layer 6 sheets phyllo dough in a pie pan, brushing each layer with melted butter. Spoon the filling into the crust and fold the dough toward the center.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes, and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Thanksgiving: Stuffing, Carrots and Pecan Pie

I'm back! As you may have noticed from the incessant Christmas ads, Thanksgiving is upon us. Thanksgiving is really one of my favorite holidays because it's so unpretentious. It's about eating a delicious meal with people you love. Better yet, it's about preparing a delicious meal with the people you love. It's worth waking up early to throw on an apron, watch the Macy's parade and brown flour for the gravy. Every family has their own traditions: in my family, it isn't Thanksgiving without rice, at least five types of cranberry sauce and wine jelly with boiled custard. Well, that isn't strictly true. We've had Thanksgiving with a lot of different people, not just with family in the same city every year, which I think is great: you can have the same holiday in many different ways. Which is why it's okay that I've married into a mashed potatoes family...

However, I firmly believe that Thanksgiving shouldn't be the only day of the year when you go all out and cook your favorite foods. For this reason (and because Andrew got a free turkey with his flu shot), we had turkey dinner when my parents came to visit last week.

At Wakulla Springs

My parents' visit was wonderful. Daddy hadn't been to Tallahassee before, and Mommy had only been to help me move some of my stuff down before the wedding, so we got to spend the long weekend showing them everything the beautiful town of Tallahassee has to offer. We went to Wakulla Springs, Maclay Gardens, the fair... and Mommy's college friend Susan and her husband Mike came to visit! We saved turkey for the night they were coming because we would need help eating it.

So here are some of my favorite recipes that I made last week and one that I'll make tomorrow night to take to Tampa. If my mom sends me some other family favorites (wine jelly and cranberry chutney??), I'll post them; they don't seem to be in my recipe file just yet!

The feast. I love any excuse to pull out the fine china and crystal.
Andrew, as you can see, loves milk.

Grandmama's Sausage Stuffing
My grandmama was an absolutely incredible cook. I remember Thanksgiving weekends helping her roll out and cut the yeast rolls for dinner (a competitive item when my twin cousins, uncle and I were at the same end of the table). This is her stuffing recipe, which I think is absolutely fantastic. We didn't put it in the bird last week, since it makes the cooking take longer, but if you have time it's worth it.

Cut 1 pound sausage (the kind that comes in a giant roll) into 4 slices. Cook it on the stove, breaking it up into small pieces while it cooks. Once all the sausage is browned, take it out and put it in a bowl.

Meanwhile, take 1 pound of soft white bread. Old bread is great; if it's fresh, set the slices out to dry a little so they harden. In my family, we try to save heels and crusts in the freezer and thaw them for stuffing. Then cut the bread up into small pieces.

Chop 1 large or 2 medium onions, and cook it in the sausage grease until soft and clear. Mix the onion, sausage and bread together, and add salt and pepper to taste.

If you're cooking it outside the bird, add chicken broth (I used 2 cups for the whole thing) and heat in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. The chicken broth softens it, since it's missing out on those yummy drippings from the bird.

Carrots Vindalee
I believe this is a more recent recipe in my family's Thanksgiving arsenal, but it is a great one. This is the only version of cooked carrots Andrew will eat. It's from the "Mountain Elegance" cookbook by the Junior League of Asheville, NC. (Thank you to Auntie Flo for correcting my original, poorly remembered version!) You can never have enough vegetables at Thanksgiving, and the orange brightens up the plate.

Cut 4 or 5 carrots into thin slices. Chop 1 celery heart, including the leaves. Cook the carrots and celery on the stove covered in dry white wine and a tablespoon or two of sugar. The wine should cook down so it isn't soupy. Add a teaspoon or two of dill and enjoy!

The Jackson, MS Junior League Pecan Pie
This is what I'm making for Thanksgiving this year and I'm so excited. Not only is it delicious--better than any other pecan pie you have ever eaten ever--but it is incredibly fun to make. I'm even going all out and making my own pie crust (thanks, Eleanor!). This recipe came from Becky Heishman, a good family friend. Daddy likes to call it PEAKEN pie.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake a 9-inch pie shell for 3 or 4 minutes. Cook 1/2 cup butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar and 1/2 cup light corn syrup over low heat until the butter melts. Do not let it boil. Cool slightly.

Lightly beat 3 eggs (the recipe notes, "Do not unloose your inner masochist"). Stir them into the mixture--be careful not to add the eggs while it's too warm or they will start to cook and you will be very embarrassed in front of your auntie who's chopping carrots. Mix the eggs in well.

Finely chop 1 1/2 cup pecans, and add them to the mixture with 1 tsp vanilla. (I like to reserve 1/2 cup or so pecans to arrange a pretty pattern on the top, but you don't have to.) Pour filling into crust and bake for 40-45 minutes. Pie should be soft in center when removed from oven.