Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter

The best way to describe this dish is YUMMMMM!!! This is kind of a labor intensive dish, but it is so worth it! I LOVED it! It's one of Giada De Laurentiis' recipes and I just made a few slight adjustments after reading the recipe reviews. I would suggest making the gnocchi dough 1 day ahead so it can chill in the fridge. It was much easier to work with when it was chilled!
6 to 8 servings

Gnocchi:

2 lbs sweet potatoes
2/3 C. whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 C. all purpose flour, plus 1/3 for work surface
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork. Bake the sweet potatoes until tender and fully cooked, about 40-50 minutes. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, place ricotta in a strainer or some cheese cloth and allow excess moisture to drain into a bowl and set aside. Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and cool slightly. Cut in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large measuring cup to make sure the sweet potatoes measure about 2 cups. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes back to the large bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, salt, cinnamon, and pepper and blend until well mixed. Add the flour, 1/2 C. at a time until a soft dough forms. You may need slightly more flour than the recipe calls for. Just continue to add flour 1/2 C. at a time until the dough is no longer goopy and a soft ball forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour. Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Roll out each ball into 1-inch wide rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces. Roll the gnocchi over the lines of a fork (this is just for looks) and transfer to a large baking sheet.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 3 batches and cook until tender but still firm to the bite. The gnocchi will float when it is done. Drain gnocchi using a slotted spoon and transfer to a baking sheet. After all gnocchi is cooked, saute in a nonstick pan with a little butter to create a slight crust on the gnocchi. Return gnocchi to the baking sheet and tent with foil to keep warm.

Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter:

1/2 C. unsalted butter (Make sure it is unsalted! If you use salted butter, do not add salt to the sauce.)
20 fresh sage leaves
1 t. ground cinnamon
2 T. maple syrup
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted add sage leaves. Continue to cook, swirling the butter occasionally until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon, maple syrup, salt and pepper. The mixture will bubble up. Gently stir the mixture and toss with the gnocchi. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse with Pecan– Toffee Crunch

We just had this dessert tonight and I thought it was so yummy and different! Be sure to prepare it one day ahead.

4 servings

Crunch:
Vegetable oil
1 C. chopped pecans
2/3 C. toffee bits
4 t. dark brown sugar
1/8 t. salt
1 T. unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil, brush generously with vegetable oil. Toss nuts, toffee bits, sugar, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and toss to coat. Place mixture in center of prepared sheet; pat to single layer. Bake until toffee bits are soft, about 15 minutes. Cool crunch completely on sheet. Transfer to work surface; chop coarsely.

Mousse:
2 C. chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
¼ C. sugar
5 large egg yolks
1 ¼ C. canned pure pumpkin
1 t. rum flavoring (optional)
1 ¼ t. vanilla extract
¾ t. ground cinnamon
½ t. ground ginger
¼ t. ground nutmeg
¼ t. salt
1/8 t. allspice
Whisk ¾ C. whipping cream, sugar, and egg yolks in heavy medium-low heat until thickened to pudding consistency, about 10 minutes, do not boil. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Mix in pumpkin, rum flavoring, vanilla, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and allspice. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Beat remaining 1 ¼ C. cream in another large bowl until cream holds peaks. Transfer ½ C. whipped cream to medium bowl for garnish; cover and chill. Fold remaining whipped cream into pumpkin mixture. Cover and refrigerate mousse at least 4 hours and up to 1 day. In each of 4 medium goblets, layer 1/3 C. mousse and generous tablespoon crunch. Repeat 2 more times. If necessary, whisk reserved ½ C. whipped cream to soft peaks and sweeten with 1 or 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar. Pipe or drop dollop of cream onto mousse in each goblet. Cover; freeze overnight.

Popovers with Sage Butter

I loved these!! They were so easy to make and so yummy!

1 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 T. chopped fresh sage
2 C. flour
1 t. salt
2 ½ C. cold whole milk
4 large eggs

Stir butter and chopped sage in small bowl. Season sage butter with salt and pepper. Melt 5 T. sage butter in small saucepan. Transfer remaining sage butter to small dish. Preheat oven to 450 F. Using 3 T. melted sage butter, brush each cup of 12-cup muffin pan. Whisk flour and salt in large bowl to blend. Whisk milk, eggs, and 2 T. melted sage butter in medium bowl to blend. Pour egg mixture over dry ingredients. Whisk until batter is smooth. Divide batter among muffin cups. Without opening oven door at any time, bake popovers 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F; bake until popovers are puffed and brown, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer popovers to platter; serve immediately with remaining sage butter.

Herb Brined Turkey

This was my first time cooking a whole turkey! I looked at several brine recipes and took what I liked from all of them and made my own brine recipe. I think the turkey turned out great. I made my own vegetable broth so I will include the broth recipe below. I couldn't bring myself to spend that much money on something I could just make at home! Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the turkey before we started cutting into it, so my picture isn't a great as it could have been! I used Alton Browns cooking method. He gives very detailed instructions, which I like. It makes it much harder to mess up!

1 gallon vegetable broth.

2 gallons of filtered water
1 T. olive oil
2-3 carrots cut into big chunks with skins left on
4-5 stalks of celery cut into big chunks
2 onions quartered
3 cloves of garlic with skin on
1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 425 F. Toss vegetables with olive oil and spread onto a baking sheet. Roast vegetables in oven for about 40 minutes or until vegetables are soft and caramelized. In a large pot bring 2 gallons of water to a boil and then add roasted vegetables and rest of ingredients. Simmer until liquid is reduced to about half, about 1 hour. It may take more time than that, I wasn't paying close attention to time. Strain out vegetables and allow broth to cool to room temperature or chill in the fridge.

Brine

1 gallon vegetable broth
1 C. Kosher salt or sea salt (I found that kosher salt was used most often in the recipes I looked at, but I did find one or two that called for sea salt. One cup of salt was used with either type of salt).
1 T. crushed dried rosemary
1 T. dried sage (I had fresh, so I used 1/3 C.)
1 T. dried thyme
1 T. black peppercorns
1 gallon of heavily iced water

In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to dissolve salt. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in ice water. Wash and dry turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator over night. Yes it is possible to fit the bucket in the refrigerator. I just took one shelf out and it fit fine. You could also use a cooler. Let the turkey sit in the brine for 10 to 16 hours or up to 20 if you have a very large turkey. Remove the turkey, rinse off brine and pat dry.

Aromatics

1/2 onion sliced
1 apple sliced (If you use a red apple, don't be alarmed when your juices have a red tint. Just make sure your turkey is at the right temperature!)
1 cinnamon stick
1 C. water
In a microwave safe bowl, combine ingredients and cook for five minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Insert into the cavity of the turkey along with 4 sprigs of rosemary and 6 sage leaves.

Baking the Turkey

Preheat oven to 500 F.
Place turkey on a roasting rack and set roasting rack in a roasting pan or on a cookie sheet. Tuck wings underneath themselves and make sure the legs are tied together. Usually they are already tied together with oven safe material. Rub the turkey liberally with canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. It's best to use a digital thermometer so you don't overcook the turkey. Insert the probe into the thickest part of the bird. I put mine into the bake side of the breast. Make sure the probe doesn't go into the cavity or bone. Next, make a large triangle out of foil and shape over the turkey breast. Remove foil and set aside. The foil will be used later to ensure the turkey breast doesn't get overcooked. It's just easier to shape it to the bird now, so you don't have to do it when the bird is really hot. Place your turkey legs first into your 500 degree oven. Cook at 500 degrees for thirty minutes. Cooking it at a high temperature initially will make help the skin brown and crisp. After 30 minutes, carefully place the foil over the turkey breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Set your thermometer to 161 degrees F. Do not open the oven door until your turkey reaches 161 F. Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil. The carryover cooking will raise the temp to 165. Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before removing the probe.

Tortilla Soup

This is one of my favorite soups! It's only about 2 weight watchers points for one cup. If you add a couple tablespoons of low fat cheeses, and three crushed tortilla chips, it's only about 4 points!

2 T. olive oil
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded (Rotisserie chicken is best)
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic
1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (10-oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 (4-oz.) can chopped green chiles
1 (15-oz.) can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 (15-oz.) can black beans drained and rinsed
32 oz. chicken broth
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1 bay leaf
Fresh Cilantro
Monterey Jack cheese
Sour Cream
Tortilla chips
Avocado

In a large pot cook onions and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent and tender. Add tomatoes, green chiles, corn, enchilada sauce, broth and spices and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken and black beans and continue to cook for 20 or 30 more minutes. Garnish soup with cheese, sour cream, avocado slices, tortilla chips and fresh cilantro.

*Another option is to toss all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Black Bean and Chicken Chili

This is a family favorite!

1 T. olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
4 (15-oz.) can Black Beans, rinsed
1 (4-oz.) can Green Chilies, diced
1 (28-oz) can Crushed or diced tomatoes
1 (14-oz) can Chicken Broth
1 1/2 C. shredded rotisserie chicken (you could cook and shred your chicken, but it's so much easier to use a rotisserie chicken!)
1 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 t. chili powder
2 dashes of hot sauce
3/4 C. salsa
Pepper Jack or Cheddar Cheese
Avocado
Sour Cream
Heat oil in heavy pot. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are transparent. Combine all other ingredients and simmer for 2-3 hours. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and chopped avocado.

Macaroni and Cheese with Crumb Topping

I've been looking for a really good macaroni and cheese recipe. I think this one is pretty good, but I think I might try a few more recipes. Addy loves this mac and cheese! I have made it with white cheddar and regular cheddar. Both are good.

12 servings

1 ½ C. fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread
¾ C. freshly grated Asiago cheese
1 t. sweet paprika
8 T. butter, divided
6 T. flour
6 C. whole milk (I used skim and it was still good)
2 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. ground black pepper
4 C. grated white cheddar cheese
1 ½ T. chopped fresh parsley
1 lb. macaroni

Mix breadcrumbs, Asiago, and paprika in medium bowl. Melt 6 T. butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk, then mustard and pepper. Cook until thickened, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Mix in 1/2 of the cheddar cheese. Cool sauce slightly and then add the rest of the cheese and fresh parsley. Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Cook macaroni in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain macaroni. Return macaroni to pot; mix in sauce. Season to taste with salt. Transfer mixture to prepared dish. Sprinkle with topping. Dot with remaining 2 T. butter. Bake until cheese is bubbling and crumbs are brown, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.