Friends(&thanks)giving

The holiday season is upon us full of friends, fun, and so much food. As of a week ago, ski season has also begun here in Utah. I was lucky enough to have my best friend Melody travel from Boulder to come explore SLC for a week, get our first turns of the season in, and cook a Thanksgiving feast. 

Our adventures at Snowbird last weekend began and ended with one run being open, drinks, friends, and snowy laps. I can't wait for the season to finally take off. 

Snowy and matching. Opening weekend at the Bird

Lines for days.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.This year was my first time preparing a turkey and preparing most of the feast. Melody and I pooled our skills and resources together to put on Thanksgiving for us and my roommates. 

A couple of tips to make Thanksgiving a great success:

1) Turkeys, so I've learned, take quite awhile to thaw so start early. 2 days before.

2) Have lots of wine on hand, but don't break it out too early - that turkey isn't going to carve itself...and you probably shouldn't be handling a hot bird with a carving knife while sporting red wine lips either. 

3) Make your pumpkin pie from scratch with fresh pumpkin. I could eat this pie every day. Recipe below!

4) Put goat cheese in your mashed potatoes for added flavor and creaminess. 

5) Always say what you're thankful for. It's the best tradition. 

Thanksgiving was a success. Here's a recap of the day plus two recipes that will be in my feasts to come without a doubt.

Green bean casserole and pumpkin pie are my two favorite Thanksgiving dishes. This year I'm certain that we found the two best recipes that will be used in my Thanksgivings to come. Here are my modified versions:

Green Bean Casserole with Portobello Gravy:

1/4 cup olive oil

6 medium shallots or half a white onion, sliced into rings (about 1 cup)

1 1/2 pounds thin fresh string beans, trimmed

1 pound portobello mushrooms, slices

6 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

3 cups 2% milk, I used lactose-free of course

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots or onions and cook until soft. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Leave remaining oil in the pan. 

Place the green beans in a steamer basket fitted over a pot of boiling water. Cover and steam until bright green and still crisp, about 3 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved shallot oil in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushroom liquid is evaporated and they begin to brown, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl.

Whisk together the milk and flour until the flour is dissolved. Add the mixture to the skillet and, whisking constantly, bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the green beans, mushroom mixture, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, the parsley, nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon the green bean mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle the top with the crispy shallots and the remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake until golden on top and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Fresh Pumpkin-Pecan Pie

3-4 pound sugar pumpkin

2 eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup pecan halves.(chopped)

Prepare the pie crust beforehand in a standard 9 in pie pan.

Prepare the pumpkin:

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the sugar pumpkin in half and remove seeds. Put cut sides down on a greased cookie sheet for 1-2 hours. Scrape the center of the pumpkin out of the rind and place into the blender. Puree pumpkin until smooth. Increase heat of the oven to 450 degrees.

Combine eggs, sugars, spices, flour, and salt. Blend in pumpkin. Gradually add milk, mix well.

Pour into pie shell. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 40-50 minutes. 

Make pecan topping: Combine two tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon orange zest, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and chopped pecans. 

Sprinkle the pecan mixture on top of the pie for the last 10 minutes of the baking time. 

By now your kitchen most likely smells amazing and you should be overly excited to dive into this....

Hope you are all nursing your food hangovers well, it was worth it. 

k. 

On The Move

It's official, I have left Montana.

I can honestly say that I never thought that some day I would live in Utah. It seemed like one of those places I always just passed through, heard about, and didn't really think much of until the past few years when I started realizing just how great the mountains and therefore skiing were.

Apparently having the Winter Olympics here didn't really register with me in 5th grade but now it's all coming together unlike the Olympics being in Sochi....which I will never understand. Moving on..

I decided to take the long way down to Salt Lake to make a couple stops to see friends and get my fill of the northern mountains. I might as well admit at this point that I was also getting my fill of being in states with regular alcohol laws and "regular" beer. My first stop was Big Sky, MT to see my friend Katy. Everyone should probably visit Big Sky not only because it's beautiful but because there is a bar there that sells vodka slushies. A night can never go wrong when you're in the high country of Montana, surrounded by ski bums and flannel, and there is a dive bar selling vodka slushies and 50 cent wings. You just can't. The morning view isn't half bad either.

I could wake up to this daily.

The next day I headed out in search of the Tetons. Staying the night in Jackson on Halloween turned out to be a great success full of new friends, wine, killer mountains, and more wine. Let me just say that you never know who you're going to meet, so stay open minded and be outgoing because life is exciting and one should always explore the opportunities that arise.

Surreal. 

After two days in the mountains I finally made it to SLC. 100 papercuts, boxes, and 7 days later I had moved into my new place and unpacked my life. Hopefully that will not occur again for a long, LONG while.

I love pizza and had been craving it now more than ever after the long hours of unpacking. The rise of the "low carb" veggie crusts had me intrigued so I decided to give it a shot.

Spinach Pizza Crust
2-3 cups of leaf spinach
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
1 egg

Toppings:
2 cooked links of chicken sausage, sliced
roasted tomatoes, sliced
shallot, sliced and sauteed
chunks of brie, gouda, mozzarella, any cheese really

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Chop the spinanch in a blender, magic bullet, or food processor. I don't have a food processor and things were a little difficult. After several rounds in the blender I basically just chopped the spinach as small as I could and put it back in the blender with the cheese and egg. Pulse the mixture enough to mix the egg in. The important thing to remember is that you don't want a pureed spinach. If that means you end up doing a lot of hand mixing, that's just fine.

Line a cookie sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper. Spread the mixture into a circle about a 1/2 inch thick. Season the top with any spices you desire. Bake for 15-17 minutes until the edges are slightly golden.

Turn the oven to broil. Top the crust with the desired toppings and set to broil until the cheese melts. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

I was really surprised as to how well the crust stayed together with the weight of the toppings. I ended up folding most of my slices in half, but the recipe ended up working out really well for a healthy alternative. Next time I think I will use a little less cheese in the crust to cut down on the grease, but other than that this one will be a keeper. Enjoy!

Before I left Montana I bought my tickets to see The Black Keys in SLC. Being one of my favorite bands, I was extremely excited that I was going to be in town for the show. I can definitely get used to the music scene that Salt Lake has. The show was absolutely amazing. You can't beat a good show and good company.

Little Black Submarines encore - my favorite.

My first couple of weeks in SLC have flown. I can't believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Opening day at Snowbird is in 9 days and we are counting down in this household.

Eat, sleep, snow dance, repeat.

k