Tag: cooking

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Taste Testing

This weekend a few of us tested recipes for Thanksgiving utilizing flavors from spices and herbs to homemade chutneys. I would like to alter the taste of our meal without psyching out my family. They each have favorite dishes and are adamant in how these flavors are to be prepared. I must stay within the confines of seasonal taste while cooking for this group using sage, rosemary and thyme from the garden along with nutmeg, cloves and of course cinnamon for baking.    

Today I tested and prepped stuffing for a chicken and ended up making our family’s traditional rosemary and sage dressing with onions and celery. But then decided to alter the gravy by adding a touch of Napolean brandy {just a touch} to the dish to enhance the flavor. This tasty addition made all the difference and I can’t wait to use this during the holiday’s.

Recipe for Gravy
To a pan add turkey giblets and neck
2½ cups of chicken broth
1 diced shallot
2 or 3 bay leaves
2 or 3 tablespoons of corn starch
¼ to 1/3 cup of brandy depending upon taste.

Stay stylish,
Kathleen

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Watermelon-Rind Preserves

On Saturday afternoon while slicing a watermelon I planned a proper Sunday lunch. Matching flavors or taste to create a menu was an interesting process. The fare was to include an eight-pound ham, a bowl of potato salad, 24 deviled eggs and a pot of collard greens.

As I carved the watermelon, I remembered a recipe my mom made from summers past pickling or preserving the rinds. Pickles are always top on my list, but a preserve was more in order for breakfast with the ham and biscuits or a lunch of Effie’s wheat crackers, Camembert and a slice of cold ham.

  • Peel the rind from half a medium watermelon, and cut into 1 x 3-inch pieces.
    • Dissolve a ½ cup of salt and two quarts of water in a Dutch oven. Submerge the rinds in salted water and set overnight.
      • The next day I boil the rinds in the saline solution for about 15 minutes.
        • Drain and rinse.
          • Add rinds back into pot with two cups of water, ½ cup of lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves and two cups of sugar.
            • Bring to a medium – medium low boil for two hours, until the rinds are translucent.
            • Place in fridge [for up to two months] or can in Mason jars.

Bon appétit,
Kathleen