2017 Thanksgiving A Mix of This a Mix of That

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Cornish Hen

Glazed Steak Ham 

Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing Casserole 

Mixed Collard, Mustard, Spinach Greens 

Red Potato Salad

Cranberry Sauce

Turkey Gravy

Desserts: 

Sweet Potato Pie

Key Lime Pound Cake

Beverage:

Buttered Rum

Ginger Brew

Today I’m making a soul food Thanksgiving Dinner; holidays have always been a time to visit family and friends. I am an empty nester living here in Chicago. Sometimes, I fly out to join my family to celebrate the holidays, and sometimes I just stay home. This year I’m heading to Atlanta on Sunday post-Thanksgiving to spend a few days with my daughter and granddaughter.

Mother Bessie Turner taught me thirty years ago always have the dinner ready before noon so the guest doesn't have to wait. Something I’ve held on to even when I’m home alone. I started prepping, as always, a week before, so I didn’t have so much to do the day before.

This morning I had a ham steak for breakfast, garnished with mango chutney, crushed pineapple, and a cherry. I had a slice of sweet potato pie with my expresso coffee while the steak was cooking.

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Cornish Hen
Glazed Steak Ham (glazed with Mango Chutney, garnished with crushed pineapple and cherries.)

Mixed Collard, Mustard, Spinach Greens (seasoning meats, salt pork, ham diced, bacon ends), onion, apple cider honey vinegar, no salt needed)

Red Potato Salad (mustard, relish, mayonnaise, celery, bell pepper, onion, olives, boiled eggs, small red potatoes) pg 90 Iron Pots Wooden Spoons.

Sweet Potato Pie (two medium-sized sweet potatoes, 4 small organic apples, butter, nutmeg, 2 eggs, dark brown sugar, condensed milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice, sea salt) pg 169, Iron Pots Wooden Spoons.

Key Lime Pound Cake (this was a box cake mix I’ve had for months, so now is a good time to bake it. I’m going to soak it with rum for later)

Hot Buttered Rum

Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing 
Turkey Ham and Sausage Casserole 

I’m taking this dish to Thanksgiving Dinner- Southern Cornbread Dressing Casserole. 
Prep Time 30 mins  Cook Time 30 mins Total Time 1 hrs.

A traditional southern cornbread dressing flavored with onion, celery, and sage. Super moist and flavorful. Southern Cornbread Dressing is deliciously moist and wonderfully seasoned with sage, onions, bell pepper, and celery.
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Christin Mahrlig

I used my favorite cookbook, Jessica B. Harris, to make my cornbread on pages 109 - 110. Southern Black American tradition.

1 cup self-rising cornmeal, I used  Goya Harina de Maiz finely grounded
1/2 cup self-rising flour, I used All purpose Bleached 
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons Vegetable oil

Dressing Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
3 medium onions, chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 pieces toast, crumbled
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
1. preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients for cornbread. Pour into a lightly greased 9-inch cast iron pan or a 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Before using, crumble it into small pieces.
3. Heat butter over medium heat in a large pan. Add celery and onion and cook until soft.
4. Add sage, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper to the onion mixture.
5. In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread and toast.
6. Whisk together milk and eggs and add to the bowl. Could you stir in 2 cups of chicken broth?
7. Stir in the onion mixture. The mixture should be very moist. Please add more broth if you need to.
8. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Cut butter into tiny slivers and scatter on top of the dressing.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until it turns light brown on top.

Recipe Notes
Note: The cornbread should be made a day or two in advance. And the veggies should be cut up in advance, so all you have to do is combine all ingredients and put them into the oven on Thanksgiving morning.

Napa Valley's First Black-Owned Winery

 @brownestate via Instagram By Caroline Claire Burke September 07, 2017

Napa Valley's First Black-Owned Winery Is A Chic Step 

In The Right Direction

Napa Valley's first black-owned winery is also the chicest winery.

Brown Estate is a second-generation winery co-helmed with three siblings: Deneen, Coral, and David Brown. The winery was initially a financial investment made by their parents in 1980. Bassett and Marcela Brown bought some land in Napa Valley and sold zinfandel grapes to other winemakers.

Napa Valley's first black-owned winery is also the chicest winery.

Brown Estate is a second-generation winery co-helmed with three siblings: Deneen, Coral, and David Brown. The winery was initially a financial investment made by their parents in 1980. Bassett and Marcela Brown bought some land in Napa Valley and sold zinfandel grapes to other winemakers.

But 16 years after the land was initially bought, the Brown children decided to take the grapes they'd been selling and bring them in-house to create a winery of their own. And thus, Brown Estate was born.

Although Brown Estate is making waves as the only black-owned winery in Napa Valley, that's not the only reason people are talking about it.

The space of the winery itself is to die for.

You can see why people are freaking out about how chic this place is. While most wineries opt for an airy feeling with light color palettes, this winery is kind of sexy, and almost has a New York bar feel to it. 

With those super high ceilings, that lush brick, and those calming blue and black accent tones, it would be easy to sit in this winery all day long with a bottle... or two... or three.

The Swineapple

This recipe is so good, I had it first in Lakeland Georgia. My son Herbert E. Raney Jr. AKA Tarri made this for July 3, celebration, and cookout. It was the appetizer, served up on hamburger buns. Recipe adapted by Chef Rob Koeller, owner of Culinary Concepts and Hospitality Consultants.

Herbert E. Raney, Jr. version 

Ingredients

1 each Fresh Pineapple
6 ounces Ground Pork
3 ounces Ground Chorizo
3 ounces Ground Sausage
4 ounces Pickled Red Onion (OPTIONAL)
2 ounces Diced Green Onion (OPTIONAL)
1-ounce Garam Masala (Indian Spice Mix) (OPTIONAL)
1-ounce Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
2 pounds Thick-sliced Bacon
¼ bunch Fresh Cilantro
4 ounces Carolina BBQ (Vinegar based BBQ sauce)

Procedure

1. Peel and hollow out the center of the Pineapple. Place inside a pre-heated 250-degree oven and par-bake for 15 minutes.
2. Make a weave out of the 2 pounds of thick-sliced bacon and also par-bake at 325 degrees for only 12 minutes. To keep the bacon from curling up and shrinking excessively, layer another pan on top while baking. Once removed from the oven, drain all the grease.
3. Mix all of the remaining ingredients, except for the BBQ Sauce, in a bowl and stuff the center of the Pineapple with this mixture.
4. Once the bacon is cooled to room temp, carefully wrap it around the Pineapple. You can use skewers or toothpicks to hold the bacon onto the fruit.
5. Place back into a 280-degree oven and bake for another 20 minutes. The moisture from the Pineapple will prevent the Bacon from over-crisping.
6. Once ready to serve, place onto a pre-heated BBQ grill at no more than 300 degrees and brush the Pineapple with the BBQ Sauce. Continue to baste the pineapple while grilling in for another 10 minutes. Make sure the center of the stuffing reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees before serving. This can be done with any prop-type kitchen thermometer.
7. Slice and garnish with fresh cilantro.

2017 New Year's Dinner "UMOJA"

Kwanzaa, the seventh day wouldn't be "Imani" without a Sunday dinner for the beginning of a new year. So even though I didn't have guests, I prepared dinner to share the blessing for 2017.

Menu

Red Moscato Wine

Chicken Shrimp Gumbo

Black-eyed Peas in Sweet Meat

Akara

Plantain

Jollof Rice

Mustard/Collard Mixed Greens

Sweet Potato Pie

Strawberry Caramel Cream Cake

Frances Guichard's place setting for Christmas Dinner.

 The Guichards shared a lovely Christmas dinner for family and friends at the gallery. I asked Frances to BYOB her own bowl to fetch the gumbo I was sharing for the New Year.

Christmas Dinner at Gallery Guichard 2016

I made my Chicken Seafood Gumbo but added sweetmeat (smoked). I used Louisiana Cajun Etouffee Base, browned with a cube of butter and 2 cups of water. I boiled the shrimp shells, added a concentrated seafood base, crab boil, and Old Bay seasoning, and added two cups of broth to the etouffee base.

After boiling sweet meat until it was tender, I chopped and deboned the heart and returned to the pot. Next, I bought a rotisserie chicken from Mariano's instead of a fresh one, boiled it down, and deboned it.

I used the sweetmeat in my black-eyed peas to have a smoky-tasting pot liquor, and with the other half of the black-eyed peas, I made Akara fritters. This year I used dried beans instead of fresh black-eyed peas. I added my onions, garlic, eggs, and a little flour to hold them together and fried them in vegetable oil until brown on both sides.

I just love good plantain. I had one sitting for a week, so it would be nice, sweet, and suitable for browning in butter, oil, and sprinkling brown sugar cinnamon.

Heat peanut oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter begins to sizzle. Gently toss plantain slices with brown sugar, then place into the hot oil. Fry until the plantains turn golden brown, then turn over and continue frying until they have caramelized, about 2 minutes per side.

Uncle Ben's boiled brown rice in a bag came in handy and was suitable for easy clean-up. I added Joloff rice seasoning, which has that west African spice taste.

Jollof rice, also called Benachin, is a one-pot dish popular in many West African countries. It is the progenitor of the Louisianian dish jambalaya. Jollof rice can be served with any kind of meat or chicken.

Christmas 2016 Sunday Brunch

Blood Red Roses, Red Apples, and Christmas Red Berries, Pines, Center Piece

Menu

Espresso Coffee

Turkey Wrap and Rolls

Cranberry Sauce

Giant Purple Grapes

Mimosa

Turkey Wrap and Rolls with Cheddar Cheese and Cranberry Sauce

Andre Campaign and Tangerine Juice, Espresso Coffee

We all have so much to be thankful for, for Jesus is the reason for the season. For those of us with an empty nest, we can still celebrate by making breakfast as if we are entertaining guests. I’ve made a commitment to myself to put a place setting, with napkins, wine glass, candles, and make enough for whoever may drop by. Cheers 

• Wrap and Rolls (Turkey, Ham, Roast Beef, Cheddar, Swiss, Provolone Cheese, Herb and Garlic Spread, leaf romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, Spinach, Vegetable, Plain Wraps.)  Cherry tomatoes to garnish.
• Purple Giant Grapes
• Cranberry Sauce

A Mimosa is a cocktail composed of equal parts champagne and chilled citrus juice, usually orange juice unless otherwise specified. Instead of orange juice, I used tangerine juice from Mariano's fresh-squeezed. 

Main alcohol: Champagne

Ingredients: 2 1/2 oz (1 part) Orange juice, 2 1/2 oz (1 part) Champagne

Preparation: Ensure both ingredients are well chilled, then mix into the glass. Serve cold.

Served: Stirred not shaken

Standard garnish: Cherries, Strawberries, Grenadine

Drinkware: Champagne flute