Hamalicious Leftovers - Hamakua King Mushrooms and Orange Garlic Mustard Glazed Smoked Ham

I mean, word to your mutha. This was by far one of my all time favorite Thanksgiving meals ever. Like, ever. And that is sorta saying a lot, right? And actually, that's because these were some of the best Thanksgiving leftovers I've ever had.

For one, I picked up a 5 lb bag of Hamakua Mushrooms directly from the farm day before Thanksgiving. Biggest damn bag of mushrooms I have ever seen in my life! I was ridiculously ecstatic and knew that most of what would happen for this year's Thanksgiving leftovers might just be all about these mushrooms.

And the ham, of course. Because I love love love me some ham. I was not even half wrong to think that way and these "mains" alone would have been enough, but holy crap. The sauce? Omg, we had some delicious base sauces. Who can go wrong with an orange garlic mustard glaze? I mean, really. Doesn't it sound good already? But we also do a bang up good cranberry sauce so this was also in play for our leftover menu for days to come.

Having done our family Thanksgiving a few weeks earlier in October when the whole family was visiting, we were completely turkey'd out by the time Thanksgiving Day actually rolled around. The things you can do with a 30 lb box of heritage turkey wings would blow your mind and as you can imagine, the family must have eaten a shit ton of turkey. Well, I assure you we did... like binge turkey'd. Hence the reason we were over turkey by then.

So I said, "Ham." Tsu said, "Heck yea," and thus. the gorgeous Thanksgiving ham feast was on.

Turkey who? I mean, doesn't matter we were having ham. Ham and cranberry sauce are definitely friends. We can't have Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce in my house. One might consider this a cultish classic in that, it's Thanksgiving, no matter what you are serving as long as there is cranberry sauce on the table. I've heard others tell me it's true in their family, too. Weirdo Americans, gotta love that shit.

Ok, it's a BFD... I make enough to store in vacuum-sealed 4 oz freezer jars for Tsu's midnight dining pleasures; it freezes and thaws beautifully. It is pretty darn tasty, won't lie so here is our version:

Orange Cranberry Sauce

• bag of fresh cranberriess
• zest and juice of one large navel orange
• white sugar
• reduce, add ,more sugar if needed. You don’t know until cranberries break down
• cinnamon stick

So no big process, I just put it all in a pan and sim simmer on low until the cranberries break down enough, adding sugar to taste if necessary. This is not a recipe so much as a list of suggested ingredients because I always just sorta wing it. But these are my tried and true ingredients which kinda determine the whole ratio depending on what palatable balance you need to strike.

And it is such a thing, I might just have to try it as an alternate glaze for a ham. Just sayin'.

However... the ham glaze I made this year was simply divine. Just a ridiculously good honey mustard with a sweet and tangy garlic punch.  

Tsu is not really a ham junky like I am but he loves pork in general. Me, I could eat it every day. And this meal, I ate every day at every meal until it was gone. I just couldn't get enough of it. No idea what my problem is? I love pork. I don't obsess over good food because we eat well in our house, but this to me, was obsession making. Tsu was pretty impressed and said he could eat it (and he did lol!) until he was sick, it was that good. 

My ham glaze:

• ~2 c brown sugar
• juice and zest of an orange, 
• juice of grapefruit, 
• Hawaiian lemon wedge or lime just to provide a bit of acid
• 5 whole fresh garlic cloves
• 3-4 tbsp butter
• about a cup of Boars Head stoneground honey mustard (we get this at the deli)
• 1-2 cups apple cider, reserved for baking the ham

Put all ingredients except the apple cider in a sauce pot on low. Stir all ingredients over low heat until the brown sugar has melted and all of the ingredients have become well combined. Take off the heat, cover and set aside until you need it.

I had a funky little bbq basting bottle with a silicone basting brush attachment top that I picked up on sale at Ace Hardware. Boy, was this ever handy. I just poured my glaze into this little baster and it made basting such a breeze.

Bake the motherlode of all holiday hams:

Bake the ham cut side down in a Creuset dutch oven with a little apple cider just to coat bottom of pan on 325 for 3 hours or 10 minutes per lb, covered with lid or tented w tin foil. 

I brushed a good layer of glaze on the ham to start, then glazed every hour. Remove lid after first hour. 

About an hour before the ham is done, add your king mushrooms, if you want to try it. Otherwise, any reserved liquid or glaze can be used again for your mushrooms should you want to have them on the side. I just tossed them in with the ham and they were fantastic. 

Glaze the ham again after taking out of oven. Perfect, glossy beautiful ham. 

We also served fennel mashed potatoes and homemade Hawaiian rolls, which just sorta made sense, right? We are in Hawaii and Hawaiian rolls are legit a big thing here but hey, I happily made them myself. The fennel was from my garden so it just all came together, but was simple and easy.

I had every intention of making a tarte tatin but I had puff pastry so instead just made apple puff pastries with cinnamon and guess what else? The ham glaze. Before you scoff, it was incredible and we devoured those for dessert and breakfast the next morning. Took me all of like 5 whole minutes and they were marvelous.

Rockstar Veg - Deep Fried Brussel Sprouts

Ok, this may not be a long post but it is a cool one. If you have never tried this before, but want to, then run, don't walk to your kitchen fryer. Or your turkey fryer...

Simplicity at it's best. I probably had the most chill Thanksgiving ever this year. No guests. Just me and the Boo and the baby girl.

Now, I won't lie. Felt rather indulgent to have Tgiving all by ourselves. But that's not to say that we wouldn't have loved the company but this holiday, we wanted to hang in Hawai'i. We can plan our mainland visits whenever it suits so that's what we decided to do. And we loved every stinking minute of it.

But, that is not to say we didn't cook. Oh, we cooked... but part of what we discovered when planning our Thanksgiving dinner this year was how luxurious it really is to cook whatever the hell you want and know that there won't be the random dish that some random relative decided was good enough to bring in exchange for the really really good eats the rest of the family slaves away to make and share. Oh yea, there's always "one of those" in every family. But, it's all in the gathering and the total humor of it all, so still, I kinda missed that part.

Anyway, this year, since we could make whatever we want and didn't have to, out of obligation/devotion/madness, make anything we didn't want to, it was stellar!!

Dividing up the cooking in our house, easy. Planning the execution, iffy, but pretty easy and that's only because unlike me, my partner needs almost perfect isolation in the kitchen when he's doing his thing. I can cook in total chaos. Hold a solid convo and cook, no, but still, I can manage. Sergeant Perfection must have order. So, hell, I give him all the space he needs to focus like the Iron Chef he actually is.

Truth be told, I like his serious approach and he delivers and that kind of focus, I appreciate too. We are both curious cats so keeping out of each other's way is harder than it sounds when you want to see what the other is up to. It's professional curiosity, I tell him. And that's the truth. My Star Lord of the Kitchen Stadium. (He's that funny, too.)

We agreed on the whole menu. Agreed on the plan, the execution and worked the plan, as Star Lord expresses it. It was a dream and we both got such a kick out of how easy our dinner was. Almost sans stress entirely. Except he is a Cowboys fan, which we have to excuse and ignore. Other than that, total drama free, complete and utter indulgence.

My favorite thing this Thanksgiving turned out to be the Rockstar Brussel Sprouts. Who knew? Who knew you can make yourself sick eating brussel sprouts? It's a real thing, people. You can. As one of my closest friends pointed out: "of all things to make yourself sick over, you chose brussel sprouts? What the hell, Tinker Bell? I ate 2 pies, you ate 2 lbs of brussel sprouts. I hate you."

But dude, these brussel sprouts were kinda inspired by some hilarious episode of holiday Chopped or something. Guy's Grocery Games. No idea, but I remember saying, hey! That's a damn good idea.

That's just what we did. Fry the turkey. Drop the sprouts. Boom! By the time the bird had rested, the sprouts were perfectly done and boy, oh boy! FREAKING THE BOMB.

I added my own little twist, check this out:
White truffle oil
Fresh parmesan cheese
salt, pepper
minced garlic, optional

Just grated the parm, drizzled in a little truffle oil, salt and pepper and tossed the lot. Done. The garlic, we did the second time we made them in the same week. lol! Seriously, that good.

Dipping sauce (if you need it):
Reaper Aioli or
Thai sweet chili sauce or
your favorite sauce

We used peanut oil for our frying, as usual. I think the temp was right around 350-375 degrees F. I don't think it took more than 10 minutes but you definitely know they are done when they begin to caramelize and look like they may burn. They won't really but you will also see that the brussels will "bloom" like a little flower and open up it's outter leaves ever so slightly. Perfect. If you aren't sure, pop one out and eat it. But careful, they are hella hot right out of the fryer.

A few days later, despite overdoing it the first time, we made them again. Yes, that good... but this time we did it in our little kitchen deep fryer and again, total perfection. And I ate too many, but beside the point.

Now, we had other stuff for Thanksgiving like Star Lord's mother's oyster dressing. Turned out almost perfectly but like I said, he is the perfectionist, not I. I loved it but he knows the bar is kinda high and he also knew that I know if it's not the same as his Mom's. She is a serious, serious pro. Hm, kinda makes some sense, huh? ;)

All day we were both getting texts from Mama expressing concern about the whole process. It was hilarious. But she knows him well and sticking to the recipe ain't one of his strong suits. Still. It was de-freaking-licious. The only thing he said was, "Please don't tell Mama." lol! Ok, Groot. Secret is safe with me.

I have my own take on that recipe I'd love to try and I might just do it one random night next year...Roland, my brother in law's bff, does his mother's oyster dressing and it is also to die for. But his mom's has hot Cajun jalapeno sausage as well as oysters and I love that version, too. But if I tried to do that without a trial run on a less thankful day, it's asking for trouble in the Dirty South.

So, as usual, I did have a longish story for a short recipe. Oh well. C'est la vie au Hawai'i... Hope you enjoy this lovely turn on a classic Thanksgiving staple. I won't be going back to any other way of cooking them any time soon. And I just might make them again this week.

New Zealand Shortbread Lemon Meringue Pie - a Short Story

I will admit to being quite homesick over this Thanksgiving holiday. Not the least of which is really because I miss cooking with my sister most of all. She is like my best friend and has really been there for me during some super harsh times of my life. I actually feel this way about each member of my family and all of my sisters have been there for me, but there is something special about cooking during great times of duress. Especially when you feel like you might die from heartbreak. 

At that time in my life, it felt like the only thing that could keep me from losing my mind, especially during those horrible years where it was clear my marriage was not only an unhealthy one, but in many ways, a very dangerous one, was my cooking. It was over Thanksgiving, in 2012, just after coming home from a business trip in China that the seriousness of the matter not only came to be a glaring and inescapable reality for me, but also became a deep and painful awareness for my family, who had no idea of the nightmare I had been living. And hiding.

It's a difficult thing to shine a light on, but what I've come to realize about being in an abusive relationship is that it is an insipid place of hiding and denial and one that isn't easy to come to terms with for the person enduring something so maniacal and downright wrong. It takes a long time to be brave enough to admit it to yourself, let alone to someone who loves you as much as your friends or family do. But in the end, if it can come to light, change can occur and that is what I found myself most thankful for this year. The light. The love. The change. 

As I settle into a new life here in New Zealand with someone new that I love, I've become keenly aware of the huge challenges we faced together as we try to put the painful parts of our lives, the ones we had devoted ourselves to before we met, behind us. This new beginning, while completely invigorating and refreshing, hasn't been without it's challenges which we both well anticipated. But its also been incredibly endearing and touching at the same time. It has allowed us both a complete break from what we've known even together and is providing a very intentional, fundamental brick by brick building up of the life we intend to have together. Solid. Safe. Even in the face of such change and exciting uncertainty.

For one, we've both left a lot behind... and in so doing, we still bring a lot with us on the journey. And what we bring with us has a lot to do with the ones we love and the ones we are doing this for. So of course, Thanksgiving, which is often a greater time of reflection for Americans than even the ensuing religious holidays that follow, bring with it some nostalgia of times past. Loves lost. And loves left behind. And love... found. Love that can thrive and grow.

So sorting through that and trying to find some familiar ground after being adrift in our personal seas of change, which of course, is a transcontinental change of significant magnitude in and of itself, posed a few challenges over our first holiday away from our families. Aside from being away from them, we also had the practical matter of how we would deal with Thanksgiving itself. I mean, it's an American holiday that islanders and surely, an island full of native inhabitants as well as British colonists, can't truly dig into... lol! It's almost perverse to talk about it so lovingly here as to most non-Americans it is a bit of an oxymoron itself. But, Americans don't think of it really in a historical sort of way... It's our own holiday that has come to represent exactly what we were nostalgic for this year. Time with and about the ones you love and the gratitude for the life you have.

So on a practical note, how does one do an American holiday in a country that thinks you are mad for celebrating such a thing in the first place? Well, first you educate them on what the holiday really means. Next, you accept the fact that while you may be able to work from home and enjoy football, oddly enough, you surely won't readily find turkeys. At least not here in New Zealand. Which is not so terrible honestly because if it ain't my brother in law's turkey, then really I could care less. In my mind, his smoked and Southern deep fried turkey is THE ONLY turkey anyone could ever truly love or miss.

Rock Lobsters. Lamb. Giant Green Lipped New Zealand Mussels. Tomahawk steaks. BEAUTIFUL hams... the bounty of the harvest. Aha! That is what a Thanksgiving table is actually all about, right? And that is what a Kiwi table actually looks like if you celebrate what is locally available here. And this, I could really embrace and get behind. We also have a lot of the same produce and more because here in the South Pacific, it is actually slowly drifting from the cooler Spring weather into the full blown warmth of Summer.

One of the bounties of New Zealand is also lemons and citrus of all kinds. And I won't lie, this has had my attention since we first landed, being that it's one of my greatest loves in the garden and the kitchen. 

At this time of year, I always have an abundance of lemons as my sister would send me boxes of her beautiful lemons which ripen every year just in time for Thanksgiving. I also grew them in Florida but hadn't lived there long enough to get a large crop like hers.  But boy oh boy was I tickled to death to discover that not only do they grow so well here, but they almost grow wild. Nearly every yard has a lemon tree just loaded with lemons. So many lemons no one knows what to do with! But, I do...

So when discussing what kind of Thanksgiving feast we would have and knowing we'd have to replace some old favorites with some new ones, I asked my partner what would he like special on our holiday. He was quiet and a little bit sad having just talked so lovingly about his mother's oyster dressing that I knew he was feeling it much like I was. But then he looked at me and smiled, "Lemon meringue pie! Do you think you could manage that?" Could I manage that?! I was almost giddy. I mean, if I can't manage that surrounded by all these lemons and being that I've made so many with my sisters over the years, then I just don't deserve to wear the family apron, quite frankly.

So my next challenge is that while we are ambitious in the kitchen no matter what day of the week it is, our biggest challenge has been how to cook like a chef in what is the equivalent of a college dorm kitchen. We move into our new home away from home later this week, but until then, we still have to make do with the limited kitchen situation, regardless of the bounty we have at hand. 

We have a mini fridge, a combo cooktop/toaster oven, a microwave and just enough kitchenware to make a meal possible. Possible, I said... not necessarily easy. lol! But that has been part of the fun for us. We are both quite competitive in the kitchen anyway so while I know he was asking me sincerely to make something he enjoyed, I think he was also keenly aware of my constraints. Really, he was issuing a kitchen challenge. Irresistible; of course, he knew it.

Having pulled a groin muscle hauling groceries up the mountain a couple of days before he was understandably willing but unable to assist in the foraging. Ever willing to cook, even if a bit limpy, I knew I'd have help. But the "hunting and gathering" aspect this year was most definitely in my hands and I had my work cut out for me. But I was determined... knowing he was feeling as homesick for the familiar family festivities as I was.

I had my backpack, my rain coat (just in case!), my credit card and my grocery lists and more than an hour to get to the butcher. He closes at 2pm, but I had plenty of time and well, let's face it, no one was going to fight me for the best stuff on a random day no one was celebrating but us. 

I also had about a dozen lemon trees lining my neighbors' properties along the street the entire way to the village. Plenty of lemons, check. Now, for the crust... Having time to think about it on the way into town, I became suspicious that there would not be a graham cracker to be had in the village and that proved to be 100% true. So what to do instead? Well, what any Brit would do. Puff pastry or shortbread. And both you can find in abundance no matter where you go, grocery store, dairy, butcher shop. I had my plan. So having half my list already sorted, off I traipse down the mountain.

For the crust:

• Bunch of shortbread cookies, I don't know how many really but I usually use 2 packages of graham crackers so I just estimated and used a bunch of cookies (250-350 g?) because of course those you can buy in bulk in a myriad of brands and variations. Crushed with a potato masher (don't laugh it worked!)
• 2 tbsp butter, 4 tbs coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbsp sugar

So after a serious hike to the village and back with my goodies, which probably weighed about 40 lbs or so since I bought everything we needed for dinner, dessert and of course, bevvies, I was a bit miffed at myself when I realized I was seriously low on butter. I had managed to pack a half gallon of cider, a 6 pack of Belgian beer, a beautiful butterflied grass fed lamb roast, 2 massive Tomahawk ribeye steaks (our butcher is amazing!), a half of a small heirloom pumpkin, 3 ears of gorgeous locally grown sweet corn, a lb or so of silver French shallots, sweetened condensed milk and a quart of Lowenpick vanilla bean ice cream. Oh, and of course, some scavenged lemons as many as I could reach and stuff in the already loaded down backpack of goodness I had carried up the mountainside. Fennel, rosemary, sage, mint and wild onions also grow wild here so I grab handfuls of each and carefully stuff them in the front pocket.

All of this was in my backpack and after an almost 2 mile hike up the mountain to the very top where we are staying, I was most certainly ready and deserving of a beer. Buns of steel, here I come, no joke. Oh well. Even though I didn't have enough butter, I knew I could use coconut oil as a butter substitute and let's face it, shortbread is mostly butter anyway so I figured all would be well.

I didn't have a pie tin. And the antique stores I wanted to pop into to see about getting one were both closed. Ok, whatever, I'd have to use my teflon skillet as a pie tin. My crafty sous chef had already removed the plastic handle from it just in case I didn't have any luck in the village. For one, it wouldn't fit in the toaster oven with the handle on, for another the handle would melt and for yet another, I didn't have anything else so it would have to do. And this turned out to be quite ingenius really. So much easier to remove a pie from a teflon pan, it turns out. It made me wonder why that isn't a thing.... I will rig one once we are in the new place because it worked so well. Well worth the effort.

Next, I needed to figure out how to make the crumbs. I knew this wouldn't be too hard. Normally I just use my food processor, but since that is still floating out at sea waiting for the port to be repaired from the massive earthquake we had last week, I had to come up with another way. Smash in a bag, ok, but I don't have a plethora of plastic bags these days and I don't mind that at all. One thing I did have at hand was this crazy, but clever potato masher that looked like it was bent out of shape. Turns out, the Brits and Kiwis are onto something here because it is bent so you can mash potatoes inside a pot easier. Check; yes, will be investing in one of these clever things as well going forward. I broke the cookies up and used this crazy masher to make the most perfect pie crust crumbs ever.

Mix the crumbs, melted butter and/or coconut oil with the sugar until well combined. 

Press the crumbs into a teflon skillet with the handle removed. Go on, you know you want to... lol! Dump the crumb mixture into the pan and using the bottom of a smooth espresso cup or glass, gently distribute it out on the bottom of the pan. Press crumbs gently on the bottom first, moving out towards the sides of the pan, not pressing too hard but just enough to hold its form. You don't want it to be hard as a brick baking up or it will be difficult to cut (speaking from experience, mind you). It will naturally start to work up the sides of the pan so I press the sides gently almost all the way up but not so aggressively that it crumbles back into itself. It doesn't have to be even or perfect and in fact, I like the way it looks if it's not all the way up the sides and slightly irregular. It's prettier, to me, on the plate that way.

Lemon Filling:

• 3 egg yolks, separating yolks and whites, reserving the whites for meringue
• 2 tsp (10 mL) grated lemon rind 
• 1 can (300 mL or 14 oz) regular sweetened condensed milk 
• ½ cup (125 mL) fresh squeezed lemon juice 

Time to get crafty again...

I didn't have a hand mixer or a set of beaters. But... I had a magic bullet that I ordered from Chinese Amazon. lol! Sadly, it's too expensive to get shit sent here from the US unless you have someone send it as a gift. You really do get raked by customs in New Zealand, no getting around it. But, AliExpress, whom I've shopped with successfully for years, has been a bit of a life saver. I have always called them "Chinese Amazon" because they have just about anything and because China is actually closer than the US, it will arrive here much quicker too. Also, shipping to New Zealand is free and they are very clever about how to deal with customs. I won't say anything more except that I love them. lol! And so, that's how I was able to replace my American Bullet Pro with a 220v version that I can actually use here in New Zealand without having to use a power converter. Yes, that's a real thing, people. American 110v appliances just won't work here and you can't just get an adapter. I am extremely knowledgeable on the topic so if you ever have questions, send me a note. lol!

Back to the filling. I didn't have a blender or a mixer or anything so I decided to put my filling ingredients into my Bullet and see how that worked out. Brilliant. lol! It was really brilliant and I was so impressed with myself for thinking of it! Worked like a charm. Fast, easy and really whipped it up better and faster than I could have done in a stand mixer or bowl.

In a bullet blender, put egg yolks, lemon juice, and evaporated milk and secure the blade. Blend to combine. Took all of 30 seconds. Pour into your pressed pie crust and gently distribute evenly all the way to the edge of the pie crust. Don't worry if it looks like it isn't enough. It is. 

Onto the meringue...

Meringue Topping:

• ¼ tsp (1 mL) cream of tartar 
• ¼ cup (50 mL) sugar 
• 3 egg whites you saved from before

Using a new clean blender cup, add reserved egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar. Do the same thing. Blend away.

Nope... sadly, that didn't work. Had to hand beat it for 2 hours by hand. lol No joke, this part sucked but having succeeded in everything else and knowing that in culinary school, you have to do this successfully anyway to graduate, I thought let's just do it the old fashioned way. FREAKING SUCKED ASS but I was not about to give up on it at this stage of the crazy make-do game I was playing. I will never do that ever again even though it turned out so beautifully. It was hilarious and a bonding moment because we watched Midnight Diner:Tokyo Stories on Netflix and beat the shit out of these egg whites, passing the bowl back and forth for, I kid you not, two freaking hours. Maybe more. I don't know. Just kept passing the bowl between us because we'd both get tired. I stopped, googled it to make sure that yes, you really can make meringue's the old fashioned way and it wasn't just a myth. Turns out it's true, but they don't tell you IT TAKES TWO HOURS, 2 PEOPLE and all the arm strength you have. And all the beer will be gone when you are done. lol!

Here's one thing that was awesome about this crazy effort... we didn't overbeat the whites! This is kinda important... For years, I've made this and I think in my overzealous attempt to make stiff peaks, I've made granite peaks. lol! In other words, I've overbeat the whites from stiff peaks, where the whites stand on their own and hold their shape, to being statuesque... overdry, essentially and with too much air. It loses the glossy shine and goes a bit dull white. You may or may not know what I mean, but if you've ever done this, you will understand. So moral of the story, just don't overdo it and leave them more on the marshmallow fluff side of the fence instead of the foamy bubble bath side, if that makes sense. Soft peaks works wonderfully well actually.

Spoon the meringue over the top of the lemon filling and using the back of your spoon, lightly touch and lift the back of your spoon on the top of the meringue to make little "peaks" for decoration. You certainly don't have to do this part of the masterpiece, but we like it so we do it.

Bake the freaking pie already:

Bake in a preheated oven at 325°F (160°C) oven for 25 minutes or until tops are slightly caramelizing and turning brown. Some people don't like a golden meringue top and if that's you, that's cool. Just take it out a few minutes earlier. I actually like it like that.

Some notes about this... I didn't bake the filling first, just did what I normally do and bake it with the meringue on top. But what was kinda cool is that the meringue turned out lovely and no weeping! So the cream of tartar is an absolute must. I think this is what I've left out if I didn't have it on hand in years past thinking the whites don't need a stabilizer, but they absolutely do. Also this was hand whipped but I'm not going to do that ever again. lol! 

The eggs here in New Zealand are extraordinary and the filling was far more set even before putting it into the oven so it was no surprise that this was probably the best filling yet. It didn't need corn starch, powder sugar nothing as I've also used for years. Just egg yolks, condensed milk, lemon juice and zest. I did that part in the bullet and it was awesome.

The shortbread cookies, I crushed with a potato masher added all the butter I had which was about 2-3 tbs and I did the same amount of coconut oil. This was a brilliant crust, no lie. Will probably never do it differently from now on because I think the lemon meringue goes so much nicer with a shortbread than graham crackers now that I've had it that way out of necessity. I'd love to do smaller versions for individual pies. The crust was just awesome. The lemon filling perfect and even the meringue was probably the best I've done simply because I did it correctly with the cream of tartar and because it was hand made. It wasn't over-whipped and I think that is pretty important.

So while this is probably one of the shortest, easiest and quickest recipes you could ever make and I've written a novel about it, part of the beauty of this Thanksgiving endeavor was appreciating what I have. What I have. Not what I had. Not what I will have. What I want. But what I have. And what I have, here in the most beautiful place on earth with no goddang turkeys is a most extraordinary and truly special experience that has allowed me so much peace and an opportunity for real healing. And above all, an appreciation for the ones who really love me and the ones I love in return.

Happy Thanksgiving!! I am so very grateful for so very much.

Italian Cream Cake

Wow, is this something else! My brother in law took the family on a little trip one night to Needville, TX.  Sounds like the middle of nowhere, right? Um, it was. Took us a long while to get out there and it was pitch black. It was raining and cold that night just before Thanksgiving, when we ventured out but it was a night we all remember well because the trip was specifically for dessert.

Oh yes, we had some great barbecue at this old timer's diner run by a husband and wife team (sigh!). As far out from our home neighborhood as we were, I laughed each time someone walked up and patted my brother in law on the back, shaking hands, introducing family members, exchanging holiday greetings and sharing tips on which neighborhoods had the best holiday Christmas lights display. I jokingly call him the "Mayor" because everyone knows my brother in law. Doesn't matter where we are... at the grocery store, at the gas station, in the middle of bum-f*ck Egypt... someone knows him, my sister or the kids.

But on this particular evening we were all about the coconut cream pie and another of their specialties, the Italian Cream Cake.  My nephew looks across the table and says, "Well? What do you think, KK? Can you figure this out?"  Never one to backdown from such a confident challenge, I set out to do just that.

I made one for Thanksgiving and in a matter of minutes, there was only one piece left. Everyone at the table was very quiet and all of a sudden my other nephew says lovingly, "Oooh. You nailed it, KK!!"

Later that evening, when a playful but entirely serious argument ensued between my little brother and my brother in law over who would have the last piece, I quickly intervened to settle the debate. I offered to make a second cake the next morning, special, for the Mayor.  My brother wasted no time and in a devoted fashion, wrapped up the last piece for the 2 hr trek home to Austin. He said he ate only a few bites every day, trying to save it for as long as he could and asked me if I would please post this recipe. 

Long overdue, here goes little bro:

Cake Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil (I always substitute coconut oil and it works perfectly)
5 egg yolks, beaten
2 cups cake flour (or to substitute cake flour use all purpose flour, remove 4 tbsp of flour and add in 4 tbsp of corn starch sift well)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (I have successfully substituted 1 c. sour cream, also tried half c sour cream mixed with half cup whole milk and both worked well)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Separate egg yolks from the egg whites in separate mixing bowls. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, sift together all dry ingredients and set aside. Beat egg yolks with the other wet ingredients and slowly sprinkle in the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stay with me, this really isn't hard, just a matter of being organized... Fold in the egg whites but just until incorporated as you want this batter to be full and fluffy.

Separate batter into your greased and floured cake pans. See below for suggestions.

Bake:

I make (3) 8 inch round layers and cut the layers in half, making 6 thin layers all together. Sometimes, I will do different sizes for a taller, smaller version or small spring forms for mini versions. Cupcakes are super easy as well, just depends on what I'm in the mood for but the above recipe works well no matter which size you prefer.  

350 degrees F for 15-20 min.

Icing:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 lb confectioners' sugar

Optional Toppings:

1 cup chopped pecans or

1 can coconut

Decorate:

You can add pecans to the icing and ice each layer or you can just ice each layer and press crushed pecans or coconut to the outside or just to the top of the cake. Depends on how fancy schmancy you really want to get.

Word of warning: the icing is really addictive so I will usually make a double recipe and freeze any leftovers, if it so happens there are any at all.

4th of July Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Oh my GOOD-NESS.  I first made these cupcakes for my nieces and nephews because they have an amazing lemon tree in their front yard.   Every Thanksgiving, we do the key lime pies for Dad, of course, but because we had such a bountiful harvest of these perfect Rio Grande lemons last year, we decided to get creative.

What if, in addition to pies, we did a lemon meringue something or other?  Because we were inspired by the idea of owning a family bakery some day, we came up with the idea of a cupcake version of one of our family favorites. 

Just to give you an idea, we made 48 mini cupcakes but there was not a single crumb left 10 minutes after the last tray came out of the oven. No lie! DESTROYED.  So, I would say this is a great bet for parties or heck, just a bunch of hungry kids no matter how young or old they are.

But now that I live in the tropics, I also had an abundance of lemons from my own Meyer's lemon tree so we decided to make these again for our 4th of July celebration picnic by the beach! Once again, they went in the blink of an eye and only a trail of crumbs were left to tell the tale.

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
zest of a lemon

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes in a greased muffin pan.  We used mini muffin pans but any size muffin should work fine.

Icing Options:

You can use either a classic meringue or do what we did, we made our own TexMex Valley lemon curd because we had an abundance of lemons.  Bake the cupcakes first and either let cool or pipe lemon curd to the warm cupcakes. 

We never got that far... I put a spoon in a bowl of lemon curd on the table and turned my back for a minute. One of the kids dumped the cupcakes out right on the cabinet and another had a spoon of lemon curd in their mouth before I turned back around! So, forget about making them pretty when kids are around. None of that fanciness is required, just make sure there are plenty of spoons for the curd or there will be squeals and words exchanged over whoever has the lemon curd while the others are trying to wait for it to hit the table again.

Meringue:
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon Bakewell Cream or cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sugar

Beat egg whites and dry ingredients to stiff peaks.  Use a piping bag to pipe the meringue onto unbaked cupcakes. **Tent a piece of tin foil over the top if they appear to be getting too brown before the cupcakes are done.

Dad's Thanksgiving Key Lime Pie

Yep, this is my Dad's favorite pie.  Without fail, every year, two pies get made at each holiday get together. One so that Dad can have pie after dinner as well as an entire pie for him to take home for left-overs, which means there has to BE enough for leftovers...

Oh well, that's the best part of any holiday, right?  However, I am thinking that after my Dad's stalking of everyone who had a piece of "his" pie this year, we may need to consider making a third... Just saying.  Our family is big and Dad can lay down a guilt-inducing stare for those that decide to share his pie. And let's face it, we all want a piece of this pie!

This year, my family had a Thanksgiving Do-Over.  That is to say, we redid our family holiday tradition in December because some of us had to work and therefor we missed our holiday get together. Not to worry, we have no issues with having an unscheduled "real Thanksgiving" even if it falls off the normal holiday calendar. We enjoyed it immensely and it may even become a tradition if we ever need a fallback Turkey Day.

I had been considering this very post because when we go to make it, we always have to fake the recipe and it turns out right every time. Still, I figured that I would write it down today so we always have it at hand and also because my hungry brother just texted me. He needs a pie fix, poor dear. :) Big Sis can accommodate you, so here it is, Love. Let me know how it goes, ok?

Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients:

* 8 inch premade graham cracker pie crust

OR make your own, it's super easy:

* 2 packages of graham crackers or favorite cookie that makes sense with this pie
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 1 stick of melted butter or coconut oil

1. Put the crust ingredients in the food processor and process until the mixture looks like wet sand.
2. Dump the contents into a greased or buttered spring form pan or 8 inch pie pan.
3. Using a small glass, gently press the crumb mixture on the bottom and sides of the pan. Doesn't need to be perfect, Brother.

**Also, if you don't have a food processor, just put the sugar and graham crackers into a zip lock bag and beat the crap out of it with a rolling pin. Ok, just kidding, you don't need to kill it, just roll the pin back and forth over the crackers to make a crumb and it doesn't have to be a fine crumb either. Chunky is good here, too.  Put the crumbs in a bowl and work in the melted butter with a fork until it is crumbly as instructed above. Dump this into the pan and form the same way I mentioned.  The results will be just as good.

Key Lime Pie Filling
* 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1/2 cup lemon, key lime or rangpur lime juice (pink grapefruit might be awesome?!)
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 3 egg yolks, save egg whites for the meringue or make macarons :)
* 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar or 1 tbsp of corn starch (there is usually corn starch in powdered sugar and I have substituted this successfully before)

1. In medium bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, and zest; blend in egg yolks and powdered sugar.
2. Pour into ready made crust.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Meringue Topping (optional of course):
* 3 egg whites
* 1/4 teaspoon cream or tartar
* 1/4 cup sugar

1. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks from.
2. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff.Spread over filling; seal to edge of crust.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.

Fa-la-la-la-la Pumpkin Cheesecake

The Filling:
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ginger
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon
Zest of one orange
3 eggs
1 can (15 oz) of pumpkin purée
36 oz of cream cheese (4 1/2, 8 oz packages)

The Crust:
2 packages cinnamon Graham crackers, pulsed to crumbs in a blender or food processor
1/4 c sugar
1 stick of melted butter

Oven temp:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the crust:
Make the crust by combining all ingredients of for the crust into a food processor and pulse just to combine. You can crush the crackers by putting them into a ziplock bag and beating the crap out of it or just roll a rolling pin over the top in a civilized manner, depending on your mood. Once the butter and sugar are incorporated, dump it all into a large 10" spring form pan or use whatever you have handy. You will want to form the crust so that it is even in thickness, starting from the bottom of your pan and slowly working all the way up the sides. Once it's formed, set it aside. We will par bake this crust for 5-10 minutes before we add the filling.

For the filling:
Everyone in the pool! Yes, just put all ingredients into a large bowl and whip it until your satisfied or at least until the lumps are gone. If you let your cream cheese soften at room temperature this will be a breeze even if you have to do this part by hand. A handheld emersion blender works well, a blender, stand or handheld mixer.

Bake:
1st, par bake the crust at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-10 minutes. This is the temp we will later use for baking the cheesecake. We aren't trying to brown it, but rather firm it up before we put the wet ingredients in so it isn't some soggy, sorry mess. :)

2nd, once the crust has cooled from this quick bake exercise, add your filling and smooth it out, tapping it gently to remove any bubbles from the batter. Go easy, you don't want to dislodge your crust!

Now, bake this big beast for about an hour at 375 degrees Fahrenheit if you are using a deep spring form. The deeper your pan, the longer it will take. If you are using a regular pie pan and splitting your batter into two smaller cheese-pies, bake at the same temperature and start checking on them after 25 -30 minutes. When done, the center should be set and the whole "cake" will start to shrink away from the sides, but the cake should not wobble in the center at all or you will have pumpkin cheesecake mudslide... :) no one wants this, speaking from experience.

This recipe is for my family! My sister resorted to threats and said this was the third and final request before phone stalking begins in earnest. I hear ya loud and clear, sis. Hope it turns out awesome for you. Take pics and we will use the for this blog. Big hugs! Happy Thanksgiving from Minnesota!

*** Update: to keep it from cracking like the one in this picture, use the water bath technique I talk about in my American Cheesecake post. :)