{Clock is Ticking for Thanksgiving Orders}

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{"I Brought the Green Bean Casserole!"}

Lol...I'll be the first to admit I'm a total goof.  Everytime I hear the words green bean casserole, I giggle, thanks to the commercial where every holiday guest arrives with a casserole dish claiming that they "brought the green bean casserole!"  My cousin showed up one year and said that at the door, and I needed five minutes to get myself together...and I still chuckle out loud upon reminiscing.  I'm so silly, yes I know. 

Well anyways, with Thanksgiving around the corner, it's time to start assigning out menu items.  If you're the lucky one that gets to bring the green beans, here are a few recipes that may be of interest to you.  And yes...some are green bean casseroles.  Tee hee hee (It gets me every time!)

Blue Cheese Green Bean Casserole from Closet Cooking 

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion (sliced)
1 tablespoon butter
1 8 ounce package crimini mushrooms (sliced or quartered)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon thyme (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste
1 splash sherry (or white wine)
1 pound green beans (trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup blue cheese (crumbled)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 handful french fried onions (home made or canned)

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a pan.

2. Add the onions and slowly cook until they caramelize, about 20-30 minutes.

3. Add the butter and let it melt.

4. Add the mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms start to caramelize, about 10-15 minutes.

5. Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

6. Add the sherry and deglaze the pan.

7. Add the green beans and saute until bright green and just starting to turn tender but still crisp, about 5 minutes.

8. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan.

9. Add the flour and stir until lightly golden brown.

10. Add the milk and simmer until it thickens.

11. Add the blue cheese and simmer until it melts.

12. Add the green beans and mushrooms and toss to coat.

13. Pour the mixture into an 8x8 inch baking dish.

14. Top with the panko bread crumbs and french fried onions.

15. Bake in a preheated 400F oven until the sides are bubbling and the top is golden brown, about 5-10 minutes.

Green Bean Bacon Casserole from SheKnows.com

Ingredients:

• 2 (16 ounce) cans whole green beans, drained
• 1/2 cup French dressing
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 6-9 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the first three ingredients. Spread into a casserole dish and sprinkle the bacon on top.
2. Bake for 30 minutes.

Garlic-Roasted Green Beans Recipe with Shallots and Almonds from KalynsKitchen.com

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh green beans (thin beans preferred, but any type will work)
6 shallots, peeled, and cut into thin slivers
5 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut into thin slices
2 T olive oil (original recipe called for 3, but I thought 2 was plenty)
1 tsp. salt (or less)
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, very finely chopped
1/4 cup almonds, chopped (I used sliced almonds and only slightly chopped them)
1 tsp. lemon zest

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 F. (If you're cooking other things you can use a slightly lower temperature, just increase the time a little.)

Trim ends from green beans. If using thin, long beans, cut in half crosswise into pieces about 2 inches long. Peel and cut shallots and garlic, then place with beans in plastic bowl. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper, and use a wooden spoon to toss until beans, shallots, and garlic are well coated with oil.

Spray roasting pan with nonstick spray or mist with olive oil, then arrange the vegetables in a single layer. (I like to cover the pan with foil, then spray the foil for even easier clean-up.) Roast 12-15 minutes for thin beans, or slightly longer for regular beans, until beans are slightly shriveled, and shallots and garlic are lightly browned.

While beans cook, toss together chopped parsley, chopped almonds and lemon zest. When beans are done, toss hot beans with parsley/lemon/almond mixture and serve immediately.

Sesame Soy Glazed Green Beans from Pen & Fork

Ingredients:
For the beans
1 pound green beans
2 teaspoons peanut (or vegetable oil)
1/2  to 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon red chile pepper flakes
1 cup sliced red bell pepper (about 1/2 of a large pepper)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds*

For the glaze
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch whisked together with 1 tablespoon cold water (slurry)

Instructions:
Make the beans
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and set up a large bowl of ice water. Drop the beans into the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 4 minutes. Remove beans with tongs or a slotted spoon and plunge into the ice water.
2. Remove the beans from the ice water after a few minutes, when the beans are cool. Pat dry. Slice the beans, at an angle, into 2-inch, bite-size pieces.

Make the glaze
1. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat for several minutes. Pour in soy sauce (it will sizzle furiously). Stir in honey and vinegar. Stir in slurry. The mixture should quickly thicken, probably in less than a minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and stir to coat with the oil. Stir in the garlic, ginger and pepper flakes. Saute for another minute or two. Stir in the glaze, tossing to coat and cook just until heated through. Remove from heat.
3. Place the beans on a serving platter and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.
* To toast sesame seeds, heat a small, dry skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the sesame seeds. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent burning the seeds. The seeds are toasted when they turn a shade darker and smell nutty. It should take about 5 minutes, give or take.

Fried Green Beans from naturallyella.com 

Ingredients:

• 2 dozen green beans
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup panko
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon oregano
• Enough oil to fry beans

Instructions:

1. Set-up a breading station ( 1/2 flour, milk, and 1/2 panko.) I pulsed the panko, garlic powder, and oregano together in a food processor so that the panko was fine.
2. Start by rolling the bean in flour, dip it in the milk, and roll it in the panko mixture. Place in a bowl. Once all the green beans are through, repeat so that each bean is double breaded.
3. Heat oil to 350˚. Place green beans in oil without crowding. Let fry until breading is golden- 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with tongs and place on sheets of paper towels.

Notes:

Would also work to bake.

{Squash Cupcakes}



{omg i feel like i could just dip my finger right into that cream cheese icing! }                                          


Though this is a recipe for Summer Squash Cupcakes, squash makes me think of pumpkins, which make me think of fall, which makes me think of Thanksgiving.  And this recipe sounds like it'd be perfect for your Thanksgiving festivities or for a sweet treat that won't make you feel completely guilty.

This recipe, from Garden Betty is simple, and most of the ingredients are probably already in your kitchen.  And if you're a gardner, you may be able to stroll out to your garden and grab the perfect squash for this recipe.

Sweet Summer Squash Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Wet ingredients
2 eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
1 3/4 cups grated summer squash

Cream cheese frosting
4 tablespoons butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar

Method:

1.     Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.     In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and set aside.

3.     In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and olive oil together. Add the grated summer squash and mix well.

4.     Add the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the batter is evenly mixed.

5.     Using a spoon, divide the batter evenly among a lined muffin pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

6.     Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting. In a small bowl, combine the butter and cream cheese using a pastry blender, electric mixer, or good ol’ fashioned fork.

7.     Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. Take the cupcakes out of the pan and arrange on a wire rack to let them cool down.

8.     Add the powdered sugar and mix it all together until the consistency is smooth and even.

9.     Spread the frosting over the cooled cupcakes using a small spatula.

For illustrations that accompany this recipe, visit Garden Betty's Blog.

{Gorgeous Lentil Tablescape}

I now have a new-found appreciation for lentils!  How gorgeous of an idea is this for your fall tablescape!?  And thanks to the instructions from HGTV, you and the kids can make this a fun home project!  This will give you and the fam something to talk about over Thanksgiving dinner when the convo about travel time and traffic starts running a little dry.

Materials and Tools:
assortment of miniature, small and medium pumpkins (orange and white foam craft variety)
assortment of pillar candles (green, white, rust and yellow)
double-sided adhesive sheets (available at craft stores)
ruler
pencil
scissors
split peas
dried lentils (various colors and sizes)
beans
pie plates
 
Steps:
1. Pour lentils to almost fill pie plates, one color lentil per plate.

 

2. Cut strips of adhesive to form the band, strips can range from one to three inches wide, depending on the size of the pumpkins. Tip: Visually, it's best if the adhesive strips cover approximately one-third of the pumpkin.
 
3. Remove one side of paper from the adhesive and wrap around the middle of the pumpkin. Remove the remaining paper backing. Add additional strips of adhesive until there is a continuous band around the middle of the pumpkin.

 

4. Roll the exposed adhesive in the lentils, pressing the lentils into the adhesive to affix. Use fingers to place additional lentils in areas where they do not completely cover the adhesive.
 
5. Press all lentils gently to make sure they are secure and repeat for remaining pumpkins.

 

6. Cut strips of adhesive that equal the height of each candle, minus two inches.
 
7. Wrap the adhesive around the candles in the same manner as the pumpkins, leaving an inch of candle color exposed at the top and bottom and roll the exposed adhesive in the lentils to cover.

 

8. To create a colorful tablescape, pour additional lentils onto table in a colorful pattern. Place pumpkins and candles on the bed of lentils. Raise some pumpkins and candles by placing them on stands or candleholders.
 
Note: To store this decoration for future use, wrap candles and pumpkins in wax paper to keep lentils attached and store in a cool, dry place.



{October Special: Pumpkin Loaves}

Two PUMPKIN LOAVES for $20!!

Cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, brown sugar. 

Smells like Thanksgiving!!