Spontaneous Mid-Winter Thanksgiving

with Missy Tippens

I bought this wonderful marinated turkey breast tenderloin at Aldi back at Christmas. Then I found out my son and fiancee would be home on Christmas Day and realized it wouldn't be enough to feed my family. So I decided to buy a whole turkey breast and popped the tenderloin into the freezer.

Flash forward to last week when I needed a quick meal. Thankfully, I had put the meat in the fridge to thaw.

I just needed to decide what to serve with it. I decided since I would be baking the turkey, I would throw a couple of sweet potatoes in with it.

Scrub and dry the potatoes. Then spray a cookie sheet with baking spray and put the potatoes in the oven for 15 minutes before the turkey (I think I had it set to 325 degrees).

Then once the potatoes have their extra 15 minutes, put the turkey tenderloins in the oven in a shallow baking pan. Bake 50-60 minutes. I did the full 60 minutes because I'm weird about poultry.

Meanwhile, I decided to make a green bean casserole. A mini one for just my husband and me. :)

Since we now have an empty nest, I like to buy steam-in-the-bag frozen veggies. They're the perfect size for two.

I cooked a small bag of green beans according to package directions, but shortened the cook time by about 2 minutes.

I emptied the cooked beans into a small casserole dish. I had a large can of cream of mushroom soup, so I spooned about 1/4 to 1/3 of the can of soup into the cooked beans. Then I stirred in a splash of milk.

I covered the dish and microwaved it for about 3 minutes. Then I topped with a fried onions.

Once the turkey and potatoes were finished, I pulled them out of the oven and broiled the green bean casserole (uncovered) until golden and bubbly (about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn while broiling!).

The turkey was very tender. The casserole turned out yummy! And I topped the baked sweet potato with butter and brown sugar. Lots of brown sugar. :) My excuse it that it's Splenda Brown. Ha!

It turned out to be a wonderful, easy, quick meal! And next week, I'll share what I made out of the leftovers. :)

www.missytippens.com

Passing the Torch, By-passing the Cans

It was an action packed weekend at the Steele house. Not only was Easter celebrated but a certain young lady turned two. When you are two you get to sit at the big kids table and hunt for your own eggs full of chocolate and quarters alongside your brother and sister.

If you are in your late twenties and early thirties, you get to hunt for harder-to-find eggs full of cash money and Cadbury eggs. Grandma Juju even lets you sit at the adult table but you have to bring part of the meal. It's been kind of hard to let go of making everything, but I'm learning to trust these kids. 

Dear Daughter's boyfriend brought a most excellent green bean casserole. Now remember, we don't do canned soup in our house. Everything has to be made from scratch. But Photog Boy was up to the challenge. The guy is a chef par excellence as well as great photographer and student.

I miss the tradition of canned soup green bean casserole but when you taste something like it was served in a French restaurant, well, tradition takes a backseat to gourmet dining.

Photog Boy respects the right of folks not to like caramelized onions but oh what a topping.

Here's the recipe. It takes a few pans and concentration but oh, it's so worth it.

Haricot Vertes a la Photog Boy

16 oz heavy cream
1 shallot diced or a teaspoon dried shallots
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion sliced
2 boxes fresh Bella mushrooms
6 cups fresh green beans, stems removed (each bean pod cut in half or thirds)
salt and pepper to taste
butter

Step 1: In a large saucepan, melt one tablespoon butter on medium heat, add shallot and garlic. Cook until fragrant. Add sliced mushrooms and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 4 dashes black pepper. Cook until liquid has evaporated from the mushrooms about 5-8 minutes.When the liquid is almost evaporated, add the heavy cream. Bring mixture to a boil and lower heat to simmer. Simmer until reduced by half. Remember to stir occasionally throughout. 

Step 2: While mushrooms cook, add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons butter in a small saucepan (enough to coat bottom of pan) and melt on low heat. Add sliced onion with pinch salt and pepper. Cook onion until caramelized. (This will take a bit of time but don't be tempted to rush by turning up heat.) Set aside.

Step 3: In a medium pot, bring 3 cups salted water to a bowl. Add green beans and cook until crisp tender (You can also steam) and drain. Set aside.

Step 4: Combine drained green beans and mushroom sauce. Put in 9x13 glass dish. Top with caramelized onions and cook at 350 degrees for thirty minutes or until bubbly. 

So, what dish responsibility have you given over to folks for family dinners or celebrations? Do  you find family saying even though they follow Grandma's directions the {fill in the blank} doesn't taste quite the same? Have you found healthier ways of making a traditional entree, side dish or dessert?