November 19, 2018

Sweet potato muffins

November 19, 2018/ Rebecca Davis

Thanksgiving is here! I love this holiday and the season that follows, but there are definite downsides. I’ve talked about keeping expectations in check with kids and holidays. And while it’s exciting and fun that there’s always something going on: Making cookies, making gifts, buying gifts, wrapping gifts, listening to music, decorating, holiday events, holiday parties, holiday-themed school things, concerts, visiting relatives, etc, it can be…a lot. And for a little one like mine who’s always searching for his equilibrium, it can be.. A WHOLE LOT.

Sweet potato muffins | Me & The Moose. These one-bowl, whole grain muffins sneak in some vegetables at breakfast, lunch, or snack time. #sweetpotatomuffins #meandthemoose #sweet potatorecipes #thanksgiving #healthybaking

So, let’s not add even more by completely abandoning our commitment to balanced eating, mkay?

These sweet potato muffins are a fantastic “sweet” to have around. They feel festive and would certainly make a fitting Thanksgiving breakfast to watch in front of the parade or DOG SHOW (!!!!!!!), but are just sweet enough thanks to the applesauce, a few Tbsp of brown sugar divided between the batter and the muffin tops, a handful of golden raisins, and sweet potatoes.

And did I mention that they only require one bowl? You’ll have enough dishes this week.

A couple of notes:
- Chop the sweet potatoes into 1/3-1/2 inch chunks. Any bigger and they may not soften enough during baking, but if you shred them, they disappear and make the batter a bit too wet.
- This is a thick batter, almost dough-like in consistency. Don’t worry. It always puffs up well in the oven and results in an airy, light muffin.

Sweet potato muffins

4 Tbsp butter or coconut oil, partially melted
½ cup applesauce
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar, divided
3/4 cup yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 medium sweet potato, cut into tiny squares (about 1.5 cups)
¼ cup golden raisins

Move your oven rack to the bottom or lower middle portion of the oven. Preheat to 375.

In a large bowl, partially melt the butter or coconut oil. Microwave it for a few seconds until it just begins to liquify, but is still partially solid.

Mix in the applesauce, egg, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined and no streaks of flour remain.

Add the chopped sweet potatoes and raisins and stir again to combine.

Spoon the batter into the cups of a muffin tin, filling about 3/4 of the way. Top each muffin with a large pinch or two of brown sugar.

Bake for 18-22 minutes until firm to the touch and a tester in the middle comes out clean. Check after 12-15 minutes and cover if the sugar browns too fast.

November 05, 2018

Thanksgiving dinner pie

November 05, 2018/ Rebecca Davis

Ice cream and candy Thanksgiving pie | Me & The Moose. This genius way to use up leftover Halloween candy is also a hilarious make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert that will please the pickiest kids. #Thanksgivingrecipes #Thanksgiving #dessert #pumpkinpiealternative #icecream #leftoverHalloweencandy

This hilarious pie is a great way to use up your leftover Halloween candy AND have a kid-friendly dessert for any holiday meal.

Take me to the pie!

Ice cream and candy for dessert might seem odd after a heavy meal, but let me tell you: We had a store-bought version of this plate a few years ago (from the UConn Dairy Bar) and my family tore through it like we hadn’t eaten in weeks.

My version of this pie starts with a layer of raspberry sorbet because the sharpness of the raspberries cuts through the super sweet candy and ice cream really nicely.

I chopped up some mini Snickers for stuffing; green M&Ms are peas; Rice Krispies treats covered with chocolate and sporting a white chocolate, pretzel, and marshmallow “bone” become a turkey drumstick; vanilla ice cream with melted caramels are mashed potatoes and gravy; raspberry sorbet is sliced to look like canned cranberry sauce; and candy corn is stuck into some almond paste as a corn cob.

Extra bonus: There are many ways for kiddos to help make this pie: They can separate the green M&Ms, chop and smash the candy, unwrap the caramels, and spread the sorbet and ice cream layers. If they’re older, they could probably make the whole darn thing themselves.

And extra extra bonus: You can make this dessert now, pop it in the freezer, and be ready for turkey day in a few weeks.

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Thanksgiving dinner pie

Time: About 45 minutes-1 hour, all active + freezing overnight
Yield: 10-12 servings

10-inch oreo pie crust
2 pints vanilla ice cream (or 1 quart)
1 pint raspberry sorbet (IN A PAPER, NOT PLASTIC, CONTAINER!!)
2-3 Tbsp caramel bits or 4-5 wrapped caramels
1-2 tsp heavy cream
Flaky sea salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 large pretzel rod
1 large marshmallow, cut into quarters
3-4 Rice Krispies treats
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips or 2 mini milk chocolate bars
1 cup candy corn
1/8 log of marzipan or almond paste
½ cup mini green m&ms
6-7 fun-sized snickers, chopped

Step 1: Make the “cranberry sauce“
Using a serrated knife, cut off about 1 inch from the bottom of a paper container of raspberry sorbet. Place on a bit of parchment and return to the freezer.

Step 2: Spread the sorbet layer
Let the sorbet and ice cream sit out for a few minutes to make them easier to spread. Starting with the sorbet, drop a few scoops (I use 2-3 large scoops) into the pie shell and gently smoosh and spread the raspberry into an even layer. Put back in the freezer.

Step 3: Make the “mashed potatoes”
Place 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream onto a small parchment-covered plate and smoosh it out with spoon or spatula until it looks like mashed potatoes with a deeper well in the middle.

In a small bowl, combine the caramels with the heavy cream. Melt by microwaving for 10 seconds, stirring, and heating for 10 seconds more, as needed, until the caramels are just melted. I usually only need 1, 10-second burst.

Let cool slightly and pour into the well in the middle of the ice cream. Sprinkle with sea salt. Store in the freezer.

Return the ice cream container to the freezer for now as well.

Step 4: Melt the white chocolate
Combine the white chocolate and coconut oil.. Microwave for 30 seconds on high. Stop and mix. Microwave for another 30 seconds on high. Stop and mix. Microwave for 10 second bursts, stopping to mix until the chocolate is melted.

Step 5: Make the “turkey leg”
Snap a large pretzel rod in half. Cut a large marshmallow into fourths. Dip the non-broken end of the pretzel rod into melted white chocolate and press one quarter of the marshmallow on either side of the rod and hold in place for 10 seconds. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and refrigerate until set, about 3 minutes.

Smoosh 2 Rice Krispies treats together into an oval shape. Add bits of Rice Krispies treat and smoosh to make it look like a turkey drumstick. With a chopstick or something similar, push a hole into the Rice Krispies treats where the “bone” of the drumstick will go. Set aside.

Remove the “bone” from the fridge. Dip the marshmallows and pretzel into white chocolate about halfway up the pretzel rod. Tap off the excess chocolate and set down on a sheet of parchment. Return to the refrigerator. Let set for about 5 minutes.

Add a little bit of milk chocolate to the melted white chocolate and microwave for 10 seconds. Stir until melted. Add more chocolate to achieve the light brown color you desire. Set aside.

When the “bone” has set, remove from the fridge and gently push into the Rice Krispies treats that are shaped like the meat of the turkey. Place back onto the parchment and brush the light brown chocolate over the Rice Krispies and any remaining pretzel that isn’t covered with white chocolate. Return to the fridge to set.

For more, see this tutorial.

Step 6: Make the “corn cob”
Pinch off roughly 2 Tbsp of marzipan or almond pasta and roll into a small log about the size of a thumb. Place on a small piece of parchment. Gently stick the white end of the candy corn pieces into the marzipan in a straight line going lengthwise. Add another row not he opposite side. Repeat on each side until there’s room for one more row straight down the middle. Add another small snake of marzipan in the open space and add a final row of candy corn. Put in the fridge.

For more, see this tutorial.

Step 7: Prep your candy
Take the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer again. Let warm up to make spreading easier.

Chop the snickers and separate the green M&Ms.

Step 8: Assemble
Scoop 1/2 pint of vanilla ice cream onto the sorbet layer of the pie. Gently smoosh and spread the ice cream into a thin layer.

Arrange the rest of the pie elements.

Peel the “mashed potatoes” off of the parchment and place on the pie. Do the same with the “turkey leg” and the “corn cob.” Add the chopped snickers “stuffing” and the M&M “peas.” Add the sorbet “cranberry sauce” in the center. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Let freeze for about 24 hours and then wrap more tightly with either plastic wrap or tin foil (or both).

November 19, 2017

Leftover turkey nuggets

November 19, 2017/ Rebecca Davis

Oh, Thanksgiving. Time of gratitude, feasting, and lots of leftover turkey. Much to my food-blogger chagrin, my kid loves a nugget above most other foods.

Also, I always want to do something creative with Thanksgiving leftovers, but often lack the brain power after a huge meal and no sleep.

Have I mentioned that M refuses to sleep in houses other than ours? It happened gradually: At about 18 months he started waking up crazy early (like, 4:30 am, early) when we slept away from home and refused to go back to sleep. Then, he started refusing to sleep at all. The last time we stayed at my parents' house, he fought sleep until 4 am. And when we last slept at my in-laws', he slept from 9:30 pm to 1 am and that. was. it.

Maybe the turkey's tryptophan will knock him out? Fingers crossed.

Anyway, these nuggets solve a lot of our problems: They use up the leftover turkey, don't require a lot of thought, and are something my kid likes anyway.

I used a leftover rotisserie chicken for some of the recipe developing because for us, and I'd imagine for many of you, a leftover chicken is more common than leftover turkey, so this recipe can be used year-round. Also, I prefer to use bread over breadcrumbs in the actual meat mixture (save the panko or breadcrumbs for the nuggets' outside) because I think the slice soaks up the milk more efficiently and acts as a better binder and liquid adder. And while grating the onion might seem like an unnecessary step, I think it helps the nuggets hold together better than minced onions do, but if you want to chop, make sure they're done finely.

Leftover turkey nuggets

10 oz leftover turkey or chicken (combination of light and dark meat)
1 piece of stale(ish) bread
¼ cup whole milk
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 small or ½ large onion, grated
½ tsp sage
2 oz cheddar or gruyere, cut into small cubes
1 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup panko or whole wheat bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan
½ tsp salt

Soak the bread in milk while prepping the rest of your ingredients.

Combine the soaked bread with the leftover turkey and pulse in a food processor until the mixture is in coarse crumbs.

Turn the mixture out into a large bowl and add the Dijon mustard, grated onion, sage, and cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and mix a few more times.

In two separate bowls, lightly beat the egg with a fork. In the second bowl, combine the panko, parmesan cheese, and salt and mix with your fingers or another fork.

Using a large spoon, scoop about 2 Tbsp of the turkey mixture into your palms and roll them into balls. Flatten them into nuggets and dredge them first in the egg, then in the panko/cheese/salt mixture.

Heat olive oil over a medium-low flame. Cook the nuggets until the bottoms are golden brown and the cheese inside of the nugget begins to ooze. Flip and repeat on the other side.

Yield: About 12-14 large nuggets

November 12, 2017

Green bean galette

November 12, 2017/ Rebecca Davis

This green bean galette started life as a green bean casserole alternative and quickly earned a spot on my easy-yet-impressive list.

Give me that galette!

We've eaten this galette quite a few times since the calendar flipped to September and I decided it was time to eat "cozy food." It’s so easy and somehow makes everyone in my family happy. Maybe it’s all the cheese and butter?

This recipe is truly one of those crowd pleasers that feels so fancy and yet, couldn’t be simpler. Well, I suppose it could be simpler, but the difficulty-to-impressiveness ratio makes it well worth the effort.

A couple of notes:

I sometimes buy the smaller, skinnier haricot vert over traditional green beans and skip the blanching step.

This galette is also delicious for breakfast with some ham (or leftover turkey) and an egg on top.

Green bean galette

Time: About 55 minutes, half of it active
Yield: about 6-8 portions

1 sheet puff pastry
3 oz gruyere, grated
6-8 oz thin green beans, trimmed
½ large onion or 3-4 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup panko
½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry dough into a large rectangle on a piece of parchment and transfer to a sheet pan or baking sheet.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and set aside a large bowl. (Skip this step if using thin green beans.)

Meanwhile, grate gruyere and spread over the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides.

Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat and add the onions or shallots, cooking until they begin to soften and brown, about 15 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and salt and sauté until fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes.

While cooking the onions or shallots, check your pot of water. When it’s boiling, add the green beans and cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add ice cubes and water to your large bowl. When the beans have boiled for a few minutes, remove them and submerge in the ice water. (Again, skip this step if using thin green beans.)

Pat the green beans dry and place them on top of the puff pastry and cheese, leaving the 1-inch border. Spread the breadcrumb mixture over the green beans.

Fold the pastry border over the edges of the green beans and breadcrumbs.

Bake for 18-23 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.