Mizuna Greens Salad with Avocado, Brown Rice, Hearts of Palm and White Balsamic Vinegar

After baking and baking then eating and eating again last weekend, I was ready for some clean eating. So as soon as the work week started up again I decided I'd get back to my lunch salad regime. I peeked into my neglected crisper drawer to find these gorgeous Asian Mizuna greens.

Swedish Christmas Rice Pudding - Risgrynsgröt or Risgrynspudding

My friend Lindsey of Cafe Johnsonia and I are teaming up again. We both have Scandinavian roots, she Norwegian and I, Swedish. We are both sharing Scandinavian holiday recipes today! 

The Christmas season revolves around three things in my little world: remembering the birth and life of our Savior, spending time with family and enjoying the smorgasbord of Swedish food that my family traditions center on all December long.

Among the lineup of food is my great, great grandmother's rice pudding recipe. It's simple. It's sweet. It's milky and creamy. It's comforting. And we make it every year for our Christmas Eve party.

Deer Valley Turkey Chili at Home + Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Ideas

We all have our favorite restaurant soups. We crave them. We make special trips to acquire them. The brave dare to replicate them at home. I've tried my hand at restaurant recipe replication a time or two, but the results are often sophomoric. My latest soup love comes from Deer Valley. This resort is known for their food, especially their Turkey Chili.

Family and skiing friends have raved to me about this chili recipe for years. Funny enough, I'd tried knock-off versions before the real thing. The first time I had Deer Valley's Turkey Chili was during the summer. I liked it. But then I had it on that chilly Labor Day a few months back--it fit the bill and lived up to its hype.

Thanksgiving 2012 + More Baking

Are you stuffed? I think I've consumed more butter, sugar, flour and dairy this weekend than I have in the last six months! We had one of the most delicious Thanksgiving meals to-date.  Adam and I made our most perfect turkey once again along with some other favorite festive recipes.

Here's the line-up of our Thanksgiving contributions:
Good Eats Roast Turkey by Alton Brown
Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes (three batches!)
Caramel Pumpkin Pie with Almond Streusel from Baking from My Home To Yours
Not-Just-For Thanksgiving Cranberry Shortbread from Baking from My Home To Yours

While I'm listing what I made for Thanksgiving, here's some other delicious lovelies I baked up this weekend. I packed it in, that's for sure. I think a detox is in order along with lots of treadmill time.
Yeast Doughnuts by Alton Brown (for our annual tradition, we get better each year)
Maria's Soft Gingersnap Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks
Mini Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting (adapted from here.)
My great grandmother's Swedish Rice Pudding (coming this week)
Plus a few Thanksgiving leftover recipes I can't wait to feature next year!

I am so grateful for a fun and caring husband, wonderful family, my health, a great job, fun and caring friends, my faith and a beautiful state to live in...and of course for you, thanks for reading! I've got some great holiday recipes coming.

10 Non-Pie Thanksgiving Desserts

Though pie is synonymous with Thanksgiving, it's not mandatory that your dessert table only display traditional American pie. In fact, your guests (or hosts) will probably appreciate a spin on Turkey Day dessert. Here's a list of some of my most favorite desserts that will surely be welcomed on any menu this next Thursday. There's a good variety of flavors to please any palate, including chocolate, pumpkin, apple and even citrus.

1. Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake
2. Not-Just-For Thanksgiving Cranberry Shortbread
3. Mississippi Mud Pie (B) aka Muddy Mississippi Cake
4. The Most Extra-Ordinary French Lemon Cream Tart with Fresh Raspberries
5. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
6. Apple-Apple Bread Pudding
7. All-in-One Holiday Bundt Cake
8. Apple Strudel
9. Cran-Apple Crisp
10. Chocolate Caramel Chestnut Cake

Turnip Pickles & Lactic Fermentation Preserving

I make myself a salad everyday. Repetition can sometimes lead to boredom. Thank goodness the world of food is so broad and exciting that this never happens.

Sometimes the base will be spinach, other weeks mixed greens and the next kale. The vegetable toppings vary each week too and so does their preparation. I love to eat veggies raw, I adore the caramelization that comes from roasting and this summer I became obsessed with quick pickling. I've recently discovered a similar, yet very new (to me) preparation: lactic fermentation.

Roasted Maple-Chipotle Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is without a doubt my favorite squash. Its sweet, nutty and buttery flesh is a prize I treasure each fall and winter. Butternut squash lends itself to a myriad of applications and flavors, making it perfect to use in a variety of recipes. Though, I will tell you, I hate its hard skin whose purpose is to protects it through the winter, allowing it to be stored longer. I swear I grunt and moan every time I cut through a butternut squash. But once you've dealt with that it's all fun.

 
My favorite way to prepare butternut squash, like most fall and winter vegetables, is to roast it in the oven. All it requires is a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. However, I like to play around with seasonings since I eat this winter squash so much. My favorite way to roast this squash is with maple syrup and ground chipotle chili peppers.

Mini Goat Cheese Ball Skewers with Popped Amaranth, Rosemary and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

 

Every family has their way for Thanksgiving: their turkey, Grandma’s pumpkin pie, seating assignments, specific beverages and what time dinner will actually start. My family is no different.
We start at 2pm every year and if I even think about suggesting a different menu item I’d get the look.  Last year I managed to sneak in a few variations of Brussels sprouts and green beans, which were surprisingly welcomed…but still. Don’t mess with tradition.

Perhaps this is why I’m the exact opposite. I crave diversity in food, even at Thanksgiving. Variety is the spice of life, so why now mix it up? In fact, I envision a time with my own children where each year we have a new theme for Thanksgiving. One year we’ll have an Italian flare to each dish, the next we’ll go vegetarian (if I can live without the turkey) and then maybe even attempt deep-frying the bird. One idea that really gets me excited is the idea of a tapas and small plates-style Thanksgiving.

My Neapolitan Birthday Cake & Domestic Links

I had high hopes to to leave you with my latest pumpkin recipe today. But the day light snuck away too fast for this working girl. I swear this time of year is a food blogger's nightmare, especially a food blogger who works full-time outside of her home, like me.

So as I browsed my photo archives, I came across my gorgeous birthday cake. Yes, it's from September, but I never did share. And I believe it's worthy of your eyes. More of my thoughts on bday cakes here and here.

This year's cake featured the talent of Cupcake Chic. It's my one of my favorite local cupcakes turned into a three layer cake. Picture this: three layer cake, two vanilla, one chocolate with fresh strawberry butter cream in between and on top. It's divine.