Thanksgiving Recipe #1...Zucchini Corn Bread

Chako and I hosted our very first Thanksgiving feast on Sunday. It was crazy. 

I cooked for 50 hours straight. Literally. I was one with the kitchen.

We planned the menu. We wrote the menu. I made a schedule for the whole weekend. Multiple to-do lists happened...it was crazy times. After all that, I was so thrilled with how it turned out and that fact that I got to spend a lovely evening with some of favorite people.

Our menu was extensive...

This image leaves out the Zucchini Corn Bread and the French bread, as well as the dessert...Custard Pear Pie and Pumpkin Bread.

I COOKED A TURKEY! FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! I NEVER CRIED!!!

Here are some other images from this lovely lovely night....

Our table, everyone had different plates! Virgin Mary candles and flowers from Uncle Sarah completed the table.

Same table in daylight

Uncle Sarah making a carrot ring

 Chako making a cheese plate

Guests! Drinking! 

Gouda! Mac! Cheese!

Definitely my absolute favorite..Creamed Spinach!

I was happy with how everything came out, and everyone pigged out. We were over full. I had to convince people to have dessert. Force feeding them pie and champagne. Very happy.

I am going to share a bunch of recipes from this feast over the next week, and we are leaving tonight for Puerto Rico to cook another Thanksgiving feast with my Puerto Rican family, so recipes and pictures from that! 

To start the recipe train...Zucchini Corn Bread!!

I am obsessed with this bread and will make it year round all the time and eat it all. Seriously.

Ingredients!

Browned Butter!! What could be better? Tell me!

Mixing wet stuff...

Add the zucchini..

Add the dry stuff...

Garnish!

Ready for oven...

 Eat now.

Zucchini Cornbread

I doubled the recipe to make two loaves, below is the original for one!

You'll Need...

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter plus more for pan

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup of buttermilk

1 large zucchini (about 10 ounces)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup of sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup medium-grind cornmeal

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a loaf pan.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter solids at bottom of pan and turns golden brown, about three minutes. Scrape butter into a medium bowl. Set aside and let cool, whisk in eggs and buttermilk.

Trim zucchini and reserve 5 pieces for garnish. Grate the remaining zucchini into the butter mixture and fold in. 

In a separate bowl, sift both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk in cornmeal. Add zucchini mixture, just fold to blend, it will be a super thick batter. Transfer batter to pan and smooth. Place reserved zucchini slices down the batter loaf. 

Bake bread until golden, 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

EAT IT WARM WITH BUTTER AND BE SO HAPPY YOU ARE DOING IT!!!!

Creamy Mushroom Soup

I love dinner parties. I love having my dearest friends over and enjoying a great meal. Last night we had an impromptu dinner party with two of our best friends, Chloe and Sarah. I wanted some feel good food, and I  was awaiting having a very painful wisdom tooth pulled (which happened this morning, ouch), so in preparation I made a huge pot of creamy mushroom soup. I also made a huge batch of bruschetta with homemade ricotta, two kinds, one with honey and cracked pepper and another with truffle oil (my great love) and raspberry balsamic.

I say the soup is creamy mushroom rather then cream OF mushroom because I used triple the amount of mushrooms one would normally use to make a super creamy and ultra smooth cream of mushroom soup and was going for a more purely blended mushroom concoction, trying to imitate my favorite mushroom soup at this little tiny French cafe in the West Village, Cafe Henri. When I get the soup there it has the taste and consistency of just pure mushrooms...heaven. I think we got pretty close with this soup recipe!

 Today I am endlessly thankful I made this soup for I can eat it with my chipmunk face and numb left side of my mouth. Soup and well...ice cream...yea we live over a Baskin Robbins...yea Chako is a great boyfriend who's going to get me a sundae soon... :-)

Chloe wanted to be the photographer for this post, so to be clear, PHOTOS BY MADAME CHLOE K.

Lots of mushrooms!

Chopping chopping

Onions

Oh yea, more mushrooms

This recipe does not mess around, butter AND oil...

I love garlic

World of mushrooms

Don't forget to do a garlic rub when making bruschetta!

Add other yummy stuff and simmer away

Sarah thinks it smells yummy

Cream! Obviously.

Always bruschetta

Drizzle on some truffle oil and DELICIOUS

Creamy Mushroom Soup

You'll need...
3 pounds of mushrooms, I used baby bella and white buttons, would be great with some shitake as well..., all cleaned and coarsely chopped
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots or white onions
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Salt & Pepper
3/4 cup of white wine
5 tbsp flour
5 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of beef stock
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
Truffle oil for drizzling

Chop everything! Melt the butter with the oil in a large pot. Add the onions or shallots and cook until soft, then add the garlic. Cook about 1 minute then add ALL the mushrooms. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until they are soft and brown. Add the wine and cook until it's reduced, then sprinkle in the flour to coat. Add in the stocks, thyme, sage, and nutmeg. Let simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Slowly add in the cream. Let heat throw but don't boil! Using an immersion blender or working in batches with a regular blender, blend until your soup is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and drizzle with a little truffle oil.