There’s nothing that takes me back to my childhood faster than a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Just the smell is enough to bring back the sounds of my mother’s laughter, wrapping paper tearing and my sister squealing in happiness at the latest treasure to find its way out from under the tree. There are also memories of frigid January afternoons when the mist in the air carried ice. I’d get to the door from the bus, shivering and sniffling and walk through into the heat of the gas heater and the smell of hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies.

Good memories all.

My mother made her hot chocolate with unsweetened powdered chocolate, sugar and milk, at least until we were older and our grandmother introduced us to packaged coca with marshmallows. At the time it didn’t really matter to me, and the marshmallow kind was sweeter. for my mother it was faster, but I think she missed making it from scratch. There just isn’t as much love in a packet.

Today my tastes are more refined. I prefer dark chocolate to the silkier milk chocolates, and any thought of using a packet has long ago been left at the wayside. It really isn’t any more trouble to make your own hot chocolate, and the taste is like nothing you will ever get from a store shelf. It is truly the perfect beverage for a cold winter’s day.

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The first time I saw a werewolf movie as a young boy it gave me nightmares for a month. Mentioning the “classic” green bean casserole has the same effect on me. It’s terrifying. Overcooked canned beans smothered in a sodium heavy, vaguely mushroom flavored ooze and topped with rapidly softening fried onions.

Who thought of this? Who told us we were supposed to like it?

The components of a green bean casserole are all ingredients that I love, it’s the end result that I’m not fond of, and I know of a whole lot of other people who share that dislike. This is the green bean casserole for the rest of us.

The original concept for this dish came from an episode of Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello on Food Network. He chose onion rings as his garnish, but I find that making a proper onion ring, or any other deep fried onion for that matter, without a professional fryer is extremely iffy, so I went with caramelized onions instead. I also upped the mushroom content quite a bit.

The components are all things found in the classic, but with a new twist, and about 1/3 the calories of the original. Technically it’s not a casserole, but you can get around that by tossing the serving dish in the oven for 5 minutes at its lowest setting *wink*

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I just found this deal on Amazon and I had to share it with you. Right now you can get the Anolon Professional 12-Piece Nonstick Cookware Set fo a staggering $139.00.

This set normally sells for $803.00, so if you’ve even been toying with the idea of moving to new cookware, now is the time. To be completely honest, if I didn’t have a perfectly good set of almost new EmerilWare. (Also known as All-Clad), I’d be all over this. (It’s still pretty tempting!)

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Just in case you weren’t aware, the pecan is the state tree of Texas, and around here pecan pies are what people think of first when the word pie is used. I may not be a native Texan, but I’ve had a love of these pies all my life. My Grandma Rosemary made a wicked mean pecan pie. (And a to-die-for German chocolate cake…)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a pretty big apple pie fan as well. But to be honest, I prefer an apple crumble or a Dutch apple pie to the more common varieties. Pears I detest no matter what, and berry pies, though good, simply don’t make me go “Oooooh!” when I see them. Not true the pecan pie.

I will avoid eating the last bit of a good dinner to save room for these. Please, don’t top it with anything, add sugar, ice cream or anything whipped. This pie asks nothing of you other than to consume and enjoy, something I am most happy to oblige.

I hope you try these little gems and enjoy!

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“What am I going to make with all these leftovers?“

It’s a pretty common phrase used during the holidays, especially after Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. The refrigerator is overflowing with half-full serving dishes or packed storage containers of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and half-a-dozen desserts still grace trays on the counter tops.

Rather than going for the “same-old-same-old” reheated plates and turkey sandwiches, I prefer to use the leftovers as creatively as possibly. This dish has been one of my favorites over the years and I still go back to it on a regular basis.

The concept is simple. Take all the flavors that were at the table for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, mix them all together and add a little of this or that to freshen them up a bit. It’s a truly comforting meal that you wouldn’t peg for a leftover dish if you didn’t know that it was.

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If you haven’t broken down your turkey just yet then there’s something I need to tell you.

“Don’t throw out the carcass!“

That’s right, don’t throw it out. Use it to make enough turkey stock to get you through the rest of the holidays. No matter whether you can get turkey stock in your local market or not, I guarantee that you’ll never get the kind of flavor out of it that you will out of home made.

The best part is that making stock is a simple process. with just a little bit of effort and about two hours of unattended simmering, you’ll end up with the most mouthwatering addition to the rest of the meals of the season. It’s especially grand if you plan to serve turkey for Christmas as well. If not, just think how simple making gravy or some very succulent mashed potatoes will be.

So before you go to make all those leftover meals, let’s make a little stock to kick them up with, shall we?

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Thanksgiving is a day to remember all the things in your life that bring you joy, happiness and peace. It’s a time for family, friends, feasting and togetherness. A holiday that is celebrated in many countries and in many ways, throughout the year.

I personally have much to be thankful for this year. Even with the loss of several loved ones, I still have my wife, my children, my health, my sister, nephews, my father’s parents and my Dad. All of these things are grand.

I am thankful for my friends, both the people I see every day and those of you who have become close to me here. Though we’ve never met, your love and support have made this more than just the experiment it was when it started, but a labor of love and a passion. There are so many who have made me smile, made me thing and, at times, had me rolling on the floor with laughter. I am thankful for each of you, and I wish that I could give a personal thanks to everyone, but there aren’t enough hours in the day for that.

I wish you all the best of days, whether it be Thanksgiving where you are or not. I for one will say a prayer for all of you today, and give gratitude to the man above for making it possible to have known you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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I know that most people probably don’t think of collard greens as a part of their holiday table, but for my family they will be made every thanksgiving from now on. This dish was served last night to our dear friends Mike and Naomia, under threat of bodily injury from N. herself. (Seriously, she threatened me!) The last time I made these greens, M. was out of town, and I was told that he, and all of my readers, needed to try the “best greens she’d ever had”. (High praise for a girl from Mississippi, especially when talking to an Irish boy from California.)

I’m all for special request meals, especially for family and friends. They give me a chance to make something that’s guaranteed to make someone smile, and smile we did, but they were bittersweet at best.

N. was one of the first people my then girlfriend introduced me to when I moved to Texas in 2005. She made me feel welcome in a new place, has always been there with a bright smile and a hug when needed. she was the first person in Texas we told about our engagement and stood at our wedding with as many tears on her ebony face as we had on ours. We were the first to know of her engagement, and were at her wedding as well. We’ve been through a lot together in a short time, but it has been good, all of it.

By the time Naomia reads this entry, she will be with her family for Thanksgiving. From there she will be moving to her new duty station in Japan. When we said goodbye last night, it was for real.

In my life I’ve seen a lot of people come and go. In the military it’s just a fact of life, but it’s rare that someone manages to become such a part of your family’s life that it’s hard to imagine life without them in it.

This is one of those times.

So, Miss Naomia, I wish you well. Remember that no matter where your travels take you, there will always be a plate of greens waiting for you on our holiday table. I’ll even make sure Mike has some rice to go with it. You’re family, and family always has a place in our home.

Oh, and tell your mother we said hello.

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Several people commented that they would like to see the “pants” in Cooking by the seat of my Pants stay as part of the design.

You speak, I listen. I’m not sure where they’ll go yet, but I’ll find a way to get them in to the new layout, though not exactly the same as they’ve been in the past.

I’m sure someone is going to ask, so I’ll answer the question now. Yes, these are the actual seat of my pants.

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Logo.

I’ve been using citrus fruits in my designs since the day this blog started, and in working on the new release I was looking for something memorable. I’ve found it. Cooking by the seat of my Pants now has a logo. It won’t change for as long as this blog survives.

Curious yet?

If so, read on…

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