We divvied up the Thanksgiving dishes pretty well this year. I made the turkey and cornbread-sausage stuffing and mango fluff. Kevin made the mashed potatoes and Caesar salad. Kev and I made the artichoke dip. Kavi, Kev, and I made the eggplant parmesan (somewhat random last-minute addition that Kavi learned how to make in her culinary class, delicious). Kavi made the crescent rolls. Nara brought the green bean casserole and Daniel brought the pumpkin custard pie. I forgot to put out the cranberry jelly, but it’ll be around for sandwiches tomorrow.
I had two, so I must have liked them.
Made up a cocktail, was pretty good. Apple cider, honey whiskey, bitters, squeeze of lime, ginger beer, sugar rim. I had two, so I must have liked them.
Mango fluff done.
Mango fluff done. Setting overnight, will likely decorate with some fresh fruit tomorrow.
Cornbread sausage chipotle stuffing, done.
Cornbread sausage chipotle stuffing, done.
Autumn muffins done.
Autumn muffins done. If anyone local wants to borrow this pan or my pumpkin muffin pan or my pumpkin loaf pan, let me know.
Cornbread done
Cornbread done (with canned corn and green chilies).
Chipotle & Pepper Corn Bread-Sausage Stuffing
Chipotle & Pepper Corn Bread-Sausage Stuffing
(30 minutes (plus 30 minutes for making the cornbread), serves 8.)-
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- 4 c. cornbread, crumbled (best if made with chopped green chilies and whole corn (frozen works fine, thaw and drain); I just use two boxes of Jiffy for the cornbread)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- a little oil for frying
- 2 lbs. mild Italian sausage (turkey sausage also works, less rich)
- 1 c. white wine
- 3 large bell peppers (red, orange, yellow), chopped
- 1 can chipotles, chopped (buy canned chipotles and use the sauce they’re in — if you want it less spicy, reduce how much sauce you put in)
- 1 t. salt
- a few grinds black pepper
- 1 c. chicken broth
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- Make cornbread according to box directions.
- Sauté (on medium-high) the onions in the oil until golden.
- Add the sausage and sauté until cooked through and browned. De-glaze pan with wine.
- Add the bell pepper and sauté until soft.
- Add the chipotles in sauce, salt and pepper and stir well.
- Break up and stir in cornbread.
- Stir in broth.
Signed and personalized at request!
“Mohanraj does a superb job of combining easily sourced ingredients with clear, instructive guidance and menu recommendations for all manner of events…a terrific survey of an overlooked cuisine.” – Publisher’s Weekly “Mohanraj’s research driven approach to recipe development makes Feast a reliable introduction to Sri Lankan cooking for adventurous home-cooks and a sound resource for Sri Lankan families hoping to reclaim their culinary traditions at home.” – Melissa Elsmo, Oak Park Eats www.serendibshop.com

The end result was pretty tasty
I had a really harried day yesterday (and I think I was getting sick, but didn’t realize that was why I was so exhausted), so when Eliana came over to help with shipping things, I also asked her to bake a cake for me that I wanted to test for the Patreon boxes.
She did great — I think I took it out a little early, it could have used more browning. But mostly, I’m confused because you’re supposed to soak it in honey syrup, and I only used half the amount the recipe called for and it was THOROUGHLY soaked. I’m not sure if I did something wrong, but the end result was pretty tasty, so that’s something.
This batch was a practice batch (that I put out at Kavi’s Halloween party) — I think I’ll modify it some for the Patreon boxes. So I’d really like to know what was going on with the honey before I attempt it again — none of the comments on the recipe mention too much honey syrup as an issue.
It’s all a little mild for me too — when I make it next, I think it’s getting a kick of ginger, more cardamom, a touch of black pepper — and probably less sugar in the cake. Original recipe in comments.
Slightly tedious, but fun result.
Made mummy hot dogs for the first time. Slightly tedious, but fun result. My mustard eyes are terrible, though. (The squeeze bottle top wasn’t working, so I ended up using a toothpick, which was…interesting.)