Thanksgiving Virtual Potlock

Hi Everyone! In honor of my FAVORITE holiday - Thanksgiving - I am having a virtual potluck. If you are making a fun dish that you think the blogosphere needs to be aware of (or just feel like participating) than this is for you!!! I know this is short notice, but I kind of just thought of it. I know there are a bunch of readers of this blog that will be making interesting and delicious Thanksgiving recipes. I know that Randi is hosting Thanksgiving this year and I will be preparing at least two dishes.

So, the details - If you have a blog and want more traffic - send a picture of your dish and the link to kitchensuccess at gmail dot com. If you do NOT have a blog (or did not blog on the dish you made) and still want to participate (which you should!!!) just send a picture and a sentence or two about what you made to the same address. Send your entries by December 7th to be included!

Thanks!
Georgia

Honey Give-Away Results and Apple-Ginger Upside Down Cake!

Honey Give Away

As you may know, last month I submitted an entry to the Royal Foodie Joust hosted by Jenn at The Leftover Queen. I made Pumpkin Flan with Guinness Caramel for the orange and black challenge. Unfortunately, I did not win :( There were a lot of great entries, and I will have to try harder next time! You can see the winners here.

In conjunction with the post, we had a contest to give away a jar of raw honey from the bees at my school, Temple University. The honey is delicious, and a great prize! In order to win, all you had to do was leave a comment. And now is the moment you are all waiting for - the winner! And the winner is....

Christine!!!

And, no, I was not guilted into picking her (although she did mention such things in her comment). I used a random number generator (Random.org) and she was selected at random. So, congratulations Christine, enjoy your winnings!


For the rest of you, please keep commenting, and we will be having another give away soon.

Now for the blog...

Apple-Ginger Upside Down Cake

I saw this recipe in the New York Times a few weeks ago and put it on my "to make" list. I love love love upside down cakes (how can you not?) and this one really looked like a great seasonal dessert. Andrew and I have probably been eating a few too many desserts lately - he made me an awesome cake for my birthday (which he promises he will eventually blog on), which we had to eat of course. So, I knew that I had to bide my time and wait for a good excuse to make this cake. Luckily for us, a good excuse came around and our friends Mike and Tamara held a pot-luck dinner last week. Great! I could make the cake, and then only have a piece or two or three. But, NOT the entire thing.

Wow, was this good. It also took about two seconds to make. Well, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but it was really quick. The apples were soft and caramelized and the cake was almost like gingerbread! People loved it and one guy who normally hates ginger came up and told me how great it was. "Not too sweet, just right!"

In the future - and there will be a future - I will add more spices and a little more sugar. Nevertheless, this was another winner. If you need something to make for Thanksgiving, I suggest giving this recipe a try. People are sure to love it. I could also see making it as a breakfast cake. Haha, breakfast cake. Yum.
Apple-Ginger Upside Down Cake
Adapted from Karen Bates at the Philo Apple Farm

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter

1 cup dark-brown sugar

4 apples (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch wedges.

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup dark molasses

1 cup buttermilk

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Very softly whipped cream.

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease the rim of a 10-inch cake pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter and then place it in the pan. Set the pan over very low heat and melt the butter across the bottom of the pan. Add the brown sugar and distribute evenly.

2. Make circles of overlapping apple slices on top of the brown sugar. Chop any remaining slices and place them in the gaps.

3. Using a mixer, blend 1/2 cup of the butter and the sugar on medium-low speed. Increase the speed to high and cream until light and fluffy.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, molasses and buttermilk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Alternate mixing the flour and molasses mixtures into the butter mixture, adding the next once the last has been incorporated.

5. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a platter. Serve warm or cool with very softly whipped cream.

Serves 12.

Last Chance & Lentil Spinach Salad

Today is your last chance to enter our Local Honey Giveaway. Comment on this post with a valid email address and the winner will be picked tonight at midnight EST!


Another great blogger whose recipe suggestions I love to try is Lindsay and Taylor of Love and Olive Oil. Not too long ago they posted a delicious looking Spinach and Lentil Salad with Blue Cheese and Tart Cherry Vinaigrette and I just had to try it asap.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the puy (green) lentils they raved about, but even with just regular brown lentils this salad was tops. Some gorgonzola and bacon crumbles made it especially fantastic and dynamic. Lentils pack great protein and fiber - an ideal substitute for meat.

This recipe originated at Epicurious.

4 to 6 servings

3/4 cup green lentils
7 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
8 bacon slices (about 6 ounces)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallot
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup dried unsweetened tart cherries (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups baby or regular spinach leaves
1/3 cup blue cheese (about 2 ounces)

In a heavy saucepan cover lentils with water by 2 inches and simmer until just tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Drain lentils well in a sieve. Rinse lentils under cold running water to stop cooking and drain well. In a bowl toss lentils with 2 tablespoons vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. (Lentils may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring lentils to room temperature before proceeding.)

In a skillet cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp and with tongs transfer to paper towels to drain. Crumble bacon.

In cleaned saucepan heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook shallot, stirring, until golden brown. Stir in water, cherries, sugar, and remaining 5 tablespoons vinegar and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by about half, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a slow stream until emulsified. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Add half of vinaigrette to lentils and toss well. In another bowl toss spinach with half of lentil mixture, half of bacon, half of cheese, remaining vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste.

Divide remaining lentil mixture among 6 plates and top with spinach mixture. Sprinkle salads with remaining bacon and cheese.

Inspiration Everywhere

Don't forget to comment on this post to try and win our Local Honey Giveaway! The winner will be drawn on November 7th (Saturday).


Recently I've been aggressively increasing the number of recipes on my "to try" list from blogs I read on a regular basis. Ever since making the ginger soup with chard at 101 Cookbooks I've been really inspired to make some more of Heidi's recent recipes. Her Broccoli Cheddar Soup called out to me. Though I may have made some adjustments, mostly out of laziness or a missed ingredient when grocery shopping, this recipe turned out amazingly.


With a mild broccoli taste, smooth cheddar and mustardy kick both in the soup and in the croutons, I wanted to eat my way through the entire pot. I highly recommend giving this one a try when you have friends to eat it with you. As Heidi points out, re-heated Broccoli soup is much less appetizing. The homemade croutons baked with mustard are an idea I simply love and can't wait to try again in the future.

See the recipe at 101 Cookbooks, and definitely give this one a try.

Also, I am now the proud owner of a kitchen aid mixer (finally!), so prepare to see a lot more baking from me in the near future. Thanks Mom!