I can’t believe Thanksgiving is almost here! It seems like it was just yesterday my daughter was running out of her classroom looking forward to a summer full of camps and family vacations. I’m sad summer is no more, but I can’t deny that I love the flavors that come with this time of the year. I think I use more cinnamon in November than I do in a whole year; it’s just so good in both sweet and savory dishes!
All three of these dishes involved the use of my KitchenAid® stand mixer and was great in helping to lighten the cooking load.
Thanksgiving doesn’t come without its stress, though, and for most people it can be a really busy time in the kitchen…sometimes with the cook eventually sitting down as the rest of the guests are almost finished eating! That’s no fun, so any shortcuts or time-saving tips should always be utilized. My biggest advice would be to use your kitchen appliances to their maximum, taking some of the workload off your shoulders. For example, I’ve had my KitchenAid® 4.5-Quart Stand Mixer for 12 years and it’s never failed me no matter what I use it for, but it comes especially in handy at Thanksgiving when I want to make things ahead of time or efficiently the day of this special holiday.
The stand mixer’s flat beater attachment makes light work of the potatoes, turning them into a creamy mixture.
When I made these three recipes I used my stand mixer during part of the process. If you’ve ever hand mashed potatoes, you know how much of a wrist workout it can be. Just throw those cooked potatoes in the mixing bowl and let the machine do the work for you while you focus on another task, like socializing with Uncle Jim or Grandpa Hudson! I also made the dough for the pumpkin pie and mixed the ingredients for the stuffing using this stand mixer. The dough hook is perfect for gently turning the pie crust ingredients. The beater also works wonders, making sure all of the bread cubes are getting their fair share of herbs.
I hope your Thanksgiving is full of good food, laughter, and most importantly, is stress free!
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Makes 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds white potatoes, boiled
2 cloves minced garlic
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped rosemary
Salt and black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Place the boiled potatoes into your KitchenAid® Stand Mixer fitted with the beater attachment, and mix on low for for 1 minute.
Add the buttermilk, garlic and rosemary and beat on medium until most of the lumps are gone. Add the salt and pepper and taste. Beat the mixture for another 2 minutes or until it’s smooth and lump free.
Cranberry And Pistachio Stuffing
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes 6-8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 large white loaf of French bread, 8 cups cut into 1″ cubes, toasted for 10 minutes
1/4 cup leeks, sliced thinly
1 cup crimini mushrooms, halved
1 stick celery, sliced into thin rings
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
3 large eggs
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
Salt and black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pan, sauté the leeks, celery and mushrooms until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the cranberries, pecans and rosemary and combine making sure everything is mixed together. Transfer the mixture to your stand mixer mixing bowl and add the eggs, gently mix through.
Add the bread and on low speed, mix the bread and cranberry mixture together making sure all of the bread gets covered in the egg.
Gradually add the broth and season well with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a 9×9 baking dish and bake in the oven for 45 minutes and the top is crusty and golden.
Pumpkin Pie
Recipe from The Pie & Pastry Bible
Makes 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
For the crust
9 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 tablespoons ice cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
For the filling
1 15-oz can of pumpkin puree
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the flour, salt and the cubed butter and mix on medium until the butter has formed small lumps. Gradually add the water and mix until the dough starts to come together. Finish the mixing by hand so as to not over-mix the dough.
Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge until the filling is ready.
In a small pot, heat the pumpkin, brown sugar, spices and salt together until gently bubbling. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
On low speed add the milk and the cream. Scrape down and add the eggs one at a time, adding the vanilla last.
Roll the pastry out to large enough to fit into a 9 inch pie pan. Trim and press the top into a twist design if you like. Fill the pie shell with the pumpkin filling and place the pie into the lower part of your oven.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until the center of the pie looks dull and jiggles firmly when shaken. Let the pie rest until cool before slicing.
*The Contributor of this post has been compensated by KitchenAid for this post, but this post represents the Contributor’s own opinion.*