Christmas in a Bowl

Last year, I made Ina's Pumpkin Mousse for dessert on Christmas Day. Well, now it is a tradition... and I will keep making it every Christmas Day, until I am no longer able to..... Philip LOVES it!! We all love it, but I know Philip loves it more, because he went to the grocery store to get me the ingredients to make it yesterday..... :) 

Here's the ingredients (which can also be found on www.foodnetwork.com):

• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 (29-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 extra-large egg yolks
• 2 packages (4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 2 ripe banana, finely mashed
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus more for garnish, optional
• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Using really good ingredients does make all the difference.

the gelatin

Ahhh.. and there it is - Christmas in a bowl :)

 

First Taste: You will taste creamy pumpkin pie custard with hints of orange and banana - yeah, it's good. And it tastes better the day after you make it..... so make it ahead of time for a party! :)

Very Thankful

I will try and do another food post about one of Ina's amazing dishes soon........ But just want to say how Thankful I am for living in this Country...thankful for yummy food that can be recreated over and over again.....but most importantly thankful to God for giving me the family, friends, & life that I have. Enjoy your feast today everyone!

FLAVORFUL Filet of Beef Bourguignon

Tonight I decided to tackle Ina's Filet of Beef Bourguignon from her very first cookbook, "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook". This is one of those recipes that I have always wanted to make, but never thought I had the time or energy to do it. Trust me....... this dish, even though it may take awhile to make - IT IS WORTH IT!!! Upon your first bite, the flavor of the sauce alone will have your tastebuds dancing with joy.... okay, I'm cheesy, but seriously, this dish is five star restaurant quality in the flavor department... and equally impressed the hubby, so I think we have a winner!

Note to self: only make this dish on the weekend when you have a few hours to actually be in the kitchen.... Ina notes that it is great to make ahead and then reheat the day after so you can save the time, and I completely agree - there is no way I could make this dish on a week night, unless we really wanted to eat at 9pm....... not a good idea. So stick to the weekend with this one. 

Looking at the recipe is a little intimidating but it's fairly easy once you get going...

Above is everything you need to make this dish.

I started out with two bowls, one for the chopped veggies, the other for all the trash scraps - kuddos to Rachel Ray's idea on that one!

I thought peeling the white pearl onions would be daunting, but if you blanch them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, they are super quick to peel.

Beautiful pearl onions..... I tried to find them in the freezer section (Ina usually uses the frozen ones) but I couldn't find them anywhere.....sad!

I think the mushrooms and the bacon really help make this dish!

Season the meat...... so very important!

I have to admit, the only downside to making this dish is that you WILL have grease all over your stove from browning the meat and bacon, BUT again, it's totally worth the clean up......... my husband fortunately helped me afterwards (what a nice man he is!) :)

Wish you could have smelled this at the same moment I took the picture..... the sound alone of the veggies simmering away for 20 minutes was so comforting - and allowed me to start cleaning up my kitchen as well.

Sauce thickener........

Almost ready....

Tada! Even being 36 weeks pregnant....... I somehow got the energy to make this dish (served with french bread) and it was absolutely FABULOUS. The best part was watching my husband and son eat it..... the dinner table was very quiet, which is sometimes rare - but means they were enjoying every single bite! As always, Thank You, Ina!