Thanksgiving Meal 2011 or I’m Back!!!!!

Hello All! It has been entirely too long since I have been able to post, I am sorry. In the past few months loads have been happening in my personal and professional life. Professionally, I was contracted to write a book about youth ministry. It was an absolute joy to write and should be on Amazon in January. I blame the book for my lack of posting on here. I wanted to spend all of my creative juices making sure it was both what I wanted it to be as well as finished by the deadline given by my publisher. I am very excited! Personally WE ARE PREGNANT!!! This is a complete surprise as we had planned our little lives around a 4 person family. We are so excited and cannot wait to find out if it is a Nora Grace or Henry Finn. We will find out on December 1 and the little one is due April 23!!!! So needless to say there are loads of exciting things happening around the Vulcans Table house! Now onto the food…

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Low Country Shrimp and Grits

Few things scream Southern Cuisine louder than Low Country Shrimp and Grits!  There are so many wonderful variations on this warm and hearty dish, but today I am giving you the Vulcan’s Table version.  For me there are two keys to really good Shrimp and Grits.  The first is making sure to get really good stone-ground grits.  This ingredient can make all of the difference in both taste and consistency.  Secondly, for my grits I rely heavily on the spices in the andouille sausage.  I let these spices and the fat really flavor the dish.  Make sure you know the heat of your sausage and cut it accordingly; you do not want to get a big bite of really spicy sausage that will overpower the other amazing flavors in the dish.  I use the fresh andouille in the butchers section at our local Whole Foods.  Don’t forget to support our Gulf Coast fishermen and buy fresh and delicious certified Gulf Coast shrimp! Click here to hear some of the amazing stories of these fishermen at Third Coast Byways.

I really love to cook this recipe for lunch on a cold winter day and serve it with some crusty french bread.  Enjoy!

Honey Roasted Winter Root Vegetables

One of my favorite dishes to cook on a cold winter’s night is Honey Roasted Winter Root Vegetables.  These provide a sweet (carrots, honey, sweet potatoes) and savory (Parsnips Turnip) side to any hearty main course and will help warm you and your family up on a cold winters night.

Winter Spiced Pears

So my wife and I were hungry for a warm winter dessert tonight as the temperature drops well below freezing.  I had some Bosc Pears and a little time so I created a Winter Spiced Pear that not only tastes and smells like you are eating pure wassail but is an incredibly simple desert to make.  I hope you enjoy!

Roasted Chicken with Winter Vegetables

While I cannot give you the recipe, I will show you the picture of my recreation of this wonderful dish from Hot and Hot Fish Club here in Birmingham.  If you cannot go to Hot and Hot, I recommend picking up the Hot and Hot Fish Club’s cookbook for a holiday gift.  Honestly the best winter vegetables I have ever had.  Get the cookbook and ENJOY!!!

Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

If you ask my wife what my favorite winter herb is, she will tell you it is rosemary uncontested.  So it is natural to combine it with and some other simple ingredients to make a deeply flavorful side dish.  This is an awesome side to a good steak or a light pasta dish.  The smokey earthy flavor of the rosemary off sets perfectly the sweet, buttery and delicate fingerling potatoes.  The light acidity of the fresh parmesan finishes the dish perfectly.  Enjoy!

Stuffin Muffins

Stuffing is a traditional holiday dish in homes across America.  Whether it is inside poultry or a foil pan, the hearty sage filled aroma of holiday stuffing is a staple around the holidays.  One of my favorite parts of the stuffing has always been the crust that develops on the top of the pan of stuffing that is exposed to the heat of the oven.  I decided to experiment a couple of years ago with a non traditional vessel for my stuffing and came up with the idea of Stuffin Muffins.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites with Bourbon Cream Sauce

While I am not a pastry chef, I do love a hearty yet delicate cheesecake.  This recipe has the added touch of Fall with the addition of Pumpkin Puree and some other fall spices.  The Bourbon cream sauce adds a rich undertone to the otherwise savory cheesecake.  I also made some pastry pumpkin leaves and candied them with raw sugar as a garnish.  This is a great way to end your Thanksgiving day dinner!