Dairymaids Shopping List

Be sure to print out this adorable shopping checklist for all your holiday essentials! Just click on the image, save and print. Being organized is cool.

Bourbon Pumpkin Pie with Wackym's Ginger Orange Cookie Crust

As promised, it's all Thanksgiving, all the time, until T day! Thanksgiving throws normal food-preparation routines way out of kilter for home cooks like myself. At this point, I have come to terms with the amount of dairy I consume in the name of testing recipes. I'm also okay with a generous drizzle of Bourbon Cajeta all over my post turkey pumpkin pie. Nothing like butter and bourbon to induce a couch nap.

For crust: 

1 package Wackym's Kitchen Ginger Orange Cookies

1/3 cup melted Lucky Layla Golden Butter 

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar 

For filling: 

1 15oz can Organic Pumpkin Puree
5 oz Bellwether Creme Fraiche
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 dash of freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla bean infused bourbon
Blue Heron Farms Bourbon Cajeta, to drizzle on top

Directions:
Heat oven to 350. Process cookies in food processor until finely crumbed. Add sugar and pour in melted butter and process until well blended. Bake pie crust for 10 minutes until golden. Let cool at least 15 minutes before adding filling.

In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, creme fraiche, brown sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg, whisk until smooth. Stir in eggs and bourbon, whisk again until well blended. Heat oven to 325. Poor filling into pie crust, gently jiggle to level the filling. Bake for about 1 hour or until set in the center. Drizzle cajeta over top before serving.

A Dairymaid's Thanksgiving Menu

One trip to the cheese shop and you will be inspired for Turkey Day! We have tons of ideas, but here's just a few... and don't forget the cheese and olive plate to snack on while you cook!

For a quick, crowd pleasing breakfast:
Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon Rolls

Pre-game sharables to potentially spoil your dinner:
Marinated Pure Luck Feta

Deviled Eggs with Chevre & Cucumber Caviar

On to the main coarse, an impressive center piece or serve in lieu of a traditional turkey:

Greens Creek Gruyere Stuffed Pumpkin

My favorite part of Thanksgiving, all the starchy/carby and cheesy sides: 

Harbison Au Gratin

"Just Plain Good" Macaroni & Cheese 

Please pass the bread: 

Redneck Skillet Cornbread

Indulge your mother's whim and save room for vegetables: 

Winged Bean Salad with Crispy Shallots and Chevre
Twice Baked Butternut Squash filled with Bacon Ricotta

Lastly, if your not asleep on the couch, dessert!
Toasted Bijou with Honey Roasted Pears

Jalapeno Jelly Glazed Bread Pudding

Winged Bean Salad with Crispy Shallots and Chevre

Less than 3 weeks and counting until Thanksgiving! I'm anxiously preparing my menu and I'm feeling like a huge dork for already having my table set. My Christmas tree is up too, but it's in beta testing with 2 cats, 1 labrador and a toddler in the house. No worries though, with lots of cheese and wine on hand, I can handle anything. I will be posting Thanksgiving favorites all month, and stay tuned for a full Dairymaids Thanksgiving menu! 

1/4 cup Stella Sola Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Lucky Layla Golden Butter
1 large shallot, peeled and sliced into thin rings

about 1/2 lb winged beans

1/2 cup Artichoke hearts, quartered 

1/2 cup golden and heirlom tomatoes, quartered  

Pure Luck Plain Chevre, crumbled  

Directions:
Heat evoo and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it's about 200°. Reduce the heat to low, add the shallots, and cook for about an hour, until they are a rich golden brown, stirring occasionally. For beans, trim the ends, boil whole in salted water for about 1 minute, until they turn brighter green. Rinse with cold water. Toss beans, artichokes and tomatoes in shallots and remaining oil from caramelizing. Top with a generous amount of Pure Luck chevre crumbles. Serve warm or cool. 

Rustic Granbury Gold Pot Pie

I just love a simple and rustic dish that comes together easily... because life is messy. My husband doesn't mind the layer of flour covering every inch of the kitchen if it results in comfort food. The combination of creamy Granbury Gold, buttery Kalamata olives and caramelized onions cooked in wine is like medicine on a blustery November day. Is it normal to have an addiction to caramelizing onions? 

For filling: 

2 tablespoons Stella Sola Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup white wine
1 can navy beans
1 tablespoon fresh or dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper and Kosher salt, to taste

6 oz Granbury Gold, grated 

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pits removed and coarsely chopped 

Pie pastry recipe here or store bought (don't hate) 

Fresh flat leaf parsley, for garnish 

In a saute pan, heat evoo over medium high heat. Add the onion and a pinch of Kosher salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes, then add the white wine. Cook until the wine has reduced by half. Stir in the beans and thyme and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Lower heat and gently simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add grated cheese and olives, mix to combine. 

Heat oven to 375. Lightly flour a surface and roll out pie crust to an 8 inch round. Transfer prepared pie crust to a large baking sheet. Put filling in center of pie crust, leaving about 2 inches on the outside. Gently fold outer crust over the filling to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Serve warm and garnish with fresh parsley.  

Yields 1 pie, serves 4