Maple-Whipped Sweet Potatoes

You have enough to think about on Thanksgiving and sweet potatoes shouldn't be one of them. Adapted from, An American Place, this simple preparation demonstrates how good they can be with just a bit of butter, sour cream, and maple syrup.
Bake four large sweet potatoes until soft before scooping the pulp into a bowl along with a tablespoon of melted butter and two tablespoons each of sour cream and maple syrup. Mash and beat until smooth, salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to a baking dish for reheating before serving.
This dish can be prepared a day ahead of time as well so you have more time to make sure your green beans are crisp and your Turkey isn’t overcooked. And depending on your tastes you could easily jazz things up with some fresh ginger, cardamom, or hot sauce. Happy Thanksgiving!

Blackened Cod

With Thanksgiving a week away I’m thinking light and easy, and blackened cod fits the bill on both of those counts. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet your heaviest frying pan will do, regardless, the key is to get it real hot.

While you’re heating your pan combine enough of the following spices in a small bowl to completely cover your filets: paprika, granulated onion, granulated garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chipotle or regular chili powder, oregano, thyme, and salt. No need to worry about exact quantities but use less oregano and thyme than the other spices and just a little bit of salt.

Lightly salt both sides of the fish before covering both sides with your spice mixture then fry in a couple tablespoons of butter and olive oil. Four minutes per side should be enough to get them good and black as well as cooked through. Serve with lemon.

Kimchi Rice

If you don't eat lots of kimchi you should, not only does it make everything taste special but it's also really good for you. For this dish start by making half a cup of rice and once fully cooked set aside to cool, last night’s rice would be even better. Next, splash some oil into a large frying pan then sauté a sliced shallot and some minced garlic until translucent before adding a third to a half bottle of kimchi. 

Continue to sauté over medium heat until everything begins to brown. Ten minutes before you’re ready to serve add the rice to the hot pan and stir everything together with a little bit of soy sauce and sriracha to taste. I recommend serving with a piece of red meat...so good!

Covered Eggs

It’s a great time of year for brunch and there’s never a hesitation about my eggs when I go out, it’s always over easy. But they don’t always work out for me at home, turning out four pairs of over easy eggs simultaneously just isn’t that easy with just two pans, and even if it’s just me I still end up breaking a yolk half the time. I asked a professional breakfast cook about it and she said it’s all about having the right pans in perfect condition.

Since that’s not a reality I’ve resorted to the next best thing, covering my eggs. Add a little bit of oil or butter to a Teflon pan and heat on medium for a couple of minutes. Break two eggs into a small bowl then gently slide them into the pan and immediately cover with a tight fitting lid. Within a few minutes your eggs will be perfect, and depending on the size of your pan you can cook two or three pairs of eggs all at once. No need to ruin your Sunday morning with a broken yolk any longer.