Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers. I’m not cooking this year (hello, hotel catering) but I do love this super simple roasted butternut squash and chicken soup. It made me think of Thanksgiving, so I thought I’d use it.  

2010 has been a crazy year for me, hasn’t it? But as the year is coming to a close, I realize how far I’ve come, how much I’ve gained and how much I am so grateful for this year. I am always grateful for my family and their love and support (especially my super cute husband), my friends and you, my readers. You’ve given me an outlet to express myself and a audience to share it with and for that I’m thankful every single day.

I hope that you are all spending this day with friends and family and that you take a minute to say thanks for the many blessings and wonderful things you’ve received this year. Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo,
dwj

First, let me say thank you to everyone for your kind comments and emails yesterday and birthday wishes. I was actually overwhelmed by how many messages I received yesterday and it’s always nice to feel noticed and loved And don’t worry, I’m settling into my unemployment very nicely.

Second, I have a red velvet cheesecake hangover…and I like it. LOL

Last night I had a few of my favorite friends and family together for a spaghetti dinner at my parent’s house (My mom makes the best spaghetti ever). For dessert I spent 2 days making a red velvet cheesecake trying to replicate the Cheesecake Factory’s Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake. From the oohs and aahs I received, I think it was a success. I have a few slices left in my fridge and I’m going to savor them today because this isn’t the kind of dessert you can just whip together for any occasion, even though my husband has already stated this would be made again.

Want to make it yourself? I used the NY Style Cheesecake recipe, buttercream frosting recipe and assembly instructions from this site. I didn’t like their version of red velvet (who puts cinnamon in red velvet?!) so I went to my old faithful, Martha Stewart for a simple, delicious and moist version. If you want to impress folks, you need to make this. Seriously. I think that piece is calling my name now…

If I want to get folks riled up on Twitter, all I have to do is mention red velvet. I talk about cupcakes a lot during the day because DC has some great cupcakeries around town and even a few mobile cupcake spots but last night I was overwhelmed when I discovered a recipe for red velvet brownies.

In Washington, DC we have a really good burger joint, Good Stuff Eatery. It’s owned by Spike Mendelsohn of Top Chef fame and I go there for the Obama Burger or Uncle D’s Chili & Cheddar Burger and when I’m feeling really bad I go for the toasted marshmallow milkshake.

Yes, I said toasted marshmallow milkshake and yes it is just as sinfully wonderful as it sounds.

So when Chef Spike came out with a cookbook, The Good Stuff Cookbook, I had to have it just for the toasted marshmallow milkshake recipe if nothing else. Well this baby is chocked full of FABULOUSNESS. Recipes for burgers, the chili on my fav burger and milkshakes galore but when I stumbled on the red velvet brownies recipe while riding home I made the husband stop at the store to pick up the few ingredients I knew I didn’t have. I had to make them last night because I knew Chef Spike wouldn’t let me down (and I’m pretty sure I tweeted him to marry me, even though I’m married and whenever I see him at the restaurant I’m too nervous to say hi or ask for a picture…lame but true).

Yes, I was that pressed to make red velvet brownies last night, the day I bought the book. And yes, the are magnificent. Mine are a bit more cake like than the picture looks, but I didn’t do everything to a tee in the recipe. But wow, THEY WERE GOOD. Instead of putting the white chocolate frosting on top the recipe called for, I put a dollop of vanilla ice cream. A great substitute.

I love food and I really love good food and I’ve never been disappointed at Good Stuff Eatery, so I highly doubt that Chef Spike will let me down with this new cookbook. I’m a huge Top Chef fan and I’m excited that this season is in DC but I think I’m more excited over the prospect of this being the best cookbook I’ll ever own. So I’m telling you right now to click on over to Amazon.com or Borders.com and grab a copy for yourself. Feel free to thank me in the comments section later.

I am ready to make some milkshakes and burgers this weekend. Who wants to join me?!

Oh and stay tuned because there is a BIG contest announcement next week. You will NOT want to miss the fashionable technology that’s being given away!

xoxo,
dwj

You know I’ve been cooking up a storm lately, so I was super excited when I was flipping through Cooking Light yesterday and I saw the Zip & Dry Apron! It’s an apron with a terry cloth towel that zips to the bottom of the apron. I don’t have to keep slinging a towel over my shoulder (worrying that it could slip off my shoulder when I’m standing my the stove).

I like gadgets that make cooking and cleaning easier and this is such a smart idea. It’s one of those products that I think, “why did I not think of this?!” I’ve realized I’m in the market for a new apron too (my old Ikea one is pretty yucky at this point) and this apple green would go very nicely in my colorful kitchen.

What’s your kitchen staple that you love?

Since I knew I was going to be snowed in, I decided to make a recipe from Cooking Light that my husband raved about last month, a Tourtière. A fancy word for that’s a lot like a pot pie made with ground pork. First of all, I didn’t even know they made ground pork but it was in the same section of my grocery store as ground chicken and to my surprise, ground lamb (I want to figure out something to make with that too).

This comforting, tasty dinner is made with ground pork, carrots, onions, celery, potatoes and pie dough (although I forgot the pie dough this time and used the same pizza crust pastry I use for my breakfast braid – if you do that it cooks up in half the time). What made me curious about trying this out was the blend of spices used to season the meat. I’ve never cooked meat with cinnamon and cloves before, but it was fragrant and delicious.

Since Puxsutawney Phil says we have 6 more weeks of winter, you may want to try cooking this up for a cold winter evening. A seriously yummy take on a fatty chicken pot pie.

Click the link above for the recipe and check out the images below of my step-by-step on cooking the dish.