White Cheddar Crackers

Ok, I know these look yellow, but I promise, if you got excited because white cheddar cheese crackers are your fave, you can stay excited. 

The orangey hue of these guys comes from a little smoked paprika mixed into the dough, which you can definitely skip if you are a purist about the color. Me, I'm all about the flavor, so I can be happy with white cheddar crackers that look like yellow cheddar crackers. 

Because really, these crackers, no matter the color, are insanely addictive. Have you ever found yourself halfway through a box of cheez-its and wondered how you got there? Yeah, you'll probably be reliving some of that shame with these homemade versions.

(And I say shame, because I basically had to tell myself cheez-its were no longer allowed in my life, because they were becoming my snack kryptonite at work. Four years sober and counting!)

These are equally addictive with their salty, cheesy taste, and, if you take the time to make them extra crispy, their crunch. And if you make cheese crackers yourself, they don't count against any personal cracker boundaries you may have set for yourself. 

At least, that's what I told myself.

They also, may I add, could be just the snack your holiday spread needs, something to stave off hungry guests while the meal finishes, or to munch on during pre-dinner drinks. I cut these into various basic shapes, but why not go for seasonal leaf shapes?

The possibilities are endless (the crackers are not).

Ok, I'm off for the rest of the week to eat, run, eat, sleep, drink, eat, repeat. Have a great Thanksgiving!

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White Cheddar Crackers

Adapted from The Kitchn

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white cheddar cheese powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional, since it gives these white cheese crackers an orangey tinge)
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 4 tbs unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 6 oz extra sharp white cheddar cheese
• 2 tbs cold water
• kosher salt, for sprinkling

1. Mix together flour, cheese powder, 1/2 tsp salt, paprika, and garlic powder in a bowl and set aside.
2. In a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment, shred the cheese, then add to the bowl of the dry ingredients and toss to mix well. Switch to the regular food processor blade and pulse together the dry ingredients and cheese with the butter until mixture looks a bit crumbly. Add the water and pulse until the mixture just forms a ball.
3. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Top with another sheet of plastic wrap and slide onto a baking sheet. Chill 30 minutes.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut the dough into squares or desired shapes using cookie cutters. Using a skewer, dock a hole in the center of each cracker to keep from puffing too much.
5. Carefully transfer cut dough to a baking sheet, leaving 1/2 inches between each. Sprinkle with kosher salt and bake 10-12 minutes, until lightly brown at the edges. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely and repeat process with remaining dough, re-rolled and chilled if needed.
6. Once all crackers are baked, turn off oven and let cool for 1 hour. Transfer cooled crackers back onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place sheet in the oven to dry out, for at least 8 hours or overnight. This step is optional but does help the crackers get extra crispy and prolongs their storage time. Crackers can then be stored (yeah, right) in an air-tight container.
7. DO NOT pre-heat your oven the next day without checking first!

Pumpkin Breakfast Butter Cake

I've got Thanksgiving breakfast on lock. 

Whet your appetite with some pumpkin flavor in the am, paired with a yeast-risen dough base and buttery cake layer. Neither layer is too sweet to make you not want pie later, but both are just sweet enough to go perfectly well with the coffee or tea you fuel up for cooking with. 

Or, you know, if you abstain from all eating on the big day, this makes an excellent addition for brunch, a snack, or dessert for the entire season. The recipe also makes a lot of cake, so you'll have no problem feeding any house guests or early arrivals.

This cake is based off of Melissa Clark's version of a St. Louis style gooey butter cake, which is traditionally super sweet, buttery, and well, gooey. However, the addition of pumpkin here lessens the sweetness and firms up the batter a bit. The end result is less gooey and more pleasantly soft, and the diluted sugar rush means this cake doesn't have to be just a dessert, which is why I've dubbed it "breakfast cake." Once I saw the finished cake all I wanted to do was pair it with a hot mug of delicious tea and a leisurely morning over a holiday weekend. 

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Pumpkin Breakfast Butter Cake

Adapted from Melissa Clark

For the Cake base:

• 3 tbs whole milk
• 1 3/4 tsp yeast
• 6 tbs unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4 cup flour

For the Pumpkin Topping:

• 3 tbs + 1 tbs corn syrup
• 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch ground cloves
• 1 cup + 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1. Make the base: Mix milk with 2 tbs warm water. Add the yeast and whisk gently to dissolve it, let sit until it is foamy.
2. With a mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and salt. Scrape down the bowl, then beat in the egg. Scrape down bowl, then add in the flour and milk mixture, alternating each, and scraping down the bowl in between. Beat the dough on medium speed for about 8 minutes until in pulls away from the sides of the bowl. 
3. Press dough into a 9x13 inch baking dish and cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish cloth. Let rise 2 1/2-3 hours. 
4. Make the pumpkin topping: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the corn syrup and the vanilla with 2 tbs of water in a small bowl. With a mixer on medium, cream together sugar, butter, salt, and spices for 5-7 minutes. Beat in the egg, then add flour and corn syrup mixture, alternating. Scrape down the bowl, then add in the pumpkin puree and beat to combine. 
5. Spoon the mixture over the risen cake base, and spread with a spatula to smooth evenly. Bake 35 minutes (bake at 325 if using a dark metal baking pan).

Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing(ed) Poblanos

Welcome to a new way to do stuffing on Thanksgiving. 

These stuffed poblanos are a recipe I dreamed up last Thanksgiving in Tucson, when I wanted to try a little Southwestern riff on the standard stuffing dish. The result, when I laid these on the table, was a bit of initial skepticism that turned into full on enthusiasm as I watched people I have otherwise never seen consume veggies go back for seconds and thirds. It's a winner, for sure.

It's savory, spicy, salty, and full of lovely corn flavor, all packed into a soft, perfectly cooked poblano pepper. There's no stuffing wet bread into a turkey cavity and stressing about whether you let it cook enough, and no accidentally over-loading your plate with stuffing because these babies are perfectly portioned. You add a filled half of a pepper to your plate and have plenty of room for the potatoes, veggies, and bird.

And for me, one of the best parts of this dish, aside from the flavor bomb it brings to your plate, is the color it brings as well. The poblanos add spice, sure, but they also add more green to break up the beige monotony that can be a Thanksgiving table laden with carbs and starchy sides. 

And bonus, I can tell you from experience that if you take one of these and mash it in the middle of your Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich on Friday, you will not be sorry.

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Chorizo Cornbread Stuffed Poblanos

Serves a crowd, can easily be halved.

For the cornbread:

• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 6 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk, syrup, and butter. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Pour into a buttered 8-inch baking dish, and bake 25-30 minutes, unitl golden. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

For the stuffing:

• 1 recipe cornbread
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 celery ribs, diced small
• 8 oz Spanish chorizo, casing removed and coarsely chopped
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 8 poblano peppers, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and deveined

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is foaming, add the onion and celery and cook for about 8 minutes, until softened. Add chorizo, corn, herbs, and salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes more. 
2. Crumble cornbread into a large bowl. Add the cooked vegetables and chorizo mixture to the crumbled cornbread and add the parsley and broth. Toss all together until well-combined. 
3. Stuff the peppers with the cornbread mixture. It will all fit! Arrange peppers on a buttered baking sheet and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour. Serve hot.