Category: Seasonal
The Age-Old Thanksgiving Debate: Turkey Stuffing vs. Turkey Dressing
Peanut butter and jelly, wine and cheese, chicken and waffles, tea and crumpets… all are individual items, but when matched with its counter, becomes a beautiful marriage. Now, enter Turkey and Stuffing, er… scratch that, Turkey and Dressing, er… wait, which one is it? Turkey and Stuffing vs Turkey and Dressing has become a heated debate, debacle and in some circumstances, seemingly an all-out, heated holiday war among family members and friends at the Thanksgiving dinner table. A number of people claim that there is no difference between stuffing and dressing, while on the opposite end of the spectrum, there is quite the difference, nearly a night and day difference, in fact. So, is there really a difference between the two iconic, holiday sides dishes?
Source: http://i2.wp.com/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Turkey-and-stuff.jpg
HISTORY
Stuffing, in its basic form, is a seasoned mix that’s created to fill, or “stuff” the inside of the turkey, hence the name, “stuffing”. According to the Oxford English, “dressing” bears a much broader definition as it is referred to as a “seasoning substance used in cooking”. Well, that helps… actually, it confuses the debate even further…
WHAT’S COMMON
Turkey stuffing and dressing recipes are known to be interchangeable. The foundation of the recipe is generally a crumbled bread product of sorts, and this can be anything like cornbread, biscuits or sliced bread. The just of these recipes note the addition of chopped onions alongside celery. A number of recipes call for the sauteing of onions and celery to invoke a more tender taste, while other recipes maintain the firmness of the onions and celery.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT
The differences between the two, and there are a number, are truly what sets these two side dishes apart, finally… One of the main differences is that stuffing is actually “stuffed” into the turkey before it gets places in the oven, making the stuffing, genuinely stuffing. The dressing is generally put into a greased pan, and this becomes baked as well. Further, it is noted in the famous cookbook, “The Joy of Cooking” that the concoction is coined “stuffing” if it becomes cooked inside the turkey. The National Turkey Federation, yes… there is a federation for this bird, tends to think that the terms “stuffing” and “dressing” are quite interchangeable… again, with the indecisiveness.
A number of other ingredients can make these side dishes distinct or similar, and a good bit of the differences between stuffing and dressing could very well be dependent on the region in which they are made, for instance, southern regions of the US generally refer to the side dish as “dressing” while northern regions of the US refer to the side dish as “stuffing”. Additionally, there are recipe deviations across the board that might call for sausage, walnuts, cranberries, and even oysters.
ROUNDING IT ALL UP
When considering all that is on the table, perhaps the debate will continue on for years and even centuries. Perhaps, the age-old debate will never have a set-in-stone answer, and you know what? Maybe it’s best left an open-ended discussion for families, friends and those who appreciate the culinary arts to discuss and debate the similarities and differences for years to come. The main takeaway, though, is that either, “dressing” or “stuffing” are darn good with turkey!
Spice Up Your Fall Pie Choices With Some of These Great Wine Selections
In a mundane world, we would normally drink a delicious, piping-hot cup of coffee or tea along with our slice of seasonal Pumpkin or Apple pie. Fortunately, we do not live in a mundane world, and while it is fitting, as always, to have a cup of coffee or tea with your slice of pie, with the uproaring of societal trends, we are introduced to a new wave of seasonal pie flavor-enhancing means, that is we can enjoy our slice of pie with a fine glass of wine. Believe it or not, wine genuinely enhanced the flavors sealed within the pie and vice-versa. It truly is yet another marriage of flavors as both work in tandem, producing a one-of-a-kind, incredible flavor.
With that in mind, let’s dive into the world of “Wine and Fall Pie” pairings and examine the plethora of options to choose from… enough to fancy our hearts and our tastebuds…
APPLE PIE
Albeit, apple pie comes in a variety of different styles and tastes, when marrying it off with a wine, the Boundary Break Harvest Riesling takes home the cake… I mean pie, see what I did there? This riesling is an exemplary choice because it exponentiates the fruit-based flavors as oppose to the spice-heavy flavors of apple pie. The wine itself, upon initial taste, brings out the fabulous intensity of stone fruits and honey and a follow-up sip of wine enhances the pie’s fruit intensity, in this case, apple.
PUMPKIN PIE
To go along with a delicious, hearty slice of pumpkin pie, try a glass of Suideriut Sauterne. The remarkable sweetness of the wine lends the perfect touch to the richness of pumpkin pie. As a measure of additional flavor, try an aged version of this Sauterne, as it presents an added flavor of light honey.
PECAN PIE
Pecan Pie is a pie with some serious intentions, therefor, it’s best to be paired with a wine of serious intentions. A great wine for this pairing would be The New York Malmsey has a Madeira that should be implemented into every dessert menu and table across America. What makes The Malmsey exceptional is its explosion of incredible aromatic blend of coffee and toffee. Its sternness compliments the nutty richness of a pecan pie.
CHERRY PIE
Let’s travel into the world of exceptionalism. This occurs with the pairing of cherry pie and a glass of Velenosi Visciole, a cherry wine composed of 30% cherries. This flavor intense wine is made by soaking sour cherries in sugar before going through fermentation. As you drink a glass of this, alongside cherry pie, the taste of fresh cherries and blueberries will illuminate your tastebuds.
CHOCOLATE PIE
With any sweet pie or dessert in general, a Port is the quintessentially, complimentary beverage. With its bright, rich, fruity body, a glass of Quinta de la Rosa Ruby Port 601 is the essential pairing for creamy, chocolate pie. Having a black-cherry and chocolate masking flavor, this Port, without question, is the drink of choice for chocolate pie.
Best Coffee Concoctions to Heighten Your Autumn Experience
As we are knee-deep in Fall and Winter is creeping on the doorstep, the days are becoming shorter and the day’s warmth is beginning to give way to colder air, we shift our needs to something that can warm the body and the soul. What a better than a nice, piping hot cup of coffee. And, while coffee is a great warm up, coffee can sometimes become mundane. How do we fix that? With some extraordinarily delicious coffee concoctions. No, it does not take a mad scientist to create such a concoction. Here is a collection of just some of the great coffee pairings to help you get started with your own concoctions, or perhaps, spark your own imagination and get creative with your own concoction.
Source: http://www.ksibradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/coffee2.jpg
Guatemala’s Vienna Roast + Caramel Apple
Need a kick-start at the crack of dawn to get your day going, and more importantly, going in the right direction where you can conquer the world? Look no further than a Guatemalan Vienna Roast. This exquisite roast will bring out the apple and cinnamon flavors in your favorite morning breakfast dishes. With an extravagant aroma and decadent flavor, it is the quintessential roast for pairing with apples and caramel sauces. Just the aroma of fresh, Fall apples or cinnamon rolls and a pot of Guatemalan coffee is more than enough to get you rearing out of bed and ready to tackle anything the day hands you.
Total Eclipse Dark Blend + A Shot of Bailey’s
Looking for something to keep you warm through the entirety of the day? Try an Ethiopian Roast. This roast actual comes from Kansas City and goes amazingly with a dose of Bailey’s Irish Cream. An Ethiopian Roast consists of a blend of dark chocolate and blackberries. Adding Bailey’s Irish Cream is an incredible compliment that will make this Ethiopian Roast one you’ll keep coming back for.
Sumatra French Roast + Pumpkin Pie
This pairing is for those with an exceptional craving for the sweet treat. And with it being Fall, how could we forget a coffee and Pumpkin Pie pairing. The idea pairing with a Sumatra French Roast is in fact a slice of Pumpkin Pie which just adds another layer of to the “WOW” factor. If Pumpkin Pie just isn’t your thing, another great companion for a Sumatra French Roast is a lighter, fruit sorbet.
Autumn Harvest Blend + Pumpkin Spice Muffin
This is more than the pairing of a coffee blend with a delicious sweet treat, it might actually be more of a marriage, that is how good it is. Autumn Harvest Blend is a premier roast and might easily be the best one on the list. The roast’s hint of Pumpkin Spice gives it the aroma as if you were smelling Autumn splendor in your coffee cup. Brew a mug of Autumn Harvest Blend, heat up a homemade pumpkin spice muffin and you’ll bring out the best that Fall has to offer, all from the comforts of your very own home.
Pumpkin Rolls Will Leave You “Fall”ing For More
As we begin turning the page on the final week of October, we are surely at the heart and splendor of Fall. With Fall, especially as we head through the last week of October and the great, mysterious and trick-filled holiday, that is Halloween, come pumpkins, scarecrows, jack-o-lanterns, costumes, trick-or-treat, Halloween parties, hayrides and many other festivities representative of the holiday also known as “All Hallow’s Eve”.
Before we delve into a fantastic and delicious holiday recipe I’ll share with you, I wanted to take a moment to divulge some of the lesser known history of Halloween. or as it originally was termed, “All Hallow’s Eve”. As we all know, Halloween has become holiday where people of all ages dress up in costume, go around their neighborhoods, and ring the doorbell of any house whose porch light is on and say “trick-or-treat”. The door would then open (hopefully) and the trick-or-treater would be greeted with candy or chocolate or any other kind of Halloween treat. People of all ages would do this on Halloween night until their hearts were content with the amount of Halloween goodies that had aggregated over the entirety of the night. Because of this tradition of going from house-to-house, saying trick-or-treat, and receiving treats on Halloween night, this night also became known as “Beggers’ Night”.
Now for the untold story of Halloween, and while many are versed in this story or are familiar with bits and pieces of the story, allow me to divulge the history of Halloween, in a nutshell, of course. Halloween was original called, “All Hallow’s Eve” and had more religious and spiritual meaning than it does today, as commercialism has taken over the holiday, as it does with most. The original intent of “All Hallow’s Eve” which still is observed today, for the most part, was to wear costumes and masks to disguise oneself in order to thwart off and frighten the evil or “malignant” spirits that, according to legend, roamed the world of the living for one night, “All Hallow’s Eve”. This night had a connection to the Christian Holy Day of “All Saints Day” which falls the day after Halloween. So, for all intents and purposes, All Hallow’s Eve was a night in which people dressed up to disguise themselves in mask and garb in order to scare off any evil spirits that may “stain” the purity of the Holy Day of All Saints Day. Through the years and centuries to come, as you can see, All Hallow’s Eve garnered much attention, especially through commercialism and transpired into what is known today as Halloween.
To celebrate the spirit of the holiday, here is a famous recipe for Pumpkin Rolls. A recipe that will have you begging for more!
Photo: http://foodnetwork.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/food/fullset/2012/11/19/1/YW0202H_pumpkin-roll-recipe_s4x3.jpg
What You’ll Need:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, divided
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
What To Do:
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Coat a rimmed 10″ x 15″ baking sheet with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Stir in pumpkin and eggs. Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet, spreading evenly.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and invert onto a clean kitchen towel that has been sprinkled with 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar.
- While cake is still hot, roll it up in the towel jelly roll-style from the narrow end; cool on a wire rack.
- When cool, unroll cake and remove towel.
- In a small bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and remaining confectioners’ sugar.
- Spread onto cooled cake and immediately re-roll (without towel).
- Place on serving platter and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into slices just before serving.
- To give this the final touch, sprinkle on some confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
Recipe Source: http://www.mrfood.com/Cakes/Pumpkin-Spice-Roll
Best Cheeses To Eat As The Weather Turns Colder
Source: http://www.dairyinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/cheese2.jpg
Cheese is great anytime of the year, but as with many foods out there, cheeses can be different in taste, texture, and quality with the changing of the seasons. For example, a number of cheeses will exhibit their peak flavor and texture during the cooler/colder months of the year. These types of cheese are classified into two groups, that is (1) cheeses made from the milk of animals that is produced during peak spring and summer months, usually falling between May and October and (2) cheeses made from the milk of animals produced during peak fall and winter months, usually falling between November and March).
Not only do cheeses themselves vary fundamentally from season to season, but they can also exhibit distinct seasonal variability from region to region. This revolves around when the temperatures turn too cold for animals to remain outside. During peak spring and summer months, animals producing dairy products consume fresh grass, wild flowers, herbs and any other plants, shrubs or grasses that nature may sprout up. On the contrary, as the weather turns colder, these animals remain in sheltered environments and their diets consist mainly of dried hay or silage (grasses which are harvested and gathered at their peak state and preserved for the winter by fermentation processes). With this change in seasonal diets, particularly during the winter months, the animal still produces milk, albeit, the volume and flavors are not at their peak as they would be in spring and summer dairy production; during the spring and summer months, the milk has a distinct sweet, herbal flavor from the grasses and wild flowers the animals consume from the mountain side.
While a number of cheeses are best when aged, this is not the case for all cheeses. Non-aged cheeses are at their peak during the spring and summer months. This would include cheeses such as mozzarella, feta and chevre. Cheeses which are aged, however, can take a longer time to reach their peak flavor and texture. This means that cheeses made from animals’ milk during the spring and summer months may have to wait until the following year to be able to enjoy the full value of the cheese.
Cheeses made from animals’ milk in the spring and summer months which are at their peak flavor and texture by the following winter are:
- Appenzeller
- Comte
- Gruyere
- Colston Basset Stilton
- Cabrales
- Morbier
- Raclette
- Rogue River Blue
- Uplands Cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve
With the colder months of winter, come cheeses that are produced from the milk of animals whose diet consists mainly of dried hay. These cheeses will be void of many of the distinct, vibrant flavors of cheeses produced from milk produced in spring and summer. However, cheese produced from milk during winter months have a higher fat content which yields very rich cheeses. One of the most highly touted cheeses on the planet comes from winter milk from the same breed of cows that produce summer milk that makes Gruyere called, Vacherin Mont d’Or.
Because of the overall decrease in the overall production of milk during the winter months, winter milk cheeses are generally on the smaller end of the size spectrum while the aging process is over a much shorter time period.
Shisler’s Fine Line of Products can help you bring in Fall and Winter
As we delve further into the heart of Fall, with Winter to follow, moods get dull and that spice of life seems to dissipate over the course of time through the year’s last few months and the through the handful of months to start a new year. This is what we sometimes call the Fall and Winter Blues. But, it does not have to be this way. We can always enjoy the finer things Fall and Winter has to offer. For example, waking up on a Fall morning to a nice cup of coffee or tea, throwing on a hoodie and hiking the open trails painted with Fall colors, or, waking up on a winter morning with nowhere to go and wrapping that extra blanket around you for just another hour of sleep. While Fall and Winter can bring out the blues in many a number, I prefer to think the spice of life can still be found over these two seasons, if we just try to look hard enough.
Speaking of the spice of life, Shisler’s can help you bring out the best of Fall and Winter with our line of products that can add that extra zest to any blues-infested mood.
Who doesn’t love a good piece of cheese, complimented with a glass of fine wine. To see our line of fine, aged (or not aged) imported and domestic cheeses, please visit HERE.
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Chocolates are amazing anytime of the year. However, they become increasingly desirable and irresistible as the seasons change, especially as colder weather becomes the trend. Shisler’s is well-known for the chocolates we carry, and we are proud to carry signature chocolates from Heggy’s and Stefanelli’s. Our selection of Heggy’s Chocolates is a vast one featuring everything from assorted milk chocolates to maple walnut creams. With such a vast selection to choose from, there is an option for almost everyone. Our selection of Stefanelli’s includes their signature “Sponge Candy” which a combination of sea-foam toffee covered in chocolate. From experience, let me tell you this… once you have one, it is essentially game over as you’ve fallen victim to the domino effect. Once you have one, that turns to two, two turns to three… and so on. Trust me when I tell you this, the effect is real. To see our selection of chocolates, please visit HERE.
Source: http://www.laurascandy.com/images/chocolate.jpg
Finally, if all this were not enough to cure the Fall and Winter blues, let our selection of gourmet foods help rejuvenate, not only your mood, but your taste buds. Wake up on a cold Winter morning to a buttered roll, and instead of using “Land O’ Lakes” butter, try some of our locally, homemade Rolled Amish Butter. If you’re in an undeniable mood for pancakes or waffles, choose from our selection of locally, homemade maple syrups and try them in our wide selection of flavors including: Blackberry Pecan, Blueberry, Cinnamon Sticky Bun, Lavender, Red Raspberry and Shagbark Hickory. With such a selection of incredible flavors, you really cannot go wrong. And, if you are up for a delicious, hot cup of tea, we some fantastic honey that will compliment any cup of tea. To see our selection of specialty foods, please visit HERE.
Photo Credit: Stephen Hamilton
It’s That Hoodie, Campfire and Fall Colors Time of the Year!
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/talking-around-campfire-led-cultural-4305135
The time of the year is quick upon us where the air gets cooler and crisper, the leaves begin to gradually change colors and it is a tad too chilly to go to your car in the morning with shorts and a tee-shirt, as you did seemingly weeks ago. You go into your closet, and in the box in the far corner of your closet, it is that time to retrieve that “warmer-layered” clothing as Fall presses onward, and the terrible “W” is soon to follow. Fall is a beautiful time of the year. It is almost like the passing of one age to another. You go outside and you notice the fog beginning to settle in more across low-lying areas and the dew becomes slightly thicker on surfaces. You find yourself adding an extra blanket to your sleeping repertoire and drinking more coffee, tea and hot cocoa to keep you just a little warmer to combat the cooler days.
I love every season of the year, and each for their own reasons. I love Fall because of the changing leaves making for beautiful Fall foliage photography, or just taking in the scenes during a Fall afternoon hike. If there is something just as peaceful and serene as the turning of leaves to a myriad of Fall colors, is having a classic campfire with family and friends on a weekend night, or during a night of the week, just to escape from the daily demands of work and life, just even for an hour or two. Roasting marshmallows or eating delicious sweet treats makes the scenes and campfires of Fall that much more enjoyable and refreshing.
One of my favorite things to do as the weather gets cooler, and this gets as mundane as mundane can get, but for me, it’s the simpler things in life. I love the feeling of putting on a fresh hoodie. Just something about the softness and the warmth as it combats the cooler Fall air with cup of coffee or hot cocoa in hand, perhaps sitting alongside a campfire exchanging stories and laughs with family and friends.
Not to thwart these wonderful Fall feelings, but it appears as though this Fall could bring some milder air that Falls of years past. Grant it, we will probably see some cooler snaps, throughout October and November, like this past week for example, but the overall trend appears warmer through November and even into early parts of December before the cold and snow of winter take over. And, yes, it does like we will be getting our share of cold and snow this year, so get the shovels out and have the coats, scarves, hats, mittens and boots on standby.
In the mean time, be sure to stop by Shisler’s Cheese House for your own supply of cheese, sweets and other goodies that will enjoy the cool, but beautiful Fall months.
