 We had the pleasure of being with our chosen families on Thanksgiving which means we did not bring home leftovers. The one thing we did make extra of for the big celebration was cranberry conserve. No jigging can of red stuff for us! Big Guy and I were thinking about meals we would like to have after the big day. The easy choice for us was brie with our cranberry converse. It has become the easiest meal as I use crescent sheets instead of puffed pastry. I placed the crescent sheet into a pan, placed the brie and conserve on top, then flipped the sheet over the top and tucked it around the sides like a pie crust. I added three slits into the top to let it breathe and baked it at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. The most difficult decision was which bottle of wine to drink. Life can be so hard…HA! 
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 I love cooking with alcohol when it enhances a dish. It explains the many “one off” bottles we have in the liquor cabinet.
To me, nothing says Fall and Thanksgiving like a lovely apple brandy known as Calvados. I have been known to drink a nip out by the fire, but I love to use it in my cranberry conserve. I used the basic recipe from @inagarten, but instead of adding water, I used the calvados to add that extra zing of apple flavor to the mix. I know this is not “kid” friendly, but I do not hear any complaints from the family so they must prefer it that way as well!  I cooked so much food last week that I decided to chronicle it this week. Who does not love dessert?
Big Guy asked for my double layer pumpkin pie which, next to my apple pie, is among his favorite dessert. The pie is awesome as you do not have to cook anything, so it is a great dessert to make on the side if you are busy with your oven or stovetop. The other bonus is you can use the same bowl for the various layers making clean up simple. The first layer is cream cheese, milk, sugar, and cool whip. The second layer is milk, vanilla pudding, pumpkin, cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground clove. I pop it into the refrigerator to “get happy” and add decorative cool whip on top to serve. Now, that is an easy dessert!  Welcome to the week of Thanksgiving cooking in the Carondelet Kitchen! Big Guy and I have done the shopping, picked up the ham and turkey breasts, and checked our recipes multiple times to assure we avoid another trip to the store. Yes, we have already done another run! We will be busy this week getting our various meal components together, so I will take a wee break from writing for the rest of the week. Please know I will be adding this blog and my readers to my gratitude list. I wish you all a wonderful, and hopefully, drama-free Thanksgiving!   Big Guy and I continue our quest for lifelong learning. As part of our increased interest in gardening, we have been attending great workshops @mobotgarden. We just attended their annual Holiday Décor class which included a pop-up vendors market. To our delight, we got to spend time with the President and members of the St. Louis Herb Society. What a resolute and delightful group of individuals who love herbs. We learned about their organization, founded in February 1941, and were regaled with information of how they maintain the herb garden behind Henry Shaw’s “Country” house @mobotgarden. As part of their table talk items, they included herbal packets, but also had the most delightful fire starters. As they included the recipe, I just had to share it with you with the promise of an “intoxicating aroma” to enhance your evening fire. I cannot wait to make this recipe!
 I have been fighting the urge to make another round of soup until I finish my inventory in the freezer. We are SO close, but still have eight containers of goodness to go. With that goal in mind, I noticed I had a “one off” of split pea soup. We had just purchased bagels from @bakedboiled at the last @tgfarmersmarket so I immediately thought of this soup with ham sandwiches. I admit I started looking around the market with ideas for the rest of my soup. Fortunately, I had purchased three focaccia loaves from @keycakesandco at the last Rockwell Farmer’s Market which I made with French onion soup. The rest of the focaccia breads are waiting patiently in my freezer with my other soups. There is nothing like popping already made soup in my crockpot for a late afternoon meal on a beautiful fall day.   We have a dear friend who was born in Austria. In our years of friendship, we have known our “bear” to be serious yet deadpan funny.
He, too, loved a tipple mostly centered around wine. One night, however, we went out to dinner and did not want the night to end. Our waiter suggested an after-dinner drink he called nuts and berries. We agreed to try it and ordered a round. The drink itself was simple. It consisted of half Chambord and half Frangelico giving us a taste of, obviously, nuts and berries. I am sure it was the festive nature of the night but imagine our surprise when our bear broke out into song. He was attempting to sing Love and Marriage, but changed the words to Nuts and Berries. It is now a tradition to sing his version of the song every time we break out the Chambord and Frangelico. Good times!  Big Guy and I seem to be heading out to dinner a little more lately, but that does not mean I am not thinking about my next recipe in the Carondelet Kitchen. This week was no different as I took two different doggy bags and created a new meal from them. Big Guy did not finish his chicken sandwich and I did not finish my pasta carbonara. It seemed like the perfect meal by combining the two into a chicken pasta. It was satisfying to know I was able to create something new from two different leftovers and NOT throw anything away. Perfect!   I find it amazing in my retirement years the number of times I look at the sky and apologize to my parents. They were always piddling in the garden and placing items of whimsy around the yard. I have lived through faces on trees and old tires turned into planters.
The holidays were no different as my dad would trudge out the hand painted angel for the front lawn and the generous boughs of holly for the front porch. He went “uptown” the year he bought a lit deer for their backyard which he placed under the tree to make it look “natural.” My parents had a lovely back room with windows overlooking the yard so I guess I can understand their need to see their big purchase of the year. Fast forward and Big Guy and I decided to buy not one deer, but a family of three which we have placed in our backyard so we can look out our windows and watch them frolicking in our flowerbeds. SIGH! Sorry Mom and Dad for making fun of you…AGAIN!  To our servicemembers gone, but not forgotten. Love you Dad!
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AuthorJust a super cool old couple who love to cook and eat and drink in their Carondelet Kitchen in South Saint Louis, Missouri! Archives
January 2026
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