Wishing all our readers a wonderful holiday and lots to be thankful for!
Enjoy a few photos from our preparations for dinner.
Corn, Cheddar and Sundried Tomato Muffins
Apple Tart in Process
Our table setting...a little tight for 16 people
Our menu for the upcoming meal:
Our dinner menu
Happy Thanksgiving!
xo Indigo Jones
photos: Spencer Jones /Glasshouse Images
Thanksgiving is almost here, and we are cooking up a storm! If you haven’t made your pies yet, here is a classic pumpkin pie recipe that works perfectly with the pie crust recipe we posted earlier. Ours came out pretty good, if we say so ourselves!
Pumpkin Pie
Mix together 1 – 15 oz. can of pumpkin, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 heatlhy teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves.
Beat in 2 eggs and 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk.
Pour into a prepared pie or tart shell, and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 and bake another 40-50 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center come out clean.
Serving with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and enjoy!
If you are making it in advance, cool it and store it in the refrigerator. Allow it to come to room temperature before serving.
photo: Spencer Jones /Glasshouse Images
food styling: Shari Hershon/ Indigo Jones
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and many of us are busily planning the big meal.
These muffins are a savory take on cornbread, and provide a nice balance to all of the sweet side dishes being served.
Corn, Cheddar and Sun-dried Tomato Muffins
Makes 12 large muffins
Combine ½ cup cake flour, 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1/2 tablespoon baking powder, 1 ½ tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper in a large mixing bowl.
Add 6 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese, ¾ cup chopped reconstituted sundried tomatoes*, and ½ cup thinly sliced scallions and toss.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups of warm milk, 1 ½ sticks of melted butter, 1/3 cup vegetable oil and 1 egg.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Fill greased muffin tins up to the rim with batter, and bake at 400 degrees until the tops start to brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Enjoy!
*Do not use oil packed sundried tomatoes. Buy the dry ones, and soak them in warm water for about 15 minutes or until they become soft and plump.
photo: Glasshouse Images
The grand finale of any Thanksgiving dinner is pie. In our house, pumpkin pie is a seasonal treat that everyone looks forward to. This year, in addition to the traditional pumpkin pie, there will be an apple pie for my nephew Will, and a yummy chocolate cheesecake to celebrate Walter’s birthday.
Any great pie begins with the crust. I make a classic French pate brisee that is flaky and buttery. If you have a food processor, it practically makes itself!
Pate Brisee:
In the bowl of a food processor, place 1 ½ cup flour, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar and 1 stick of cold butter, cut into small pieces.
Pulse the machine for several seconds until the mixture resembles a course meal.
With the machine running, add ice water SLOWLY through the feed tube. Use just enough to get the dough to stick together and start to form a ball. This should only be about 2 or 3 tablespoons or so. Be careful not to over process the dough or it will become tough. The dough should not be crumbly or too wet. If you need to, add a little flour or water to get the desired consistency.
Flatten the ball of dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate briefly.
Most recipes require the dough to be chilled for a few hours. I find it is easier to roll when it is cold, but still very soft and pliable.
I roll out the dough on a clean kitchen towel or a piece of wax paper. Flour the surface, and the rolling pin to prevent sticking.
Roll the dough gently in all directions until it is about 3/16” thick and slightly bigger than the pie dish or tart pan.
Carefully fold the dough right on the cloth or paper and transfer it to the pan, with the excess hanging over the edges. Remove the cloth and gently smooth the dough into the pan. Trim the excess. In a tart pan, just roll your rolling pin across the top to get a nice even edge. For pies, there are a variety of crimping techniques.
The easiest, is to use a fork to score the dough all along the rim of the pan.
Use a fork to pierce the bottom and sides of the crust to prevent air bubbles when baking.
Place the crusts back in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill and bake them.
This recipe makes one crust. If you are making a double crust pie, you will need to double the recipe.
Happy Baking!
photo: Spencer Jones / Glasshouse Images
Food Styling: Shari Hershon / Indigo Jones
Face it, we’d all like to look like a Victoria’s Secret model, wouldn’t we?
In the days leading up to the taping of the televised Victoria’s Secret fashion show, model Adriana Lima came clean on what it really takes to look like that.
According to the Daily Telegraph, in the weeks leading up to the show she drinks a gallon of water per day. She also exists on only specially made protein shakes created by her nutritionist for 9 days straight.
For the last 2 days, she limits her water intake to a normal amount, and for the 12 hours preceding the show, she stops drinking entirely! “ No liquids at all so you dry out…you can lose up to 8 pounds just from that,” she says.
She also works out with a trainer twice a day, every day.
Lima jumps rope, boxes and lifts weights at a high intensity, to burn fat and build muscle.
It takes commitment and dedication to be a super model, and a diet and exercise plan that is unrealistic, let alone unhealthy for most people.
What is Lima’s big indulgence post-show? Forget the congratulatory glass of champagne. This girl wants a big piece of chocolate cake!
The Victoria’s Secret fashion show airs November 29, on CBS.
New York Times illustrator Christoph Niemann didn’t just run the New York City Marathon today, he live tweeted drawings of his journey, all along the way.
The talented artist and athlete drew pictures of his experience while running the 26.2 mile course, and posted them on his 2 Twitter accounts, abstractsunday, and abstractsunday1. Check out his Twitter feed for a runner’s view of the New York City Marathon.
Congratulations to all those that finished the marathon! Great job!
photo illustrations: courtesty of Christoph Niemann/ abstractsunday1
Pop Quiz: What does a McDonald’s McRib sandwich have in common with your fitness routine?
Answer: Both contain a chemical used to make yoga mats and the soles of running shoes.
The McRib sandwich, made of pig intestines, hearts and scalded stomachs ( yes really!) formed to look like pork ribs, sits on a chemical laden bun.
The simple sandwich has 70 ingredients, according to the company’s website, including a flour bleaching agent that is commonly used to make foamed plastic!
The compound, azodicarbonamide is banned in Europe and Australia, but is approved in trace amounts in the U.S. and is classified as a respiratory sensitizer that potentially contributes to asthma.
Personally, they lost me somewhere around the pig stomachs, but it is truly frightening that it takes 70 mostly unpronouncable ingredients to create a sandwich.
So the real question of the day goes out to all the Mc Rib fans: Now that you know what’s in it, are you still “lovin‘ it”?
For general inquiries about Indigo Jones or if you'd like to be considered for a feature, please email indigojonesnyc@gmail.com.
In partnership with Glasshouse Images.
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