Ventura County food, beer bloggers share Thanksgiving recipes ...

Roasting pan for the turkey? Check.

Ricer for the mashed potatoes? Check.

Laptop, iPad or smartphone for finding recipes and connecting with friends? Check.

The digital age has changed what ? and who ? we bring into the kitchen with us when we cook. That seems especially true on Thanksgiving Day, when everyone from the Mayo Clinic to Butterball offers online advice about getting the holiday meal on the table.

Also weighing in: four Ventura County-based bloggers who write about all manner of edible things. Asked to share their thoughts about the biggest meal of the year, they responded with recipes that will take you from preparing the turkey in a brine of seasonal brews to baking pies worthy of licking the dessert plates. Have your Instagram accounts open and ready.

BEER ME!

Contributed photo

Curtis Taylor

Already a writer, illustrator and graphic artist, Curtis Taylor of Camarillo added "cicerone" ? the beer world's version of a sommelier ? to his list of titles after launching Hop Head Said (http://www.hopheadsaid.com).

The blog, the website and the decision to go through the independent cicerone certification program grew out of Taylor's interest in homebrewing. That interest has since expanded to include "everything beer," he said.

Taylor uses the blog to explore what he called "the geekier side of beer, like beer styles, appropriate beer glassware and homebrewing." Visitors to the site also will find his map of pubs, breweries and tasting rooms from Paso Robles to Calabasas.

But the blog also focuses on food-and-beer pairings ? the more unusual, the better. Taylor, who is married and has two children, has written about matching brews with cheeses, chocolates and vegetarian dishes, and about experimenting with beer as an ingredient.

"The most important rule I have learned about cooking with beer is never reduce a hoppy beer," he said. Reducing an American pale ale or India pale ale "only intensifies the bitterness and will make anything cooked with it inedible."

Writing sample: "Firestone Walker is incorporating a Belgian tradition of blending beers ... You will also be allowed to blend their barrel-aged beers from the tap to make your own ..."

Thoughts on Thanksgiving: After moving to California from South Dakota three years ago, Taylor has learned to celebrate with the traditional stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy even when the state's comparatively balmy weather doesn't call for such stick-to-your-ribs fare.

"I can go and eat sushi on Christmas Day, but for some reason I have to have a big turkey on Thanksgiving. It's magnetic," he said with a laugh.

Thanksgiving recipe: Taylor swears by the Tipsy Turkey brine created by Sean Paxton, known in the homebrew community as the Homebrew Chef (http://www.homebrewchef.com). The results combine two of Taylor's favorite things: "overeating on Thanksgiving, and beer," he said.

IT'S A DATE ...

Contributed photo

Christiana Thomas

Christiana Thomas started The Harmonious Kitchen (http://harmoniouskitchen.wordpress.com) to document her attempts to make meals that are "delicious, fast, healthy ? and that stand an outside chance of being eaten by my two vegetable-averse children," she said.

The blog does that, and more.

Entries include an account of what happened on Thanksgiving 2010, when Thomas cooked dinner for 12 people while on crutches.

There are photos of the kitchen remodeling project now under way at the Thousand Oaks home she shares with husband Samuel Thomas, a California Lutheran University professor, and their children, Eleanor, 6, and Cosmo, 4.

And there are recurring posts about how Thomas, a friend and their respective families pooled resources and freezer space when they bought a pig from ReRide Ranch in Lake Hughes and had it butchered by Old Fashion Country Butcher in Santa Paula. (Owner Kent Short recently talked them into trying a whole lamb.)

"I just really love food and writing and the blog has been a wonderful place to practice my skills and to share my enthusiasm for great food with others. I get great feedback from almost everyone, and I am so grateful for that," said Thomas, who is director of communications for the Sisters of Notre Dame in Thousand Oaks.

Writing sample: "You have probably heard the whole thing about not asking how the sausage gets made? Well, I'm here to tell you to just hang that ish up right now because knowing how sausage gets made is downright awesome."

Thoughts on Thanksgiving: "It's such an easy holiday to do well. Make some great food, share love with the people in your life and everything else is gravy," said Thomas.

Thanksgiving recipe: Thomas was a newlywed when she added Martha Stewart's Date and Pear Cornbread Stuffing to her repertoire. "I was really ... hoping that she could shed some light on how to do all sorts of things that I had no clue about at 23, like cooking and decorating and organizing," Thomas said of Stewart. "But as it turns out, I am almost criminally incapable of following recipes precisely. I substituted some things and it was so good that I have never looked back."

CONSTANT CRAVING

Photo by Lisa McKinnon, Ventura County Star

Jason Hendrick, left

Jason Hendrick and wife Bree Hendrick were driving from their Ventura home to yet another culinary adventure when they had a conversation that changed their lives.

"She said, 'You're always sharing your excitement about food and talking about food and getting people to try new things. You should write about it. You're always so hungry.'

"To which I replied, 'Yeah, but everybody's hungry', " Hendrick recalled.

Thus was born Everybody's Hungry (http://www.everybodyshungry.org).

The blog tracks Hendrick's farmers market discoveries, his experiments in cider-making and the Hendricks' visits to area restaurants. The couple donates 10 percent of what they spend on dining out to FOOD Share of Ventura County.

The biggest surprise about writing the blog is discovering "how many people out there are closet foodies," said Hendrick.

He has tapped into that community by organizing tours of the California Mushroom Farm in Ventura, and by teaming with The Ventura Meat Company to offer a monthly series of classes on butchery, ground meats and, most recently, how to season and carve the Thanksgiving turkey.

Hendrick also is the star of "The Hungry Man" segments for "Tom & Sandy's 805" on KVTA 1520 in addition to serving as the contract sales representative for the show and for the Ventura Chamber of Commerce.

"The blog side of Everybody's Hungry acts as my creative outlet," he said. "I (want) to share the passion I have for food, provide some educational element and raise awareness and support for the hungry in our community and the food banks that are working to change that."

Writing sample: "I admit, with no shame or reservation, that I have a sweet tooth. Don't get me wrong, my teeth enjoy gnashing on savory, spicy, sour, earthy, tangy, you name it ... But there is a special place in my arsenal of hunger crushers reserved for candy."

Thoughts on Thanksgiving: It's Hendrick's pick for best holiday, for two reasons: the season and the food.

"Growing up in Indiana, fall has always been my favorite season, with the changing of the leaves, the smells, apple orchards and football," he said.

Thanksgiving recipe: The potluck holiday meals of Hendrick's childhood featured "my uncle Jim's sought-after sweet potatoes and Grandma's Jell-O based Beauty Salad," he said. French's Green Bean Casserole was another staple; he now makes the dish with fresh mushrooms and green beans.

SIMPLE AS PIE

Contributed photo

Rebecca Simpson

For Rebecca Simpson of Newbury Park, Suburban Stone Age (http://www.suburbanstoneage.com) isn't just a blog. It's a lifestyle.

"Our goal (is) to combine the technologies of the Stone Age, the Agricultural Age and the Information Age to build a more sustainable life," said Simpson, whose household includes husband Brent Simpson, sons Robbie, 16, and Marshall, 9, and a bevy of backyard chickens.

A former financial adviser who specialized in retirement planning and now works in marketing, Simpson was inspired to try both blogging and urban homesteading after reading "Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life." The 2008 book is author Jenna Woginrich's account of leaving her life as a web designer to become more self-sufficient by making her clothes and growing her own food.

In words and photos, Simpson has documented everything from visits to the garden by flocks of migrating birds to her efforts to spin the family dog's fur into "yarn."

"The goal is to tell the story of the difference one person can make when they decide to try and live a more sustainable modern life," she said. "It is easy to feel overwhelmed and not be sure where to start. But the important things is, just start."

Among other things, writing the blog has taught Simpson "to cook like 'MacGyver' ? taking what is ready in the garden at the moment and inventing something yummy to do with it,"she said.

"You start to get the hang of how to cook things," she said. "For example, if it is a root, I can probably roast it, steam it, fry it in butter or put it in a soup. If it is a tuber, like a potato, I can probably steam it, mash it or roast it. If it is a leaf, I can steam it, stir-fry it or maybe eat it fresh in a salad. Once you get a feel for how vegetables and their parts can be used, the whole world opens and you are free to try new and unfamiliar things."

Writing sample: "This autumn finds us desperate for fresh eggs. Our mature hens have slowed way down in egg production (due to fall and molting season) and our pullets haven't started laying yet. That leaves us with one fresh egg every 2-3 days for seven chickens. I refuse to buy eggs from the store, so we are really feeling the pain."

Thoughts on Thanksgiving: "There is a whole new level when you can feast with your family on food you've worked hard all year to grow. It is very meaningful," said Simpson.

Thanksgiving recipe: When seeds from a leftover jack-o'-lantern started to grow out of Simpson's compost pile last year, she turned to a Food Network star for help in figuring out what to do with the resulting 40 pounds of squash.

"I'm pretty nerdy and I trust Alton Brown's nerdy 'Good Eats' style, so I went with his recipe for Pumpkin Pie, figuring I could turn lots of pumpkins into pies with a low complaint ratio," she said. "It was a hit, and the pumpkin problem was solved."

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Bloggers share their Thanksgiving recipes

Family tradition, seasonal brews and homegrown pumpkins add flavor to the Thanksgiving recipes shared here by four Ventura County bloggers.

TIPSY TURKEY

Photo by Curtis Taylor

Curtis Taylor of Hop Head Said likes to use a seasonal brew like Full Sail's Wassail when making Tipsy Turkey brine. Allow the mixture to cool before submerging your turkey in it.

Adapted by Camarillo resident Curtis Taylor, author of the Hop Head Said blog (http://www.hopheadsaid.com), this brine recipe created by Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton isn't difficult. "All you are making is a beer and veggie soup," said Taylor.

What it is, is long. So rather than repeat it here, we give you the link to Paxton's original recipe: http://bit.ly/bBEhIC

For Taylor's adaptation using Full Sail Wassail, and other additions, click here: http://bit.ly/RUmaka

DATE AND CORNBREAD STUFFING

A Martha Stewart recipe was the inspiration for this dish by Thousand Oaks resident Christiana Thomas, author of the food blog The Harmonious Kitchen (http://harmoniouskitchen.wordpress.com). "If you are faced with too many leftovers, or the dried fruit gets to be a bit much, mix whatever remains into a meatloaf for a treat unlike any other," she said.

Ingredients

1 9-by-9 inch cornbread loaf

1 10-ounce sourdough boulle

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

8 dried pear halves

15 pitted dates

1 stick butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes and leave uncovered overnight to dry out.

2. Saute the veggies in 4 tablespoons of the butter, for about 15 minutes over medium heat. Meanwhile, cut the fruits into small pieces. Mix the herbs, bread, fruit and sauteed vegetables together in a giant bowl and top with the stock. Season generously with salt and pepper.

3. Bake as much as you can in the turkey. Any stuffing that is left over can be baked in a covered casserole dish in the oven for about 45 minutes. "I always bake it with the rest of that stick of butter and some pan drippings for added unctuousness," said Thomas.

(Alternately, separate the stuffing into multiple casserole dishes and bake it separately from the turkey.)

FRENCH'S GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Ventura resident and Everybody's Hungry (http://everybodyshungry.org) blogger Jason Hendrick updated this family-favorite recipe to include fresh green beans and mushrooms.

Ingredients

1 10 3/4-ounce can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 carton fresh button and/or portobello mushrooms, chopped

3/4 cup milk

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

3 1/4 cups fresh green beans, stem ends removed

1 1/3 cups French's Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions

Directions

1. Mix soup, mushrooms, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup French Fried Onions.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot.

2. Stir. Top with the remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake for 5 minutes until onions are golden.

PUMPKIN PIE

The key to this Alton Brown recipe suggested by Suburban Stone Age (http://www.suburbanstoneage.com) blogger Rebecca Simpson of Newbury Park? "The ginger snap crust will make you legend," she said.

Ingredients for the crust:

6 ounces gingersnap cookies

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 ounce unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients for the filling:

16 ounces Pumpkin Puree (recipe follows)

1 cup half-and-half

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. For the crust: Combine the gingersnaps, brown sugar and ginger in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the cookies are fine crumbs. Drizzle the butter into the crumb mixture. Pulse 8 to 10 times to combine.

Press the gingersnap mixture into the bottom, up the sides, and just over the lip of a 9-inch glass pie dish. Place on a half sheet pan and bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool crust at least 10 minutes before filling.

2. For the filling: Bring the pumpkin puree to a simmer over medium heat in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the half-and-half, nutmeg, and salt. Stir and return the mixture to a simmer. Remove the pumpkin mixture from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, and yolk until smooth in a large bowl. Add the pumpkin mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour the prepared filling into the warm pie crust and bake on the same half sheet pan until the center jiggles slightly but the sides of the filling are set, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack for at least 2 to 3 hours before slicing.

Pie can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance. Pie is best the day after it is made.

PUMPKIN PUREE

Ingredients:

1 4- to- 6-pound baking pumpkin, rinsed and dried

Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Slice a small piece of skin off the one side of the pumpkin so that, when laid on its side, the pumpkin will lay flat without rolling. Remove the stem and split the pumpkin in half from top to bottom, using a large cleaver and a mallet. Scoop out the seeds and fiber with a large metal spoon or ice cream scoop. Cut the fibers with kitchen shears if necessary. Reserve seeds for another use, if desired.

2. Sprinkle the flesh with kosher salt and lay the halves, flesh side down, on a parchment paper-lined half sheet pan. Roast until a paring knife can be easily inserted and removed from the pumpkin, 30 to 45 minutes. Test in several places to ensure doneness.

3. Remove the half sheet pan to a cooling rack and cool the pumpkin for 1 hour. Using a large spoon, remove the roasted flesh of the pumpkin from the skin to the bowl of a food processor. Process until the flesh is smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Source: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/nov/17/ventura-county-food-beer-bloggers-share-recipes/?partner=RSS

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