A “Giant” Thanksgiving with Geoff Schwartz

Photo" Yeong-Ung Yang/Getty Images

New York Giant Geoff Schwartz is a frequent contributor to Hungry Fan. You may recognize him from the gridiron but he also loves working in the kitchen.

Last Thanksgiving, Geoff catered Thanksgiving dinner at his home in New Jersey to the entire Giants offensive line and their families. “The amount of food was unbelievable,” says Schwartz. “Everyone brought sides, there were three or four casseroles, at least 10 pies, my wife made a couple of sides, and I fried turkeys.”

This year, Geoff’s keeping it more low-key, with a smaller group of just his family: “My parents are coming into town. They’ll go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with my wife and son, and I’ll meet them afterward at my house. It’s important for it to be family time. We’ll have a good meal and watch football,” says Schwartz, who has a 16-month-old named Alex with wife Meredith.

In the offseason, Schwartz loves to make steak and chicken, and prides himself on his famous shrimp with pasta recipe.

What will he be cooking up this Thanksgiving? He’s going the traditional-ish route. There will be turkey at the Schwartz household. But Geoff likes to inject his turkey with butter and spices and then deep-fry it in peanut oil. “It’s crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and tastes unbelievable,” he says.

What’s for dessert? How about Geoff’s Chocolate Pumpkin Football Brownies?

Photo: Hannah Gettleman

Chocolate Pumpkin Football Brownies

Servings: 12 (one dozen)

1 tablespoon Silk® Vanilla Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternative
1 cup powdered sugar
Coconut oil or olive oil cooking spray
¾ cup all-purpose flour (gluten free optional)
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon aluminum- free baking powder
½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup Silk® Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk
½ 15-ounce can organic pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
½ cup unrefined coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 egg
½ cup packed organic light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet dairy-free chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 ̊F.

Make the icing: Mix together Silk® Vanilla Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternative with powdered sugar in a small bowl. Transfer to a pastry bag with thin tip or a zipper-top sandwich bag. Place in refrigerator.

Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish with coconut oil spray and set aside.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Combine Silk® Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, oil, and egg in large bowl using an electric mixer. Add brown sugar and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat well to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and apple cider vinegar. When the mixture fizzes, use a spatula to stir into the brownie batter. Gently fold in the chocolate chips. Scrape batter into the prepared baking dish, and smooth the surface.

Bake on the middle rack until the sides of the brownies are dry and pulling away from the pan and the center resists light pressure, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for one hour. Using a football shaped cookie cutter, cut the brownies into football shapes. Transfer footballs to a serving plate and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Remove footballs and icing from refrigerator. Pipe icing laces onto each football-shaped brownie. (If using a zipper-top bag, cut a small hole in the corner of the bag to use a way to pipe the icing. (Developed by Candice Kumai)