Cranberry Pie (Nantucket style)

I fell in love with this several years ago, when my cousin first made it for me. Now that she has moved across the country and I can't bribe her to do the baking for me, I got her to share the recipe and got permission to share it here. Give it a shot, it's delightful!

Bake 325 50-60 mins 

Spray or butter pie plate 

Add 2 cups cranberries, 1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans are quite nice) and 1/2 cup sugar to the bottom of a pie pan 

Mix: 

1 cup sugar 

2 eggs 

3/4 cup salted butter 

2 tsp almond extract 

1 cup flour 

(Batter will be thick) 

Spread batter over the top of the cranberries and bake. 

Serve with ice cream or cool whip.

Courtesy of the incomparable Seleta Talbot!

Dutch Oven (Campfire) Chili

Every time we go camping, my brother makes us a mean pot of chili in his dutch oven. I love the stuff, so for this year's Trunk-or-Treat/Chili Cook-off I decided to try it for myself. Turns out that his recipe is awesome enough that a first timer won first place.

Part of the magic with this recipe is having different kinds of meat to give you different textures and flavors in every bite. I also played around with the ingredients a bit, adding some celery, cutting down on the peppers a bit, omitting the corn, and adding some liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce.

In a large pot:

• 1 sweet onion - chopped
• 1 stalk celery - chopped
• 1/2 package of bacon - chopped

Sauté onions and celery with bacon in the bottom of the pot till onions are translucent

• 2 Bell peppers
• 2 jalapeños

Roast peppers on top rack of broiler for three minutes per side
Chop and add to pot
(I cut the seeds out of the jalapeños and bell peppers. Leave them in if you want it hot.)

Add to taste:

• Black pepper 
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Chili powder
• Garlic
• Fennel
• Liquid smoke
• Worcestershire sauce

Add and lightly fry meats with seasoned veggies

• 1 package of preferred sausage (chorizo, regular, Italian, etc.)
• 1 package of ground pork
• 1 package cubed meat (I used stew meat)

Add:

• 1 large can of diced tomatoes, 
• 1 small can tomato paste. 
• 3 cans of chili beans, 
• 2 cans of kidney beans, 
• 1 can of whole kernel corn - drained (I opted not to add this) 

Mix well and simmer, low and slow, stirring occasionally until everything is cooked through and the consistency matches your expectations.

It's pretty awesome eaten plain, but I love it loaded with cheese, sour cream or ranch, and chips or corn bread. It's perfect for camping trips or chilly evenings!

Roasted Balsamic Cranberry and Brie Crostini

Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year for discovering and experimenting with new foods - after all, there are so many other good food choices around that even if the experiment flops, it can be quietly scraped into the garbage and it's existence earnestly denied. But when something pops - oh boy does it pop! 
I was a little bored, so I decided to jettison the traditional cranberry sauce this year. But since I refuse to have thanksgiving sans cranberries, I knew I would have to find some new way to put them back on the table - if only for my own benefit. I found this recipe on pinterest, and knew it could either be quite awful, or simply amazing. Since I am an optimist, I went for it. And I won Thanksgiving.


Roasted Balsamic Cranberry and Brie Crostini

• Toasted baguette slices or crostini (I cheated and bought mine, but you can make your own fairly easily. See the original recipe for a good example).

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries

• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 Tablespoon rosemary

• 4 ounces triple cream brie

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1. In a small bowl, stir together the cranberries, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and rosemary. Spread these out on a rimmed baking sheet. (They get pretty sticky, so if you want to avoid scrubbing, line the pan with parchment paper or tinfoil).

1. Place the cranberries in the oven. Roast for approximately fifteen minutes. At this point, the cranberries should be popped open with juices running out. Remove cranberries from the oven and transfer to another bowl before they glue themselves to the sheet.

1. Top each baguette with a slice of brie and a spoonful of cranberries. Garnish with thyme if desired. These can be served while the cranberries are still warm, or you can make the components ahead of time like I did and store them in the fridge. Simply assemble and serve at room temperature when you're ready!

Courtesy of Neighbor Food blog

Crock Pot Cranberry Cider

It would be a shame to let 2015 go by without a single recipe posted, so here is something I've been meaning to share all year. It's another recipe I used for my sister's baby shower last year, and while not as spectacular as the hot cocoa, it was still a huge hit! 'Tis the season!

Ingredients

8 cups (64 ounces) cranberry juice
4 cups (32 ounces) spiced apple cider (I used Trader Joe's spiced cider - YUM!)
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
4 cinnamon sticks (plus more for garnish)
1 tbsp whole cloves (tied into a tea bag to contain them)

Instructions

Combine cranberry juice, apple cider, cranberries, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks & cloves in crock pot.
Cook on high if you plan on using within 2-3 hours. Cook on low for longer.
Allow to simmer & warm until ready to serve - stirring occasionally.
Ladle into mugs, garnish with additional cinnamon stick.
Sip and enjoy!

Sipping Chocolate

For my sister's baby shower this week I did a hot chocolate bar with some amazing hot chocolate, and all kinds of lovely junk to stir in and add flavor (like the marshmallows!)

I started out with sipping chocolate recipe collected from the same Chef who taught me about the stuffing. Serves 4 - small sizes.

Luscious Sipping Chocolate
2 ¼ cups whole milk
¼ cup water
¼ cup sugar (or less if your chocolate isn’t bittersweet)

Bring to rolling boil in a medium saucepan. Add the following:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Add to liquid. Whisk in. Return to rolling boil. Reduce heat to very low. Blend one minute in a blender or 5 minutes with immersion blender until thick and foamy.

(Hint - a rolling boil is hard to manage with whole milk, and it boils over in the blink of an eye.)

After making a batch though, I knew I couldn't use something so rich for a cocoa bar. One mug and I was BUZZED! (Not even joking - a mug was way too much, I was wired and driving across town to be social at 9pm on a work night.) There would be no non-lethal way to stir in anything else… So I played around a bit with lightening things up, and ended up using the same process with the following amounts:

16 C whole milk
1 1/4 C sugar
3 C  water
20 oz semisweet chocolate 
1 1/4 C cocoa

This ended up still being plenty rich, with a nice chocolate flavor, but without the risk of a diabetic coma. I actually made two of these batches, each batch easily made enough for 16 people (I had lots left over). For a more manageable batch, serving four (larger sizes) try with the following amounts:

4 C Whole milk
5 Tbs C Sugar

3/4 C Water

5 oz Semisweet chocolate
5 Tbs Cocoa

Prepare it following the process in the original recipe, and make sure you whip it really well just before serving - it adds a great finishing touch!

Stir in options include: crushed candy canes, chopped andes, homemade marshmallows, toffee bits, caramel sauce, butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips, gingersnaps, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, maple sugar candies, pirouettes, candy canes, oreo crumbles… and just about anything else that tickles your fancy.

Homemade Marshmallows

I’ve been prepping for my sister’s baby shower this next weekend, and part of that has been making homemade marshmallows. I was surprised with how easy they have been, and how much better they are than what you get at the store - I just finished my fifth batch and have had so much fun I thought I would share.

Homemade Marshmallows

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4+ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon other extract as desired

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Before you start, line your dish with foil or wax paper, spray with your preferred non-stick spray (or use butter) and then generously dust with confectioners sugar. You will want this done in advance, because doing it last minute will lead to sticky messes. Delicious messes, but your end product will not be as nice.

The size of your pan will determine the thickness of your marshmallows - my first batch I did on a cookie sheet, making them about 1/2 an inch thick. Second batch was in a 9x13 and they ended up about 3/4 of an inch. My third batch I used a 9x9, they were about 1 1/2 inches thick. 

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (I actually use the paddle - easier to clean fluff out of when I finish beating) and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and boil until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Increase the speed of the mixer till you have it on high, and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 10-15 minutes depending on your mixer. Slow or stop your mixer to add the vanilla (to avoid splashing) and mix thoroughly for another minute or two. If you are wanting to add other flavorings or colorings this is the time to do it. I’ve tried 1/2 Tbs almond extract and coconut flavoring (not at the same time, though that might be good too.) Both were amazing, but the coconut was my favorite. 

I have not been beating the mix as long as is called for, and it means my fluff is a little thinner and easier to manipulate, it also makes the mallows more dense, but I have been liking it that way (I am planning to try the full time on my next batch to see what happens.)

Pour the marshmallow mixture into your pan, smooth the top, and dust with more confectioners' sugar. Allow to stand uncovered overnight until it dries out. The thicker you make your mallows, the longer you want them to set. I put them in the oven to keep anything (like cat hair) from getting into it.

The next day turn the marshmallows out onto a dusted board or parchment paper and cut them in squares using a pizza wheel or kitchen scissors. Dust them with more confectioners’ sugar so the edges don’t stick to everything.

Store in an airtight container - word is they should last about two weeks in the refrigerator. I am doubting they will last that long.

As an added bonus, just because I find it very helpful to see exactly what I am doing and what I am looking for at each stage, here is a video showing the process (it’s 20 min, but it does the job)

Thanksgiving Stuffing

I went to a Thanksgiving cooking demo last month taught by a Chef in our ward and learned lots of really fun things and picked up a bunch of new recipes to try out. So this year I decided to use one of those recipes and take a new kind of stuffing as one of my dishes. (As bad as it is, I have always loved the regular stouffers stuffing straight from a box, so the fact that I opted to forego my long standing favorite in favor of this new option is saying something.) This recipe is more like a savory bread pudding than a traditional stuffing, and it may seem a bit odd at first, but it is well worth the effort!

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4-5 leaves chopped sage

Zest from 1 orange

4 eggs

2 C heavy cream

Salt and pepper

3/4 loaf day old/slightly dried challah bread, cubed (you can substitute croissants, but the challah is awesome!)

Slivered raw almonds

Dried cranberries

In a medium sauce pan, sweat two ribs of celery and one onion in butter till soft, seasoned with a dash of salt to taste and help the sweating. You aren't trying to caramelize the onions, but you want them cooked through.

After the celery and onions are done, remove from heat and add chopped sage, orange zest, eggs, and cream, with a touch of salt and pepper. Mix well.

Dump in cubed challah, day old or slightly dry. Add dried cranberries and mix well. Scoop into a 9x9 baking dish (I used a deep dish pie pan to make it pretty) and top liberally with slivered almonds. Sausage can be used in lieu of almonds and cranberries, and seasonings can be changed up as desired (rosemary would have been amazing!)

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, till set, and serve. Don't expect leftovers!

Curried Chicken (or Turkey) Salad

I genuinely enjoy a good chicken or turkey salad, but this is the first time I have ever been inspired to want to make some for myself. Meredith, a friend of mine made this treat for a baby shower this weekend, and I think I spent more time making trips to salad bowl than I spent with the guest of honor. It's that good.


Curried Chicken/Turkey Salad

In a medium bowl, combine:

• 2 c diced cooked chicken or turkey
• 1/4 c chopped toasted walnuts, almonds, or cashews (Meredith used cashews)
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 1 apple, cored, peeled, and coarsely chopped**
• 1/4 c dark or golden raisins**

Mix in a separate bowl:

• 1 T curry powder toasted 30-60 sec in a skillet over low heat with 1T vegetable oil, cooled
• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 1/2 t lime juice
• 1/2 t honey
• 1/8 t salt
• salt and black pepper to taste

Stir mayo mixture into meat and combine.  Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

**Alternatives for the fruit might include water chestnuts, cucumber, red bell pepper, or sweet onion

Flourless Chocolate Cake

I have a roommate right now who makes some pretty awesome food on occasion (hello RM) - and some of these recipes need to be shared because they are just too yummy to keep to myself :)


For instance this Flourless Chocolate Cake. Think of brownies on steroids and you will be pretty close to the mark. And so easy too - she told me it was, but dang! She wasn't kidding!


So here it is - reblogged from her food blog,  the recipe is from a 1997 issue of Gourmet.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

4 oz good bittersweet chocolate (I used a 72% dark chocolate bar, and it was pretty decadent. You could easily go lighter...)

1/2 c real butter

3/4 c sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t vanilla (the original recipe does not call for this, but comments on Epicurious recommend it)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line bottom with a round of wax paper; butter paper. In a double-boiler-type setup, melt chocolate with butter, stirring till smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar. Add eggs, whisk well. Sift in cocoa and whisk till just combined. Pour batter in pan and bake in the middle of the oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate. 

Then fancy it up as your whims dictate - a chocolate ganache, berries, powdered sugar, whipped cream... so many yummy possibilities.

Ridiculously Easy Apple Cranberry Pie

So, the fact that I am posting this will only serve to emphasize what a lazy cheater I am - and I don't think this even counts as an actual recipe.

However it is really quite delicious, so very simple (but it looks so fancy!) and it makes a great fall back when all of a sudden you find that you have to take a dessert and you don't have the time to do more than throw things together.

• 1 box of Stouffer's Holiday Edition Glazed Apple with Cranberries
• 1 package of refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)

Yup. That is all it takes. Defrost the Apple Cranberry mix. Line a pie dish with the first crust, pour filling into crust and lay second crust over the top. Pinch edges together to form a tight seal, cut holes into top of pie crust to vent, and bake according to directions on crust box. You can sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on the top of the crust, or fancy it up any other way you see fit - or just leave it be! You really can't mess this one up!

Hot Fudge Sauce

For many long years this has been considered a Top Secret family recipe passed down from my Grandmother. But since my Mum started sharing the secret several years back - I feel absolutely no guilt in posting it to a public forum now. Besides, an Ice Cream Roll wouldn't be complete without it!

In large sauce pan mix together:

4 Tbs. Cocoa

4 Tbs. Flour

2 cups Sugar

Add:

12 oz can evaporated milk 

1 cube Butter/Margarine

1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix well and bring to a boil. Boil 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. If sauce becomes too thick, add a bit more milk. The sauce stores well in the fridge for long periods of time, but odds are that it won't last that long.

Ice Cream Rolls

Ice Cream Rolls have been a long standing tradition in my family - and have made appearances at weddings, family reunions, caroling parties and birthdays starting long before I was born. And because they are delicious in addition to sentimental, I thought I would share - 'tis the season!

3 Eggs - room temperature, beat on high 4-8 minutes until very thick
3/4 cups Sugar - beat into eggs
1/3 cup Water - blend in on low speed
1 tsp. Vanilla - blend in

(Pre-mixed & well sifted)
1 cup Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 cup Cocoa
Add slowly and gently to egg and sugar mix.

Spread batter gently into a foil lined and greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes and drop out onto dish towel coated with powdered sugar - roll up with the towel and allow to cool.
Unroll.
Using a knife, cut 1/2 inch slices of ice cream (pick your flavor) and cover the roll - this should take about 1/2 a carton of ice cream.
Re-roll, cover with foil, and freeze.
Slice roll, and serve with Hot Fudge Sauce and whipped cream.

Serves 12-15

Yam Gratin with Gruyere

I was wandering around the grocery store this afternoon looking for dinner ideas and got stuck in a mini traffic jam so I struck up a conversation with one of the sample people while waiting for the path to clear. I am not a huge fan of yams, so I wasn’t planning to try his food, but luckily I gave in – these are AMAZING!

2 cups Heavy Cream

1 tsp Salt

3 lbs Yams, peeled

1/2 cup shredded Gruyere

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray 9x9 baking dish with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet.

Stir together cream and salt. Thinly slice yams into the cream (use a mandolin if you have one) coating slices with the cream mixture as you go.

Layer 1/3 of the yams in the baking dish, sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat with another 1/3 and the remainder of the cheese. Top with the remaining yams and pour any leftover cream over the top.

Bake uncovered on the center rack for 30 min.  Remove from oven, and using a fork or spatula carefully press against the top layer to allow liquid to flow over the “crust.” Place dish back in the oven and let it continue to cook for another 30 min. Remove the pan again and repeat, allowing liquid to flow over the top. Return pan to oven and bake for another 40-45 minutes, until the yams are tender.

Let cool for about 15 minutes, and then prepare to be wowed.

Naan Pizza

I have been wanting to share this recipe/idea for almost a year now, but have been really lazy. At long last, here it is!  I had never tried naan until moving out to NY, but it was, no joke, love at first bite - what amazingly tasty bread! Then while shopping at our local (and beloved) Wegmans, I saw a recipe idea, using naan as a pizza crust, and simply topping it with your favorite things. So while any toppings can be used, here is my favorite variation:

Preheat oven to 400

Use 1 piece naan per person

Chop several fresh basil leaves

Drain and chop roasted tomatoes in olive oil (sundried tomatoes are also good)

Slice as much fresh mozzarella as makes you happy

Place ingredients on bread, I put the basil on the bottom so the leaves don't burn, and the cheese on top so that it melts into everything, but so long as everything is there, no worries. 

Bake pizza for 10-15 minutes, or till cheese is melted and edges are brown. I cook it on the rack, with a pan on the rack below to catch dripping cheese, but if you prefer a softer crust you can place it in the pan before cooking, and shorten your time in the oven. 

Slice it up, sit back and enjoy the yum :)

Chewy Caramel Popcorn

1 C Sugar 
1 cube butter 
1/2 C corn syrup 
Dash of salt 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp vanilla 
2 bags popped microwave popcorn 
  
Bring sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt to a low boil for approximately 1 minute. Remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla. Mix well. Pour over popcorn quickly and stir to coat evenly. 

This chewy goodness is brought to you by my Aunt Jill :)

Enchilada Casserole

6-8 corn or flour tortillas
1 large can refried beans
1 lb. ground beef, browned
1 can mild/medium enchilada sauce
1 1/2 C grated cheddar cheese


Mix hamburger meat with enchilada sauce. 
On the bottom of a round, deep casserole dish create a layer of torn up tortilla shells. Spread a layer of refried beans onto the layer of shells. Add a layer of meat and sauce mixture, followed by a layer of grated cheese. Repeat layers till dish is full or ingredients are gone. For the final (top) layer, use only tortilla shells, beans and cheese. 


Cover dish with lid or foil, and bake at 350 till heated through and all cheese is melted. 
*Other layers may be included as desired.

Hamburger Soup

1lb hamburger

2 cans stewed tomatoes

4-5 beef bullion cubes

3-4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 T chili powder

1 T oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp basil

1 can whole corn

1 can green beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can garbanzo beans

Fry hamburger, drain and rinse. put in large soup pot along with tomatoes, bullion cubes, potatoes, carrots and spices. Simmer in water till the potatoes and carrots are soft all the way through, then add the last four cans of vegetables, add salt to taste and simmer again till ready to serve.

Pumpkin Cake

1 large can pumpkin

4 beaten eggs  (whip eggs and then add sugar)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp cinnamon

2 c evaporated milk  (Just add enough water to make 2 cups)

1 box dry yellow cake mix

1 cup butter

nuts

Combine first seven ingredients together and pour into 9X13 pan.

Sprinkle DRY cake mix over the top.  Melt butter and drizzle over cake.  Sprinkle with nuts (optional).

Bake 350 for 1 1/2 hours  (check after an hour) - continue until set, kind of like pumpkin pie

Serve with whip cream or ice cream 

(I like it best the next day after it has sat in the fridge!)

Courtesy of my Aunt Lori

Hamburger Goulash

1 lb hamburger

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can stewed tomatoes

2-3 beef bullion cubes

1/2 T oregano

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp basil

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can green beans

1 can peas

1/2 pkg cream cheese

12 oz pkg of macaroni noodles

Fry hamburger in a large, deep frying pan. Rinse, drain and return to pan. Add remainder of ingredients (except for the cream cheese and macaroni noodles) and slowly simmer to allow flavors to mix. Boil noodles in large soup pan till tender but not overdone (al dente) drain, and return to soup pan. Stir in hamburger sauce and cream cheese till blended and serve. Makes great leftovers!

Hamburger Stroganoff

1 lb hamburger

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 of a 16 oz sour cream

1 beef bullion cube

Dried onion to taste

Salt to taste

Water/milk

12 oz pkg wide egg noodles, boiled and drained

Fry hamburger in a large deep frying pan. Drain, rinse and return to pan. Add  remainder of ingredients except for noodles. Simmer together for 1/2 an hour to an hour adding milk or water to keep at desired consistency before mixing with noodles.