carrot cake sandwich cookies

At long last, here is a post presented in a timely manner – I baked a batch of these yesterday and shared them with friends for dinner.  These cookies were quite good – moist and cake-like with a slightly sweet cream cheese filling.  My cookies were somewhat less than exactly round-shaped, but we found that this in no way detracted from our enjoyment of them.  They were scrumptious – the four of us managed to almost polish off the entire batch in one night.  The few that remained at the end of the evening were left at our friends’ new home for them to enjoy.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Adapted from Gourmet, April 2004

Yields 12 cookie sandwiches (24 cookies)

Ingredients

1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely grated carrots (2-3 medium)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
fresh grated nutmeg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place chopped walnuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet or cake pan.  Toast for approximately 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from oven and cool.
2. Increase oven heat to 375 degrees F, with racks in upper and lower thirds.  Line 2 pans with parchment paper or butter them to prevent sticking.
3. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
4. Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl with electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes.  Mix in carrots, nuts, and raisins (I switched to a spoon/spatula here), then add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  You may want to stop here and refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes to reduce cookie spreading while baking.
5. Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter per cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake, switching positions of sheets halfway through baking.  Cookies should bake approximately 12-16 minutes, until they are lightly browned, springy to touch, and a toothpick poked into a test cookie comes out clean.  Cool cookies on sheets for 1 minute, then transfer to racks to cool completely (if you lack a cooking rack, you can use a broiler pan, like me).
6. While cookies are baking, blend cream cheese, honey, cardamom, scant grated nutmeg, and powdered sugar with electric mixer until smooth.  Or, you can do this around the same time as step #4, and transfer the cream cheese filling to the fridge for about 30 minutes until it sets up a bit.
7. Assemble sandwich cookies with approximately 1 tablespoon of filling between 2 cookies (less or more depending on the size of your cookies).  Serve immediately or refrigerate until served.  Best if served same day.

curried chicken salad

I’m not generally a fan of most mayonnaise-based salads, whether its egg salad sandwiches or potato salad.  Coleslaw?  Ugh.  Macaroni salad?  Oh, the horror.  With the exception of tuna salad sandwiches and a limited number of pasta salads, I am pretty much a hater of all things in this category.  Until we gave this chicken curry salad a whirl.

One of the standout ingredients in this particular recipe is the roasted chicken breasts.  It is absolutely worth it to roast them especially for this salad – the resulting product is so much more moist and fresh, and by far superior  than using leftover chicken (which I still have no problem using in many other recipes).  I did increase the amount of golden raisins and celery from the original recipe, to add extra sweetness and crunch.  I could eat this salad every week and be happy.

It is not so easy to take a good-looking picture of chicken salad, but in the interest of proper documentation, I’ve provided some visuals anyway.

Curried Chicken Salad

Adapted from Food Network

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts (split), bone-in, skin-on (or 3 cups shredded chicken)
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
3/4 cup mayonnaise (light is fine)
2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons dry white wine
1 1/2 Tablespoons curry powder
2 Tablespoons chutney (like Major Grey’s)
1 cup medium-diced celery
2 Tablespoons chopped green onion
1/2 cup golden raisins

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine garlic, 3/4 teaspoons of kosher salt and the black peppercorns in a mortar and crush with pestle until coarse paste forms; you may also use a mini processor to create the paste.  Mix in oil.
3. Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Rub  the herb/oil mixture over the skin and place chicken in a 9 x 13-inch glass/Pyrex dish.  Position rack in center of oven and roast chicken uncovered 35 to 40 minutes.  Transfer chicken to platter and allow it to cool.  Remove and discard the skin and bones, then dice chicken into 1-inch cubes and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, wine, chutney, curry powder, and 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt and mix until smooth.  Use electric mixer if needed.
5. Add chicken to mixture in bowl along with the celery, green onion, and raisins.  Mix well and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours to allow flavors to blend.  Serve cool or at room temperature.

another breakfast of champions

Yesterday morning’s breakfast** was really born of my penchant for purchasing items at the store without having a definite plan in mind.  I grab at least one random not-on-my-list thing, usually some type of produce, and figure I’ll find a use for it later in the week.  I eventually remember that I bought the random item – hopefully before it has become a mold farm in the crisper – and then scramble to use it before it goes bad.  This time it was raspberries.   So I decided to try my hand at crêpes for the first time ever.

I’m not sure how I managed to not cook something as basic, yet versatile, as crêpes until last weekend.  How is that even possible?  Ah well, it was definitely worth the wait.  The first one out of the pan was a burned mess, but all the others turned out perfectly.  The basic batter recipe I used can easily be used for savory crêpe variations by omitting the sugar, and I intend do just that very, very soon.

If I hadn’t been in such a rush to snap the picture of the dish so I could start digging in, I would have tossed a few fresh raspberries on the plate to pretty it up a bit.  Unfortunately, I always think of things these after the fact.

**Actual date prepared: 4/11/2010 – I know – I need to work on not losing things in my draft folder.  But hey, better turn around time than the lasagna recipe!!

Crêpes w/Raspberry Sauce and Whipped Cream

Yields 2 servings (about 5 to 6 crêpes)

Ingredients

For the sauce:

1/2 cup raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar

For the crêpes:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
vegetable oil for pan

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Place raspberries in a resealable container and sprinkle with sugar.  Seal and place in refrigerator, allowing berries to macerate, up to 2 days.
2. A day in advance, prepare the crêpe batter.  Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl and form a well in the center.  Add the salt, sugar, vanilla, and eggs into the well.  Whisk gently in the center of the bowl, incorporating only a portion of the flour.  Continue whisking and slowly pour the milk and water into the mixture.  Whisk until all flour is incorporated, then whisk in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
3. Puree the macerated raspberries in a blender until smooth, then strain to remove the seeds.  If the sauce is too tart, add sugar to taste.  Set aside
4. In a large bowl, beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla together with an electric mixer on medium speed until the cream holds soft peaks.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.
5. When ready to assemble the crêpes, remove the batter from the refrigerator and whisk again.  Place an 8- to 10- inch skillet on the stove over medium high heat.  When the pan is hot enough to sizzle a drop of water, splash 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil in the pan and wipe with a paper towel to distribute the oil.
6. Ladle enough batter into the pan to thinly cover the bottom, and rotate the pan to evenly cover the skillet.  Cook for about 40 seconds, or until the edges are turning golden.  Flip the crêpe and cook for 20 to 30 seconds on the other side.  Remove to a plate.
7. Place whipped cream in the center of each crêpe and roll like an enchilada.  Add another healthy dollop of whipped cream on the rolled crêpes and drizzle with the raspberry sauce.  Serve immediately.

swirl brownies (+ nutella)

You might have noticed that there are only two posts between this brownie recipe and another brownie recipe, and may now be thinking that this blog is having an identity crisis and wants to be a baking blog, but I can assure you, that is not the case.  If I’m coming completely clean, the brownies I posted in March were baked in January.  I know; hard to believe with my impeccable and timely posting record!  The newest batch was just baked last weekend, bringing my total brownie batches baked for 2010 up to 2.  (That total does NOT include a batch of blondies we baked a few months ago when we were too lazy to go on an ice cream run and NEEDED to have something dessert-like – I’m sure almost everyone can relate.)

Last weekend, I was again asked to bring dessert to a dinner gathering at our friends’ home.  I tried to think of non-brownie type goods I could bake, or maybe even some no-bake drop cookies, but no, my browsing brought me back to this not-so-humble brownie recipe.  I mean, really, the search is all over once you spot “chocolate”, “peanut butter”, and “Nutella” in the ingredient list.  Then I decided the brownies needed something else to take them over the top (???).  So I thought why not marble them while I’m at it?  Right?  Ok, the marbling is strictly optional, but I must say, it does make the brownies look pretty.  You can also easily double the recipe if you need to feed more of a crowd; this is more of a half-batch, which suits me just fine.

(Note:  If the peanut butter seems gratuitous after a trial run, feel free to replace it with extra add-ins!  I haven’t tried anything other than peanut butter, so I can’t speak to the suitability of other ingredients, but it’s baking, not neurosurgery – trial and error is encouraged here!)

Peanut Butter and Nutella Marble  Brownies

Adapted from Food Network

Yields 9 brownies

Ingredients

For the brownies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
4 tablespoons peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
4 tablespoons Nutella

For the swirl:

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper, or grease pan.
2. Melt 1/2 cup butter and stir in sugar.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, with an electric mixer (low speed is fine).  Add vanilla.
3. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients.
4. In the microwave, heat the Nutella and peanut butter for about 30 – 45 seconds, until consistency is rather thin.  Mix into brownie batter.
5. Transfer the batter into pan, spread into corners  and smooth the top.
6. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and 2 remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until fluffy.  Add the remaining sugar, beating until well-blended, then beat in the egg.  Mix in the tablespoon of flour.
7. Spoon/drizzle cream cheese swirl on top of batter; to start, add less than half.  Swirl through batter with the tip of a knife.  If more swirl is desired and the cream cheese mixture is not pooling on top of the batter, feel free to add more and continue with decorative swirls.
8. Bake 25 – 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow brownies to cool completely before cutting.

best veggie lasagna

I’ve been mildly chastised, or maybe just slightly ribbed, for not yet posting the recipe for this lasagna.  And rightly so – we made this meal for my birthday.  In July.  Of 2009.  I was going to try to share this recipe a few months ago – when chard, zucchini, and summer squash were available in abundance at the farmers’ market.  But even though the winter squash is coming out to play now, I find myself thinking longingly of the summer, and all the free time I didn’t properly appreciate before grad school; so I suppose there’s no time like the present to share a great vegetarian lasagna recipe.  And my next paper isn’t due for 48 hours, so I have a little time.

Growing up with a galley kitchen, we never had the opportunity (or space) to prepare dishes together.  And to be honest, none of us (except Mom) had any inclination to cook much of anything until we had moved out on our own.  But I know I love having the chance to cook a meal together whenever we gather at my sister’s house to celebrate birthdays and holidays.  I’m perfectly happy sitting in the kitchen prepping veg and catching up.  Really!!

I took picture after picture to document the construction of the lasagna, since it was a mostly improvised recipe, using whatever fresh ingredients we had on hand from the farmers’ market or my sister’s CSA box.  I had discovered years ago that I preferred my lasagna sans meat, but my usual veggie lasagna is loaded with portobell0s, spinach, cheese, and not much else.   The lasagna that was created in my sister’s kitchen last summer is honestly one of the best lasagnas I’ve ever tasted. The vision, execution, and pretty, pretty dishes are entirely attributable to my sister on this one.

We did attempt this dish again this past spring, but we weren’t able to capture the same magic we did that day in July.  I really think it was due to a dearth of ricotta – which is something I’m prepared to rectify next go ’round.  I’m determined to try, try again until I recreate the best vegetarian lasagna I’ve ever had.

My niece's artistic interpretation of her new pet lizard, Queen Elizardbeth I of Fernscale Manor (unfortunately, no longer with us.) Medium - garlic.

Veggie Lasagna

Yields 12 servings

Ingredients

1 small zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
1 small summer squash, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 bunch baby spinach
1/2 bunch swiss chard
1/2 pound button mushrooms
10 to 12 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
jarred marinara sauce
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
1 cup provolone, shredded
1/4 cup Romano or Parmesan, shredded
12 to 14 no boil lasagna noodles
6 to 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat one tablespoon olive oil in small saute pan.  Add zucchini, summer squash, and up to 4 cloves of garlic; saute until squash is tender, about five minutes.  Remove to bowl and set aside.
2. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in small saute pan and add mushrooms and up to 4 cloves of garlic.  Saute until tender, five to six minutes.  Remove to a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in small saute pan.  Add swiss chard, spinach, and up to 4 cloves of garlic.  Saute until greens are wilted, two to three minutes.  Remove to a bowl and set aside.
4. In the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking pan, spread 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce and cover it with a layer of pasta.  Pour another cup of sauce over the pasta, followed by all the zucchini/summer squash mixture and half of the mushrooms.  Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella, half of the provolone, and half of the Romano cheese.  Add another layer of pasta and spread the ricotta evenly on top, followed directly by another layer of pasta.  Add a cup of tomato sauce and then top with all of the swiss chard/spinach mixture and half of the mushrooms.  Add a final layer of pasta and top with one final cup tomato sauce, remaining cheese, and sprinkle with chopped basil.
5. Place pan in oven, uncovered, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Let rest 5 to 10 minutes after baking before cutting the lasagna.

linguine with scallops and shrimp

I’m (kind of) back!!  Sorry about the too long hiatus – for a very long time, I thought  I was too busy to post.  Then I started grad school this fall, and I’ve really BEEN too busy to post.  But I haven’t been too busy to cook – although I have had to scale back my time spent in the kitchen a bit.   I can barely find time to search for new recipes to try, let alone attempt to prepare anything remotely elaborate.  However, I find comfort in the knowledge that “easy” does not have to mean “boring” when cooking, this pasta dish is an excellent example of that truth.

It’s not too fancy, and couldn’t be much easier to prepare – the most involved step is cleaning the shrimp.  My recipe is (very loosely) based on a 1990 recipe that included toasted walnuts in the sauce and calamari instead of scallops.  I’m sharing my version here because I misplaced the original earlier this week, and while it was found after a short, frantic search, I was warned not to lose it again.  Or else.  All right, it wasn’t really that dire, but we enjoy the recipe and hope you do, too.

And I realize that the picture is not very appetizing; maybe I’ll make this dish again soon and take new pictures.  You know, in my spare time.

Linguine with scallops and shrimp

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 cups chicken broth or stock
2 to 3 medium tomatoes, peeled if desired, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, or double amount fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 pound linguine
1/2 pound bay scallops
3/4 pound large shrimp, cleaned and cut into thirds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Method

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat; add garlic, cook for 1 minute.
2. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, wine, parsley, oregano, salt, and black pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
3. Cook linguine in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain in colander and set aside.
4. Add the scallops and shrimp to the sauce and simmer until the seafood is cooked through, about 2 to 4 minutes.  Remove from heat.
5. Add pasta to sauce and combine; sprinkle with red pepper flakes and additional parsley, if desired.

absurdly chocolate-y chocolate brownies

I’ve been feeling guilty for neglecting the blog so much for the past few months.  It seems like one thing after another keeps popping up, and I keep cooking and drafting recipes, but I never seem to have time to write up the posts lately.  Most recently, I’ve been working on finalizing my application to grad school.  In fact, I should be working on that RIGHT NOW, but instead, I thought it might be the perfect time to share an excellent brownie recipe!!

I was charged with the task of bringing dessert to a recent dinner party, and the other member of my household had been having serious brownie cravings for about a week, so my decision about what to bring was already made .  When I started sifting through recipes, I was hoping just to find something that was merely above average.  This is what I came up with, and might I just say, now I feel like a bit of an overachiever.

These brownies are ridiculous.  They are miles away from most of the probably-came-from-straight-from-a-box brownies you might encounter at, say, a food day at work.  They are dense and fudge-y with intense chocolate flavor, but not overly sweet.  I used all of the chocolate I had on hand (a few ounces less than what the original recipe suggested), and they were gleefully deemed by one member of the party, between bites, to be “almost too chocolate-y.”  I call that a win.

Super Chocolate Brownies

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Yields 12 brownies

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush the inside of a 9-inch square baking dish with extra butter.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
3. Place butter (1 stick) and chopped chocolate in  a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth (3-5 minutes).  Remove bowl from pan
4. Add sugar to the chocolate/butter mixture and stir to combine.  Add eggs, and mix to combine.  Add flour mixture and stir just until moistened (do not overmix).
5. Fold in walnuts.
6. Pour batter into buttered baking pan and smooth the top.
7. Bake 25-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with no more than a few crumbs.
8. Cool in pan for 30 minutes; remove to cutting board and slice brownies.

crab cakes

If you’re still searching for a good crab cake recipe, then this is definitely the next one you should try.  I admit that my past experience making crab cakes has been limited; I suspect this is due to the fact that the few times I have previously attempted crab cakes, the finished product would never match what I had envisioned at the outset.  Each time this happened, it would discourage me from trying to cook crab cakes again for another year or so.  With this recipe in hand, however, I’m pretty sure I’ll be cooking up crab cakes on a far more regular basis.  The surprise secret ingredient?  Saltines.  Really.  Trust me, it works here – the texture is so much better than when dry breadcrumbs are tossed into the mix.

Crab Cakes

Adapted from Food & Wine

Yields 2 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 pound lump or jumbo lump crabmeat, picked through to remove shells
1/2 cup finely crushed saltine crackers
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
lemon wedges, for serving

Method

1. In a medium bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients.  Fold in the crabmeat and 1/4 cup of the cracker crumbs.  Set aside.
2. In a large, shallow skillet, melt the butter in the oil.  When the foam subsides, shape the crab mixture into 6 to 8 cakes about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.  Coat the crab cakes with the remaining cracker crumbs and place in the skillet.
3. Cook over medium heat until cakes are golden and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Drain crab cakes on paper towels.  Serve with lemon wedges.

chicken and gnocchi

So far this fall, I’ve been lucky; it seems like everyone has been getting sick with a cold or the flu, but I’ve been spared up to this point, and I’m hoping to remain healthy for the rest of the season.  I didn’t get sick at all last winter, but that may have been largely attributable to the fact that I was unemployed and, therefore, happily not exposed to the waves of viruses that seem to go through offices one after another.  Now I’m back at work in a much larger office, lots of people are sick, and I’m fretting about all of the ways I can become ill this year.  I have a recipe on deck for those first sniffles of the season – it’s a variation on classic chicken soup, if you’re in the mood for chewy dumplings instead of noodles.  It’s homey and warm, and I’m not waiting until I get sick to have it again.

Chicken and Gnocchi

Adapted from Food & Wine

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

5 cups homemade chicken stock or canned broth
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 onion, cut into thin slices
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried sage
1  1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
1 pound fresh or frozen gnocchi
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons flour
snipped fresh parsley

Method

1. In a large pot, bring the broth, bay leaf, onion, celery, and carrots to a simmer.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the sage, salt, pepper, and chicken and simmer, partially covered, until just done, about 20 minutes.  Turn the chicken a few times while cooking.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the gnocchi until just done, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Drain.
3. In a small bowl, stir the butter and flour together to form a paste.  Remove bay leaf or leaves from pot, and whisk in the butter/flour mixture.  Simmer until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir in the cooked gnocchi and parsley.

thanksgiving

 

To quell my guilt over not posting at all during the month of November  (NaBloPoMo is clearly not a realistic goal for me at this point), I’d like to present my Thanksgiving menu, almost in its entirety!  Although not included here, I also made one of my favorite appetizers ever:  Strange Flavor Eggplant.  A super huge thanks to my sister for introducing me to this gem from Barbara Tropp’s China Moon Cookbook.  I could eat this stuff by the spoonful, but it’s really worth making Garlic Croutons to eat along with the sweet and spicy spread.  The baked baguette rounds are also spectacular with cloves of roasted garlic (I like to roast a bulb or two while I’m roasting the eggplant).

The cranberry chutney was adjusted many times during cooking – I made as directed, except cut the apple cider vinegar down to 1/3 cup, which was still waaaaay too much.  So I ended up adding at least 1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce and extra sugar to cut the vinegar tang.  The recipe makes enough chutney for three or four Thanksgivings; I froze most of the leftover chutney in ice-cube trays this year, but next time I’ll be making a quarter recipe.  Or trying something else altogether.

 

Cranberry, Apple and Ginger Chutney

Adapted from The Food Network

Yields about 3 cups

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) bag o’ fresh cranberries
3 large, crisp red apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 to 1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water

Method

1. Combine ingredients in a large pot.
2. Bring to a simmer and cook until softened, reduced, and thickened, about 30 minutes.
3. Cool fully before serving.

Five-Spice Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from Food & Wine

Yields 5 to 6 servings

Ingredients

2 to 2-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
dash salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spread the sweet potato chunks in one 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.  Add 1 cup of water, cover the dish with foil and bake until the sweet potatoes are barely tender, about 25 minutes.  Drain off any remaining water.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, five-spice powder, and nutmeg and cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is bubbling, about 4 minutes.
3. Pour the mixture over the potatoes, stir to coat, and season with salt.
4. Bake uncovered for another 10 – 20 minutes, stirring a few times, until the potatoes are tender and nicely glazed.

Garlic and Lemon Green Beans

Yields 4 to 6 side servings

Ingredients

1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons butter
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons lemon zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. In a medium pot, bring approximately 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil.
2. Blanch green beans in boiling water until bright green, roughly 2 minutes.  Drain in colander and run cold water over beans to stop the cooking and preserve the color.
3. Heat a medium to large skillet over medium heat; add the olive oil and butter.  When butter is melted into oil, add the garlic and saute about 30 seconds.
4. Add the beans and continue to saute until they begin to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove from heat.
5. Add lemon zest and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bacon-wrapped!! Honey Mustard Pork

Adapted from The Food Network

Yields 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons course-ground mustard
2 tablespoons honey
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 (4 pound) center-cut boneless pork loin roast
8 to 10 slices of bacon

Method

1. With an oven rack in the lower third of the oven, preheat to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together mustards, honey, garlic, and rosemary.
3. Place the pork in a 9 by 14 inch baking dish and spread the mustard mixture evenly over the top.  Place bacon on pork lengthwise, layering the pieces until the pork is completely covered.  (I had to cut some of the bacon in half to ensure full coverage on the other side of the roast.)
4. Place the pork in the oven and roast for about an hour.  Tent foil over the pork and roast for another 10 minutes, or until it reaches an inner temperature of 160 degrees F.
5. Transfer the pork to a cutting board; tent foil over the pork and allow it to rest for about 20 minutes.
6. Slice the roast into 1/2-inch slices and serve.

Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream

Adapted from numerous web recipes

Yields 8 servings

Ingredients

2 cups canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, minced
1-1/4 cups half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 light brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
pie crust (see below)
sweetened whipped cream (see below)

Method

1. With oven rack in the lower third of the oven, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Prepare pie crust and layer 2 sheets of foil directly on top of the crust; this will weigh down the crust and prevent it from shrinking away from the sides of the pie pan.  Bake for about 10 mintues, until the crust is golden brown.  Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes.  Set crust aside.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
4. Lightly whisk the eggs and egg yolks together and set aside.
5. In a blender, puree the pumpkin, ginger, and half-and-half until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Transfer the pumpkin mixture to a medium bowl and whisk in the last 8 ingredients (through white pepper on ingredients list).
6. Pour the filling into the pie crust and smooth out the top.  Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife inserted in the pie center comes out clean.
7. Serve with whipped cream (see below)

Pie crust

Yields 1 pie shell

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/8 to 1/4 cup water, very cold

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.  Add butter and mix with your fingers until butter is pea-sized.  Add the shortening and continue blending with your fingers.  Mixture will be coarse.
2. Add 1/8 cup of water and stir mixture together.  If the dough does not hold together, add more water a tablespoon at a time (no more than 2 additional tablespoons).
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk.  Refrigerate at least one hour or up to two days.
4. Remove dough disk from the fridge.  Unwrap it and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it’s 1/8 inch thick and 2 inches larger than the pie plate.
5. Gently transfer to pie plate and trim the dough, leaving about 1 inch of overhang.  Turn the edge under and crimp.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

Yields about 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl with electric mixer and medium speed until the cream holds soft peaks.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.  Use immediately.