Thanksgiving cranberries

Ever since I was little, it was always my job to make the cranberries for Thanksgiving. When I was young, my grandma would help me grind the berries in an oldfashioned meat grinder that we would clamp onto the table. It eventally evolved into me using my mom's old salad shooter (which was suprisingly more difficult to use than the grinder.) This year, I made them in the food processor and it was awesome! The texture was very uniform. I tossed the berries in with some white and brown sugar, juice from an orance, and half the orange (insides and out).

I also made an apple cranberry tart. I liked that the tart used apples instead of oranges, it was a nice change. I made extra topping and was happy I did (but I like extra crumbly toppings on most things). It was a great tart that everyone liked. I will be making it again in the future.

Apple Cranberry Tart Country Woman November/December 1995 and on tasteofhome.com
Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups unsweetened apple juice or cider, divided
1-1/3 cups sugar
3 medium tart apples, peeled and cubed
1 package (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Pastry for single-crust pie (10 inches)

TOPPING:
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
12 pecan halves

Directions:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring 3/4 cup apple juice and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add apples and cranberries; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until apples are tender and berries pop,. Whisk flour and remaining juice until smooth; stir into cranberry mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool to room temperature.

Fit pastry into an 10-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom, or press into the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a 10-in. springform pan. Line pastry with double thickness of heavy-duty foil.

Bake at 450° for 5 minutes. Remove foil; bake 7-10 minutes or until pastry is nearly done. Cool. Add apple mixture. Combine first four topping ingredients; sprinkle over filling. Arrange pecan halves on top. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 12 servings.

Baked salmon with Southeast Asian marinade

This recipe comes from the Mayo Clinic. The recipe was okay, not good, not bad, just okay. I think it would have been better if I did two things differently. First, I would marinate the fish longer for more flavor. Second, I would not cook the pices of garlic on top of the fish; the pieces I used were not too small so they didn't cook long enough to be sweet and tender so it was really overpowering.

Baked salmon with Southeast Asian marinade  from MayoClinic.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 salmon fillets, each 4 ounces
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup diced fresh fruit, such as pineapple, mango and papaya

Directions:
In a small bowl, add the pineapple juice, garlic, soy sauce and ginger. Stir to mix evenly.
Arrange the salmon fillets in a small baking dish. Pour the pineapple juice mixture over the top. Put in the refrigerator and marinate for 1 hour. Turn the salmon periodically as needed.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly coat 2 squares of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Place the marinated salmon fillets on the aluminum foil. Drizzle each with 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil. Sprinkle with pepper and top each with 1/2 cup diced fruit.
Wrap the foil around the salmon, folding the edges down to seal. Bake until the fish is opaque throughout when tested with the tip of a knife, about 10 minutes on each side. Transfer the salmon to warmed individual plates and serve immediately.

Blue cheese horseradish dip

I made this dip after reading several recipes and I just took a few simple ingredients and put them together to make this dip. The ingredients are blue cheese, sour cream, mayo, horseradish, and salt and pepper. I use about as much sour cream as mayo and horseradish combined. The first time I made it, we had it on steak and it was great. We had some leftover so we ate it on chips and it makes a great chip dip too.

La Bete Noire

I walked over to say good morning to a colleague at work one Monday morning and she handed me a small slice of the most delicious chocolate cake. It turned out to be La Bete Noire (translation: black beast) which is a perfectly chocolate flourless cake topped with ganache. Of course, I asked for the recipe, which comes from Epicurious.

I just love this cake! I don’t tend to re-make recipes unless they are great. I have made this one twice in the last month. It turned out great both times and people loved it! I will continue to make it anytime I have somewhere to take it (it is too rich to make just for the two of us at home).

Although I was intimidated at first, the cake was not at all difficult to make. It was a little putzy and it takes a while to make because it needs to cool twice. I used half bittersweet and half semisweet for both the cake and ganache. I am always careful when I add the eggs so they don’t cook in the hot cake batter.



La Bete Noire by Jason Aronen as posted on Epicurious
Cake
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, diced
18 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs

Ganache
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Lightly sweetened whipped cream

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round; butter parchment. Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim. Combine 1 cup water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly. Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.

Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool completely in pan.

For ganache:
Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.

Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides. Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/La-Bete-Noire-235831#ixzz0fjQDanO7

Hot and spicy party mix

I mixed up some hot and spicy party mix. It was really tasty and we liked it better than regular Chex mix. The tobacco was pretty mild, but you could definitely taste it. I will definitely be making this one again!

Hot and Spicy Party Mix by Tobasco
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 teaspoons Original TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons seasoned salt
8 cups of your favorite Chex® brand cereals (corn, rice and/or wheat)
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup pretzels
1 cup bite-size cheese crackers

Combine butter, Worcestershire sauce, TABASCO® Sauce, and seasoned salt in a small bowl and mix well. Pour cereals, nuts, pretzels and cheese crackers into a large plastic zip-top bag. Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture inside Zipper Bag. Seal top of bag securely. Shake bag until all pieces are evenly coated.

To prepare in microwave oven:

Pour contents of bag into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high 5 to 6 minutes, stirring thoroughly every 2 minutes and scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Spread on absorbent paper to cool. Store in airtight container.

To prepare in conventional oven:

Pour contents of bag into an open roasting pan. Bake in a 250°F oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool and store as directed above.

Makes 11 cups.

Note: Due to differences in microwave ovens, cooking time may need adjustment. These directions were developed using 625- to 700-watt ovens.

Hot artichoke spinach dip

We had a couple of friends over for dinner one night and I tried a few new recipes and one of them was hot artichoke spinach dip. I liked this recipe because it didn't have any mayo. The only thing I did differently was I used parmesan instead Romano cheese (so 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup).

It turned out really tasty, but was a little runny. I thought maybe it was because the spinach was still a little frozen. I made it again for the second time on Thanksgiving and thawed the spinach all the way and squeezed it through a strainer to get some of the water out of it. It made a little difference, but it was still a bit runny. I guess I need to keep working on it.

We served it with whole wheat pitas. I was feeling a little lazy so I toasted the pitas in the toaster and that seemed to work just fine.


Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip posted by Sherrie D on allrecipes.com
Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
1/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2.In a blender or food processor, place artichoke hearts, Romano cheese, Parmesan cheese and garlic . Pulse until chopped, but not ground. Set aside.

3.In a medium bowl, mix together spinach, heavy cream, sour cream and mozzarella cheese. Stir in artichoke mixture. Spoon into prepared baking dish.

4.Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Angel Food Cake

This is a recipe by Alton Brown from Food Network. This was my first try at making an angel food from scratch and it turned out pretty okay. It was wet, though, which I thought was weird. I guess I will have to work on that. Some of the comments on the recipe said they omitted the water so I think I will try that next time. I will also watch Alton's video of him making the cake: http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/let-them-eat-foam/43745.html.

Angel Food Cake by Alton Brown on Foodnetwork.com
Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cake flour, sifted
12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)
1/3 cup warm water
1 teaspoon orange extract, or extract of your choice
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor spin sugar about 2 minutes until it is superfine. Sift half of the sugar with the salt the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside.
In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine egg whites, water, orange extract, and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, switch to a hand mixer. Slowly sift the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
Carefully spoon mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).
Cool upside down on cooling rack for at least an hour before removing from pan.
Cook's Note: Since they're easier to separate use the freshest eggs you can get.

Penne Gorgonzola with Chicken

This was another hit recipe. After making several new recipes that have all been really good, I am just waiting for one to turn out to be not-so-hot. But I guess that will be another day because we loved this one.

I made a few changes to the recipe. I used more olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic. I didn’t have any cream so I used a little extra chicken broth and a big spoonful of sour cream. (I liked the sour cream, I think it added a nice little tang that the cream wouldn’t have.) I also mixed a little cornstarch in with a little broth to thicken it. I also used dried sage, about 2 heaping teaspoons.

Penne Gorgonzola with Chicken from the October/November 2009 issue of Taste of Home

Ingredients

1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon Crisco® Pure Olive Oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups (8 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
6 to 8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and minced fresh parsley

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil on all sides. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan.

Add cream and broth; cook until sauce is slightly thickened and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the Gorgonzola cheese, sage, salt and pepper; cook just until cheese is melted.

Drain pasta; toss with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and parsley. Yield: 8 servings.

Crab-Stuffed Sole (Orange Roughy)

This was a surprisingly good recipe. I had my doubts, but we both really liked it. I didn’t like how the recipe called for everything to be cooked in the microwave so I made it in the oven. I cooked it at 375 until the fish was done. The fillets I got were frozen orange roughy (I couldn’t find sole). They were more like pieces than fillets so I couldn’t “stuff” them. Instead I made the filling and just piled some on each piece and baked it like that.
I also made the sauce on the stovetop. The recipe says to make it first, but if you are making the fish in the oven, get the fish in the oven and then make the sauce. That way the sauce won’t get too thick or get too cold.

Crab-Stuffed Sole from the October/November 2005 “Taste of Home”
Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
4-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice

FILLETS:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 package (8 ounces) imitation crabmeat, flaked
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon butter, melted
2 sole or orange roughy fillets (6 ounces each)

Directions:
For dill sauce, melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl; stir in flour until smooth. Stir in broth and dill until blended. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring after each minute, until sauce comes to a boil and is thickened. Stir in lemon juice; keep warm.

In a small bowl, combine the egg, crab, celery, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Spoon onto the center of each fillet; roll up fish around filling. Place in a 9-in. round microwave-safe dish. Cover with waxed paper.

Microwave on high for 5-6 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork and a thermometer inserted into stuffing reads 160°. Serve with dill sauce. Yield: 2 servings.

Double Chocolate Brownie Cake

This isn’t a new recipe, but since so many of my friends and family love this cake, I thought I would include it.  This is a really easy chocolate Bundt cake with a chocolate cake mix base. It is really moist and chocolatey without being too much (but then again, I am a chocoholic). I usually dust the cake with powdered sugar as a finishing touch. One of my friends has also suggested that butterscotch chips are a good substitution.

Double Chocolate Brownie Cake by ECHIngredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Have all ingredients at room temperature.

2.In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in eggs, sour cream, oil and water. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3.Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool. OSZERO on allrecipes.com

Almond Biscotti

This was my first crack at biscotti and it turned out great! I wish someone would have told me that when you shape the dough into rectangles, it would be a sticky mess and you should just do your best. I thought “there is no way that this will ever turn into anything resembling biscotti” but I was wrong! Once it was done, I melted some chocolate chips in the microwave and drizzled it over some of the pieces and it was a delicious touch.

Almond Biscotti posted by Mrs. H. Michaelsen on allrecipes.com:
Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
3 eggs
1 teaspoon anise or vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Dash salt
1/2 cup chopped almonds
2 teaspoons milk

Directions
1.In a mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in anise or vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture. Stir in almonds. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease foil. Divide dough in half; spread into two 12-in. x 3-in. rectangles on foil. Brush with milk and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 300 degrees F. Lift rectangles with foil onto wire rack; cool for 15 minutes. Place on a cutting board; slice diagonally 1/2 in. thick. Place slices with cut side down on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake 10 minutes more. Turn oven off, leaving cookies in oven with door ajar to cool. Store in airtight container. 

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

This was the best chocolate frosting that I have made! It was so delicious and creamy. It had a nice texture and frosted well. I used it on the sour cream chocolate cake from the last post. (Personally, I liked the frosting better than the cake.) I think it will be great on lots of different things and I think it will be a new standard for me.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting posted by Tracy Larsen on allrecipes.com
Ingredients

2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1.In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa, and set aside.

2.In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with evaporated milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.