I love Thanksgiving. I mean what's not to love? Family and friends all enjoying a leisurely meal together, which I don't know about your family, but in mine, doesn't happen often enough. So when we can all be together, it's a very special day for me.
I also take time for special kinds of extra dishes, that I wouldn't normally serve on ordinary times.
This dish is one of them. Before you go any further though, I must tell you that you don't cook off the liquor in this recipe. The vodka and Cointreau is added after the dish has been cooked, so please serve it only to adults and no pregnant gals either.
So if you want to change up your kind of boring cranberry sauce this year? Then here is a great version to make and it's so easy too! You can also make it up to 2 weeks in advance and store it in your refrigerator in a sealed container.
1 12 oz. package of fresh cranberries
1/2 c. water
1 c. sugar
1/3 cup vodka
3 Tablespoons of Cointreau
Juice of 1 lime
In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, bring cranberries, water and sugar to a boil. Turn down to medium low and let simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off your stove. Set aside. Let it cool for 1/2 hour.
Add vodka and Cointreau, stir well. Add lime juice and sitr. Transfer to a container and seal tightly for at least two hours.
Serve with a thin slice of lime in the center.
I'm joining the lovely people at Rattlebridge Farms, for Foodie Friday today. The link is on my side-bar.
Happy Thanksgiving ~
I lightened up Taco Soup, without losing any of the flavor. And like most of my food, it has a bit of a kick. It's easy and delicious too, which makes it a winner in my book. At the end of the cooking process you can add a little tiny cooked pasta, cooked rice, baked tortilla strips, too. And if you aren't worried about the calories, add a dollop of sour cream and thinly sliced avocado when you serve. But, you don't have to because this soup is fantastic on it's own.
Here's the recipe:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
3 medium carrots, small diced
3 stalks of celery, small diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T. taco seasoning (I use Trader Joe's)
1 can of white or black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can of petite canned tomatoes (8 oz.)
8 cups of chicken stock (low sodium)
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 pound bag of fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 T. olive oil
1 T. Kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
In a dutch oven, heat oil on medium heat. Add onion and sauté on medium low for 5 minutes. Stir in carrots and celery. Saute for another 3 minutes and add in garlic. Remove pan from burner. Stir garlic so it doesn't burn. Add 1 tablespoon of Taco Seasoning, stir. Add salt and pepper and stir again. Place pan back on burner and turn to medium. Add in tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring soup to a simmer and turn down to low. Partially cover and let cook for about 15-20 minutes. Add chopped spinach and turn stove off. Cover the pot and let sit for 30 minutes.
Serve with suggestions above, or just eat it alone. It's that good, it's that easy and it's very healthy and low cal. When I eat it for lunch, I don't embellish it. For a meal, I love adding sour cream, thinly sliced avocado and a sprinkling of cheese.
Enjoy!
It had been a while since I made a galette and I was in the mood for something kind of different than my normal stir fry for dinner during the week. However, I work during the day and coming home to long recipes isn't in my realm. I want short cuts. So I roasted the eggplant in the morning before I left for work. I put them in a container and left them on the counter. This made short work for my dinner!
This one is made with baby eggplants, but I'm sure you can use the larger one, just make sure you buy the smallest size they have. I cut them mine in half, because they were about the size of a golf ball. If you buy a regular size eggplant, cut the slices into 1/2" widths. Some people salt the slices and drain them for a few minutes. Although I have never found that step necessary, unless you have a really, really large and old eggplant.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
Anyway, slice a large eggplant into 1/4" thickness or cut your small ones in half (I used 10 small ones), toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tsp. of kosher salt and roast for 15 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
In the meantime, either using your own pie dough or a store bought one, which I did, roll it out on a floured surface. Transfer dough to a half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper. Let sit for a minute while you get your cheese mixture ready.
Mix together, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella and 1 ounce of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
In a separate bowl, whisk one egg and 1 Tablespoon of cold water together.
Spread cheese mixture over dough, leaving a 2" border on the edges. Place eggplant slices on top of cheese mixture in one layer. I didn't have any mozzarella, so I used blue cheese. Although I liked the flavor, I much prefer it with the ricotta/mozzarella mixture. The blue cheese was just a little to pungent. Stick with the ricotta. It's sublime.
Now fold up sides of dough to encase the eggplant/cheese mixture. Pleat the dough edges gently as you go.
Brush dough with the egg wash and grate more parmesan cheese all over the top.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let sit for a few minutes and serve. By the way, I snipped the stem before I served it! It makes a nice dinner dish served with a green salad for accompaniment.
Joining the lovely people for Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm here:
http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/
I wanted a special dessert for my grandkids combined birthday celebration because they are teenagers now. And, I wanted something that not only tasted wonderful, but looked special too. I found the original one on The Painted Apron's blog and fell in love with her presentation. Mine is adapted, but just as nice I think.
This is a very easy cake to do and I made mine the night before and left it in a spring form pan overnight in the fridge. The next day, I easily transported it to my oldest son's house. Then I released the sides and tied my bow on it. It was a huge hit. But for me, I found it a tad sweet and I love chocolate so this lovely and easy cake wouldn't be my choice. However, if you have teenagers or men in the house, they loved it!
Here's how to make it.
24 soft ladyfingers
4 T. melted butter, cooled
2 T. Cointreau liquor
Cheesecake/Tiramisu filling:
4 - 8oz. pkgs. of cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup of white sugar
4 eggs
2 T. Cointreau
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of butterscotch chips, plus more for the top decoration
Toast 12 split ladyfingers in an 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Watch after 7 minutes, so they don't burn. Remove from oven.
Place toasted ladyfingers in food processer along with melted butter and 2 T. Cointreau. Pulse until medium crumbs. Press into the bottom of a sprayed 9 inch spring form pan.
Place the rest of the split ladyfingers on the sides of the spring form pan, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, using a paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and white sugar together. Add sour cream, brown sugar and remaining Cointreau. Add eggs, one at a time. Pour half the batter into the spring form pan (no need to measure). It's okay if it's not perfectly half the batter. Sprinkle the butterscotch chips in one layer over the batter.
Pour the rest of the batter over the top of the butterscotch chips and place in the oven for 55-60 minutes. It will still jiggle in the middle a little. Shut off oven, open door ajar for 1/2 hr. Then remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for another 1/2 hr. Place a row of butterscotch chips around the outside edge of the cheesecake.
At this point, you can place a piece of plastic wrap to cover the cake refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Unmold sides.
I served it with Curtis Stone's Butterscotch sauce on the side. But before I did, I tied it up with a pretty ribbon for a special night!
I'm joining the lovely Michele Lee West at Rattlebridge Farm, Foodie Friday....
It's soup weather again.... not my favorite time of year, but I love to be back in the kitchen again chopping and cooking.
And I love soup any time of the year, but the best time for me is now. The weather is cool, the leaves have turned and I can add color to my dishes that our cold weather took away from our yards and gardens.
This soup is an adaption of one I found on foodgawker. Their blogger put parsnips in it and I didn't have any, so I added a diced potato. I thought the potato would add some creaminess to the soup without the extra calories of well, cream!
Here's the recipe. The lime and cilantro brightens the flavors really well and makes it a very easy and delicious little meal. Just add a salad to round it out and perhaps a slice of fresh bread.
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 granny smith apple, pealed and chopped
1 medium potato, diced (doesn't matter what kind)
1 large stalk of celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 15 ounce can of coconut milk
2 cups of chicken stock
1 whole lime, juiced
2 Tablespoons of fresh cilantro chopped
1 tsp. of curry powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 small pinch of nutmeg (optional)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
In a dutch oven, heat oil on medium. Add onion and 1/2 tsp. of kosher salt. Saute for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and wilted.
Add the celery, potato, cauliflower, apple, curry powder and salt. Stir and sauté for 5 minutes, turning it down to low if need be. (depends on your stove)
Add stock, coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Turn stove on low and partially cover. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in nutmeg and turmeric. Turn off stove and let sit for another ten minutes and when it's cool enough use an immersion blender to make it smooth. Add cilantro, lime juice and stir. Adjust seasonings if needed.
Enjoy!
A sunset I captured at a friend's lakehouse in NH. I love how the lake looks like glass. Sad to say good bye to summer!
I'm joining Michael Lee West at Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday today ~
This curry tastes like restaurant quality, but it doesn't have all the labor intensive spices and ingredients that makes it practically impossible to do in a short time. However, you won't notice the short cut in it's flavor. This recipe short cut was given to me as a tip by a Thai chef, who uses this short cut all the time. And it tastes fabulous!
The tip she gave me comes in a can (sshh), Maesri Penang Curry paste. It's the size of a can of tuna and it's packed with flavor. I got my can at an Asian market, but check your ethnic section in your grocery store. Or Amazon does carry it too. Even if it doesn't say Penang Curry, look for any yellow curry paste.
Add the contents of the can of paste to a medium sized stockpot, and pour in 1 can of coconut milk (15 oz). Fill the coconut milk can with water and add that to the stockpot. Bring to a simmer, add large diced chicken breast and simmer for 15 minutes on low. Add a pinch of red pepper and shut of the stove. You can serve it above as is, sprinkled with chopped green onion. Of course, it's even better with good Naan bread to sop up some of the sauce.
Or you can add sliced red pepper along with your chicken to cook and serve over cooked basmati rice. Add a sprinkle of of cilantro at the end.
It's wonderful either way and it tastes really yummy.
Enjoy ~
I'm linking to Rattlebridge Farm's Foodie Friday here ~
I love ordering these rolls in an Asian restaurant. I love the flavor of the dipping sauce too, it's yummy. I knew I wanted to try and make these at home, they looked so easy to do. But, I heard people say that working with the rice paper was tricky, or a pain to work with. I am here to tell you that it is not. It's almost easy. The only little tricky part, is not to walk away leaving the rice paper in the bowl of water. As a matter of fact, feel the rice paper with your fingers all around when you place one in the bowl. You will feel how stiff they are. Then in about 15 to 20 seconds, they turn pliable. And that's when they are ready. You just lift them up and out of the water, holding it over the bowl to let the excess water drip for a few seconds. Then spread it out on your waiting towel and it will be good to go. Another tip is to roll them kind of tightly, just like a burrito, rolling the sides in as you go. You'll keep them together better and they will look neat and pretty.
Here's the recipe:
Cucumber and Avocado Summer Rolls
(adapted from Williams Sonoma 2008)
- 1 Tbs. rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 Tbs.. soy sauce
- 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (I used Planters)
-
- 2 avocados
- 20 rice paper rounds, 6 or 8 inches
in diameter (I used the one with a Red Rose on front of pkg)
- Leaves from 1 bunch fresh basil
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 carrots, peeled and shredded (I used the large setting on a box grater)
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled & cut into thin
strips
In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter, vinegar, soy
sauce and sugar until the sugar dissolves; set aside.
Halve, pit
and peel the avocados, and then cut them into thin slices.
Place a
wide, shallow bowl of warm water on a work surface. Lay a clean kitchen towel
next to the bowl. Dip 1 rice paper round into the water for about 20 seconds to
soften, then lay it flat on the towel. . Using another towel, pat the top of the
rice paper dry.
Center a lettuce leaf on top of the stacked rice paper.
Starting about one-third in from the edge closest to you, arrange a few of the
basil leaves in a line across the lettuce. Top with a small row
each of the carrot, cucumber and avocado; be careful not to overstuff the
roll. Lift the bottom edge of the rice paper up and over the filling and then
roll once to form a tight cylinder. Fold in the sides of the rice paper and
continue to roll the paper and filling into a tight cylinder. Set aside, seam
side down. Repeat with the remaining rice paper and filling ingredients to make
10 rolls.
Cut each roll in half crosswise and arrange, cut side up, on a
platter. Place the sauce alongside for dipping and serve immediately. Makes 20
rolls; serves 8 to 10.
Here's a picture I took of a hay field in NH, last week. Fall is such a gorgeous time in New England, nothing quite like it. Wouldn't you agree?
I've joined the lovely people at Rattlebridge Farms for Foodie Friday ~
