Happy New Year and a Cranberry Salad Recipe

Happy New Year, Calvin and Hobbes Style

 I was trying to find some fabulously inspiring quote to give you for the new year, but nothing really seemed just right.  But mostly I want to thank each and every one of you for stopping by my little site, and wish you a warm and wonderful year filled with joy and blessings, and of course a lot of deliciousness!  Have fun "exploring" through 2011.

 Here's a little pic of the cranberry salad my MIL makes that I was telling you about.  

It's truly delicious, sweet and tart, with delicious bits of cranberry and pineapple.  Goes great with your meal or as dessert. 

   

Here's her recipe...actually recipes.  She has a regular and a diet version.

Cranberry Salad - original

1 bag raw cranberries - frozen if using a grinder or not frozen if using food processor
2 apples - peeled and chopped with food processor or by hand
11/3 cup pineapple - crushed or use tidbits and chop with food processor
1 cup sugar
2 small boxes Jello - cranberry and/or raspberry
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 carton Cool Whip - regular
 

Cranberry Salad - diet version

1 bag raw cranberries - frozen if using a grinder or not frozen if using food processor
2 apples - peeled and chopped with food processor or by hand
1 1/3 cup pineapple - crushed or use tidbits and chop with food processor
1 cup Splenda
2 small boxes Jello (sugar-free) - raspberry
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 carton Cool Whip Free

 Stir together: ground cranberries, chopped apples, crushed pineapple and sugar; let set 1 hour for flavors to mingle and sugar to dissolve.
Prepare Jello; let set in fridge until it begins to thicken. Stir in fruit mixture; when it begins to set pretty well, blend in Cool Whip.

Only two people were interested in my used copy of "Dining with Joy", so my daughter wrote their names down on two seperate slips of paper and pulled their name from a cup to determine the winner is Glenda.  Congrats, and I'll be contacting you soon for your mailing info.

 

Christmas Food: Eggnog Pudding and Cranberry Sauce

Wow, what a great weekend it's been!  Good food, lots of family time, and PRESENTS!  What can I say, I'm a kid trapped in a 43 year old body.  

I did most of the cooking for Christmas this year since I was off and gave my MIL a break.  She usually does all the big meals.  But we always force her to make the deviled eggs (the best around) and her cranberry salad, which is like nothing I've ever had.  In fact she forwarded the recipe to me and I think I have a little left so I'll try to get a picture and post the recipe soon.

I had purchased two bags of cranberries and realized I had no idea why.  So I whipped up a little fresh cranberry sauce myself.

A Martha Stewart recipe that's easier than falling off a log.  I would recommend halving the recipe unless you are making it for a large crowd who really loves their cranberry sauce.  

2 bags (12 ounces each) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 wide strips orange zest, plus 1 cup fresh orange juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper
 

In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, orange zest, and 1/2 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange juice. (To store, refrigerate, up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving.) 

Our dessert was a recipe I found at Country Living for Eggnog Pudding.  

I was really excited to try this, but was a bit disappointed because I found the molasses flavor a bit over powering.   If I made it again, I would definitely decrease that ingredient, or maybe eliminate it altogether.  Even though I wasn't crazy about it, my husband and son thought it was really good.  

1 can(s) (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk, (1 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 cup(s) half-and-half
1 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoon(s) molasses
1/3 cup(s) brandy
1/8 teaspoon(s) salt
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoon(s) cornstarch
1 teaspoon(s) cornstarch, (combine with above cornstarch)

 25 small (about 1 1/2 inch) gingersnap cookies
3/4 cup(s) heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) confectioners' sugar

Directions
Make the pudding: Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. Bring the sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup of the half-and-half, nutmeg, molasses, brandy, and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from heat. Whisk the egg yolks and 1/4 cup half-and-half in a medium bowl until combined. Slowly add in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, while continuing to whisk, and set aside. Whisk the cornstarch and remaining half-and-half together in a medium bowl. Quickly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the hot milk mixture. Place the pan back on heat, increase to medium-high, and whisk constantly until it just boils. Remove from the heat and add the egg mixture, while stirring vigorously, to the hot milk mixture. Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid just begins to simmer. Immediately remove from the heat and strain into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, placing the film directly on the hot pudding, and set in the ice bath to cool. Refrigerate.
Assemble the dessert: Crush 1 gingersnap and set aside. Combine the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl and beat to soft peaks. Alternate layers of cooled pudding, gingersnaps, and cream in six 6-ounce individual custard cups. Chill for at least one hour. Top with crushed cookies and serve.
 

A couple of things I wanted to mention...

I was the lucky winner of a giveaway at Two Peas and Their Pod, and got this cute as a button popcorn bowl with Orville Redenbacher popcorn to fill it up with.

 That bowl's gonna hold a lot of popcorn!

Also, don't know if you remember, but I was given the chance to review a book called "Dining with Joy" recently, and just finished reading it today.

I suck at book reviews, but I found this to be a fun read, with lots of food talk, and a sweet (although improbable) love story, with issues of stuggles with faith thrown in as well.  In fact, I'd love to pass my copy on to one of you if you'd like to read it.  Let me know in the comments if you'd like to receive it, and I'll choose a winner later this week.  (US only please)

Have a great week as we gear up for a new year! 

Love Has Come!

Just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a joyous Christmas.  

I've got visions of a Christmas like this is my head...

But it's way more like this...

Either way it's my favorite time of year.  Many blessings to all of you and enjoy your day! 

Candy Corn Roll-Up Cookies

 Hey everyone...I haven't fallen off the face of the planet after all!

I made an impulse purchase at the grocery check out and bought Betty Crocker's Fall Baking cook book (or maybe it's a book-let...I never know what to call those things.)   This was the first recipe to catch my eye.

I thought they were as cute as they could be.  My only issue with the recipe is that it said it makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.  I think I got about 23 or 24.  I think they are quite tasty too.  The orange zest really gives them a nice flavor.

Here's the recipe...make and enjoy!

1 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 to 2 tablespoons orange zest
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Orange and Yellow gel food color

In a large bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar, egg and orange zest with an electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.

Divide dough into thirds. Tint one portion orange and one portion yellow; leave remaining portion plain. Flatten each portion into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 20 minutes.

On a separate sheets of lightly floured waxed paper, roll each portion of dough into 12x9 inch rectangle. Place orange rectangle on top of the yellow rectangle, using waxed paper ends to help flip dough over. Top with the plain dough. Starting on a long side, and using waxed paper as an aid. Roll dough into a cylinder. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 375. Cut dough into 1/4 inch slices. On ungreased cookie sheet, place slices about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.
 

I will be entering this recipe in Mommy's Kitchen's Pot Luck Sunday. When you get a chance, head on over there and check out all the different recipes.

I'm hoping to review that CSN product soon, and when I do, you'll get to meet someone extra special who has come into our lives :) 

Safeway Holiday Recipes: Mushroom Sausage Strudel & Peanut Butter 'n Jelly Scones

I was awfully excited to learn I was going to get to be a part of Foodbuzz's Safeway Tastemaker Program and blog about one of Safeway's holiday recipes.

In fact I was so excited I couldn't pick just one!

My first choice was this mushroom sausage strudel. It incorporates several things I love (cresent rolls, sausage, shrooms) so I was sure I would love it. Plus it looked kinda easy which is always a bonus with me.

Look at me trying to be all fancy with my strudel on the right. I'd better stick with simple.

I think as well as being a great appetizer for any holiday gathering, it would also be super as a brunch item, maybe served with a side of hashbrowns.

I'll link up the recipe here for ya. I will say I would use about half the amount of dijon called for, but that's just me.

When I thought I had narrowed my choice down to one, this guy wouldn't quit calling my name.

I love scones and had never made a peanut butter one, so it seemed it was time.

I love how the jelly made a little heart shape in this one.

These were pretty easy to make too. I was a little concerned about the dough at first because it seemed awfully dry (in fact I did add a little more cream), but it turned out just fine.

And the addition of the chocolate chips in there was awesome!

I imagine a batch of these would keep the rugrats from nipping at your heels while you're trying to prepare your holiday dinner :)

Click here for the recipe.

This photo was taken while I had the other half of that scone shoved into my face!

Spooky Popcorn Balls

Okay, they're not really spooky, are they? They're so easy...that's what's spooky about them!

I made this first batch plain. The recipe only made up seven of them, but it's not so bad because it's really not that time consuming.

I decided to add some orange jello for color to the second batch. Because of all the jellos in the world, orange is my favoritest. I liked these, it gave just a little flavor (I added half the package to the syrup mixture), but the girl didn't like them.

And because I love salty and sweet together, I added some mini m&m's to the last batch. This was a little tricky since I had to let the popcorn mixture cool off enough to not completely melt the candies, but still warm enough to make into ball shapes. It's all about balance people!

The girl put them in cute little candy corn bags and piled them all in a lasagna pan for passing out later tonight.

I think dentists around the community will be happy with me :)

Here's the recipe I found at Halloween-website.com.

I like it because it's simple and you don't have to use a candy thermometer or anything complicated like that.

8 c. popped popcorn

2/3 c. light corn syrup

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine the corn syrup, sugar and salt in a large kettle and heat on medium heat while stirring until dissolved. Add the popcorn to the kettle and toss. Cook for an additional 5 minutes until mixture becomes very sticky. Remove from heat.

Shape popcorn into balls with clean hands and cool. Wrap the balls in plastic wrap and seal tightly with a twist tie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know I promised in the last post to share Emeril's black-eyed pea salad. Hope you're not too disappointed. Popcorn balls trump peas everytime :)

Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle: The One In Which Martha Redeems Herself

I have to admit I was still holding a grudge over the Boston Cream Pie incident and planned to never visit Martha's site again. But I was lead there unknowingly when I clicked a link for this trifle. I'm a sucker for a pretty trifle and this really didn't look too difficult so I decided to let bygones be bygones and give it a try.

It was quite easy to put together, as most trifles are, and didn't take up three hours of my life. We loved the cream cheese fluff mixture, and brushing the pound cake with a lemon syrup gives it a nice little something extra.

Here's the recipe for ya.

Ingredients

1/4 plus 1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

12 ounce pound cake, cut into 3/4 inch slices

8 ounces cream cheese, room temp

1 cup heavy cream

3 cups fresh blueberries

3 cups fresh raspberries

Directions

Make lemon sy

rup: In a small saucepan, bring 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water to

a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let cool completely, then brush over both sides

of cake slices. Quarter each slice.

With an electri

c mixer, beat cream cheese with remaining 1/3 cup sugar on high speed until lightened. With mixer on m

edium speed, gradually add heavy cream in a steady stream; contin

ue beating until mixture is light and airy (mixture will be like a very soft whipped cream).

Arrange half the

cake pieces in the bottom of a 2-quart serving dish. Spoon half the cream-cheese mixture over cake in dollops;

spread to sides of dish. Scatter half the blueberries and raspberries on top. Repeat layering with r

emaining cake, cream-cheese mixture, and b

erries, piling berries in the center.

Cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least

1 hour and up to overnight.

Hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

Happy Easter

Wishing you and yours a beautiful Easter weekend.

Bailey's Irish Cream Cake

Hope everyone had a fun St. Patricks Day. I think my daughter's teacher did...when I went to get the girl from school, her teacher was wearing a GIANT green bow on her head. Musta started with the Irish drinking games a little early. (just kidding, she's a very nice lady)

I decided to try to do another St. Patrick's day themed meal today, just for the heck of it. For dessert I made this Irish cream cake I found made by Cathy at the Noble Pig.

It's easy, and yummy, and chock full o' Bailey's. The recipe called for a box of pudding mix, but I was out (well I had pistachio for some unknown reason), so I just threw in a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream to add some moistness. Seemed to work out fine.

The kids really seemed to like it. It is okay to feed children alcohol laden food isn't it?

I also made Cathy's Irish beef stew which I will probably post about in a couple of days, then I'll start stalking copying someone else.

.

Don't forget: just a few more posts until I reach 100 and I'll have some sort of lame-O giveaway! You don't want to miss it.

Early St. Paddy's Day

The leprechauns of the sporadic cook household were feeling restless so we decided to have our St. Patrick's day feast a little early. I haven't worked with corned beef too much but I'm thinking it's fairly foolproof.

This was made in the crock pot. I added about a cup of beer, and a half a cup of water that I seasoned with some dry mustard and garlic powder. I also sprinkled part of the package of spices that come with the corned beef over the top. I would have cooked the potatoes in with it but didn't have any right then, so just boiled them up separately later in the day.

It cooked about 8 hours on low, then I turned it up to high, chopped the cabbage up and stuck in for about 1 1/2 hour.

It turned out really nice and tender, didn't even really need a knife to eat it with.

For dessert I copied Kevin at Closet Cooking by making this Chocolate Stout Cake with Bailey's cream cheese frosting. I used an oatmeal stout, whatever the heck that is. Sounds healthy though, right?

I thought this cake turned out super moist and velvety, with just a little something different going on. My daughter says she's "kookoo" for it.

Not sure what I'll do with all that left over Bailey's.

Gratuitous cute dog pic

Happy Valentine's Day

I just felt like I needed to get that out there. Love you all!

Snackfest '09

Yesterday being new year's day seemed like as good of an occasion as any to get together with family and eat a bunch of food!

One of my favorite things to start (and end) with is a lovely pineapple cheeseball. I've made this particular one for many a gathering and always get nice comments on it. It was especially lovely after my talented daughter artfully arranged the Ritz crackers around it.

My hubby made his guacamole that everybody but me loves...I'm just not an avocado person. I know I'm wrong for it.

And I put together some yummy bruschetta. It's pretty much just diced tomatoes, chopped basil, a drizzle of olive oil and coarse salt and pepper. This is some of my favorite stuff!

I didn't take a pic but I also made some wonderful buffalo chicken dip. If you haven't tried it, go and get everything you need and do it today. I could just have a bowl of that stuff and a spoon and be a happy girl.

We had this cute football shaped shrimp platter especially with my son in mind. There have been times he could clean off one of those by himself, but he wasn't especially feelin' it today.

To make sure we got a little meat in our diet we had some pineapple chicken skewers and bacon wrapped dates. I'd never had the dates before...I enjoyed the flavor but was not sure about the squishiness level of the dates. Will have to try them again sometime.

To keep our collective blood sugars from dropping we had to have some sweets. I made some s'mores brownies that I found a recipe from Food Network's site. (recipe below) They were pretty darned good but were quite a pain to cut. Also had some cranberry bars that weren't too bad. I liked the oatmeal in them; gave them a nice texture.

Check out the inside of those brownies...super fudgey!

Crust: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons sugar Pinch fine salt

Brownie:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1 cup packed light brown sugar 3/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 4 large cold eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping: 4 cups large marshmallows

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 by-8-inch square baking pan with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch. For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the brownie. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave on 75 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave again until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. Alternatively, put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan without touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted. Stir the light brown and white sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate. Add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on low. Layer marshmallows across the top and toast under the broiler until golden, (keep an eye on it, it can go quick), about 2 minutes. Cool on a rack, gently removing the brownies from the pan using the aluminum flaps. Carefully separate any marshmallow from the foil and fold away. Cut into 12 (2-inch) squares.