Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Cranberry Ginger Relish


This 2008 Martha Stewart recipe is a favorite I keep coming back to. I've decided that I need to finally add it to my blog, since my goal is to un-clutter my life which may include culling collections of saved magazines. I return to this year after year and quadruple it for canning and the plethora of turkey and stuffing sandwiches that inevitably follow Thanksgiving. My one wish was that Hi-Ho was still alive to know that, after all these years, I am finally a cranberry sauce lover!

Ingredients

  • 1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan, bring cranberries, sugar, ginger, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until most of the cranberries have popped, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in vinegar.
  2. Remove relish from heat. Let cool to room temperature, and serve.

Petersen Pie crust

This is the pie crust used at the annual Pie Party.  I am making it today as I prepare for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 sticks butter, in pieces

1/4 cup ice water


Process


  1. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar.

  2. Cut in butter, using a pastry blender (pictured).

  3. Sprinkle with water and continue mixing until smooth and the proper consistency.

  4. Divide into two balls and freeze 10 minutes.

  5. When ready, roll out on a well floured surface.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Apple Butter

This is my favorite apple butter recipe of all. It is from the book Preserving the Harvest. I have blogged about it before at this link.

Ingredients
10 large tart apples
2 cups apple cider
3-5 cups sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground all-spice
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Process


1. Wash, core & quarter apples.

2. Combine apples and cider in oven safe pot on top of stove.

3. Cook slowly in cider until tender.














4. Blend in batches in the blender.



















5. Return mixture to pot.
6. Add sugar and spices and stir to combine.
Place in oven.














7. Cook in 350°F oven, stirring often. Test for desired thickness by spooning mixture onto a cold plate. If no liquid oozes around edges, it is thick enough.
8. Ladle into jars. Process 10 minutes or freeze.

Beet Carrot soup with Feta cheese




Fresh Wild Turkey

The fall turkey season added food to the freezer and an amazing dinner to our table.

 

























SP was quite ingenious in developing a way to prevent the gamey taste associated with some wild fowl.  Here's the recipe.
Ingredients
One wild turkey hen (approx. 7 lbs)
Bacon grease
16 oz can of hard cider (SP used Strongbow and it was perfect)

Directions
After cleaning and dressing turkey, rub the skin generously with bacon grease. Rub again with salt and pepper. Take a couple drinks of the 16 oz can of hard cider and then stuff it up the turkeys rear end. Place the bird upright in small lipped baking dish and place over indirect medium heat on your outdoor grill. Roast for about an hour until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Apply more bacon grease as necessary. When done, drain the accumulated grease from carcass and baking dish into a sauce pan. Reduce these contents over stove top to make a gravy.


Sunday, May 5, 2013

Cream of Bacon Soup


















Sorry but I have no recipe and can not claim that I made it.
SP made the recipe up as an amalgamation of ones he found out and about, so you can just dream up your own!

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Zucchini zucchini zucchini :D

this looks like a fun way to use up the summer run on zucchini!

Pineapple Boats!




Creamy Roasted Tomato Balsamic Soup

This soup was amazing, fun, unique, loved, and a definite do it again! Thank you Tracey's Culinary adventures for another stellar recipe, pictured below with Smitten Kitchen's Cauliflower fritters. 


















Tracey's recipe can be found HERE, but it originated from Cooking Light.

Creamy Roasted Tomato-Balsamic Soup
from Cooking Light, October 2005

1 cup low-sodium beef broth, divided
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, peeled
2 (28-oz) cans whole tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup half-and-half
heavy cream, basil and freshly ground black pepper (optional garnishes)

Preheat oven to 500 F. Spray a 13x9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray (I used a metal pan since I wasn't sure if Pyrex or other glass containers were safe to use at such high temperatures.)

In a measuring cup, whisk together 1/2 cup of the beef broth, the brown sugar, vinegar and soy sauce. Add the onion, garlic and tomatoes to the prepared pan then pour the broth mixture over them. Roast for 45-50 minutes, or until the vegetables are lightly browned (the liquid will have reduced and should be thickened).

Transfer the mixture in the pan to a blender or food processor. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth and the half-and-half. Process until smooth. At this point, you can go in one of two directions - eat the soup as is, or strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the solids so the soup will have a smoother consistency. I strained it but it's up to you :) Garnish with a drizzle of cream, chopped basil and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

Cauliflower Feta Fritters

Being back at work full time, I have found that many things have been neglected. Last summer I had a big birthday and got a new iPhone, I have only just now downloaded its photos on to my computer. I am painfully aware of the need for more spare time in my life. Blogging has probably been the one thing most neglected. It took me a few minutes to remember where this wonderful, yummy, and fun recipe came from.














The recipe is from the beloved Smitten Kitchen and can be found HERE.  The soup shown with it was an awesome chunky roast tomato soup. I will post that recipe next (if I can find it again).




"Cauliflower-Feta Fritters with Smoky Yogurt, Pomegranate

Makes 18 2-inch fritters

I prefer fritters with a lot of vegetable and just the faintest amount of batter, loosely tethering the vegetable chunks to each other. It will seem weird as you put the piles of batter in the pan — “these are going to fall apart!” — but gently nudge any loose pieces back on the pile and I promise, once they’re cooked, they will stay together and their flavor will be crisp and clear, uncluttered by an eggy, soft batter.

1 small head cauliflower (1 pound florets, i.e. stems and leaves removed), cut into generous 1 to 2 inch chunks
1 large egg
1 garlic clove, minced
Few gratings of fresh lemon zest
3 ounces crumbled feta (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes; less if using regular red pepper flakes, which are hotter
3/4 teaspoon table salt or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive oil for frying

To serve
3/4 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful pomegranate arils

Cook cauliflower in simmering salted water, uncovered, until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes, until firm but tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain well. Spread on towels to dry as much as possible.

In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together egg, garlic and lemon zest. Add cauliflower florets and mash with a potato masher until they’re crushed into an average of pea-sized pieces (i.e. some will be bigger, some smaller, but most will be little nubs).

Sprinkle in feta and stir to combine egg mixture, cauliflower and feta. In a small dish, whisk flour, salt, pepper and baking powder until evenly combined. Sprinkle over cauliflower batter and stir just until combined.

Heat oven to 200 degrees and place a tray inside. On the stove, heat a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat. Once hot, add a good slick of oil, about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Once the oil is hot (you can test it by flicking a droplet of water into it; it should hiss and sputter), scoop a two tablespoon-size mound of the batter and drop it into the pan, then flatten it slightly with your spoon or spatula. Repeat with additional batter, leaving a couple inches between each. Once brown underneath, about 2 to 3 minutes, flip each fritter and cook on the other side until equally golden, about another 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer briefly to paper towels to drain, then the tray in the oven to keep them warm until needed. Once all fritters are cooked, mix yogurt with cumin, salt and pepper.

Spread fritters on serving platter. Dollop each with cumin yogurt and sprinkle with pomegranate arils.

Do ahead: Fritters both freeze and reheat well. To warm and recrisp them, lay them on a tray and toast them at 400 degrees in the oven until crisp again."

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Awesomesauce Bruschetta



















In preparation for Winter storm Nemo, I did some creative menu planning. Creative isn't a strong enough word because I set my mind on a bizarre idea of watercress pesto. Yes watercress pesto - and low and behold I found this awesome recipe from a great new blog The Bite House to follow.This recipe is entirely local because I also used Sister's Salsa from Blue Hill and a wonderful raw milk local cheese. The Silver Ridge Tomme is a raw goats milk cheese from Sonnental Dairy I found recently at The Good Life Market. Sonnental Dairy doesn't seem to have a website but they are a part of the Maine Cheese Guild. The tomme was a perfect addition for this cornucopia of tastes - hence the name Awesomesauce Bruschetta.





















Ingredients
Baguette - sliced on a diagonal
Watercress pesto
1 container Sisters Salsa
Shredded cheese to melt on top

Directions
1. Slice baguette on a diagonal, place on baking dish, and put a little olive oil on it.



2. Toast the bread slightly under the broiler.



3. Assemble the bruschetta first the pesto (sorry for the blurry picture) and then the salsa.






4. Top with melted cheese


















5. Put under the broiler, turning the pan a couple of times so that they all get equal share of the broiler flames. Keep an eye on it and take it out then the cheese is melted. Yummy!


Thursday, February 7, 2013

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Madeleine's Baked Fondue


















It didn't take me much longer than a trip to the market to make Hi-Ho's Baked Fondue. I even went out on a limb and didn't exactly follow the directions. That is a big deal for me as a cook that likes to follow recipes and tends to not 'wing it'. By the way, this is much less like a bread pudding but much more a souffle like

I decided to use a baguette and then doubled the wet ingredients. It worked perfectly. The picture below is after I made my first layer.


















Ingredients
1 baguette, cut into three equal lengths, and then each piece is cut in half lengthwise.
 4 eggs beaten
tub of Old English cheese to spread on baguette lightly
cheddar cheese slices
tomato slices
Lots of dry mustard
Lots of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chopped onion
3 cups milk

Directions
 *Below are additional pictures of my assemblage.*

1. Place bread, cheese, and tomatoes in layers in a round baking dish.




















2. Beat eggs, add milk and seasonings. Stir. I add a lot of seasoning and it ended up a light tan color.

3. Pour over bread and cheese. 
 
















4. Top with a layer of slices cheese.
 
















5. Let stand on hour. Stare at it and drool.

6. Preheat oven to 325.

7. Bake for one hour.

8. Cut like a pie and serve.











This served my family of five with left overs.
















Saturday, February 2, 2013

Baked Cheese Fondue


Oh my oh my this makes me think of fondue married to Welsh Rarebit served as a cake pop in heaven. Oh Hi-Ho why did you never make this for me! Oh SP? Honey? Can you run out to store please?

(silence)




oh darn he is at hockey. Gasp!

Ingredients
6 slices bread without the crust
2 eggs beaten
1/2 package sliced Old English or any cheddar cheese
tomato slices
dry mustard
herbs
worcertershire sauce
1 teaspoon chopped onion
1 and 1/2 cups milk

Directions
  1. Place bread and cheese in layers in a baking dish.
  2. Beat eggs, add milk and seasonings. Stir. 
  3. Pour over bread and cheese. 
  4. Let stand on hour. Stare at it and drool. 
  5. Preheat oven to 325. 
  6. Bake for one hour. 
Makes 3 to 4 servings. 

Friday, February 1, 2013

Spoon Cornbread

This is a recipe from Mima!

Ingredients
butter
3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup (white) corn meal
2 and 1/2 cups milk
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
  2. Melt a large piece of butter in baking dish.
  3. In a large bowl mix ingredients together and pour into baking dish with butter. 
  4. Bake for 30 minutes stirring once in a while to keep corn meal from going to the bottom.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Mushroom and Cheese Souffle

The 1950's antiquity of some of these recipes really cracks me up! Another Pete special!


 
Ingredients
1 package Old English cheese
1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
4 eggs, separating yolks from whites- slightly beat the whites
4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
serve with : corn muffins and a salad

Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a casserole dish. 
  2. In a double boiler, melt Old English cheese.
  3. Blend in mushroom soup. 
  4. Add egg yolks and cook slowly, stirring until thick. 
  5. Season to taste
  6. Fold in slightly beaten egg whites. 
  7. Pour into a buttered casserole pan.
  8. Sprinkle with bacon. 
  9. Place casserole dish in a shallow pan of water. 
  10. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
Serve with corn muffins and a green salad for a "satisfying meal"! 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

North Haven Brunch


















Oh how I cherish Hi-Ho's handwriting. A picture is worth a thousand words. This is from one of my cousins on my father's side.

20 minute Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes

I am making this for dinner tonight. I found the recipe on a blog I follow: Can You Stay For Dinner?
I am going to tinker with it and maybe add some spinach and artichoke hearts, but I love that it is starch free!

20 Minute Skillet: Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta

chicken sun dried tomatoes-11
“Like everything she buys, this jar of sun dried tomatoes was impulsive,” said my bank account.

Despite my excitement about it at the market, it’s been sitting in my pantry for two weeks next to all of my other fantastically rushed decisions. Only today did I even begin to consider plucking it from the shelf for use.
chicken sun dried tomatoes-03
And I am so glad that I did.
chicken sun dried tomatoes-13
Sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil have an ultra concentrated sweetness to them. They’re so bursting with intensity that even just a few of them go a long way in adding interest to a dish.
Tonight, my goal was quick, easy, and packed with flavor. To that end, I chose to saute strips of simply seasoned chicken in the olive oil that surrounded the tomatoes in their jar, knowing that the infused oil would impart a bit of its richness to the chicken.
chicken sun dried tomatoes-01
I then added a truly staggering amount of garlic (we can never skimp!), the remainder of the jar of sweet sun dried tomatoes, and a mound of tangy feta, and in the end, the whole dish came together in 20 minutes.
This is the kind of meal to keep in your recipe rotation for busy weeknights. The ingredient list is short; the directions are straightforward; and the flavor is brilliant.
Enjoy.
chicken sun dried tomatoes-06

 20 Minute Skillet: Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta
1 (8-ounce) jar sun dried tomatoes in olive oil (must be oil-packed; found in the produce section or with the canned tomatoes)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

Remove the sun dried tomatoes from their jar, carefully draining the excess olive oil, and reserve 1 tablespoon of oil for later use. Lay the tomatoes on a cutting board and press gently with a paper towel to absorb more of the oil; discard the towel. Finely chop the tomatoes and set aside.
Pour the reserved tablespoon of the oil from the sun dried tomato jar into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the chicken strips, sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, and oregano, and sauté for 10-12 minutes, taking care to sear the strips on all sides, until no longer pink. Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes and the crumbled feta, and stir to combine. Serve immediately alongside your choice of vegetables and grains.
Nutrition Information for 1 Serving (1/4th of Entire Recipe): Calories 305, Total Fat 16.0 g, Total Carbohydrate 8.7 g, Dietary Fiber 1.7 g, Sugars 5.1 g, Protein 31.8 g

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Chicken Paprikash soup with Sour cream and Chive Dumplings

Chicken Paprikash Soup with Sour Cream and Chive Dumplings
Another recipe from Hannaford's Fresh magazine, these dumplings were super and easier to make than the prior post (which I had made these first!).

Chicken Paprikash Soup with Sour Cream and Chive Dumplings

Servings: Serves 6Learn How to Scale This Recipe
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: Add ingredients to List

1 Tbsp. canola oil (Chicken Paprikash Soup)
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced (Chicken Paprikash Soup)
1/8 tsp. salt, or to taste (Chicken Paprikash Soup)
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (Chicken Paprikash Soup)
3 1/2 Tbsp. paprika (Chicken Paprikash Soup)
4 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed (Chicken Paprikash Soup)
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs.) (Chicken Paprikash Soup)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream, plus additional for optional garnish (Chicken Paprikash Soup)
chopped chives (optional garnish) (Chicken Paprikash Soup)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (Chive Dumplings)
1/2 cup nonfat milk (Chive Dumplings)
2 Tbsp. canola oil (Chive Dumplings)
1/8 tsp. salt, or to taste (Chive Dumplings)
1/3 cup finely chopped chives (Chive Dumplings)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (Chive Dumplings)
1/4 tsp. onion powder (Chive Dumplings)
2 tsp. baking powder (Chive Dumplings)

directions:

1. Prepare the soup. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just browned, about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and paprika, stirring to combine with the onions. Cook until paprika is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and stir to release any brown bits on bottom of the pan, then add chicken thighs. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook about 25 minutes.
 
2. While chicken cooks, prepare the dumplings. In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, milk, oil, and salt, then whisk in chives.
 
3. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, onion powder, and baking powder, thenadd to the wet mixture and stir just until incorporated. Let sit 10 minutes.
 
4. When chicken has cooked 25 minutes, remove the largest chicken thigh and insert a meat thermometer, without touching the bone. The temperature should be 165 degrees F. When done, using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken pieces to a plate. Tent with foil and reserve.
 
5. Bring broth to a boil over high heat. Make dumplings using 2 teaspoons - one to scoop the dough and the other to push the dough into the boiling broth. Dumplings should be about the size of a golf ball - you should be able to make 18 to 22. Reduce heat to medium-low, so liquid is at a rolling simmer; cover, and cook dumplings for 10 minutes. Do not overcrowd; cook in batches if needed. Dumplings are ready when they have about doubled in size and are slightly firm to the touch. Cut one in half - the center should be cooked through, not dense and doughy.
 
6. When dumplings are finished, remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transferdumplings to 6 shallow bowls. Place a piece of chicken in each bowl. The soup should have thickened slightly; if it seems very thin, simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Add 1/2 cup sour cream to the soup, stirring to combine. Pour soup over chicken and dumplings and serve, with additional sour cream and chopped chives in separate bowls for garnishing, if desired.
 
Source: Hannaford fresh Magazine, January - February 2013