Browned Butter and Sage Applesauce

EXTRAORDINARY!


This recipe is for canning (courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens), but you could easily make this and refrigerate it for use with pork or as a tasty, mindblowing treat.


I made the mistake of not taking the advice of the book. This recipe calls for a food mill. You NEED a food mill if you follow this recipe exactly. If you don't have a food mill, peel and core these apples and then throw them in a food processor at the appropriate stage.


Browned Butter and Sage Applesauce
Makes 6 pints or 3 quarts


Ingredients:
- 8 pounds tart cooking apples
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup snipped fresh sage
- 3/4 to 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter


1. Core and quarter apples. In an 8- to 10-quart heavy pot, combine apples and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 25 to 35 minutes, or until apples are very tender, stirring often.


2. In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup butter over low heat until melted. Continue heating until butter turns a light golden brown. Remove from heat.


3. Press apples through a food mill or sieve. Return pulp to pot; discard solids. Stir in enough of the sugar to sweeten as designed. Stir in butter and sage with sugar. Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup water to make desired consistency. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly.


4. Ladle hot applesauce into hot, sterilized pint or quart canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids.


5. Process filling jars in a boiling-water canner for 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks.

Spicy Butter Sauce

This recipe comes from Pioneer Woman. This sauce is meant for baking shrimp, but it would also be delightful with any seafood.


The best part of this sauce is soaking it up with crusty bread or tossing it into angel hair pasta.


Spicy Butter Sauce


Ingredients:

• 2 sticks Cold Unsalted Butter Cut Into Pieces
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 4 cloves Garlic, Peeled
• 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
• 1 whole Lemon, Juiced

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange protein (if using) in a single layer in a baking sheet.

In the bowl of a food processor, add cold butter, garlic, lemon juice, salt, parsley, and red pepper. Pulse until combined. Sprinkle cold butter crumbles over the protein.

If using with pasta or as a dip, simply melt in a saucepan over medium heat until butter is bubbly and hot.

Serve with hot crusty bread.

A Salad Even Salad-Haters Will Love - Fruity Spinach Salad Goodness

Hear me out. This salad will make everyone moan in happiness. The key is in the homemade dressing. Kids, picky eaters, and veggie lovers will all be asking you how you did it.

This recipe makes enough dressing for 4-8 servings of salad, so simply pop leftover into the refrigerator and reuse as a dressing or as a marinade. Good for 1-2 weeks.
______________________________
Fruity Spinach Salad with Homemade Honey-Orange Dressing
Serves 2

Ingredients:

Dressing-
1/2 cup orange juice
6 Tbsp vegetable oil or canola oil
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp paprika


Salad-
2 heaping handfuls of organic spinach, separated
1/2 cup dried cherries, cranberries, or 1 cup fresh strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1 oz goat cheese, crumbled


To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a container with a tight lid and shake until the honey is thoroughly mixed in. The oil will want to separate so just re-shake slightly before dressing the salad.


Place one heaping handful of spinach in a bowl (do the same with the other handful). Top with half the fruit, half the nuts, and half of the cheese.


Just before serving, drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of the dressing over the salad.


Perfection! Sweet, crunchy, nutty, fresh, tart, and super yummy. Your mouth will thank you.
 

Weekend Breakfast Favorite - Poached Eggs over Garlic Parmesan Toast

This breakfast is what I make for myself every Sunday. It's my favorite breakfast and it only takes minutes for a flavor-packed, rich, fresh meal.

It is best to use very fresh eggs when poaching. Eggs fresh from the Farmer's Market are ideal, but during the winter I buy organic, free-range eggs from my local grocer. The darker the yolk, the better!

Because I don't have an egg poacher, I drop two metal round cookie cutters into the water and slip my eggs into them to cook. This helps them retain their shape and prevents them from sticking to each other or the pot.
________________________
Poached Eggs over Garlic-Parmesan Toast
Serves 1-2

Ingredients:
2 fresh organic eggs
2 pieces of bread, an English muffin, or leftover baguette
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 garlic clove, peeled and whole
extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste


1. Bring a pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Reduce to a simmer. Crack eggs into the cookie cutters/egg poacher/water. Poach for 3 1/2 - 4 minutes.
2. In the meantime, toast your bread in a toaster oven or toaster. Piercing the clove lengthwise with a fork (to prevent the garlic oils from stinking up your hands), rub the raw garlic into the toast. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and top the center of one piece of toast with half of the Parmesan and then the other.
3. Using a slotted spoon, remove an egg from the water and gently tip against the side of the pot to remove excess liquid. Place on top of the toast and cheese. Repeat with the other egg.
4. Top both eggs with a nice pinch of finishing salt and a good sprinkling of pepper.


**For extra nutritional punch - add some steamed spinach, finely sliced asparagus, or a slice of tomato beneath the cheese.

Strawberry (Fruit) Granita Dessert

This is a delightfully simply dessert that is a perfect summer treat. I choose to set these into 8 individual ramekins with lids for portion control, but you could do this in a larger pan and just serve it to a larger group that way.

_______________________
Strawberry (Fruit) Granita Dessert

1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups strawberry juice (or any fruit juice - use fresh juice, not concentrate)

1. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Stir gently until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool.
2. Stir in fruit juice.
3. Pour mixture into pan or ladle into ramekins.
4. Freeze for at least 4 hours to allow to set. 
5. Serve!

Handmade Pasta with Asparagus and Cream Sauce

I highly recommend having a pasta roller/pasta machine when making pasta from scratch. It's a delicious and easy way to ensure you have the freshest pasta. The first time I made this dish, I had to hand-roll out the pasta and while it tasted delicious, it was quite thick. If you need to hand-roll the dough, make it tissue-paper thin (break it into smaller batches if you have limited counter space).

The pasta recipe is courtesy of Jamie Oliver.

______________________________

Handmade Pasta with Asparagus and Cheese Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

600 grams/4 1/2 cups of super fine flour

6 organic eggs or 12 egg yolks

1 bunch of fresh asparagus

creamy cheese sauce of your choice or see below

10-12 leaves of fresh sage, chopped

1/4 Parmesan cheese

salt & pepper, to taste

extra virgin olive oil

1. Using a food processor, mix the two ingredients together until you have something that resembles damp breadcrumbs.

2. Lightly flour your work surface and then bring the dough together using your hands. Knead the dough until it begins to soften. This will take some time and muscle. Just keep going until it starts to feel very silky. If the dough is too damp, bring in some of the flour. If it's too dry, add a touch of water. It's much better to be too damp so I err on the side of one extra yolk.

3. Once the dough is silky and brought together, wrap in plastic and set in the fridge to chill for at least a half hour.

4. Set a large stockpot of water to boil. Salt the water and cover.

5. Wash the asparagus and snap off the bottoms where the stalks naturally break. Cut each stalk into 3-4 pieces. Cutting on the diagonal makes the cuts look pretty.

6. When your dough is ready, run your dough through the pasta roller at the widest setting and then fold the dough in half and run it through again. Repeat 3-4 times to just soften the dough. Then roll it out, making it narrower with each run until its very thin. Flour when necessary very lightly to keep the dough workable. Using a knife, cut your own noodles to your desired width. Shake them up to break them apart. If rolling out by hand, use a similar method but be sure to make the dough even and very thin.

7. When the water is boiling, add both the asparagus and the noodles. Cover. Allow to cook for 1 to 2 minutes. 

8. While the pasta is cooking, heat your sauce. Add the fresh sage, salt and pepper.

9. Drain the pasta and asparagus. Toss with your sauce. Plate the mixture and top with the Parmesan cheese as well as a small drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

*Creamy Cheese Sauce

I tend to make my own cream/cheese sauce and each time it changes a little. A favorite is 1 tablespoon of butter, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup creme fraiche, handful of shredded fontina cheese, salt, and pepper. Melt it all together and add in an egg yolk at the end just before tossing with the pasta. Delicious!

Salted Creamy Fudge (low-fat!)

 This recipe came from the October issue of Weight Watchers magazine. But don't let that fool you. These little gems are unbelievably simple to make and delightfully tasty. Perfect for a New Year's party dessert or for a cold weekend in during the winter.
___________________________________
 Salted Creamy Fudge
Makes 32 servings (Weight Watchers - 2 points each)

Ingredients:
10oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (or use chips)
1 (14-oz) can sweetened fat-free condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp flakes sea salt or finishing salt

1. Line 8-inch-square baking pan with plastic wrap, leaving 2-inch overhang. Smooth out wrinkles.

2. Combine chocolate, condensed milk, vanilla, and coarse sea salt in large heavy saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer fudge to prepared pan, spread evenly with rubber spatula. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. Uncover fudge; remove from pan by lifting overhanging plastic wrap. Invert on cutting board; remove wrap. Cut fudge into 8 strips; then cut each strip crosswise into 8 pieces. If making ahead, cover and chill up to 2 weeks.

4. To serve, return fudge to room temperature. Sprinkle top evenly with flake sea salt.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Gouda

If you're looking for a fresh, flavorful salad (or a dressing that goes with almost everything), I recommend this light summery delight.

I've taken this salad to parties and picnics and it's perfect...just put the dressing in a squirt bottle so it's easy to shake up and doesn't wilt the spinach.
---------------------------
Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Gouda
*courtesy of Favorite Brand Name Vegetarian Cooking*

Serves 6 (double for a party)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup orange juic
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
4 cups spinach leaves
1 pint strawberries, stemmed and halved
1 cup (4 ounces) gouda cheese, cubed
1/2 cup pecan or walnut halves

Directions:
1. Combine orange juice, oil, honey, orange peel, garlic salt, and paprika in small container with tight lid; shake well.

2. Toss spinach leaves, strawberries, cheese, and nuts with dressing in large salad bowl. Refrigerate or serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping

Friends of mine introduced me to this dish. I made the praline topping for their sweet potatoes and we all moaned and groaned as we ate it.

The recipe says there won't ever be any leftovers and it's right...this is a great holiday recipe everyone will love.
--------------------------------
Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping
*courtesy of The Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan*

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
6 large dark-orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (about 5 1/2 pounds, scrubbed)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

PRALINE TOPPING
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pierce each potato several times with a fork and place in a baking pan. Bake until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Set aside until cool to touch.

2. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling. Cut the potatoes in half, and scoop the flesh into a large bowl, discarding the skins. Use a potato masher and mash the potatoes. Stir in the milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs and continue whisking until well combined with the potato mixture. Add the brown sugar and stir until thoroughly blended. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, or an 11-inch round oven-to-table casserole. Spread the sweet potato mixture evenly in the casserole. Set aside while making the topping. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

TO MAKE THE PRALINE TOPPING
a. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cream, and pecans. Heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick, about 5 minutes. If the mixture begins to boil and splatter, turn down the heat to maintain a simmer.

b. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the topping evenly over the sweet potatoes, spreading it with a rubber spatula.

3. Bake the casserole until the topping is slightly crusty and set, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Brie and Chive Biscuits

The all-star of biscuits, these little gems are very easy to make and have a stunning flavor. They peal apart like Grands biscuits but the tiny Brie chunks are a delicious surprise.

This makes 16 biscuits, but they went so fast I'd recommend doubling the recipe.

To breeze through this recipe, preheat the oven and then chop, measure, and arrange all of the ingredients ahead of time.
------------------------------
Brie and Chive Biscuits
*courtesy of Real Simple*

Serves 16

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for work surface
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
6 ounces Brie, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (the smaller the better), including the rind
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:
1. Heat over 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

3. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or your fingers (I highly recommend using your hands for this entire recipe), cut in until crumbly. The flour-butter will be very dry so just make sure all of the butter is broken up and mixed in. Add the Brie and chives and toss to combine. Add the buttermilk and stir just until moistened (do not overmix).

4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead it a few times to bring it together. Gently shape with your hands into a 1-inch-thick disk. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or very small class), cut out 16 biscuits (flouring the cutter and reshaping the scraps as necessary). Place on a prepared baking sheet (I used parchment paper). Bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

Serve warm!

Mushroom Tart

A beautiful appetizer that I served for Thanksgiving, this dish is easy and full of flavor. I used a mix of Shiitake and Portabella mushrooms.

*Note: a tasty alternative is mushrooms, black truffle oil, white sauce, and Parmesan
--------------------------
Mushroom Tart
*courtesy of Martha Stewart, marthastewart.com*

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 packages (10 ounces each) mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 package (10 ounces) fresh baby spinach
2 ounces soft goat cheese (I used 3), crumbled

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to a 16-by-10 inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place the pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With a sharp knife, lightly score dough to form a 1-inch border. Using a fork, prick dough inside the border every 1/2 inch. Bake until golden, rotating pan once, about 15 minutes or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, in a small page, toss onion with 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt. Cook over medium heat until onion begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir. Continue cooking for 15 minutes until caramelized, stirring every few minutes. Set aside.

3. In a large pan, heat remaining oil. Add mushrooms and cook until tender and all liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Fold in spinach; season with salt and pepper. Cook until wilted, about 2 minutes more. Drain any liquid.

4. Top dough with mushroom-spinach mixture. Scatter onion and goat cheese on top. Bake until cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Broccoli and Gruyere Gratin

I made this dish to take to a big Thanksgiving feast this year and people raved about it. It's rich and thick and creamy and hearty and very flavorful.

Though the recipes calls for broccoli, I used broccolini and I think it added something special to the dish.
------------------------------
Broccoli(ni) and Gruyere Gratin
*courtesy of Real Simple*

Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 large bunches broccoli, roughly chopped (or about 12 cups of broccolini)
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups grated Gruyere (8 ounces)
kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Fill a large saucepan with 1 inch of water and fit with a steamer basket (or fill a large pot with 1/2 inch of water). Bring to a simmer. Place the broccoli in the steamer basket, cover, and steam until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes; transfer to a large bowl.

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes (do NOT let it darken). Whisk in the milk and simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss with the broccoli.

3. Transfer the broccoli mixture to a shallow 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese. Bake until bubbling and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

TIP for make-ahead: Prepare gratin, but do not bake. Refrigerate in the baking dish for up to 1 day in advance (alternatively, keep the gratin at room temperature for up to 2 hours). To serve, bring to room temperature and bake according to recipe.

Vegan Broccoli and Artichoke Hearts in Garlic and White Wine

I threw this together one night when I was short on time but needed a lot of flavor for my picky meat-eating boyfriend.

If its available in your local grocery store (I use Trader Joe's), I highly recommend keeping tons of frozen organic brown rice on hand that you can throw into the microwave for a few minutes and viola, light, fluffy, fresh brown rice.

I also keep frozen veggies on hand for when I haven't had time to get fresh produce. The night that I made this dish, I'd just returned from an extended vacation so my produce was at a minimum.

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

Vegan Broccoli and Artichoke Hearts in Garlic and White Wine

Serves two

2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped finely

3 cups frozen/fresh broccoli

2 cups frozen/canned artichoke hearts, halved

1/2 cup white wine (use a wine you enjoy drinking, I used a Reisling)

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups brown rice, cooked

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes until releases strong smell. Add broccoli and artichokes. Stir occasionally over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Once the veggies are heated through, add the wine, salt and pepper.

Cook veggies until wine is gone and serve immediately on a bed of brown rice.

Linguine with Onion Confit, Goat Cheese, and Walnuts

This was the very first recipe I ever made from a vegetarian cookbook. A friend of mine had it and it inspired me to become a vegetarian. I realized that vegetarian cuisine could be delicious, sophisticated and hearty.

The book, a staple in my collection of 15 years, is "Fields of Green" by Annie Somerville. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to build their library.

This pasta dish is easy and rich. It can be a little dry so serve it with a side that has a lot of juice, such as fruit salad.

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

Linguine with Onion Confit, Goat Cheese and Walnuts

1 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced, about 4 cups

Salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 lb fresh linguine

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil, about 20 leaves

3 Tbls walnut pieces, toasted

1 oz soft goat cheese (I use 2 oz to kick up the flavor)

Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet. Add the onions and 1/2 tsp salt; saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the onions begin to soften and release their juices. Add the garlic continue to cook over medium heat, gently scrapping the pan with a wooden spoon to keep the onions from sticking as they caramelize. After 40 minutes, the onions should be a rich golden color and very sweet. At this point, add the wine to deglaze the pan and simmer over low heat.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Chop or break the toasted walnuts into pieces with your hands. When the water is boiling, add 1 tsp salt and the linguine and cook until tender. Just before draining the pasta, add 1/4 cup of the cooking water to the onion confit. Immediately drain the pasta then add the confit along with the walnuts and basil to the pasta. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and a few pinches of pepper. Crumble in the cheese and serve immediately.

Potato Gratin with Artichokes and Smoked Mozzarella

I made this dish at a housewarming party and even the super picky eaters adored it.

The artichokes lend a buttery flavor while the potatoes give it an earthy, heavy feel that make this a comfort dish that's also elegant and perfect for winter.

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

Potato Gratin with Artichokes and Smoked Mozzarella

Courtesy of 'Fields of Green' by Annie Somerville

1 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced, about 2 cups

Salt and pepper

5 medium sized artichokes, trimmed and sliced, about 5 cups (I used frozen hearts and it was great)

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 Tbl fresh lemon juice

2 Tbls chopped fresh herbs: parsley, marjoram, and thyme

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 bay leaf

2 fresh sage leaves

2 fresh thyme sprigs

2 fresh marjoram or oregano sprigs

1/2 tsp peppercorns

1 1/2 lbs large potatoes

1/4 lb smoked mozzarella cheese, grated, about 1 1/2 cups

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few pinches of pepper; saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Drain the artichokes and add to the onion along with the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few pinches of pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes, until the artichokes are tender, then add the tablespoon of lemon juice. When the artichokes and onion are cool, coarsely chop them and toss with half the chopped herbs.

While the onion and artichokes are sauteing, pour the cream and milk into a small saucepan; add the bay leaf and sage leave, the herb sprigs, and the peppercorns. Steep over low heat for 20 minutes. Pour through a strainer and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly oil a 9x13 inch baking dish. Slice the potatoes thinly and lay one-third of them in the bottom of the dish, overlapping the slices and rows as you go. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper; spread half the onion-artichoke mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle with one-third of the cheese, make another layer of potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Follow with the remaining onion-artichoke mixture and one-third of the cheese. Top with a final layer of potatoes and pour the hot cream over .

Cover the dish and bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and bake, uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender. The gratin should be golden and a little crisp. Sprinkle with remaining chopped herbs just before serving.

Serve with a saute of winter greens.

Yummiest Sangria - Jaleo

This beautiful Sangria comes from Jaleo, a tapas restaurant in the D.C. area. The recipe makes about 5 gallons and if you're going to half it, be careful as the flavor is altered. Though 5 gallons sounds like an enormous amount, it does store well and if you take it to any party, it will be gone before the end of the night.

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

Sangria

5 gallons

9 liters red wine (best if you mix 2-3 varieties of red for a robust flavor)

24 oz orange juice

32 oz 7-Up

8 oz Rose's Lime Juice (sweetened lime juice)

24 oz sugar

8 oz vodka

8 oz brandy

2 cinnamon sticks

Diced apples and pears

Mix all items together except fruit. Store in refrigerator for a minimum of three hours (more if you can) for best flavor. One hour before serving, add diced fruit.

Red Wine Poached Pears with Mascarpone Filling

This absolutely STUNNING dessert was served by my sister on Christmas Eve. Wow.

I immediately asked for the recipe because this is the kind of dish that will get you noticed and remembered! Serve it for a special occasion or any time you’d like to impress someone.

Please note: the best way to serve these pears is after they’ve been allowed to soak in the wine for a minimum of 5-6 hours to get a deep beautiful color that contrasts starkly with the white of the filling, and overnight soaking is ideal.

If you don’t have a deep, slender apple corer (make sure it’s not an apple SLICER as you want the pears to remain whole), consider slicing them in half, removing the seeds and serving them in a yin-yang pattern with dollops of the filling at either end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Red Wine Poached Pears with Mascarpone Filling
Courtesy of Michael Chiarello, Food Network, Episode MO1A02

6 firm but ripe Bartlett pears
1 bottle red wine
1 vanilla bean, whole
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
2 cups sugar
2 (8 oz) containers mascarpone cheese, softened
½ cup heavy cream
Pinch cinnamon
½ cup powdered sugar
2 Tbl butter

Peel pears and leave stem intact. In a large saucepan, bring wine and an equal amount of cold water to a simmer. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and add to wine and water mixture. Add cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and sugar, to taste. Add pears to liquid and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender. Cool pears in wine mixture to room temperature. You can refrigerate them in the poaching liquid until you’re ready to fill them (and to achieve a deep red/purple color).

Remove stems from pears and set stems aside. Core pears with a long apple corer, leaving pear whole.

Whisk together mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, pinch cinnamon and powdered sugar until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag, or if you do not have one, use wax paper tightly wrapped into a cone with the corner snipped off or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe filling into cored pears.

Bring sauce up to a simmer and reduce by half. Add butter to reduced sauce and stir until combined. Spoon generously over pears. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Yields 6 servings.

Virginia Hostess Recipes - Broiled Parm Tomatoes, Baked Pineapple, Vegan Beer Bread and More!

A few years ago I bought my mom a funny little cookbook from a wine store in Virginia called "The Virginia Hostess". It was put out by the Junior Woman's Club of Manassas and was in it's fourth edition. Small and in a spiral notebook, I thought it was cute and had a few interesting recipes in it, despite the fact it had several of those old Jell-o mold recipes where you float fruit in gelatin (a specialty of my maternal grandmother's back in the day).

While home for the holidays, I found it in her kitchen and thumbed through it.

The following are a few of the recipes I'd like to try, so I'm sharing them with everyone in case anyone gets around to trying one of them first! Happy cooking!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Broiled Parmesan Tomatoes
Serves 6.

1/4 cup butter, melted and divided
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 large peeled tomatoes, cut into 1-inch slices

Mix crumbs and half of butter. Stir in next three ingredients. Brush tomato slices on both sides with remaining butter and dip in crumb mixture. Arrange tomato slices on cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil. Broil 5-6 inches below heat source until lightly browned and warmed through. Turn carefully and brown on other side.


Mexican Baked Pineapple
Serves 4.

1 (20-oz) can crushed pineapple
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons regular tapioca

Mix all ingredients. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 1 hour.



Lemon Curd Tartlets
Fills about 10 pastry shells.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup lemon juice
Grated rind of 3 lemons
6 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Prepared pastry shells
Whipped topping or meringue (optional)

Melt first four ingredients in top of double broiler. Beat eggs slightly and add to mixture. Cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Add cornstarch and blend well with whisk. Lemon curd will thicken as it cools.

Just before serving pour into pastry shells and top with whipped topping or meringue.



Jalapeno Cornbread

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup grated Longhorn cheese
1 cup grated onion
5 large jalapenos, finely chopped and de-seeded
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 1/2 oz) can cream style corn or 3 ears fresh corn, cut and scraped from cob

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Mix together first three ingredients. Stir in cheese, onion and jalapenos. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

May also be baked in mini muffin tins for 10 to 15 minutes.



Stuffed Avocado Salad
Serves 6.

3 fresh avocados, ripe but still has strong skin
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 (4-oz) can green chilies, drained and seeded
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1/4 tsp garlic salt
Dash red pepper sauce
Dash ground cardamon
Dash vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1 (3-oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 small head lettuce, shredded
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

Cut avocados in half. Scoop out and reserve pulp, leaving shell intact. Mix next seven ingredients in blender. Add cream cheese and avocado pulp and blend until smooth. Spoon cheese mixture into shells. Arrange on 6 lettuce lined plates. Garnish with chopped tomatoes.



Vegan Beer Bread
1 loaf.

3 cups self-rising flour (or 3 cups all-purpose flour plus 4 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 1/2 tsp salt)
3 Tbl sugar
1 (12-oz) beer, at room temperature

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat 10 times by hand (until thoroughly mixed but still somewhat rough and lumpy, do NOT overmix). Bake 1 hour in gread loaf ban. May drizzle butter on top when half-baked. Slices best when cooled completely.



Seven Layer Cookies
*I made these for a cookie exchange party and they were a HUGE hit*
24 cookies.


1/2 cup margarine/butter, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup shredded coconut
1 (6-oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (6-oz) package butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Pour melted butter in 9x13-inch pan. Layer graham cracker crumbs, coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and nuts. Drizzle condensed milk over top. Back at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cut while warm.

Incredibly Easy Pineapple Cheese Ball

My mom's neighbor brought this over as a Christmas gift along with celery sticks and whole-grain crackers.

I was wary when I heard the ingredients, but one taste and I was hooked. My sister and I fought for every bite and even my dad, a notoriously picky eater, adored it.

A few searches later and here it is...

Consider it for a gift or as something delicious and simple for your next pot luck or party.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pineapple Cheese Ball
*courtesy of Southernfood.about.com*

An appetizer pineapple cheese ball.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper, or mixture of green and red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt, or to taste
• 2 cups chopped pecans, divided

PREPARATION:

Directions for pineapple cheese ball.
Combine cream cheese, drained crushed pineapple, chopped bell pepper, chopped green onion, seasoned salt, and 1 cup chopped pecans. Chill in refrigerator until firm then shape into a ball. Just before serving roll pineapple cheese ball in remaining cup of pecans. Serve pineapple cheese ball with assorted crackers. Pineapple cheese ball makes about 3 cups of cheese spread.

Roast Butternut Squash Puree

This is an absolutely delicious dish that everyone (even vegetable-phobes) loves.

The squash needed to cook for a lot longer than the recipe calls for, upwards of 90 minutes depending on the size of the squash, so be sure to plan for that when deciding on your menu. Also, it's worth the extra few minutes in the oven for easy scooping and greatly impacts the flavor.

Putting it into the food processor causes the puree to have the consistency of watery baby food, so if you like something a little more substantial (as I do), I would recommend puree'ing about half of the ingredients and hand-mashing the other half, then stirring together. It is still a puree but it has a little more weight to it.

The honey, shallots, butter and squash form a perfect combination. A must-try!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roast Butternut Squash Puree

3 butternut squash (2 pounds each)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 small shallots, halved
4 tablespoons honey
6 sprigs fresh thyme
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Heat oven to 400° F.

Trim the ends from the squash, then halve lengthwise, discarding the seeds. Transfer the squash, cut-side up, to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Season with the salt and pepper and top with the shallots, honey, thyme, and butter. Cover the squash with foil. Roast until softened, 45 to 60 minutes.

Uncover and set aside until cool enough to handle. Working in batches, scoop some of the softened squash and shallots from the peels into a food processor. Puree the squash mixture until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Repeat with the remaining squash and shallots. Serve warm. (You can cover and refrigerate the puree for up to 48 hours. To rewarm, heat in a covered saucepan over low heat for 10 minutes.)

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

CALORIES 274 (30% from fat); FAT 9g (sat 5g); SUGAR 16g; PROTEIN 4g; CHOLESTEROL 26mg; SODIUM 369mg; FIBER 7g; CARBOHYDRATE 52g

Real Simple, NOVEMBER 2006