Day #4 of Thanksgiving Posts: Cranberry Sauce

I actually didn't know you could make fresh cranberry sauce until 2 years ago when my cousin brought it to dinner. I always thought it came from a can that you open at both ends and slop down into a serving dish. And I never liked it.
But when I saw K's I was AMAZED. I thought she spent ALL afternoon in the kitchen making it. That was until today when I asked for her secret recipe and she directed me to the OceanSpray site! Lol. Silly girl! :) Love her.
I will probably end up making this for our little Turkey dinner we're having after Thanksgiving. I'm really excited. If you're in the area, feel free to stop by Friday afternoon or anytime Saturday for some grub! I'm sure we'll have lots!
I'm really excited for another posting that will be happening here in a few days once we get to the Thanksgiving Dessert portion! I'm going to make it to take to my mom's. Mmmm... it's gonna be good!!
Thanks for stoppin by... and keep checking back. I have 6 more DELICIOUS Thanksgiving recipes comin atcha! :)

Homemade Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 12-ounce package Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, rinsed and drained

DIRECTIONS:

Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil; add cranberries, return to boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time.

Makes 2 1/4 cups.

UPDATE as of 11/24: I just made this last night and I was NOT anticipating it being that simple!! Is buying a nasty (who knows how old) can of the jellied stuff really worth it? And if you do what I did and find bags of cranberries for less than $1/bag, it really is worth it to make your own!! Go on... try it!!

Day #3 of Thanksgiving Posts: Rolls

These babies aren't just rolls, they're WHOLE-WHEAT rolls. What could be better? Honestly, I think my favorite part of Thanksgiving Dinner is the roll(s) covered in Turkey gravy. Pure deliciousness.
If you're like me you'll probably just grab a bag of Rhodes frozen rolls (is there anything more delicious on the planet? I think not!). But some of you out there might be Super Moms (and Dads) and might to the extra mile and make your own. If you do, MORE POWER TO YA! I honestly don't know the first thing about making bread. I'll leave that to the wonderful, genius people at Rhodes (which you can't buy in San Diego, darn!)

Whole-Wheat Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

1/2oz active dry yeast
2 1/4C warm water
1/4C shortening
2 eggs
1/2C +1tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3C whole wheat flour
3 1/2-4C all-purpose flour
1/4C butter, melted

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the shortening, eggs, sugar, salt and whole wheat flour; beat until smooth. Add enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8min. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down, divide into 4 portions; shape into 12 balls. Place 1in apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 min. Bake at 375 for 11-15min or until browned. Brush with butter.
Makes 4 dozen.

Day #2 of Thanksgiving Posts: Potatoes

What's Thanksgiving Dinner without a potato dish? My opinion? NOTHING!!! :) I haven't yet tried this recipe, but I plan to very soon, maybe even for my own T-Day Dinner! I know, I know, I always say something that's really GREAT about each of my recipes... and today is no different! :) This recipe (that comes from Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious) contains a super great ingredient.... Cauliflower puree! Can I just say I've had cauliflower in a potato-like setting before and it was so delicious! I'm sure your picky eaters (and mine too!) will still love this dish!

Ingredients:

1lb. Baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 tsp. salt

1/2 C cauliflower puree

2TBS soft margarine

1/2C low fat buttermilk

Instructions:

1. Put the potatoes and salt in a large pot and add enough water to cover by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well.

2. Set a potato ricer over the pot and pass the potatoes through in batches, or return to pot and mash with potato masher. Add the cauliflower puree, margarine, and buttermilk, and beat with a large spoon until the potatoes are smooth and creamy.

BBQ Beef

As I was planning out our Dinner Calendar for the next two weeks, I was trying to figure out quick and easy Sunday dinners that would also be delicious. I'm not a huge fan of the classic Roast with potatoes and carrots. And we had chicken last week. So then it hit me... why not cook up a roast and turn it into BBQ Beef sandwiches?
Mmmm.... I have been so excited. Plus, I already had the BBQ sauce and onion. All I needed was the meat and rolls. Piece of cake!
I also slipped in a "secret ingredient" to help boost the health factor, 1/4C Red Pepper puree (see "Veggie/Fruit Puree" tab above). When I told my husband (who has serious texture issues with veggies) that I slipped a secret ingredient into it, he made me promise not to tell him what it was until he finished eating it. Which, by the way, every bite he kept raving about how delicious it was! Once he was finished I told him what it was that was "hidden" in there. He didn't even care. YES! AND, if you skip the usual KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce and go with Stubbs Mild, you'll save yourself 30 calories and 10 grams of sugar per serving!! It's definitely worth a try... it was so good. And you don't even need rolls. I served it up on rolls and we ended up scooping it up with some chips and not even eating the bread. Yum!!

Is your mouth watering? Mine is and I've already eaten!

Ingredients:

1 Roast (try to find a lean one with not a lot of "marbling", trimmed of all visible fat
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 bottle of Stubbs Mild B-B-Q Sauce
1/4-1/2C Red Pepper Puree (could try carrots or squash too)
1tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1TBS minced garlic (2 large cloves, 4 sm cloves)
1/4C red wine vinegar, plus a little to deglaze
Water to cover

1TBS-1/4C flour, to thicken as needed

Instructions:

Heat a large skillet on med-hi heat.
Combine salt, pepper and garlic and mix well. Spread all over Roast. Add roast to hot skillet and brown all sides. Remove roast to crock pot.
Lower heat on skillet and allow to cool just a bit, about 1 minute. Carefully pour in a little red wine vinegar and using a wooden spoon, scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Add contents to the crock pot, as well as the rest of the vinegar.
Add the onions and 1/2 bottle of sauce. Add water to just cover meat. Give pot a little stir to combine all the ingredients.
Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.
About 5 hours into cooking, add the Red Pepper puree and mix well into liquid in the pan. Continue to cook until the meat is tender and starts to shred easily. Remove the meat to a plate and using 2 forks, shred.
Add a bit of flour to the pot and whisk well. Add the rest of the BBQ sauce and replace the shredded beef. Mix well and allow to cool a bit before serving.

Day #1 of Thanksgiving Posts

With only 11 days left until Thanksgiving (I know!!!) I thought I better get my tooshie into gear and get some goodies posted for you! Each day until Thanksgiving Eve, I will have a new recipe for you to help prepare you for the big Turkey day!
Today's recipe is one I just found... and I think I'm going to try it this year! It looks so good! I can't really tell you where I got the recipe, sadly. I found it on an old card (you know those ones you get as freebies in the mail when they want you to sign up for the whole program?!) tonight while I was preparing a Christmas gift!


GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

1 1/2 TBS butter

3TBS all-purpose flour

1 1/2 C milk

3-4 tsp dry ranch salad dressing mix

1/4– 1/2tsp white pepper

1C chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2C sliced fresh mushrooms

1 1/4lbs fresh green beans, cooked until crisp-tender

1C fresh bread crumbs, toasted

Instructions:

To make white sauce, melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour; cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Using wire whisk, stir in milk; bring to a boil. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in dressing mix and white pepper; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray medium skillet with nonstick cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Remove half of onion mixture, set aside.

Add mushrooms to onion mixture remaining in skillet and cook about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Combine mushroom mixture, green beans and white sauce in 1 1/2qt. casserole dish. Combine bread crumbs with reserved onion mixture; sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Stay tuned for another recipe tomorrow!!! :) It's gonna be good!

Halibut in a Bag

This recipe comes from one of my favorite series of books: Eat This, Not That, particularly Cook This, Not That. Did you know a Whopper is so much worse for you than a Big Mac? I had no idea! That's why I love these books.
I was going to make this for dinner tonight, using Cod instead, but it's so cold that I really don't feel like cooking. Good for my budget, not so good for my waist-line(in the sense that instead I'll probably end up eating junk food... argh)!
I have made this before and it really is simple and delicious. Instead of fennel, I sliced up a regular white onion. Instead of kalamata olives, I used green olives. And instead of white wine, I used red wine vinegar. I also added a dash of fresh ground pepper and a dash of ginger. And as a side, I made up a bit of Quinoa. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 fillets of halibut or other firm white fish (5 oz each)
1 jar (8 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp chopped kalamata olives
1/2 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced (or onion)
1 lemon, half cut into thin slices, the other half cut into quarters
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine (or vinegar)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Take 2 large sheets of parchment paper or foil, place a fillet in the center of each, and top equally with the artichokes, tomatoes, olives, fennel, and lemon slices. Drizzle with the olive oil and wine; season with salt and pepper. Fold the paper or foil over the fish and seal by tightly rolling up the edges, creating a secure pouch. It’s important the packets are fully sealed, so that the steam created inside can’t escape.

Place the pouches on a baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on how thick the fish is. Serve with the remaining lemon wedges.


NOTE on COOKING IN A BAG (from Cook This, Not That!):
The French call it en papillote; the Italians, en cartoccio. It's a technique that combines, health, flavor, and convenience as effectively as any cooking method in the kitchen. By adding a bit of liquid, you create a perfect steaming environment for chicken, fish, and seafood. Toss in tomatoes, onions, zucchini- anything that will cook in 15 min or less- to bolster the flavor. The best part? No cleanup!!

I'm alive...

and I promise I have not forgotten about this blog... or those few who read it! (Is there anyone who actually reads this?!). I haven't posted in almost 2 weeks because, well, I haven't cooked in about that long. You see, my son turned 2 last week, so it was a little nuts trying to get everything ready for him. Plus it was 70 degrees almost every day, so we spent lots of time outside...
But I have big plans for the next coming weeks. It's almost Turkey Day! Although I won't be making a Turkey until the Friday afterwords (we'll be at my mom's and I like to have leftovers so I'll make my own when we come home!), I do plan on posting her recipe beforehand if you want to try it! I made it last year after returning home from San Diego and it was so good and actually easier than I thought!
I normally don't bake, but it's that time of year for the super-fun Holiday Baking!! You know, cookie press cookies, peanut butter Hershey kiss cookies (my husband's favorite!), and any others we happen to decide on this year! Huge benefit for you because I'll be posting those recipes too!!
So sit tight and be patient with me. Not sure when my next post will be... but I have not forgotten about ya'll!! :)