Cranberry and Pepper Shortbread Bites

Cranberry and Pepper Shortbread Bites

Cranberry and Pepper Shortbread Bites sounded interesting to me and looked so festive in the picture.  Perfect for the upcoming holidays.  I knew I was going to make this recipe.  At first, I thought the shortbread was a combination of cranberry and pepper.  That isn't the case.  The dough is halved and one part has cranberries the other part pink peppercorns.   The dough for the shortbread is made in a food processor,  so it is easy.  The ingredients for the shortbread are  toasted almonds, flour, sugar, cornstarch, salt, butter and vanilla.  The dough is then divided in half.  You knead crushed pink peppercorns into one half and finely snipped dried cranberries in the other half.    Chill the dough for 30 minutes and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.  You then cut the shortbread with a round cutter.  Sprinkle the shortbread with coarse salt or pearl decorating sugar and bake. Transfer  to a wire rack to cool.  Be sure to let the shortbread cool completely.  It firms up as it cools.
My favorite shortbread was the peppercorn ones topped with salt.  They had a light peppery salty taste.  A very flavorful savory bite.  For the cranberry shortbread,  I sprinkled the tops with sugar.  They were a slightly sweeter shortbread.  The kids and spouse preferred these.


Cranberry and Pepper Shortbread Bites
From Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons pink peppercorns, crushed
2 tablespoons very finely snipped dried cranberries
Coarse salt or pearl decorating sugar (optional)

Directions:
1. In a food processor, process almonds until finely chopped.  Add flour, sugar, cornstarch, and salt; process with several on/off turns until mixed.  Add butter and vanilla; process until slightly crumbly.  Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide in half.  Add peppercorns to one half and knead until smooth.  Add cranberries to other half and knead until smooth.  Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.

Toasted Almonds

Ground Almonds

Peppercorn Dough

Cranberry Dough

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Roll one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut with a 2-inch round cutter.  Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.  Sprinkle with coarse salt or pearl decorating sugar.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges and bottoms just start to brown.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool.  Repeat with remaining portion of dough.

Makes 48 servings

Spiced Pumpkin Butter

Spiced Pumpkin Butter

I had a lot of pumpkins this year so I decided I would make some homemade Pumpkin Butter.  We love Pumpkin Butter at my house.  It goes great with peanut butter and is a great spread for toast.  I put some  in my oatmeal. Pumpkin Butter has many uses.    Pumpkin Butter is very easy, quick, and inexpensive to make.  Pumpkin puree is combined with pure maple syrup, apple juice, lemon juice, ginger cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  You cook this mixture in a Dutch oven for about 25 minutes or until thick.  Let the mixture cool, and store in the refrigerator or freezer.  That's all there is to it.  I told you it was easy.  The taste - well it was delicious.    To me it tasted like a sweet, spicy pumpkin pie filling.  The spiciness was not overwhelming -it blended in well with the pumpkin.


Spiced Pumpkin Butter
From Better Homes and Gardens


Ingredients:

4 cups Pumpkin Puree or two 15- ounce cans pumpkin
1 1/4 cups pure maple syrup
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Chopped hazelnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven combine all ingredients except nuts.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, 25 minutes or until thick.  (If mixture spatters, reduce heat to medium-low).  Remove from heat; cool.

2. Ladle into jars or freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.  Cover; store in refrigerator up to 1 week or freezer up to 6 months.

Makes 4-1/2 cups

Parker House Rolls

Parker House Roll

Fresh baked rolls are a must at my Thanksgiving Day meal.  This year, I am going to make these wonderful feathery-light buttery Parker House Rolls.  I made a practice batch and they were delicious and not that difficult to make. The recipe I used was from King Arthur Flour.  All the ingredients except the melted butter are combined in a large mixing bowl. No proofing of yeast.  Yeah!  I always worry about that part.  You then knead the dough either by hand or by machine.  The dough is then left to rise for 90 minutes.  Divide the dough in half, brush with melted butter and roll into a rectangle.  You fold over one side of the dough and cut the dough into 3-inch rectangles.  Place the rectangles into a prepared baking pan and let rise.  Pop them in the oven and bake.  When you remove the rolls from the oven, brush the tops with more melted butter and serve.  I bet you've guessed what makes these rolls sooo good.  Butter:)  
PS: Don't you just love those perfect little loafs


Parker House Rolls
From King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup potato flour or 3/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
1 large egg
3 1/2 to 4 tablespoons butter, melted; for brushing on rolls

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients (except the 3 tablespoons melted butter at the end), mixing to form a shaggy dough.  Note: To speed the rising process, whisk together the milk and egg, and heat gently just enough to remove the refrigerator chill; then add the remaining ingredients.
2. Knead the dough, by hand ( 10 minutes) or by machine (7 to 8 minutes) until it's smooth.

3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or 8-cup measure (so you can track its rising progress).  Allow it to rise for 90 minutes; it'll become quite puffy, though it probably won't double in bulk.  Note that the dough takes quite awhile to get going; after 1 hour, it may seem like it's barely expanded at all.  But during the last half hour, it rises more quickly.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface.  Divide it in half.  Working with one half at a time, roll or pat the dough into and 8"x12" rectangle.
5. Brush the dough all over with a light coating of the melted butter.  You'll have melted butter left over; save it to brush on top of the baked rolls.

Dough Rolled into a Rectangle

Dough Brushed With Melted Butter

6. Cut the dough in half lengthwise, to make two 4"x12" rectangles.  Working with one rectangle at a time, fold it lengthwise to about 1/2" of the other edge, so the bottom edge sticks out about 1/2 " beyond the top edge.  You'll now have a rectangle that's about 2 1/4"x12." Repeat with the other piece of dough.

Rectangle Cut In Half

Dough Folded

Cut into Rectangles

Patted Down in Pan

7. Cut each of the rectangles crosswise into four 3" pieces, making a total of 8 rolls, each about 2 1/4"x3".  Place the rolls, smooth side up, in a lightly greased 9"x13" pan.  Repeat with the remaining piece of dough, making 16 rolls in all.  You'll arrange 4 row of 4 in the pan, with the longer side of the rolls going down the longer side of the pan.  Gently flatten the rolls to pretty much cover the bottom of the pan.
8. Cover the pan, and let the rolls rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they're puffy but definitely not doubled.  Towards the end of the rising time preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
9. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're golden brown and feel set.
10. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter.  Pull them apart to serve.

Yield: 16 rolls

Done:)

Cranberry Jello Salad

Cranberry Jello Salad

When I was growing up, every year for Thanksgiving my mother would make a Cranberry Jello Salad.  It was a recipe given to her by one of my aunts.   It had  lots of yummy ingredients in it - cranberries, apples, pineapple, celery and pecans.  My job was to use the food grinder and chop up the cranberries.  All the ingredients were mixed together and then added to Cherry Jello.  She poured the mixture into a mold and refrigerated it over night.
I continue the tradition of making this salad yearly for my family.  The kids enjoy helping me like I did with my mom.  I serve the salad by itself or sometimes topped with a dollop of creme fraiche.  Either way, it tastes great.  You have the tartness of the cranberries mixed with the sweetness of the apples and pineapple.  The nuts and celery give the salad a nice crunchy texture.  A delicious addition to any Thanksgiving Day feast.






Cranberry Jello Salad
Special Equipment: Two quart mold

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
1 1/2 cups diced apples
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple - do not drain
1 package (6-ounce) cherry Jello
1 cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
Cooking Spray


Directions:
1. Lightly spray the mold with cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. Stir together the cranberries, apples, celery, and pecans in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the crushed pineapple and stir until well mixed.

Cranberries, Apples, Celery, Pecans

3. Stir the cherry Jello and sugar together.  Add the hot water and stir until the Jello and sugar are dissolved.

4. Add the cranberry mixture to the Jello and stir well.

5. Pour the Jello mixture into the prepared mold.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm - 4-5 hours or overnight.

6. Place mold in a bowl of warm water (the top of the mold should not be submerged in the water) for a few seconds.  Invert the mold onto a platter. Lift the mold carefully.  Repeat placing the mold in warm water if necessary.  Serve
Makes 12 servings

 
 

Cranberry Jello Salad

Spicy-Lime Pistachio Nuts

Spicy-Lime Pistachio Nuts

For the Thanksgiving Holiday, I like to have munchies around.   People can nibble and talk while the dinner is being prepared.  As I was perusing  my Holiday magazines, I ran across this recipe for Spicy-Lime Pistachio Nuts in Better Homes and Gardens.  They sounded so easy and delicious.  A nice nibbler to have for Thanksgiving. Pistachios are tasty and they have lots of health benefits.  According to Livestrong.com, pistachios have the following health benefits: 1. they reduce heart disease, 2. are rich in antioxidants, 3. can slow the aging process,and 4. combat diabetes.  All these benefits in these delectable little nuts.    This recipe is easy and quick to make.  Just be sure to watch the nuts as they are roasting and to stir them frequently.  They can burn on you.  Start by mixing together olive oil, fresh lime juice, maple syrup, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes.  Toss the nuts in this mixture until they are well coated.  Spread the nuts in a single layer onto a baking sheet.  Bake the nuts for 20 minutes.  Cool the nuts completely before eating.  These nuts are delicious.  They have a tangy mild spicy flavor.  The family  loved these nuts. The hubby told me I hit it out of the park with these pistachios. They ate them all before I had a chance to put some away for Thanksgiving.  I must get busy and make some more.

Spicy-Lime Pistachio Nuts
From Better Homes & Gardens Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups roasted salted pistachio nuts, whole blanched almonds, and/or cashews

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  In a large bowl combine olive oil, lime juice, maple syrup, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes.  Add nuts; stir to coat.  Spread nut mixture onto two large rimmed baking sheets in a single layer.

Olive Oil, Lime Juice, Salt, Pepper Flakes, Maple Syrup

Pistachios Mixed With Olive Oil Mixture

2. Bake for 20 minutes, or until nuts are toasted and appear dry, stirring occasionally.  Spread nuts on a large sheet of foil; cool completely.  Let stand 2 hours before serving.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

Makes 24 servings

Roasted Pistachios

Sparkling Indian Corn Cookies aka Candy Corn Cookies

Sparkling Indian Corn Cookies

My daughter, Becky, needed a treat for her class the other day.  A great excuse to bake and try something new.  I saw these cookies last year and I made a note to bake them.  They were Candy Corn Cookies.  I just made one minor adjustment and named them Indian Corn Cookies.  It goes well with the Thanksgiving theme.
These cookies are slice and bake.  I don't do that well with slice and bake cookies but these weren't that hard.  Instead of rolling the dough into a log you press three different colors of dough into a 9x5-inch loaf pan.    You refrigerate the dough then slice and bake. Nothing could be easier.
The dough is made by beating together butter and sugar.  You add an egg, orange juice, orange zest and salt.  You then add flour and baking soda to the mixture.  The dough is then divided into thirds.  You color one part of the dough orange with orange paste or gel food color.  If you use liquid food coloring it will mess up your dough.  For another third of the dough you incorporate melted semisweet chocolate.  I recommend melting your chocolate using a double boiler.  That way it won't burn.  Believe me, burnt chocolate will ruin the best of recipes.    Once the dough has been refrigerated, you remove it from the pan.  First, you slice the dough crosswise about 1/4 of an inch thick.  You then cut each slice into six wedges (they look like little pie pieces) or triangles.  Put on a baking sheet and bake.  The aroma of  these cookies when are baking is wonderful.  In fact, two of Becky's friends came over when I was baking the cookies.  They told me my house sure smelled good.  Remove the cookies for the oven, cool, and  then coat with sugar.
These cookies are little gems of goodness.  The orange juice and orange zest added such a wonderful flavor to the cookies.   You can't eat just one.  These cookies are great for any occasion.  You just color the dough to match the occasion.

Sparkling Indian Corn Cookies 
From Land O Lakes

Ingredients:

1 cup Land O Lakes Butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Orange paste or gel food color
1 (1 ounce) square  semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
1. Line bottom and sides of  9x5-inch loaf pan with waxed paper or plastic food wrap.  Set aside.
2. Combine butter and 1 cup sugar in large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy.  Add egg, orange juice, orange zest and salt.  Continue beating until well mixed.  Reduce speed to low; add flour and baking soda.  Beat until well mixed.

Butter and Sugar

Flour and Baking Soda

3. Divide dough into thirds.  Press one-third of white dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan.  Add a small amount of orange color to another piece of dough.  Mix until well blended.  Press orange dough evenly over white dough in pan.  Incorporate well, the melted chocolate into the remaining one third of the dough. Press the chocolate dough evenly over the orange dough in pan.  Cover with plastic food wrap.  Refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours or overnight).

White Dough Pressed in Bottom of Pan

Orange Dough

Orange Dough Pressed in Pan

Melting Chocolate in Double Boiler

Chocolate Dough Placed On Top of Orange Dough

4. Place 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl; set aside.
5. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Invert loaf pan to remove dough.  Peel off waxed paper.  Place layered dough onto cutting surface.  Cut loaf crosswise into 1/4-inch slices using a sharp knife.  Trim edges to make even, if necessary. Cut each slice into 6 wedges.  Place 1-inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Cutting Dough

6. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned.  Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.  Immediately place warm cookies in bowl with sugar; roll in sugar to coat.  Place cookies onto wire cooling rack.  Cool completely.

Cookies Rolled in Sugar

Delicious

7. Store in loosely covered container.

Makes 15 dozen cookies

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Browned Butter

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Browned Butter

I have found a new veggie dish for my Thanksgiving Day dinner. Roasted Brussels sprouts - mmm.    I am fond of Brussels sprouts - it hasn't always been like this.  As a kid, I disliked Brussels sprouts.  I grew older and smarter  and became of fan of these nutritious little cabbages.  Brussels sprouts have wonderful health benefits.  There is a connection between Brussels sprouts and cancer prevention.  Brussels sprouts provide nutritional support for thee body systems that are closely connected to cancer development and prevention.  The three systems are:
1. body's detox system, 2. antioxidant system and  3. inflammatory/anti-inflammatory system.To read more about how healthy these little cabbages are click this link to Whole Foods.
In this recipe, the Brussels sprouts are roasted with red onions.  After they are done, browned butter with almonds and raisins is spooned over the veggies.  The roasting brings out the wonderful nutty flavor of the Brussels sprouts.  Pair this with the mild sweet flavor of the onions, the delectable browned butter and you have one tasty veggie dish.  Perfect for any day of the week or a special day.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Browned Butter
From Woman's Day Magazine

Ingredients:
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved
2 red onions, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the Brussels sprouts, onions, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Turn the Brussels sprouts cut-side down and roast until golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes; transfer to a platter.

Ready For Oven

Roasted Veggies

2. Five minutes before the Brussels sprouts are finished, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until foaming.  Add the almonds and cook, stirring until the almonds and butter are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the raisins, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt and swirl the pan to combine.

Browned Butter, Almonds, Raisins

3. Spoon the brown butter mixture over the sprouts and onions.


Makes 8 servings