Cranberry-Apple Sauce

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! SUPER excited! I've already started my prep to make things easier tomorrow. Prep numero uno? Tossed some ingredients into my bread machine for a white bread with ground sage and thyme in it for the dressing. It was so wonderful already having that done by the time I got home from the office. Prep numero dos? Cranberry! I've got a can of jellied cranberry for hubs, since he just INSISTS that Thanksgiving isn't the same without it, but I have to have something real. Hence, this recipe. I love cranberries! Plus, this is just so pretty.

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh cranberries
3/4 cup granny smith apple, peeled and diced small
2-4 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:
Are you ready for this? Super difficult sauce.. Throw everything into a small-ish sauce pan. Turn it on medium/medium-low. Put a lid on it. Walk away from it for about 5 minutes. 

Come back, stir gently, repeat walking away and stirring occasionally until desired consistency is achieved. Taste the sauce (carefully, it's hot!) for sweet, add some sugar if you would like it sweeter. Keep in mind that less is more! Now, breathe. You did it! I'm so proud. 

Next, focus on enjoying the rest of your dinner! 

Onion Basil Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns

My last attempt at hot dog buns wasn't exactly my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, the Pretzel Hot Dog Buns were pretty awesome according to everyone else in my house. I'm just still not a pretzel person. This time, I decided that I was going to make some for myself. Pregnant women are allowed to do that once in awhile, right? Right. Everyone else thought they were awesome anyways, so it was definitely a win-win situation. I made 12 with this recipe, and they were great for the smaller (cheaper) hot dogs, but for anything larger like a brat, I would cut it down to 10 for the recipe to make them a bit sturdier.

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour
1-2 tbsp dried minced onion
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp yeast

Directions:

Put ingredients into your bread machine according to directions for your particular machine. (They're currently in the order that mine and most other machines call for.) Set machine to dough setting, and let it do it's thing! 

Once the dough cycle has run, remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and separate into 10-12 equal sized pieces and shape into the appropriate shapes. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Let rise covered by a towel for 1 more hour in a dry place (I preheat my oven to 200º, then shut it off immediately and stick the dough in it to rise). Once risen, brush the tops with melted butter and bake at 375º for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Let the buns cool to room temperature, and then dig in! 

Pretzel Hot Dog Buns

I'm really not much of a pretzel person. I never have been. Occasionally, yes, I enjoy a nice big soft pretzel dipped in a nice spicy cheese sauce, but that's about it. Hubby however, is a HUGE pretzel fan, and the kids seem to have inherited his love of all things pretzel. When I recently decided to try to save some money on hot dog buns, pretzel buns were the obvious choice. I made my dough in my bread machine, just because I'm a little too huge at the moment to try and get in and knead dough properly. Plus it's just easier. I'm all about making things easier. Also, we went swimming while we waited for the dough to rise in the bread machine. Why not? It's the fourth of July, y'all! 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp honey

2 1/4 tsp active yeast (equivalent to one packet)

2 tbsp melted butter

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

8 cups water

1/4 cup baking soda

1 egg

Directions:

Combine warm water, sugar, honey and yeast in the bread machine, let sit for 5-10 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy. Add in remaining ingredients and turn machine on "dough" setting. Keep an eye on the dough as it's mixing to make sure that it doesn't look too wet or dry. If it looks too wet and sticky, add flour, 1 tbsp at a time. If it looks too dry, add milk or water 1 tbsp at a time. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, let your machine do it's thing! 

When it's done, put the dough on a floured surface and divide into 8 -10 pieces, depending on how big you want your buns to be. Keep in mind that they've still got a little big of growing to do, so shape them slightly smaller than you want the end product. Let them sit in a warm place with a towel covering them for another 10-15 minutes while you preheat the oven and prepare the water solution. 

Preheat your oven now to 425º. In a large pot, you'll want to boil 8 cups water, and add 1/4 cup baking soda once boiling. Depending on the size/depth of your pot, you may want to double the water/soda mixture. Once the buns have finished their last rise, drop them into the water mixture, 2 at a time, and boil for about 30 seconds on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cut 3 diagonal slits in the top of each bun and brush with an egg wash (just beat a single egg and brush on!). Sprinkle coarse salt on top, if desired, and bake for about 12 minutes, until nice and brown on top. Remove to a cooling rack once they've cooled slightly so that the buns don't get soggy. 

Sweet Potato Pie 2 (Candied Yam Pie)

Have leftover sweet potatoes after your Thanksgiving dinner that you're looking to be rid of? Look no further! 

Ingredients:

2 cups leftover sweet potatoes, mashed/pureed (CANDIED YAMS FOR THE WIN!)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14oz)
1/2 stick melted butter, cooled (4 tbsp)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 prepared pie crusts (frozen or your favorite recipe)
Marshmallows (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. 

Combine all ingredients except crusts and marshmallows in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Divide evenly between the two crusts. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Top the pies immediately with marshmallows, return to the oven on your broil setting, juts until marshmallows are toasted. (optional) 

Cut yourself a large slice.

Then, top with whipped cream. If you're cool enough, that is. 

Cranberry Sauce

Well, it's that time of year. Food, food and more food! Thanksgiving for me though is all about turkey, stuffing and cranberries. My usual cranberry dish is a cranberry orange relish, which is super easy and pretty tasty. It's just cranberries (washed and drained), an orange (cut into small-ish chunks, skin and all), and sugar (to taste). All above goes into the food processor until it gets to where you want it to be. It's all really a matter of taste. This year though, I opted to go another route. I've had cranberry orange relish every year of my life I think. I'm almost a quarter century old, it's time to branch out! 

Ingredients:

1 bag of fresh cranberries, washed and drained

1 medium apple, peeled and chopped**

1 medium pear, peeled and chopped**

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp lemon extract (or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice)

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2-3/4 cup white sugar or splenda (to taste)

3/4 cup water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium to large sauce pan. Start with the 1/2 cup sugar, and if you need more after it's done, stir it in. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all ingredients are soft and cooked down into a sauce. 

Here comes my note:

**When you're chopping your apple and pear, think ahead. If you want a "rustic" style cranberry sauce (chunky), chop them into smaller pieces. I'd say probably 1/4-1/2" dice. For my sauce, I used an immersion blender once everything was done cooking, so I made a bigger dice (about 1"). 

Another note: When selecting your apples, use a red one! The sweet will offset the tart of the cranberry and reduce the amount of sugar you'll need. Also, try to buy a good looking local breed! I used a Pacific Rose apple. Same goes for pears. Try to buy a sweeter variety, and buy local! It will be fresher, better tasting, and better for your local economy! 

/end preaching

This is what mine looked like when everything was cooked down, just before I took my immersion blender to it:

And just after:

I purposely left some chunks in mine, so that it wouldn't be like a cranberry butter. I wanted a bit of substance to it still. In the future, I think that I'll just dice the apples and pears a bit smaller and leave it as is. I like the chunks! 

Sweet Potato Pie

I <3 sweet potato and pumpkin pie. I've tried my hand before at pumpkin pie, and it turned out mediocre at best. I figured I'd give it one last shot. I'm just not a pie person, really. I fail pretty much every time I try to make a pie or snickerdoodles. I'm just incapable. This time though? Oh yeah. BIG win! 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked/peeled red garnet yams
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla 
2 eggs
1/2 stick melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger 
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk 
2 prepared pie crusts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. 

Mash your yams or put them through a food processor until mostly smooth. Mix together with all ingredients except milk (and pie crust, obviously). I used a wooden spoon, in hindsight, I'd use my hand mixer to give it a bit more volume. Next time, my friends. Add the milk, mix well.

Now, place the two pie shells on a baking sheet, and distribute evenly between the two shells. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick/knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it settle for a few minutes before you cut it open. Top with whipped cream. Whip it yourself, use the canned stuff, whatever. Just do it. And sprinkle with cinnamon, or maybe a drizzle of salted caramel. YUM! 

Oven Roasted Salsa

Hey there, friend! It's been awhile, eh? Well, things have calmed down in our household a bit, and I can finally get back to what I love. Cooking. Real cooking. Not mac 'n' cheese. From a box. Ew. I think I've gone through a half bottle of Sriacha sauce in the last month trying to make the stuff edible. Or at least so hot that I can't tell if it's edible or not. Close enough. I needed something else to put in my mac n cheese (my kids are going through a phase), and summer is always filled with spicy things. Salsa it is. I would *love* to make some grilled veggie salsa, but my grill is still sitting on a wishlist in Santa's workshop at the moment. I have learned to do a lot of things in my oven that I used to do on my grill (which coincidentally I had adapted from the oven when I lacked a working one). 

Ingredients:

2 - 2.5 lbs Roma tomatoes

1/2 large sweet onion

1-3 cloves garlic, finely diced (can sub 1 tsp garlic powder)

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 poblano peppers

2-3 jalepeno peppers

2 tbsp cilantro

juice of 2-3 limes

1 tbsp ginger ale

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450º.

Line two baking pans with foil. Make sure to use one with sides, I used my 9"x13" and 8" round cake pans. 

Cut the tomatoes into 8 pieces (half, then quarter the halves) and dice the onion. Add to baking pan. Sprinkle in Oregano, Basil and garlic, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. 

In another foil lined baking dish, place all peppers and cover loosely with foil. 

Place both pans in the oven, bake for 30-40 mins, then broil for 2-5 just until tomatoes begin to char in spots. Cover peppers tightly with foil, or place in a paper bag and close tightly. Let cool for 10-20 mins. 

Place roasted tomato mixture in food processor and pulse until desired consistency, then dump into a medium bowl. 

Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do this in several batches. Next, peel your peppers. You don't need to get all of the skin off, but you'll want at least the majority of it gone. Remove the seeds, leaving only a few if you want your salsa to be a bit spicier. Rough chop and toss into food processor with lime juice and cilantro. Pulse to desired consistency, add to tomato mixture and combine. 

Last step: add the 1tbsp ginger ale. Yes, I know that it's a bit of an odd ingredient for salsa, but trust me! It adds a nice depth to it. 

It's delish! The ginger ale adds the subtle kick of ginger along with a little sweet to off-set the hot. 

Side note - there are three jalepenos in my pan above. I did *not* use all three, I only used two and it's perfect for me. It's just slightly spicier than a good medium you get in a grocery store. It all depends on your jalepenos as well, some are hotter than others. Judge accordingly. 

And now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some chips calling my name along with a cold beer. 

Oh, and refrigerate your leftovers. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

It's been over a week since I've posted something. I've been sorely neglecting my poor blog! In my defense, things have been crazy busy, and as a result of such, I'm crazy broke, as I'm sure anyone who has ever been in their mid 20's knows happens. Especially those that had kids at that point. Anyways, I'm sorry.


So, later this weekend, I'm braving another batch of Salted Caramel Cupcakes, but I needed to make something less stressful before I attempt that. Plus hubby and I both had a sweet tooth tonight. And I have fallen in love with Pinterest. Hence, these. 

I love LOVE cookie dough. I'm not a huge fan though of chocolate chip cookies. They're so PLAIN. Actually, I think it's more that I'm just sick of them. I thought about doing a different type of cookie dough, but decided I'd stick with traditional for these. At least mostly. I've discovered these Mallow Bits recently, and I'm obsessed.

They're just the marshmallows that come in the hot chocolate packets. You know, the ones that you tried to fish out as a kid. C'mon, I know I'm not the only one who did it! I'm just the bad one that left the package of hot chocolate WITHOUT marshmallows for someone else to discover after it was too late for them to realize that the marshmallow part was missing. I was terrible. Actually, until I found these, I still did it. Hubs was NOT happy the first time it happened. There was quite the string of expletives as he poured the mix into a mug of hot water only to find that there was no marshmallows. OOPS. 


Okay. Now. Onto the recipe. I didn't have mini chocolate chips as the original recipe called for, so I chopped up a Hershey's bar I had in my pantry to miniature chunks. And I'm obsessed with the Mallow Bits. Of course those are in there too. And it's hot today, so I didn't want to turn my oven on. PERFECT. The dough is a bit crumbly, but as long as you warm it slightly with your hand by pressing it together into a ball, they stay together pretty well after that. 


Ingredients:


1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped chocolate bar or mini chocolate chips
1/4 - 1/2 cup Mallow Bits


Directions:


In a large bowl, stir together butter, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Gradually add flour. Stir in chocolate and marshmallows.


Roll into 1" balls and refrigerate or freeze until firm. Drizzle or dip in chocolate, or eat as is!