Cranberry Salad

I know it may seem early for some to start thinking about the Holidays and planning a menu. For me, it's never too early. I am constantly researching recipes and I am sure I will be posting many of them in September.

Here's just another version of Cranberry Salad for Thanksgiving. This is definitely a vintage All American Holiday Recipe.

1 package of fresh cranberries ( you know the bag that's available just prior to Thanksgiving)
1 2/3 C sugar
1 C chopped pecans
1 C halved red grapes
1 container of Frozen Whipped Topping, thawed

Grind the cranberries. ( I thought the same thing you're thinking..... what? when was the last time you saw a grinder. I know my grandmother used one for meat and ... cranberries. Since most of us don't have them, we use a food processor and pulse them until they reach the stage of being "ground")

Place the cranberries in a colander over a bowl and cover with the sugar.( no need to stir)
Let them drain in the colander for 8 hours
Discard the juice or reserve it for cocktails ( mixed with Vodka), but you don't need it for this recipe.

Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl , add the cranberries and refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Instant Cappuccino Mix

Instant Cappuccino Mix

This makes a hot, instant, homemade Cappuccino drink.

2 C non dairy coffee creamer
1 C instant dry milk
1 1/2 TBS Chocolate Nesquik
2/3 C instant coffee ( I use Medaglia D'Oro instant espresso) ( Folger's or Nescafe)
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C Confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
a dash of vanilla

Mix all but the vanilla
Store in a sealed container

Use 3 rounded TBS of the mix per cup of hot water
Add a dash of Vanilla to each cup of Cappuccino.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad

This recipe was shared by a niece and it became our favorite summer salad.
Thanks Heather...... we enjoy the recipes the family shares!


Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad:

1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 ripe avocado, sliced
2 ears of fresh sweet corn
2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing:

Juice of 1 lime
3 TBS vegetable oil
1 TBS honey
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper


Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. I have a tip for husking corn in my Tips, Hints and More post.
Cut the corn off the cob and scrape the cob with the back of a knife to get the liquid.
Set aside and cool.


Honey Lime Dressing:

Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Combine  tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, corn and dressing , mix well
Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Caramel Popcorn

How decadent and simple can this be?
I'm surprised I'm posting this recipe.
It's not very healthy and the amount of sweetness is crazy.
However, it has to be yummy!
For those who dare.......


Soft Caramel for Popcorn: 

1C  brown sugar 
1 stick butter 
1C  Karo Syrup
1 can condensed milk

Heat until mixed and pour over popcorn!
Allow to cool before serving.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Grill-Roasted Peppers with Goat Cheese and Sauteed Summer Corn

Here's a great Vegetarian recipe from Vegetarian Times Magazine.

Roasting a bell pepper on the grill is easy and yields great results. Grill, steam, and peel ahead if you like; arrange in baking dish and gently reheat before serving. Choose large, blocky peppers for this recipe.

Grill-Roasted Peppers

• 4 yellow or orange bell peppers
• 4 oz. fresh goat cheese, softened to room temperature
• Thinly sliced fresh chives or chopped parsley, for garnish

Sautéed Summer Corn

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small (1 ¼ cups)
• 1 tsp. salt, optional
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels ( I roasted ears of corn and removed the kernels from the cobs)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
• ½ tsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley 

1. Heat gas grill to high (no need to preheat). Put bell peppers directly on grate, and cook 10 to 20 minutes, or until blackened in places, turning every few minutes. Transfer to bowl, cover with foil, and let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Peel bell peppers over bowl to catch juices; discard skin. I strained the juice with a sieve into a bowl. Cut bell peppers in half, I cut them on a plate to catch additional juice and strained it. ( leaving stems in), and arrange cut side up in baking dish.

2. Mix goat cheese with 2 1/2 Tbs. reserved bell pepper juices in small bowl. Divide goat cheese mixture among bell pepper halves. (Don’t worry if bell pepper halves are somewhat misshapen.) Refrigerate if working ahead. Remove from fridge 1 hour before serving.
Note: I ended up using 6 Bell peppers and 6 ears of corn. Because I increased the amount of the main ingredients, I used twice as much goat cheese, adding half of it with the Bell Pepper Juice and the other half, I stirred with a fork and dropped dollops on top of the cheese and juice mixture in the peppers. I suppose you can adapt the recipe to what ever amount of Peppers you are serving.
I refrigerated them overnight, refrigerated the corn mixture and save it all for the next day to serve.

3. To make Sautéed Summer Corn:  ( I grilled the corn, you don't have to, but I like the flavor of roasted corn). Heat oil in skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and 1/2 tsp. salt (if using), cover, and cook 5 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium, and sauté 4 minutes more. Add butter, corn, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt (if using). Cook 5 minutes, or until corn is glistening but still firm. Stir in garlic, and cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon or lime juice and parsley; season with freshly ground black pepper.

4. Preheat oven to 450°F. Warm bell pepper halves in oven 8 to 10 minutes. Remove bell peppers from oven, and spoon sautéed corn into each half. Transfer bell peppers to serving plates. Spoon any remaining corn over and around bell peppers. Garnish with chives.

I took a lot of pictures of this recipe. I decided that this is a recipe that a chef would create for a menu at a restaurant. It's quite time consuming and I don't expect many people will make it. My wife and I often say that we don't know many people that eat like we do. I've never been afraid to tackle a difficult recipe.
I often tell the story that I once re created a wedding cake from the cover of Martha Stewart Living magazine and it was just for us to enjoy!
I know that after having this meal tonight that I will make it again.
I hope that someone that reads this blog will do the same.
It truly is a great recipe.
I served it with the potatoes that are also on the blog. Parmesan Baked Potatoes with Herbs and Garlic and......  I made these with butter, Gray sel de Mer from France , fresh dill from our garden and dried dill weed.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Dallas Morning News Taste Section August 21, 2013

The cover page is titled Dog Daze of Summer:
A dozen dogs, dressed to thrill
with everything from grilled pineapple to kimchi.

It's all about the Hot Dog!
It may not appear to be vegetarian friendly, but there are great Veggie Dogs on the market and I happen to like them.
However, I chose not to post every way recommended to "dress up" a Hot Dog.

As I continued perusing the recipes, I chose to post this recipe for Righteous Rum Punch.

This was shared by Alicia Ross of the Kitchen Scoop section of the paper.
I thought it looked interesting.

She talks about the super sweet pink rum punch of the '70's and then continues to write about how she came up with a trendy new twist on her old favorite party punch.


Righteous Rum Punch:

1/2 C light rum
1/4 C dark rum
2 TBS coconut rum
1 1/4 C unsweetened pineapple juice
1 1/4 C orange juice
2 TBS key lime juice
Ice for serving
Fresh fruit garnish ( optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a small pitcher.
Serve over ice with fruit garnish, if desired.

Make 4 servings

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Roasted Hatch Chile Apple Bars

This is another adaptation of a bar cookie recipe using Roasted Hatch Green Chiles.

Roasted Hatch Chile Apple Bars

1/2 C cold butter, cubed
1 pouch ( 1lb. 1.5 oz ) pouch of Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
1 egg
1 C packed brown sugar
1 C peeled and finely chopped apples ( I use Jonagold)
3 roasted and peeled Hatch Chiles, diced
3/4 C Caramel topping
1/4 C Flour

Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with a vegetable spray

In a large bowl, cut butter into cookie mix and blend with a pastry blender or 2 forks
Stir in the egg
Stir in Hatch Chiles
Reserve 1/2 C of this mixture

Press remaining mixture into the pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

Sprinkle apples over the crust

In a small bowl, mix caramel topping with flour
Drizzle over apples

Spread reserved crumbs over apples
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes

Cool completely up to 2 hours
Cut into rows, 9"x4"

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!