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The Spirit of Christmas….

Posted by on December 10, 2010

Hello Everyone-

I’ve been a bit under the weather lately.  I’m sure you’ve noticed the lack of posts on my part.  Life has just been a bit heavy and I feel like I’ve turned the corner and am feeling a bit more festive.  

There are two things that especially lighten my heart at this time of year.    A child’s true belief in Santa and baking.  I took little Ryan to see Santa yesterday.  He was so excited!  He insisted on bringing Santa a fruit roll up treat.  I love that he wasn’t only thinking about asking Santa for toys.  He genuinely wanted to do something nice for poor overworked Santa.  I’m so proud of the caring little boy he’s become.

All three of my boys love this season of Mom in the kitchen baking up our traditional family Christmas treats.  The cozy feeling of being in a warm house and the smell of sugar cookies or Gingerbread Cookies baking in the oven can’t help but give even the “coolest” of teenagers the warm fuzzies.

Be sure to have plenty of these holiday baking staples on hand:

Butter, unsalted
Sugar, granulated
Powdered sugar
All purpose flour, unbleached
Good vanilla
Baking powder
Baking soda
Fresh large eggs

Additional ingredients needed for gingerbread:

Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
Ground ginger
Molasses

Be looking for one of my favorite cookie recipes in the next day or two.

Have a wonderful and safe weekend!
Angie

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Turkey Chili…..

Posted by on December 7, 2010
There is nothing like a steaming bowl of hearty chili when it’s cold and snowy outside!  This easy recipe goes together quickly and is loaded with good stuff.  If you like it more spicy, feel free to add a minced and seeded fresh jalapeno with the peppers and onions.  Top with cheddar cheese, sour cream, or serve with Fresh Sage Cornbread.  Enjoy!
 
Hearty Turkey Chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small green pepper, seeded and diced
1 small yellow pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ lbs ground turkey
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 28 ounce can petite diced tomatoes with juice
1 28 ounce can water
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

1) Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add oil, then add green and yellow peppers and onions. Sauté for about 10 minutes.
2) Add ground turkey and cook through until you have little moisture left in the pot. Add garlic and cook a couple of minutes.

3) Add chili powder, cumin, and tomato paste. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring often. Add diced tomatoes with juice, water, sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Simmer over medium heat for about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.
*Use any beans you like.  I drain and rinse to eliminate excess sodium.
**Use any meat you like.  Try half ground beef and half spicy Italian sausage.
 
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Whew!

Posted by on December 3, 2010

Well.  I’ve been busy. 

Thanksgiving being my favorite food holiday of all time, inspired me to bake pies.  Lots of pies.  Twenty three in fact.  Apple Crumb, Pecan, Lemon Chiffon, and Apple Cranberry Crumb, and of course, Pumpkin.

And Kringle. Ten.  Do you know what Kringle is?  It is this fantastic butter/yeast dough that you make the night before, allow to rest in refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, you shape into a beautiful rolled coffee cake filled with cream cheese and your favorite fruit fulling and immediately bake.  Finally they are drizzled with icing. It’s like a giant danish.  They make for a gorgeous presentation and are incredibly delicious!  They are great for holiday gift giving.  I’m thinking this will be one of my next recipe posts……

Oh.  I’ve also been thinking of a Chocolate Glazed Coconut Cheesecake.  Does that not sound amazing??? I will be developing that recipe to share with you as well.  These could be made bite size for upcoming holiday parties….

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and I look forward to sharing plenty of entertaining tips and recipes from my kitchen for the upcoming holiday.

Have a great weekend!

Angie

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Buffalo Wings….

Posted by on November 26, 2010
I absolutely love spicy chicken wings.  Try making these, they’re baked!  Believe me, they come out very crispy, you would never know that they were not fried.  The sauce is outstanding.  Be sure to serve with my Light Bleu Cheese Dressing, and crunchy carrot and celery sticks, fantastic!  Enjoy!
Oven Fried Buffalo Chicken Wings

For the chicken:
2-3 lbs. chicken wings
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the sauce:

½ cup Open Pit Original BBQ Sauce or your favorite sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
¼ cup Red Hot Sauce
2 teaspoons butter

1) Preheat oven to 400’. Non stick foil line a cookie sheet with sides. Set aside.
2) Cut wings into pieces at joints (discard the little flapper portion) and place on prepared cookie sheet. Generously season wings with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over wings and toss to coat. Arrange on cookie sheet so they’re not touching. Drizzle the vegetable oil over the prepared wings.  Bake for about 50 minutes or until wings are very crispy.
3) While wings are baking, add all sauce ingredients to a large sauce pan. When the wings are almost finished baking, warm sauce over medium heat and mix well.  Remove from heat.
4) Remove wings from oven right onto a paper towel lined plate. Add the hot wings to the sauce pot. Toss to coat. Serve immediately with bleu cheese dressing and celery and carrot sticks. 

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Pumpkin Pie Recipe Error….

Posted by on November 25, 2010

Geeze!  I went to make my Traditional Pumpkin Pie and realized there was no sugar in the recipe!  Cripes!  Please make note of it, I corrected the recipe.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Angie

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Corn Bread with Fresh Sage….

Posted by on November 21, 2010

 This bread is absolutely fantastic!  The fresh sage very gently flavors the entire bread.  This is a lovely and dramatic presentation, dont’ you think?    This one bowl recipe goes together in minutes and bakes for only about 22 minutes.    Serve this with your Thanksgiving dinner, your family will be very impressed!

Corn Bread with Fresh Sage

1 small bunch fresh sage leaves
2 teaspoons softened butter to grease pan
1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup oil

1) Preheat oven to 350’. Grease a 9” round pan generously with butter. Arrange the sage leaves on the prepared pan. Set aside.

2) In a large mixing bowl, combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until combined.
3) Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the yogurt, milk, eggs, and oil. Mix until just blended.
4) Carefully pour into prepared pan. Bake for 21-23 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness.
5) Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.  Cool completely and cover with saran wrap.

Enjoy!
Angie

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Pie Crust Tips….

Posted by on November 19, 2010

I suggested many pie recipes for your Thanksgiving finale but did not mention pie crust.  Try my step by step Butter Pie Crust recipe for any pie you might be making.  I love that it is made with a very short and real ingredient list.    And the taste!  I don’t have to tell you that the taste of real butter in anything is better.

Pie crust tips:

*Use a pastry blender to incorporate the butter into the flour.  The flour should resemble coarse cornmeal when it’s ready for the next step.
*Try not to referigerate for too long, it is unnecessary and will make the dough too cold to work with.  Optimal time is 30-60 minutes.
*Use cold butter and ice water.
*Limit the amount of time you handle the dough.  Try to knead the dough into a ball in 3-5 turns of the dough.
*There must be enough liquid to combine all the ingredients.  Use a fork when adding water to the flour/butter/salt mixture.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Angie

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More Thanksgiving Ideas…..

Posted by on November 18, 2010

Hello everyone-

I am a firm believer in getting as much done ahead as possible for this holiday feast.  Need turkey and prep ahead dinner tips?  Click here. 

Try my recipes for Cherry Crumb Pie, Traditional Pumpkin Pie, and Apple Crumb Pie….all my favorites for Thanksgiving!  Don’t feel like making a pie???  Try my Peach Crisp.  Use frozen peaches, this dessert will come together in a matter of minutes!  Make ahead and refrigerate.  About 20 minutes before dessert time, warm in 325′ oven for about 20 minutes….serve with real vanilla ice cream.  I cannot forget to mention Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding, yet another easy dessert that can be made ahead and baked before serving.  What’s not to love about bread pudding??

If you’re having over night guests and would like a simple and delicious breakfast idea, why not try the Egg, Sausage, and Cheese Breakfast Bake.  You can prepare it the night before and simply pop it in the oven in the morning, so easy and delicious!  Try one of my delicious quick bread recipes such as Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Bread, Lemon Poppy Seed Cakes, or Blueberry Streusel Bread.  All freeze beautifully and thaw out quickly in the microwave on defrost for 2 minutes or for an hour on the kitchen counter.

I especially love this holiday where the main focus is on being with everyone we love and simply enjoying delicious foods together.

Enjoy!
Angie

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Brussel Sprouts, Pan Roasted with Bacon….

Posted by on November 16, 2010

Why not serve these beauties as an elegant side for Thanksgiving dinner?  These are one of my favorite vegetables.  Caramelizing the brussel sprouts makes them sweet while the bacon adds a smokey and salty element.  Soooooo tasty!

Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts

2 strips bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 lb. brussel sprouts, stems removed and cut in half
salt and pepper
1/2 cup water

1)  In a large skillet that has a lid, cook bacon until crispy.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
2)  Add brussel sprouts immediately to the hot pan with the bacon fat.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until the brussel sprouts are nicely browned.
3)  Add 1/2 cup water and cover with tight fitting lid.  Steam for 5 minutes.
4)  Top with the cooked bacon.  Serve immediately.

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Oven Roasted Turkey Legs…YUM!

Posted by on November 14, 2010

The unfortunate part about making a whole turkey is that there are only two legs.  Most people either love the breast or the leg….I think it a good idea when making a whole turkey to make additional turkey legs.  I make turkey legs occasionally for dinner, so easy and so delicious!  You could make them ahead for Turkey day and re-warm in the oven for 30 minutes prior to serving. 

Whip up some mashed potatoes and make a little pan gravy and you have one inexpensive and delicious weeknight dinner.

Oven Roasted Turkey Legs

4 large turkey legs
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 cups water

1)  Line a cookie sheet with sides with non stick aluminum foil.  Preheat oven to 325′.
2)  Rub each turkey leg generously with olive oil.  Season generously with salt, pepper, and oregano.
3)  Place in oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours.
4)  Remove pan from oven, add 1 1/2 cups water and cover with foil.  Roast another hour.

Gravy

Pan juices
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon corn starch

1)  Pour the pan juices into a gravy separator.  Drain off the juices you’ll be using into a one cup measuring cup and discard the fat.  Add enough water to measure 1 cup.  Pour into small sauce pan.
2)  Mix the cornstarch with the 1/2 cup of water until incorporated.  Pour immediately into the broth in the pan. 
3)  Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Serve immediately.

To re-warm turkey legs.  Place in a pan with sides and add 1/2 cup of water.  Cover tightly with foil and warm in 325′ oven for 30 minutes.
To re-warm gravy.  Microwave for one minute increments, stir between.  Whisk in a little water if necessary for a smooth gravy.

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