Cranberry Sauce and Spread

So obviously my new breakfast consumption goal has me making as many spreads as I can to mix things up. And what better way to do that than in a holiday light! 

Yay for cranberries! Full of antioxidants and tart deliciousness.

This is also a great spread for toast, waffles and pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt and cereal. And probably many more things I am not yet aware of. I loved the addition of orange in this, which is apparently common for cranberry sauces, but I hadn't yet experienced the pairing. I let this go for awhile on the stovetop because I wanted mine reduced more, but you can cook it for less time to get more of a whole cranberry experience.



Cranberry Sauce and Spread

1 cup orange juice
1 quart fresh cranberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh, grated ginger
1-2 tablespoons honey 

Combine the orange juice, cranberries, cinnamon and ginger in a saucepan and set over low, medium heat. Allow mixture to come to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on your desired consistency.

Pumpkin Butter

If you thought pumpkin baking season ended at Halloween, you were sorely mistaken. My obsession continues effervescently.

Welcome to Pumpkin Butter Land (that would be our apartment), where since making this, I have put it on everything I can think of. Sure, I put it in my oatmeal, on toast, and eat it by the spoonful. But, I also have put it on my eggs, used it as a salad dressing, used it in baked good and pretty much put a dollop on everything whether or not I think I can get away with it.

So, if your looking to infuse more pumpkin into your life, this is the solution. This recipe can be fooled around with in many ways. Feel free to use white sugar, or adjust the spices to your taste. You can definitely use canned pumpkin, but I ended up roasting a pumpkin and making my own puree.



Pumpkin Butter

3-4 cups pumpkin puree (or about 1-29 oz. can of pumpkin puree)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup apple cider
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

Combine pumpkin, sugar, cider and spices in a large saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and allow to boil. Reduce heat and let mixture simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes or until it reaches your desired consistency. Let cool, transfer to jars, and store in the refrigerator.

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

Spice likes to joke with me that I am 7/8ths correct a lot of the time. And its true. Most notably this happens with lyrics. We will be singing along to something and Spice will stop and listen to what I am singing and just shake her head. I can't help it, though. I get so into the song that I neglect to figure out the words and just sing what I think they are. Now, other times I get some brilliant ideas that really get a 10 out of 10 rating. And this is one of those times.

With my recent whoopie pie pan addition to the kitchen, I am on a whoopie pie kick. And with fall rolling in, I thought carrot cake would be just the ticket. Add some orange cream cheese frosting, a little salted caramel sauce and some candied pecans and, gosh darn it, you have got a mighty delectable little dessert!

These were very fun to make and extremely pretty to look at once the caramel was drizzled on. I used the same caramel recipe from the salted caramel milkshakes and it was swoon-worthy!



Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

Carrot Cake:
Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 pound large carrots, peeled
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons nonfat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray whoopie pie pan with cooking spray.

Using the smallest holes (less than 1/4 inch in diameter) of a box grater, grate carrots, yielding 2 1/2 cups. Place carrots, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, sugar, vegetable oil, and ginger in a large bowl; whisk until well combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the carrot mixture until combined.

Place about 2 tablespoons of batter into each whoopie pie hole in the pan. Bake about 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing the cakes from the pan. Wash pan and re-spray with cooking spray. Repeat until batter is finished.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Martha Stewart

3/4 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 Tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
1/2 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
Pinch of salt

Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium0high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, and beat until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add the remaining ingredients and beat 5 minutes more.

Salted Caramel Sauce
Food and Wine

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Using a wet pastry brush, wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil over high heat until a deep amber caramel forms, about 6 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully whisk in the cream, butter and salt. Let the caramel cool to room temperature.

Candied Pecans

1 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Heat sugar and oil in a large skillet over medium heat until sugar melts and starts to bubble. Mix in pecans and stir until nuts are toasted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and spread in an even layer to cool completely.

To Assemble

Pipe frosting onto half of the flat sides of the cakes. Top with the other half after all frosted.

Drizzle caramel sauce over cakes and top with candied pecans.

Salted Caramel Milkshakes

Once upon a time there was a restaurant in New York that made Salted Caramel Milkshakes. (Yup, you read that right. Salted. Caramel. Milkshakes.) One day a girl (I'm the girl, the jig is up) tried one of said milkshakes and burst with joy. From then on she was obsessed with trying to make one of her own. She succeeded and lived happily ever after. The end.

Salted Caramel Milkshakes

Vanilla Ice Cream:
Alton Brown

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Combine all ingredients (including the bean and its pulp) in a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Attach a frying or candy thermometer to inside of pan. Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to 170 degrees F. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the hull of the vanilla bean, pour mixture into lidded container and refrigerate mixture overnight to mellow flavors and texture.

Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to unit's instructions. The mixture will not freeze hard in the machine. Once the volume has increased by 1/2 to 3/4 times, and reached a soft serve consistency, spoon the mixture back into a lidded container and harden in the freezer at least 1 hour before serving.

Salted Caramel Sauce:
Food and Wine

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

3/4 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Using a wet pastry brush, wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil over high heat until a deep amber caramel forms, about 6 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully whisk in the cream, butter and salt. Let the caramel cool to room temperature.

For the Milkshakes:

Place 2 cups vanilla ice cream, 3/4-1 cup milk (depending on your ice cream consistency), 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a blender. Run until combined.

Pesto

Wow! So many savory recipes all of a sudden! I can assure you, its only because it is too hot to turn on our oven at the moment. I'm not just saying that. It has been above 90 degrees outside for the past few weeks. Let me tell you, those subway platforms....yum! Ok, I'm lying about that last part. They are absolutely disgusting.

On to the pesto! We have a basil plant now in our apartment who started off as a 4 inch tall little guy. He has grown to about 2 and a half feet tall now! Although Spice was scared to pick off all the basil leaves for fear that they wouldn't return, she did to make this pesto! And it was time...the poor plant was getting heavy from so much foliage!



The pesto was great. We used it for the base of a pizza, as a dipping sauce and in pasta. So many possibilities! This recipe is gvery versatile and you can tweak it to your heart's content. Spice ended up putting in a bit more olive oil because we wanted a thinner consistency. This will definitely be a repeat recipe in our apartment.

Pesto
From Eating, etc.

2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed

1/2 cup olive oil (we used about 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup walnuts or pine nuts (we used pine nuts)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

4 cloves garlic (Mince them first to ensure the garlic is well-distributed)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and purée. Use immediately or place in freezer-safe containers & freeze until ready to use. Thaw in refrigerator or at room temperature (do not thaw in microwave!).

Curried Vegetable Samosas with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

Spice and I have a slight love affair with Indian food. We order from a nearby restaurant frequently. Their delivery special is out of this world. We always get: chicken tikki masala (mmmm), vegetable samosas, basmati rice and a dessert. Call me crazy but its usually the best dinner of the week.

Much to my surprise then, yesterday I came home to Spice bent over the stove with our latest issue of Cooking Light open to Vegetable Samosas. In reading through the recipe, I couldn't believe how easy they were! Spice quickly saved me some time by telling me all she did was mix the filling together, roll it in a wonton wrapper and stick it in a skillet.

The samosas were different from how we are used to having them. They had a great curry flavor and the wanton wrapper was a delicate and welcomed swap from the fried dough that usually surrounds our samosas.

Give it a whirl:

Vegetable Samosas with Cinantro-Mint Chutney from Cooking Light April 2010

Chutney:

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves

½ cup fresh mint leaves

¼ cup red onion

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon sugar

1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped

1 (1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger

 

Samosas:

1 ¼ cups mashed cooked peeled baking potatoes

¼ cup cooked yellow lentils

1 tablespoon minces fresh mint

1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon butter, softened

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

½ cup frozen petite green peas, thawed

10 egg roll wrappers

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

To prepare chutney, combine first 9 ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Set aside.

To prepare samosas, combine potatoes, lentils, mint, curry powder, 1 teaspoon butter, ¼ teaspoon salt and cumin. Gently fold in peas.

Working with 1 egg roll wrapper at a time, cut down middle to form 2 long rectangles. Moisten edges of wrapper with egg. Spoon 1 tablespoon potato mixture near bottom edge of wrapper. Fold up from 1 corner to the opposite outer edge of the wrapper, making a triangle. Fold over to opposite side again as if folding up a flag. Repeat fold to opposite side to form a triangle. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Lightly coat samosas with cooking spray. Add samosas to pan, and cook 1 minute on each side. Drain on paper towles. Serve with chutney. Yields 4 servings.

Onion Rings

So you know when you bite into something really delicious and you just kind of sit there for a second with it in you mouth and think about how life doesn't get much better? And your tastebuds are in overdrive and you are just using every sensation you have in your mouth to drain every bit of goodness from said delicious thing?

Yah, these guys will make that happen. Trust me. Or don't trust me, go make them. Then you will see that I never lie.

In the wake of yet ANOTHER snowstorm here in New York (which I must say I'm still all atwitter about but I swear I can hear the rest of the city mumbling curse words under their breath), I decided some fried deliciousness was in order. Since I mde doughnuts on the last snow day, I thought I should keep with the theme.  And I remembered some over the top amazing looking onion rings over at The Brown Eyed Baker, and new I was destined for a delicious dinner.

These are so easy to make and I am just so impressed with myself for making them and prolonging my frequent visit to Outback Steakhouse for their bloomin' onion appetizer (yes, I usually eat the whole thing). The dipping sauce is perfectly tangy to complement the fried love, or at least that's what I'm calling these.



Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce from The Brown Eyed Baker

• 2 medium sweet onions


• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper


• 1/2 cup buttermilk


• 1 egg


• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour


• 1 1/2 cups crushed potato chips


• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine ¼ cup flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne in a bowl.

In another bowl combine the buttermilk, egg and additional flour, whisking until a smooth batter is formed.

In a third bowl, place the crushed potato chips.

Prepare the onion rings by first dipping a ring into the seasoned flour, then into the batter (let the excess batter drip off), and then coat with the crushed potato chips. As you finish the rings, place them on a large plate. Repeat with all rings.

Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Drizzle the vegetable oil on the parchment-lined sheet and place in the oven for 8 minutes. Carefully remove the sheet from the oven and tilt to evenly coat with oil.

Working quickly, place your onion rings on the baking sheet and return to oven. Bake for 8 minutes, then flip onion rings and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise


• 2 teaspoons ketchup


• 2 tablespoons horseradish


• 1/4 tablespoons paprika


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder


• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano


• Dash ground black pepper


• Dash cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.

Sean's Asian Sauce and Marinade

You know those people who don't really have to follow a recipe? They just make stuff out of what they find in their kitchens and it turns out fabulous? My friend Sean is one of THOSE!

We made dinner a few weekends ago (by "we" I mean "he") and Sean used this Asian sauce he had whipped up a few nights earlier. I was so impressed with the sauce that I asked for the recipe. That led to him giving me a list of ingredients with no idea how much of each he put in. Thanks, that helps a lot, Sean!

Have no fear! I experimented and came up with an almost identical sauce, I think. When Sean made dinner, he used it as a chicken marinade and a vegetable and rice sauce. I used it last night with some salmon and mixed vegetables on top of a bed of spinach. Yum!


Sean's Asian Sauce and Marinade

2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
4 tablespoons honey

Whisk all ingredients together. Easy as pie. =)