Empire State of Mind

3-2-1….2013!  There is nothing better than a good family New Year’s Eve party.  The only downside?  Keeping your kids up till midnight…and the morning after.  Grumpy, tired kids are no fun, and it’s no way to start the New Year.  My solution?  New York New Year’s Eve!  Yep, everyone celebrates at 9pm, our time…….midnight East Coast.  Everyone gets to see the ball drop (online), gets to do a countdown, and gets to live it up….New York style.  This idea isn’t a new one, and it certainly isn’t mine, but it is my favorite way to ring in the New Year with little ones.  Mostly because they go to bed at a reasonable time, and then the real celebrating can begin.

You can take this theme all the way.  You can decorate just like the Big Apple, play New York music and eat New York food!  I’m thinking mini Statues of Liberty, Broadway, pics of the subway, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, etc.  Music?  How about “New York, New York”, “New York State of Mind”, or “Empire State of Mind”?  As for the food….I have a few ideas, and they are all mini versions of their bigger counterparts.  Finger food!

In New York, street food is really popular.  So I hear.  I have never been to New York, so everything I write is second hand.  Take it with a grain of salt.  It’s not like I’m a native New Yorker.  I am west coast, through and through.  Back to street food, some popular carts are hot dog carts and nuts, among others.  The hot dogs are basic hot dogs with all sorts of toppings like ketchup, mustard, relish and sour kraut.  The nuts are candied (right there in the cart!), and they are fabulous.  I have had the nuts by the way….A friend brought some to me a few years ago.

In case you couldn’t tell from that…I am showing you how to make candied nuts and mini hot dogs.

I buy regular mixed nuts from the grocery store.  My nuts are roasted and salted.  I cook them with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt.  These nuts end up sweet, slightly spicy from the cinnamon and salty.  They are delicious, and the perfect little nibble for a party.  And you don’t even have to stand in line on a busy street to buy them!

 

My hot dogs are cute little miniature versions of a grown-up hot dog.  I use regular hot dogs that have been cut in half, and I use a package of brown and serve dinner rolls for the buns.  I just cut the rolls in half, lengthwise.  Then, I cut the rolls almost all the way through (lengthwise again) to make a cute wee little bun.  I don’t bake the buns at all.  I leave them as is, which is more like a hot dog bun.

I also set out all sorts of toppings like ketchup, diced onions, mustard and pickles.  I don’t set out any kraut.  There are never any takers.

You will never see a happier kid, then a kid eating a mini hot dog.  Kids love miniature versions of things.

My next mini is a mini pastrami sandwich…just like one you would get in New York!  I use a cookie cutter to cut out small circles of rye bread.  The bread gets toasted and topped with yummy pastrami, Swiss cheese, mustard, and of course, a pickle!  Just like a NY delicatessen.

My third mini?  Well, I take help from a restaurant for this one.  I order a Domino’s Brooklyn style pizza, and I ask them not to cut it.  When I get the pizza, I cut it into squares, and then I cut the squares on the diagonal.  I am left with mini triangles.  Your guests can help themselves to a mini piece, and still fold it in half like any good Brooklyn-ite would do.  Placing that phone call is the easiest part of the party!

 

Every good party needs a fantastic dessert, and I think New York cheesecake fits the bill.  But of course, I have to make it mini!  I solve this by making cheesecake truffles, which is essentially smashed up cheesecake rolled into balls and dipped into melted chocolate.  I always thought cheesecake couldn’t get any better, but I was wrong.  Very wrong.

I started with a whole, store bought cheesecake. If you want to be truly authentic, make sure it is a New York cheesecake!  I let it defrost almost all the way.  Then, I dumped the whole thing into a bowl and mashed it all together, crust and all.  Then, I scooped out cheesecake and formed it into balls.  Helpful tip-wet your hands a bit to help form balls.

The balls get put back in the freezer to firm up, and then dipped in chocolate.  I used the dipping chocolate that melts in its own bowl.  Once dipped, these guys hold up well in the fridge or freezer, so these are great to make in advance. 

 

These little guys are the perfect ending to a party.  (Even a party that ends at 9pm.)  You get the delicious flavor of cheesecake with a candy coating!  Yum!

I hope you all have a fabulous New Year’s Eve whether you celebrate at 9pm or 12am.  And best wishes for an amazing 2013!

Candied Nuts

4 cups mixed nuts

¼ cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Melt butter in a large skillet.  Add brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and stir.  Cook until sugar is dissolved in butter.  Add nuts and mix well.  Cook until butter is foamy and nuts are completely coated, about 5 minutes.

Spread nuts on a baking pan and let sit for at least 2 hours.  Break apart if needed.

Serves 8-10

 

Mini Hot Dogs

1 pack of brown and serve dinner rolls (you will only need 8)

1 pack hot dogs (8)

Assorted hot dog toppings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice rolls in half lengthwise.  Slice each half in half again, cutting almost all the way through, forming a “bun”.  Do not pre-bake rolls.

Slice each hot dog in half, crosswise.  Place a hot dog half into each bun.  Place hot dogs on a baking sheet and cover tightly in foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until hot dogs are hot.

Makes 16 mini hot dogs

 

Mini Hot Pastrami Sandwiches

1 loaf Rye Bread, sliced for sandwiches

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound pastrami, sliced thin

½ pound Swiss cheese, sliced thin

Mustard

Pickles for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Using a 1 ½ inch round cookie cutter, cut bread into small circles.  Spread butter, evenly, on each circle and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, or until bread is slightly browned.  Divide Swiss cheese and pastrami evenly over ½ of the circles.  Spread mustard on remaining circles and assemble sandwiches.  Garnish with pickles.

Makes about 30 sandwiches.

 

New York Cheesecake Truffles

1 store bought frozen cheesecake (17 ounces)

2 containers Baker’s Dipping Chocolate (7 ounces each)

Defrost cheesecake almost all the way.  Remove cheesecake from pan and place into a mixing bowl.  With a large spoon, mash cheesecake so that the cheesecake and crust is blended.  Using a 1 inch ice cream scoop, scoop out cheesecake and form balls with your hands.  Place balls on a tray and freeze for at least 2 hours.

Melt chocolate according to package directions.  Dip frozen cheesecake balls in melted chocolate.  Set one a tray to “set” chocolate.  Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Makes about 24 balls.

Fancy Schmancy Holiday Dinner

There is less than a week until Christmas.  There, I said it.  Did it freak you out?  Are you prepared?  I’m certainly working on it.  The one thing I do have set is Christmas Dinner.  I love a good holiday dinner.  Especially Christmas.  This is one of the few meals during the year that I am willing to put some time into.  But don’t get nervous…this meal still has shortcuts, and it is still pretty easy.  I said “put some time into”, but I didn’t say a long time.

I like to celebrate Christmas with beef.  That is a sentence I sure didn’t think I would ever say.  No turkey, no ham….beef.  I like a good prime rib or a nice steak.  This year, I am going with a big ‘ol rib eye, my favorite cut off the cow.  My menu consists of broiled rib eye with “All-Day Mushrooms” and Gorgonzola, Spinach and Artichoke Mashed Potatoes and Stuffed Zucchini.  It sounds delicious, right?  And just festive enough.

A little side note: My menu serves 4-6.  You will need to adjust the recipes depending on how many hungry people you have to serve. 

 

Let’s start with the “All-Day Mushrooms” because these take the longest to cook.  All day, obviously.  But you don’t slave over the stove all day.  I use my slow cooker.  Yay for the slow cooker during the Holidays!

I used a one pound container of whole button mushrooms.  Once I cleaned them off with a damp towel, I tossed them in the slow cooker.  I added almost a full bottle of red wine (any kind), a stick of butter, 4 cloves of minced garlic and black pepper.  You could add some Italian seasoning to this too.  I don’t because I don’t like it.  To each their own.  If you are cooking the meal, you get to pick.

These mushrooms cook all day on low.  When they are ready they are almost purple from the wine.  And they are so packed with flavor.  And oh yeah, your house will smell like a small slice of heaven.  Make sure you have crusty bread to serve with these mushrooms because your guests will be all over the “juice” left in the slow cooker.

Like I said, I served the mushrooms with a broiled rib eye.  I bought some huge rib eyes (three) that were bone-in.  I seasoned them with salt and pepper and broiled them in my oven for about 6 minutes per side.  This cook time really depends on how hot your oven is and how you like your steak cooked.  I prefer rare, but my hubs prefers well done.

I served my steaks sliced, as too feed more people.  I topped the slices with the mushrooms, a bit of the juice and a ton of crumbled gorgonzola cheese.  The combination of the beef, creamy cheese and garlicky mushrooms is really, really, really good.

 

Wondering about my mashed potatoes?  I am going to confess right now.  I used a bag of “Steam and Mash” potatoes (short cut!).  Why not?  They are essentially peeled and boiled potatoes that have been frozen.  They aren’t powdered or anything weird.  Just frozen potatoes.  I cooked then in the microwave according to the package directions.  Once they were cooked, I mashed in some butter, a splash of milk and an entire container of Spinach and Artichoke Alouette Spreadable Cheese.  This is the best part….you can use any flavor Alouette or something similar (Boursin, etc.).  You could do Garlic and Herb, Sundried Tomato, Cheddar and Bacon…any kind you want!  They give the potatoes a creaminess and flavor you can’t get from anything else.

But the potatoes aren’t done yet.  Once they are mashed, I spread them in a pretty baking dish and topped them with buttered Panko bread crumbs, then popped them in the broiler.  Why not?  The broiler was already on from the steaks.  Mashed Potatoes with a crunchy, buttery topping?  Come on!

 

As for the Stuffed Zucchini….you have to understand that serving zucchini at Christmas is a big deal for me.  I dislike most green vegetables.  But this recipe is so good, I am willing to overlook the green vegetableness of the zucchini. 

I halve the zucchini lengthwise and hollow them out leaving a zucchini “boat”.  I saved about half of the zucchini guts and threw them into a bowl with diced onion, diced tomato, minced garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  I mixed that up and then stuffed the zucchini boats with the filling.  These got topped with more parmesan cheese and baked until the zucchini was tender and the filling was starting to get browned and delicious.  Pure zucchini goodness. 

 

This meal is fancy, but totally do-able.  I took help from my slow cooker and the grocery store.  Yes, I put some time into this meal, but not so much time that it would take away from my family and friends on Christmas.  I hope you try these recipes for your Holiday dinner!

All-Day Mushrooms

1 pound button mushrooms, cleaned

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

20 ounces red wine

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Serves 4-6

Spinach and Artichoke Mashed Potatoes

1 package Ore-Ida Steam and Mash Potatoes

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1/3 cup milk

6.5 ounce container Alouette Spreadable Cheese, Spinach and Artichoke flavor

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat broiler.

Cook potatoes according to package directions.  With a potato masher, mash in 2 tablespoons butter, milk and Alouette Cheese until potatoes are smooth.  Spread potatoes into a baking dish (8x8). 

Melt remaining butter in microwave for 35 seconds.  Mix melted butter into bread crumbs.  Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs evenly over the top of the mashed potatoes.

Broil potatoes until bread crumbs are browned, about 2 minutes.

Serves 4-6

Stuffed Zucchini

4 medium sized zucchini

1/3 cup tomatoes, diced

1/3 cup onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup parmesan cheese (shredded), divided

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Halve zucchini lengthwise and hollow out halves, using a spoon.  Save ½ of the scooped out zucchini and discard the remainder.  Place zucchini “shells” on a baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine scooped out zucchini, tomatoes, onion, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, minced garlic, salt and pepper. 

Fill each zucchini half with stuffing.  Top each zucchini with remaining parmesan cheese. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until zucchini is tender and cheese is slightly browned.

Serves 4-6

Easy Holiday Treats

My usual Christmas season includes many parties that are fancy, catered affairs.  I’m kidding, of course.  My Christmas season is actually Cookie Exchanges, family parties, school parties, etc.  I don’t need to make canapés or pate.  I need fun treats that are delicious and quick to make.  Like from a package easy.  I’m all about shortcuts during the holiday season, which is evident to anyone who read my blog about shortcut cinnamon rolls last week.

Today I am going to show you four simple treats that everyone will love, young and old.  Two use cookie mixes, and the other two use pre-made, easy to find ingredients.  Let’s do this.

My first recipe is Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.  I use a packaged sugar cookie mix.  Did you know you could add cocoa powder to a sugar cookie mix?  Yep, you just whisk it into the powdered mix. 

 

How awesome are cookie mixes?  Sure, you might already have all the ingredients you need for sugar cookies in your pantry…but you have to root around for them, measure, use a hand mixer, etc.  This mix needs a softened stick of butter and an egg.  You use a rubber spatula to stir it all together and boom, cookies.

Like I said above, I stir in unsweetened cocoa powder to change the sugar cookies to chocolate cookies.  The cookies end up rich and chocolaty.  I also stir in peppermint candy cane chips.  No, not crushed up candy canes, but actual little chips that you can buy during the holiday season.  They are right by the chocolate chips.

These bake for about ten minutes, and after they come out of the oven and cool, I sprinkle powdered sugar all over the tops.

FYI-nobody will know these came from a mix….because chocolate cookie mixes are super hard to find.  I challenge you to find one!

My next cookie mix recipe is Pear Gingerbread bars.  I use a packaged gingerbread cookie mix.  I add the egg and softened butter, but instead of scooping these out by the spoonful, I press the dough into an 8x8 baking pan.

 

Once the dough is sufficiently pressed out, I pour some Gourmet Rooster Ginger Pear spread all over the top.  It gets spread all over the top of the dough.

If you can’t find Gourmet Rooster, feel free to use any pear preserves or jam that you can find.

This bakes for about 30 minutes.  The pear spread bakes into the gingerbread keeping it moist and tender. 

Once the bars come out of the oven, I let them cool, and then I drizzle melted white chocolate all over the top.  The combination of pears, spicy sweet gingerbread and white chocolate is pretty much amazing.  And using a gingerbread cookie mix is a definite shortcut….do you know how many spices go into gingerbread?

 

 

My next treat uses Oreos.  Those aren’t too hard to find, right?  Plus, these treats are on sticks, which is always a crowd pleaser.

 

These are super easy to make.  I separate my Oreos first.  Then, I melt up some white candy coating.  You know, the kind that comes in its own little bowl?  I dip my sticks into the melted candy coating first.  This will act as my glue.  The Oreo gets its lid put back on, then I move on to my next step.

I dip them in the candy coating.  Where you expecting something hard?  Nope, they get dipped in the coating, and the stick is the perfect handle.  I set these little guys on some foil to harden, but before that happens, I sprinkled Holiday colored sprinkles over the candy coating.

 

Cutest things ever, right? 

My last treat is Chocolate Peppermint Pringles.  I know that might sound weird, but give it a chance.  I love sweet and salty together, and this obviously fits the bill. 

One tip-Make sure you get Original Flavor!  Ranch or BBQ would be gross!

 

Again, I am using the chocolate that melts in its own bowl.  I dip my Pringles about three quarters of the way in the chocolate.  I set these guys to harden on foil too.  Before the chocolate hardens, I sprinkled them with crushed up candy canes.  Yes, I used real candy canes this time.

 

The Holiday season should be all about spending time with family and friends, not slaving away in the kitchen, right?  I promise that all of the treats that I showed you are yummy, quick and easy.  I bet you will be all about the shortcuts too.

Chocolate Peppermint cookies

17.5 ounce package sugar cookie mix (Betty Crocker)

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

1 stick butter, softened

1 egg

½ cup Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips (Andes)

Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cookie mix and cocoa until well blended.  Stir in butter and egg.  Mix until combined.  Stir in peppermint chips.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

Cool completely then dust with powdered sugar.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Pear Gingerbread Bars

1 lb. 1.5 oz. package Gingerbread Cookie Mix (Betty Crocker)

1 stick butter, softened

1 egg

7 ounces Gourmet Rooster Pear Gingerbread Spread

½ cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together cookie mix, softened butter and egg until well combined.  Press dough into an 8x8 baking pan.  Spread pear spread evenly over the top.

Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes.  Let cool completely.

In a small bowl, microwave white chocolate chips in 30 second increments until chips are melted and smooth.  Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the bars.  Slice into 16 squares and serve.

Makes 16 2 inch squares.

Chocolate covered Oreos

One package Oreos

20 ounce package Almond Bark, Vanilla Flavored

30 Lollipop sticks

Holiday Sprinkles

Melt Almond Bark according to package directions.  Separate each Oreo in half.  Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and press into the Oreo filling.  Replace Oreo top.  Let sit to set chocolate.

Dip each Oreo into the melted chocolate using the stick as a handle.  Set Oreos onto foil to harden.  Sprinkle Holiday sprinkles over the tops before the chocolate hardens.

Makes 30.

Chocolate Peppermint Potato Chips

6 ounce package Pringles Potato Chips, Original Flavor

20 ounce package Almond Bark, Chocolate Flavor

4 candy canes, crushed

Melt Almond Bark according to package directions.  Dip each chip ¾ of the way into chocolate.  Set chips on foil to harden.  Sprinkle with candy canes before the chocolate hardens.

Makes 96.

Shortcut Cinnamon Rolls

Now that we have cruised into the Holiday season….have you started planning any of your important meals?  Now that I say that, I realize it sounds a little bit weird.  But I do love food, so I always plan my meals way in advance.  Last week I started working on Christmas morning breakfast…..cinnamon rolls.  Of course, these rolls would work for any number of celebrations, like New Year’s Day, Easter, a birthday breakfast, a Tuesday, etc.  Really anytime.  Everybody loves cinnamon rolls, right?  They are warm, gooey, buttery and perfect.

These cinnamon rolls have a great little shortcut that saves time, energy and sanity.  I say “sanity” because this recipe uses frozen bread dough instead of making your own yeast dough. How genius is that?  Confession time….I’m somewhat frightened of yeast.  I mean, you feed it….Isn’t that weird?  I don’t like to deal with it, and I avoid it whenever possible.  That is why this recipe is prefect for me.  It is fancier and more meaningful then popping open a can, but it is way easier than making a yeast dough.

Like I said, I use frozen bread dough.  I use the kind that comes frozen in loaves.  I don’t want to name names…but the brand I use starts with a “B”...and It's Bridgeford.  Whoops, I named names. 

I let two loaves defrost in the fridge overnight.

 

In the morning, while you drink your coffee, let the loaves sit on your counter and come to room temperature.  You do not want to try to work with cold bread dough.  It will not do what you want it too and you will end up fighting with it.  The dough will win.  But, if it is warmer, you can roll your dough out into big rectangles on a floured board.  I made my rectangles about 18 inches long and about 6 inches long.

As for the filling, it is super easy too.  I mix together 2 softened sticks of butter with vanilla extract, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  Oh, did I mention that these are not low fat?  It’s the holidays, let loose.

FYI-I use pumpkin pie spice as well as cinnamon because pumpkin pie spice also has cloves, allspice and ginger in it.  All things that are fantastic in your holiday cinnamon rolls.  And the vanilla?  Come on….delicious!

 

I spread half of the mixture onto each rectangle of dough.  Cover that dough up.  Spread the goodness.

Then, roll the dough up, like a jelly roll.  You will want to roll it lengthwise.  Once you have your dough rolled up, seal those edges and start cutting little rolls.  I cut my rolls at about 1 ½ inch intervals.

The rolls get placed in a buttered baking dish.  You don’t want to crowd your rolls because they still need to rise and get poufy, and they will poof right out of the pan when you cook them if they are crowded.  I would use two 13x9 baking dishes.

Now, these little guys need to rise for about 2 hours.  Go open presents, visit with family, take a nap, whatever.  Just let ‘em rise in a warm-ish spot in your kitchen.

After the rolls almost double in size, they are ready to be baked.  These bake at 375 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Are you ready for the best part?  Yep, the frosting.  I whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter and apple cider.  But this is the fun part….you can use any liquid you want instead of apple cider.  You could use egg nog, coffee, maple syrup, milk for the purist, or even orange juice.  I think apple cider is perfect for the holidays and it is perfect with cinnamon.

 

The frosting comes together in an instant, and then it gets drizzled over the warm rolls.  Your house will smell so good that there is a strong chance that neighbors will “stop by”.  Be ready.

 

Oh so good.  And easy!  I never had to feed yeast or anything!  I hope you try this recipe.  These are special enough for a holiday celebration, but easy enough for a normal weekend morning.

 

Shortcut Cinnamon Rolls

2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed in the refrigerator over night

2 sticks butter, softened

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

5 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

2/3 cup apple cider

Let bread loaves sit out at least 20 minutes to come to room temperature.  Roll loaves out, one at a time, on a floured surface.  Roll dough into large rectangles, at least 16-18 inches in length and 5 inches in width.

In a mixing bowl, stir together softened butter, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract.  Mix until completely blended. 

Divide butter mixture evenly among both rectangles of dough.  Spread all over dough.  Roll dough lengthwise, jelly roll style.  Seal edges by pinching dough.  Cut dough into rolls, about 1 ½ inch wide.  Place rolls into 2 13x9 baking dishes, making sure not to crown rolls.

Bake rolls at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Frosting:

Whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter and apple cider until smooth.  Drizzle over warm rolls.

Serves 12

Apple Pie Moonshine

Hi guys!  Long time, no talk.  We had a fabulous family vacay at Disneyland last week.  It was great to have a week off.  No cooking, no writing, no nothin’ but having fun.  I love to cook and write for you all, but it was nice to have a break.  And to let other people cook for me.  Not that what we ate was the greatest, but I did get Dole Whip and Bacon Wrapped Grilled Asparagus.

 

So I do have a recipe for you today, and it is a quick one.  Well, it sits for a week, but it is quick to put together.  And it is a great gift idea!  What is it, you ask?  Booze!  Everyone’s favorite.  Apple Pie Moonshine to be exact.

Ok, so it isn’t really moonshine, as I didn’t illegally make it in a still out in the forest.  I wasn’t hidin’ from the cops.  It wasn’t 1922.  I wasn’t wearing overalls.  I didn’t bootleg it over county lines.  But most importantly, I used vodka.  I didn’t make anything from corn.  It isn’t White Lightning.  I just like the name.  And since I made it myself (sort of), I will call it moonshine.

Here is how I made it:

 

I used a handle of vodka and a jar of Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread.  Easy, right?

Oh look, I used the good stuff!  Ok, no I didn’t.  I bought the cheapest vodka I could find.  Nobody will know.

 

I poured the vodka into a large jar and added the fruit spread.  If you think you have to only use Gourmet Rooster…you don’t.  You can use any kind of apple butter.

This will now sit on your counter for a week.  Go ahead and shake it every time you walk by it…..maybe 3 times a day.  This gives the flavors a chance to marry.

 

After the week (or longer) is up, pour your mixture through a strainer, a very fine strainer.  If you really want it smooth, use a coffee filter.

 

Done.  Bottle it.  Label it.  Yay!  A Christmas gift!  I used pint jars and made labels from brown craft paper.  Isn’t this the cutest gift?

As for the moonshine….it tastes like apple pie, hence the name.  It tastes of apples, cinnamon and vodka, of course. 

This recipe will give you 3 and ½ pint jars.  So three to give away and a small jar to keep for yourself. 

Watch yourself.  This stuff sneaks up on you!

Apple Pie Moonshine

1.75 liter bottle of vodka

9 ounces Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread

Pour ingredients into a large, airtight jar.  Let mixture sit for 1 week, shaking occasionally.  Strain and jar.

Makes 3 ½ pints.

Boozy Cranberry Sauce

Hi everyone!  I’m sitting here in our kitchen….not the one in my house, but our commercial kitchen.  Did I not tell you that I have one?;)  Yep, we (Gourmet Rooster) are teaming up with the company that packs for us (cooks and bottles for us).  We are now co-owners of Mrs. Auld’s Gourmet Foods.  Do you make a sauce, salsa, jam, dressing, muffin mix, etc. that is fantastic and must be introduced to the world?  Call me.  We can make it happen. 

Enough about my new business…..are you ready for Thanksgiving?  Do you have a cranberry sauce recipe yet, or are you planning on plopping one out of a can?  Don’t.  Unless you really like that stuff, which I kind of do.  But, I have a recipe for a quick and easy cranberry sauce that is also a bit different.

Do you know what a Madras is?  Cocktail wise?  It is vodka, cranberry juice and orange juice.  I call this cranberry sauce my Madras Cranberry Sauce.  It used to be called my Sea Breeze Cranberry Sauce until I found out that is vodka, cran and grapefruit juice.  Whoops.

 

For my recipe, I use a bag of cranberries, which is 12 ounces.  I also use sugar, citrus flavored vodka (orange is fine), mandarin oranges and the zest of an orange.

I use fresh cranberries in this recipe.  Don’t let them intimidate you.  And for crying out loud, don’t eat them raw.

 

I start by reducing my vodka.  This is to concentrate the flavor and burn off the alcohol.  I try to stay away from giving my kids alcohol. 

I boil about 1 ½ cups of vodka until it reduces down to 1 cup.  This happens surprisingly fast, like in about 3 minutes.

Once the vodka is reduced, I add the sugar and bring that to a boil.

 

Then, in goes the cranberries.  This will come back to a boil, and then it simmers for about 10-15 minutes.  The cranberries will start to pop and the mixture will thicken.

 

While the mixture is simmering, I zest my orange into the pot.  No, this isn’t a one handed job, but someone had to take the picture.

Don’t zest the white part.  That is bitter.  And gross.

 

When the cranberries have about 5 minutes left, I add the drained mandarin oranges.  I add them towards the end so they don’t break up too much.  I like the oranges to stay whole.

 

I serve mine with some walnuts on the top for crunch, but that part is up to you.

 

This recipe is simple, easy and delicious.  The cranberries and orange go so well together.  This sauce is sweet and tangy, with a bit of bite from the vodka.

You can even give this away as gifts.  It makes about 3 cups, so you will have enough for 3 8 ounce jars, give or take a little bit.  I gave mine away.  It is just the four of us for Turkey Day, so we won’t be eating 3 cups of sauce.

Have a great Thanksgiving and I will talk to you all next week!

Madras Cranberry Sauce

1 ½ cups citrus vodka

1 cup sugar

12 ounces fresh cranberries

15 ounce can mandarin oranges, drained

Zest  of one orange

Bring vodka to a boil, over medium high heat.  Once the vodka has reduced by half, about 3 minutes at a full boil, add sugar.  Bring mixture to a boil and add cranberries.  Bring to a boil again and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until thickened.

While mixture is simmering, add zest to pot.  When mixture is halfway done, add drained oranges.  Mix well.

Makes about 3 cups

 

 

Turkey Day Apps-2012

Now that I’ve covered the star of Thanksgiving (last week), the turkey, I say it’s time to move on to what people actually fill up on….the appetizers.  You know nobody really fills up on the turkey.  Sure, you enjoy it, just as you should on a day that is sometimes called “turkey day”.  But it’s time to be honest.  You know you really come for the other stuff.  When else can you eat 3 pounds of stuffing or mashed potatoes on your own?  When else can you eat enough green bean casserole and pie to necessitate loosening your belt and not have to feel badly about it?  Thanksgiving is the day, folks.  Let the feeding frenzy begin.

When I was little, my mom didn’t provide appetizers on Thanksgiving.  She said that nobody would eat dinner if they filled up on appetizers before.  I have a completely different view on this.  I think that if you get to someone’s house three hours before the main event….you deserve appetizers for your wait.  I have three really yummy appetizers to show you that are delicious and easy.  I think “easy” is key for apps on turkey day.  You (or whoever is cooking) already has 15 different things going on in the kitchen.  Appetizers that are super easy, or even can be made in advance are the best.

My first recipe is a delicious blue cheese spread that is fabulous on crackers, crudité, or on toasted baguette slices.  Everything is thrown in the food processor, and it can be made the day before (yay!).  I use cream cheese, blue cheese, canned pears, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, salt and pepper.  This spread is creamy, sweet and savory all at the same time.  Plus, dried cranberries and pears just scream “fall”.

 

I spread my cheesy deliciousness on toasted baguette slices and topped it with thin sliced roast beef.  I made it look pretty by sprinkling chives over the tops.

One or two of these will please your guests, and keep them from getting in the way in the kitchen when they start to get too hungry.

My second appetizer is Cranberry Stuffed Mushrooms.  I love stuffed mushrooms.  I always have.  My friend, Michelle, makes amazing stuffed mushrooms, and I was afraid that my recipe wouldn’t compare.  Well Michelle…..I think I might have gotten it!

My recipes uses two packages of whole, button mushrooms.  It is close to twenty four mushrooms.  I also use Gourmet Rooster Caramelized Onion and Chardonnay Spread, Whole berry cranberry sauce, pork sausage and brie. 

I prepared the mushrooms for stuffing my cleaning them off, individually, with a damp towel.  If you rinse them under water, they will get tough.  Use a towel.  I also pulled their stems out and tossed them.  Then, I used a grapefruit spoon to make the holes a bit bigger.  I realize not everyone has a grapefruit spoon, which is a spoon with a serrated edge.  You can use a paring knife or even a regular spoon.  Or you could go to my mom’s house and steal her grapefruit spoon like I did. 

Now that the mushrooms are ready….I started the stuffing by browning the sausage in a big skillet.  Make sure you break up the sausage while it cooks.  You want little teeny-tiny pieces for this.

Once the sausage was browned, I stirred in ½ a can of whole berry cranberry sauce and ½ a jar of the onion spread.  I cooked this mixture just until it was all heated through.

The onion spread is perfect in this.  It is full of caramelized onions, wine, and rosemary.  It has all the seasonings and spices that you would want, but if you can’t find it….caramelize your own onions and add some rosemary and white wine.

I filled each mushroom with about 1 teaspoon of filling.  One heaping teaspoon.  Then, I topped each mushroom with a little chunk of brie.  These little guys got baked in a 400 degree oven for almost 20 minutes. 

 

Holy moly, these were amazing.  I served these at a little pre-trick or treating party and they went quick!

My last recipe is a yummy Butternut Squash Mousse.  Don’t get scared, this isn’t a sweet mousse.  It is a savory, airy, delicious mousse.  And there is bacon involved.

This recipe uses mini phyllo shells, butternut squash, heavy cream, bacon, pecans, dried cranberries, garlic and a shallot..

The first step is to cook your bacon.  I cook mine in the oven….less mess.  I lay it out on a cooling rack which is layered over a baking sheet.  I bake it at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Easy, easy.

I start the filling by sautéing the garlic and shallot which have both been roughly chopped.  This will get pureed later so don’t get too hung up on the size of your chop.  I sautéed in olive oil, and I also seasoned with salt and pepper. 

My butternut squash came in a bag, already diced up for me.  This is available in most grocery stores, by the bagged salads.  You can cut your own, or you could even use canned pumpkin or sweet potatoes.  My bag had directions on the side for steaming in the microwave.  I cooked mine, in the bag, for about 3 minutes.  Then, I added the steamed squash to the garlic and shallots.  I cooked it, over medium high heat, for a few minutes to get a color on it.

The squash mixture got a quick trip in the food processor to get pureed.  I went smooth on this, like baby food smooth.  You can go chunkier if you want.

You can also use a blender if you don’t have a food processor.  If you have neither, mince your garlic and shallot, and when the mixture is cooked, smash it with the back of a spoon.

Then, I let the mixture cool off and come to room temperature.  While the squash is cooling off, I whipped up some cream.  I never sweeten this.  It will literally just be whipped cream.  Once the cream is whipped, I folded in the squash mixture.  This just means that I gently mixed the two together, trying not to deflate the cream.  Use a rubber spatula for this.

Once the cream and squash were folded together, I spooned the mixture into the mini phyllo cups.  I would have liked to have piped this in with a pastry bag, but I couldn’t find my star tip.  A spoon worked fine.

I topped each little cup with crumbled bacon, chopped pecans and a dried cranberry.  I also seasoned these with a bit more salt and pepper over the tops.

 

Oh man, these were good.  They are a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and a lot bit good.  I promise…your crowd will go wild if you make any of these recipes for your Thanksgiving.  I hope you try them!

Blue Cheese Spread

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

5 ounces blue cheese crumbles

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup diced pears, canned

¼ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup dried cranberries

Blend together cream cheese and blue cheese in a food processor, or with a hand mixer.  Once blended add remaining ingredients.  Pulse food processor until ingredients are mixed.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 8-10

Cranberry Stuffed Mushrooms

24 whole white button mushrooms

½ pound pork sausage

½ of a 14 ounce can of whole berry cranberry sauce

½ of a 9 ounce jar of Gourmet Rooster Caramelized Onion and Chardonnay Spread

5 ounces brie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prep mushrooms by wiping them with a damp cloth.  Pull out stems and discard.  With a paring knife or spoon, make each hole a little bit bigger.

In a large skillet, brown sausage over medium high heat.  Once sausage is browned, about 5 minutes, add cranberry sauce and onion spread.  Mix well and heat through over medium heat.

Fill each mushroom cap with sausage mixture, about 1 teaspoon each.  Top each cap with a small chunk of brie.

Bake at 400 degrees for 17 to 20 minutes or until tops are slightly brown and bubbly.

Makes 24.

Butternut Squash Mousse

Athens brand mini phyllo cups, 2 packages

1 tablespoon olive oil

12 ounce bag butternut squash, peeled, cubed and steamed according to package directions

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 small shallot, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

½ cup heavy cream

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

½ cup pecans

½ cup dried cranberries

In a large skillet, sauté garlic and shallot in olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sauté until garlic and shallot just start to brown, about 3 minutes.  Add steamed butternut squash and sauté an additional 3 minutes over medium high heat.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat heavy cream, with a hand mixer, until soft peaks are formed.  Fold squash mixture into whipped cream.  Pipe or spoon squash mousse into each phyllo cup.  Top with bacon, pecans and dried cranberries.